Bereishis
Book 1: Genesis

TOLDOS

Chapter 25

Verse 19: These are the descendants of Yitzchok son of Avraham. Avraham was the father of Yitzchok.

Verse 20: Yitzchok was forty years old when he took Rivkah, the daughter of Besueil, the Aramite, of Padan Aram, sister of Lavan, the Aramite, for a wife.

Verse 21: Yitzchok prayed to Ad-noy on behalf of his wife, for she was barren. Ad-noy granted his prayer and his wife, Rivkah, conceived.

Verse 22: The children clashed inside her, and [when this happened] she said, "If this is so, why did I desire this?" She [then] went to inquire of Ad-noy.

Verse 23: Ad-noy said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two Kingdoms will separate from within you. One government will be mightier than the other, but the greater one will serve the smaller one.

Verse 24: When her days of pregnancy were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb.

Verse 25: The first one came out with a reddish complexion, covered completely with what was like a hairy robe, and they named him Eisov.

Verse 26: After that his brother came out, his hand grasping the heel of Eisov, and he [Yitzchok] named him Yaakov. Yitzchok was sixty years old when she [Rivkah] gave birth to them.

Verse 27: The lads grew up. Eisov became a skilled trapper, a man of the field. Yaakov was a man without fault, living in tents.

Verse 28: Yitzchok loved Eisov because he ate of his trappings, but Rivkah loved Yaakov.

Verse 29: Yaakov was simmering a pottage when Eisov came in from the field, exhausted.

Verse 30: Eisov said to Yaakov, "Please give me a swallow of this red [pottage], for I am exhausted." He was therefore named Edom [Red].

Verse 31: Yaakov said, "As of this day, sell your birthright to me."

Verse 32: Eisov said, "Here I am about to die, what [good] is this birthright to me."

Verse 33: Yaakov said, "Swear to me as of this day." He swore to him, and sold his birthright to Yaakov.

Verse 34: Yaakov then gave Eisov bread and a pottage of lentils. He [Eisov] ate and drank, got up and left. [Thus] Eisov scorned the birthright.

Chapter 26

Verse 1: There was a famine in the land, aside from the first famine that was in the days of Avraham. Yitzchok went to Avimelech, king of the Philistines, in Gerar.

Verse 2: Ad-noy appeared to him and said, "Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land that I will make known to you.

Verse 3: Stay temporarily in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and your descendants I will give all these lands. I will [thus] keep the oath that I swore to Avraham, your father.

Verse 4: I will make your descendants [as numerous] as the stars of the heavens, and I will give your descendants all these lands. Through your descendants shall be blessed all the nations of the world.

Verse 5: [All this is] because Avraham listened to My voice, and minded My mandate, My commandments, My decrees and My teachings."

Sheini (Second Aliyah)

Verse 6: Yitzchok [thus] settled in Gerar.

Verse 7: The local men asked about his wife, and he said, "She is my sister." He was afraid to say, "[she is] my wife, lest the local men kill me for Rivkah, for she is so good looking."

Verse 8: Once, after [Yitzchok] had been there a long while, Avimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out the window, and he saw, and behold, Yitzchok was amusing himself with Rivkah, his wife.

Verse 9: Avimelech called Yitzchok and he said, "But she is your wife. How could you have said, 'She is my sister'?" Yitzchok said to him, "Because I said, 'I might die because of her."'

Verse 10: Avimelech said, "What have you done to us? One of the people could have easily slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.

Verse 11: Avimelech [then] commanded all his people, saying, "Whoever touches this man or his wife, shall die."

Verse 12: Yitzchok planted in that land, and in that year he reaped a hundred fold, for Ad-noy had blessed him.

Sh'lishi (Third Aliyah)

Verse 13: The man prospered. He continued to prosper until he became very great.

Verse 14: He owned flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, and many slaves, and the Philistines were jealous of him.

Verse 15: All the wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of his father, Avraham--- the Philistines plugged them, and filled them with earth.

Verse 16: Avimelech said to Yitzchok, "Go away from us. You have become much more powerful than us."

Verse 17: Yitzchok went away from there. He camped in the valley of Gerar and settled there.

Verse 18: Yitzchok returned and excavated the wells of water which were dug in the days of his father, Avraham, and were plugged by the Philistines after Avraham's death. He gave them the same names that his father had given them.

Verse 19: Yitzchok's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water.

Verse 20: The shepherds of Gerar argued with the shepherds of Yitzchok, saying, "the water is ours." He named the well Eisek [Quarrel], because they had quarreled with him.

Verse 21: They dug another well and they also argued about it. He named the well Sitnah [Obstruction].

Verse 22: He moved away from there and he dug another well, and there was no argument over it. He named it Rechovos [Wide Spaces], and said, "For now Ad-noy has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

Revi'i (Fourth Aliyah)

Verse 23: From there he went to Beer Sheva.

Verse 24: Ad-noy appeared to him that night and said, "I am the G-d of your father, Avraham. Do not fear for I am with you. I will bless you and make your descendants numerous, because of My servant, Avraham."

Verse 25: He [Yitzchok] built an altar there, and proclaimed the Name of Ad-noy. He set up his tent there, and Yitzchok's servants dug a well there.

Verse 26: Avimelech came to Yitzchok from Gerar along with a group of friends and Pichol, his general.

Verse 27: Yitzchok said to them, "Why have you come to me? You hate me and drove me away from you."

Verse 28: They said, "We have indeed seen that Ad-noy is with you, and we said, 'Let there now be an oath between us, between ourselves and you, and let us make a covenant with you;

Verse 29: that you will do us no harm, just as we did not touch you. We did nothing but good to you, and sent you away in peace.' You are now the blessed one of Ad-noy."

Chamishi (Fifth Aliyah)

Verse 30: He [Yitzchok] made a feast for them, and they ate and drank.

Verse 31: They got up early in the morning, and they each swore to the other. Yitzchok sent them away and they left in peace.

Verse 32: On that day Yitzchok's servants came and told him about the well they had dug; and they said to him, "We have found water."

Verse 33: He named it Shiva. Therefore the city is called Beer Sheva until this very day.

Verse 34: Eisov was forty years old and he married Yehudis, the daughter of Be'eri, the Chittite and Bosmas, the daughter of Eylon the Chittite.

Verse 35: They were a source of spiritual bitterness to Yitzchok and Rivkah.

Chapter 27

Verse 1: And when Yitzchok grew old his eyesight faded and he could not see. He called Eisov, his elder son, and said to him, "My son." [Eisov] said to him, "Here I am."

Verse 2: [Yitzchok] said, "Behold, if you please, I am old. I do not know the day of my death.

Verse 3: Now [therefore] please take your equipment, your sword and your bow, and go out to the field and trap [deer] for me.

Verse 4: Make it into a tasty dish for me, the way I like it, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that my soul will bless you before I die.

Verse 5: Rivkah had [over]heard what Yitzchok said to his son, Eisov. Eisov went out to the field to trap [deer] to bring it [home.]

Verse 6: Rivkah said to her son Yaakov, saying, "Behold, I heard your father speaking to your brother Eisov, saying,

Verse 7: 'Bring back [deer] for me and make it into a tasty dish for and I will eat. I will then bless you in the presence of Ad-noy before I die.'

Verse 8: Now my son, listen to me, concerning that which I command you.

Verse 9: Go, please, to the sheep and take for me from there two choice young goats, and I will make [from] them a tasty dish for your father as he likes.

Verse 10: You will [then] bring it to your father to eat, in order that he will bless you before he dies.

Verse 11: Yaakov said to Rivkah, his mother, "Behold, Eisov, my brother is a hairy person and I am a smooth-skinned person.

Verse 12: Suppose my father touches me. I will be in his eyes as an impostor. I will bring upon myself a curse---not a blessing."

Verse 13: His mother said to him, "Your curse shall be upon me, my son; but listen to me. Go bring them to me."

Verse 14: He went, took [them], and brought [them] to his mother. His mother make a tasty dish as his father liked.

Verse 15: Rivkah took the garments of Eisov, her elder son, [the garments] that were precious [to him] that were in her keeping in the house, and put them on Yaakov, her younger son.

Verse 16: The skins of the young goats she placed on his hands and the smooth part of his neck.

Verse 17: She placed the tasty dish and the bread which she had made, in the hand of Yaakov, her son.

Verse 18: He came to his father and said, "My father." [Yitzchok] said, "Here I am. Who are you my son?"

Verse 19: Yaakov said to his father, "It is I, Eisov your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Rise, if you please, sit up and eat of my trapping so that your soul will bless me."

Verse 20: Yitzchok said to his son, "How is it that you found it so quickly my son?" He [Yaakov] said, "Because Ad-noy, your G-d, brought it about for me."

Verse 21: Yitzchok said to Yaakov, "Come close, if you please, and let me touch you, my son. Are you my son Eisov or not?"

Verse 22: Yaakov came close to Yitzchok, his father, and he [Yitzchok] touched him. He said, "The voice is the voice of Yaakov, but the hands are the hands of Eisov."

Verse 23: He [Yitzchok] did not recognize him because his hands were like those of Eisov, his brother--- they were hairy--- and [thus] he blessed him.

Verse 24: He said, "Are you indeed my son, Eisov?" [Yaakov] said, "I am."

Verse 25: He said, "Bring it close to me and I will eat from my son's trappings, so that my soul will bless you." He brought it close to him and he ate. He [then] brought him wine and he drank.

Verse 26: His father Yitzchok said to him, "Come close to me and kiss me, my son."

Verse 27: He came close and kissed him. He [Yitzchok] smelled the fragrance of his garments, and he blessed him. He said, "See, my son's fragrance is like the fragrance of a field blessed by Ad-noy.

Shishi (Sixth Aliyah)

Verse 28: And may G-d give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness [riches] of the land, and abundance of grain and wine.

Verse 29: Peoples will serve you and nations bow to you. Be master over your brothers, and your mother's sons will bow to you. Those who curse you are cursed, and those who bless you are blessed."

Verse 30: It was when Yitzchok had finished blessing Yaakov, and Yaakov had just left the presence of Yitzchok, his father, that Eisov came back from his trapping.

Verse 31: He too made a tasty dish and brought it to his father. He said to his father, "Let my father rise and eat of his son's trapping, that your soul may bless me."

Verse 32: Yitzchok, his father, said to him, "Who are you?" He said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Eisov."

Verse 33: Yitzchok was seized with a powerful trembling; and said, "Who, then, is he who trapped [deer] and brought it to me. I ate all of it before you came, and I blessed him. He shall be blessed."

Verse 34: When Eisov heard his father's words, he wailed a most loud and bitter cry, and he said to his father, "Bless me too, my father."

Verse 35: [Yitzchok] said, "Your brother came with cunning and he took your blessing."

Verse 36: [Eisov] said, "Is he not rightly called Yaakov? He has deceived me twice; he took my birthright, and now he has taken my blessing." He said, "Have you not saved a blessing for me?"

Verse 37: Yitzchok replied and said to Eisov. "Behold, I have made him your master, and all his brothers I have given him as slaves. I have sustained him with grain and wine. Where--- What can I do for you, my son?"

Verse 38: Eisov said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father," and Eisov raised his voice and wept.

Verse 39: Yitzchok, his father replied and said to him, "Behold the fatness [richness] of the earth shall be your dwelling, and of the dew of heaven from above.

Verse 40: You shall live by your sword, and you shall serve your brother. When you have cause to be grieved, you will throw off his yoke from your neck.

Verse 41: Eisov hated Yaakov because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Eisov said in his heart, "The mourning days for my father are approaching. I will then kill my brother, Yaakov."

Verse 42: Rivkah was informed about the words of Eisov, her older son, and she sent [a messenger] to call Yaakov, her younger son, and she said to him. "Behold, your brother Eisov is consoled through you, [for he intends] to kill you.

Verse 43: Now my son listen to me. Get up and flee to Lavan, my brother, to Charan.

Verse 44: Remain with him a short time until your brother's fury has subsided.

Verse 45: Until your brother's rage toward you has subsided, and he has forgotten what you did to him. I will then send [for you] and bring you [back] from there. Why should I lose both of you on one day?"

Verse 46: Rivkah said to Yitzchok, "I am disgusted with my life because of the daughters of Cheis. If Yaakov marries a woman of the daughters of Cheis, like these, from the daughters of the land, what is life [worth] to me."

Chapter 28

Verse 1: Yitzchok called Yaakov and blessed him. He commanded him and said to him, "Do not marry a woman of the daughters of Canaan.

Verse 2: Set out and go to Padan Aram, to the house of Besueil, your mother's father, and marry one of the daughters of Lavan, your mother's brother.

Verse 3: May the Almighty, Sh-ddai, bless you, make you fruitful and multiply you. May you become an assembly of peoples.

Verse 4: May He give you the blessing of Avraham, to you and to your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land of your dwelling which G-d gave to Avraham.

Shevi'i (Seventh Aliyah)

Verse 5: Yitzchok sent Yaakov on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Lavan, son of Besueil the Aramean, the brother of Rivkah, mother of Yaakov and Eisov.

Verse 6: Eisov saw that Yitzchok blessed Yaakov, and sent him to Paddan Aram, to find a wife there; and as he blessed him, he commanded him saying, "Do not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan."

Maftir

Verse 7: And Yaakov listened to his father and mother, and went to Paddan Aram.

Verse 8: Eisov [thus] realized that the daughters of Canaan were evil in the eyes of Yitzchok, his father.

Verse 9: Eisov [then] went to Yishmael, and took Mochalas, the daughter of Yishmael, the son of Avraham and sister of Nevayos, in addition to his other wives for a wife.

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