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Judgment Before Kindness: The Path of Yaakov

Rashi says the “generations of Yitzchak” are Yaakov and Esav. But why does the verse run the line both ways, “Yitzchak son of Avraham” and then “Avraham begot Yitzchak”? And what does that double order have to do with Yaakov and Esav?

Name a tzaddik: tap for who he wasTitle a sefer

Bereishis 25:19
וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת יִצְחָק בֶּן־אַבְרָהָם אַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶת־יִצְחָק
And these are the generations of Yitzchak son of Avraham: Avraham begot Yitzchak.
1“And these are the generations of Yitzchak son of Avraham …” comments: “Yaakov and Esav, who are spoken of in this parshah.”1 We can explain this by way of hint. Yitzchak, as is well known, hints at din, judgment, and Avraham at chessed, kindness. And we find the saying: “Tzaddikim begin with suffering and end in tranquility,” and the wicked the reverse.2 That is “These are the generations of Yitzchak son of Avraham”: what is born of Yitzchak is a son of Avraham, for after judgment, kindness is born. And “Avraham begot Yitzchak”: after kindness, judgment is born. Rashi's comment, “Yaakov and Esav, who are spoken of in this parshah,” means that this hint in the parshah is said of Yaakov and Esav. Like the tzaddikim of that saying, Yaakov begins in judgment and ends in tranquility; for Esav it is the reverse.
וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת יִצְחָק בֶּן אַבְרָהָם כּוּ'. פירש"י ז"ל "יַעֲקֹב וְעֵשָׂו הָאֲמוּרִים בַּפָּרָשָׁה", יֵשׁ לְפָרֵשׁ ע"ד הָרֶמֶז, דְּיִצְחָק רֶמֶז לְדִין וְאַבְרָהָם רֶמֶז לְחֶסֶד כַּיָּדוּעַ, וְאִיתָא צַדִּיקִים תְּחִילָּתָן יִסּוּרִים וְסוֹפָן שַׁלְוָה וּרְשָׁעִים הַהֵיפֶךְ, וְזֶהוּ "אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדוֹת יִצְחָק בֶּן אַבְרָהָם", ר"ל שֶׁאַחַר הַדִּין נוֹלַד חֶסֶד, וְ"אַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶת יִצְחָק" ר"ל אַחַר הַחֶסֶד נוֹלַד דִּין, ופירש"י יַעֲקֹב וְעֵשָׂו הָאֲמוּרִים בַּפָּרָשָׁה כּוּ', ר"ל הָרֶמֶז הַזֶּה הָאָמוּר בַּפָּרָשָׁה, נֶאֱמַר עַל יַעֲקֹב וְעֵשָׂו, דְּהַיְינוּ לְיַעֲקֹב תְּחִילָּתוֹ דִּין וְסוֹפוֹ שַׁלְוָה כנ"ל, וּלְעֵשָׂו הַהִיפּוּךְ.
  1. Rashi on Bereishis 25:19. ↩
  2. The saying is found in Rashi on Bereishis 27:29: “Tzaddikim begin with suffering and end in tranquility … the wicked begin in tranquility and end with suffering.” ↩
In shortYaakov's life runs from judgment to kindness, from hardship to tranquility; Esav's runs the other way.
The maamar as a whole

R’ Elimelech reads the opening verse by way of hint. Yitzchak stands for din, judgment, and Avraham for chessed, kindness; and Chazal teach that tzaddikim begin with suffering and end in tranquility, while the wicked have it the other way. “Yitzchak son of Avraham” is judgment that gives birth to kindness; “Avraham begot Yitzchak” is kindness that gives birth to judgment. Rashi’s comment, “Yaakov and Esav, who are spoken of in this parshah,” tells us whom each order describes: Yaakov’s road begins in judgment and ends in tranquility, and Esav’s runs from ease to judgment.

Takeaway

When the start of our road is hard, the hardship may be the very judgment from which kindness is born. Like Yaakov, one who walks that road faithfully can trust that its end is tranquility.

Related learning

Sources he cites

·

Tzaddikim he names

Rashi · Yitzchak Avinu · Avraham Avinu · Yaakov Avinu

Translated with AI assistance. Sources and summaries were checked by a separate AI review; not yet reviewed by a human editor.

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