Miller's Musings Parshas Toldos: Changing the Channel

בס''ד

Poor Eisav!  I mean really…what chance did he have!  Even when enclosed within his mother’s womb the Medrash relates that when Rivka passed places of idol worship, Eisav would struggle to try and reach this place of impurity.  When he was born the Torah deems it necessary to describe his features, one of which, his redness, is said to indicate a trait of thirsting for blood and portend a life of murder and bloodshed.  From his very beginning there was an incipient trajectory towards evil and malevolence.  So how could any blame be levelled at Eisav for what he became, when he seemingly had no choice and was merely fulfilling his predetermined, inexorable destiny?     

When we look at ourselves and the life we have been given, there is so much that is beyond our control and preordained with no choice of our own, yet the capacity to choose is one that is most sacred to our beliefs.  The negative qualities we are born with are not something we choose to have, but what we can choose is the manner in which we confront them.  It is true, says the Sifsei Chaim, that Eisav had a natural predilection towards the unholy, but there was always a choice in how he steered those natural inclinations.  The Gemoro tells us that one who enjoys the sight of blood instead of resorting to murder, can work as one who ritually slaughters animals or performs circumcisions, to utilise one’s innate tendency.  So too every aspect of who we are can be channelled in the right way and even Eisav had the potential within him to convert all that was negative into a force for good.

The way in which we view ourselves and those around us often reflects a false perception of who we are.  Instead of looking at a child as being perfect except for these minor defects in their personality, a parent or educator must realise that those faults are a necessary part of who they are and without those attributes and the correct directing of them, they could never achieve their perfection.  Equally we should not perceive ourselves as entirely good with some flaws in our character that need to be removed, but rather we need to understand that we are created as we are in order to fulfil our individual purpose and these parts of ourselves that we struggle with, are in fact the elements of us that once channelled correctly, will elevate our entire selves and propel us to greatness. 

*May the power of Shabbos fortify us for the battles ahead*

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם