Questions on Parshas Toldos to think about and discuss:

1. The possuk (25:21) brings that Rivka was barren. What is the significance of her not being able to have children more than if she could and Yitzchok could not – achieving the same result? Why were the Emohous, Matriarchs, barren and not the Avos?
2. Where did Yitzchok go to daven for children?
3. Why does the possuk only bring the age of Yitzchok (40 and 60) and not the age of Rivka?
4. What is the significance of Yakov and Esav being twins?
5. Rashi (25:22) brings that Esav whilst still in the womb pushed out when his mother passed places of idol worship. How could he do that when we hold that the evil inclination only comes to a person after they are born?
6. Who named them Yakov and Esav?
7. When Yitzchok and Rivka were childless they opted to daven. Why did Yitzchok not follow the path of Avrohom who married a maidservant of his wife?
8. Did Esav have bris mila?
9. How is it possible for someone to sell their firstborn rights something that depends on birth? If a Yisroel buys rights from a Kohen can he now do the avoda?
10. We find wealth with produce only by Yitzchok (26:12). How is this significant?
11. When during the year did the blessings of Yitzchok take place?
12. What are the two reasons why Yakov left home at the end of the parsha?
13. Which possuk in Parshas Toldos tells us the power special to Yakov and to Esav?
14. When do we say during the year the brochos of Yitzchok and why?
15. In Parshas Toldos it brings at length the episode of Yitzchok digging up three wells. Why?
16. How could Yitzchok love Esav more than Yakov?
17. Yakov had the attribute of Emes, truth – Titein Emes LiYakov. How could he then lie saying (27:19) “I am Esav your firstborn”?
18. Chazal tell us how Esav excelled in honouring his father. How do we see this when Yitzchok’s suspicions are aroused when Yakov speaks so nicely while Esav does not?
19. What is the significance of Esav only excelling in honouring his father but not his mother?
20. What made King Avimelech come to make up with Yitzchok?
21. What animal did Esav bring to his father for the blessings?
22. How long did Rivka lived for?
23. At what age did Yitzchok marry Rivka?
24. (27:23) It says that he blessed Yakov and then ate and blessed Yakov. What was the first blessing that is not elaborated on in the verses about?

Ideas for answers on the general parsha:

2. Targum Yonason says that he went to the place of the Akedia. This was a place of a tremendous merit for what he had done there. There he asked to undo the decree that both he and his wife would be barren
4. Twins represents the idea of partners who work together. The mazal for the month of Sivan is Teumim, twins, and represents unity as seen in that month when there is the giving of the Torah. The partnership here should have been like Yissocher and Zevulun with Esav working in this physical world to help support Yakov with his spiritual pursuits.
5. The Gur Aryeh answers that this push to evil was not because of his evil inclination but was because of his evil nature that naturally was drawn to these places.
6. Rashi brings that the name Esav was thought of by everyone who saw him and therefore called him so based on his already made (loshon osui) appearance. Yakov was either named so by his father, Yitzchok,  or called so by Hashem. We find this is the reason why in many things he did not copy Avrohom – e.g. Rashi (26:2) this is the reason why he did not go to Mitzrayim during the famine like Avrohom did. He was so holy that he should not leave Eretz Yisroel.
7. Rashi (end of 25:26) brings that Yitzchok was so holy after the Akeida that he was not to marry any maidservants…
8. The Daas Zekeinim (25:25) brings that when he was born he was so red that they were scared to give him bris mila because of his blood not being properly absorbed. When after a few years they realised that this was normal for him, Yitzchok decided to wait until he was thirteen to do mila like by Yishmoel. However, at thirteen Esav refused to allow it to be done and therefore he remained without bris mila! However, there is a chazal that says that when Yakov hid Dena from Esav he was to be punished that since he did not let her get married to someone with bris mila (i.e. Esav) she would marry someone without bris mila (namely Shechem).
11. Rashi (27:9) implies that this took place on Pesach and therefore Yitzchok asked for two goats. However, in some Rosh Hashana Machzorim before the blowing of the shofar they bring a Zohar that says these blessings took place on Rosh Hashana.
12. Yakov left as instructed by his father to go and look for a wife. However, the reason why his mother wanted him to go away was because she was scared that Esav would try and kill him for taking away his brochos.
13. (27:22) הקול קול יעקב והידים ידי עשו – that the power of the Jews is in speech, specifically tefilla, while the power of Esav is in action, by the sword.
14. We say it every Motzoai Shabbos and it starts the compilation of all other brochos elsewhere in the Torah. Perhaps simply because it is the first one chronologically or perhaps it is like the root and source for all the other blessings to follow on.
15. The Ramban (26:20) explains that the Torah is hiding an allusion to the two Botei Mikdoshim that were destroyed by the other nations while the third alludes to the future Beis Hamikdosh where there will no longer be any interference with by the other nations, may it be speedily built in our days. What still needs understanding is that there is also a fourth well (26:32-33). Why does the Ramban not mention this and what does it parallel?…
16. This needs understanding. Perhaps a start is the Chizkuni who says that it does not mean a constant love only temporary love.
18. Yitzchok had a reason why Esav spoke gruffly. This was because he spent his time in the fields with negative influences. However, Yakov who was immersed in Torah, Yitzchok expected him to speak politely. We see here an important principle that a person is expected to do the best on their spiritual level.
20. Targum Yonason brings that when Yitzchok left them, the wells of water dried up and as a result the fruit and produce stopped growing. They now realised that this was because Yitzchok had been sent away. They therefore went to appease him and get the water to come back.
21. Hashem specially made Esav unsuccessful in trapping a kosher animal, despite Esav’s expertise, in order to delay him and allow Yakov to get the brochos. Esav then got so desperate that in the end he just slaughtered a dog and brought it to his father.
22. The Da’as Zekainim brings that she lived for 133 years (like Kehos).
23. Rashi brings Rivka was three. Da’as Zekeinim says she was 13 years old.
24. The Seforno (27:23) says that since Yitzchok suspected him wrongly in his eyes, therefore he blessed him and then afterwards blessed him with the real brochos that are mentioned in the pesukim.

In depth Articles about the Twins: Yakov and Esav

1. TWINS – YAKOV & ESAV, PART 1
2. TWINS – YAKOV & ESAV, PART 2