THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, November 23, 1984 61

TORAH PORTION

and

BY RABBI JAMES I. GORDON
Special to The Jewish News

competence, note for selfish pur-
poses, but rather for a higher goal,
that of mitzvas kibbud av the
mitzva of honoring a parent. Isaac
is in a hurry to teach Esau to do
something unselfish, something
for others, something which can
result in a braha for him who was
spiritually inferior to his brother.
Esau was motivated by the
same consideration of the brevity
of lie and his eventual death. But
look at how different a construc-
tion he places on this inevitable
fact: "Behold I am going to die of
what profit is the birthright to
me?" )Genesis 25:32).
For Isaac, the imminence of
death was an incentive to leave a
blessing. For Esau, it was a reason
to feast on lintels. For Isaac, death
was a signal to reenforce the
spiritual worth of a child. For
Esau, it was an excuse for forfeit-
ing a birthright. This is how death
clearly defines the essence of per-
sonality, by making a man choose
between a last blessing and a last
fling.
All of us are acquainted with
such cases of approaching disaster
acting as the test to distinguish
between the Isaacs and the Esaus.
Two young men who may seem
remarkably alike in personality
and background go off to war. One
can achieve dignity and spiritual
wholesomeness from this same
experience which leads the other
to immorality and a completely
nihilistic outlook on life. The
awareness of death has made one
choose a last blessing and the
other a last fling. That is why the
last war turned some religious
youngsters into cynical adults,
and flighty youngsters into seri-
ous, dedicated and pious adults.
"Behold I am going to die" has
forced upon them the ultimate
choice of their lives — how to live

Continued on next page

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ast blessing or last fling

The knowledge of impending
disaster always has a profound ef-
ect. It can melt the heart of a
strong man, and make a hero of a
coward. More often than not, the
approach of death, life's greatest
disaster, evokes a reaction which
tells us all we need to know about
a man's self: his personality,
Ideology, strength of character.
he closer the end is expected, the
more concentrated become a
man's essential qualities,
whether good or bad.
As an indication of what death
tells us about life, we may study
the contrast between two of the
major characters who dominate
today's Sedra: Isaac and Esau.
Both were concerned about the fi-
niteness of life. Both based their
lives on the fact that it ends. Both
acted out of the knowledge that
man is mortal and he soon must
die. Yet the same cause resulted
n effects which were worlds
apart.
Listen to Isaac: "Behold now, I
am old, I know not the day of
death. Now please take your
weapons . . . go out to the field and
trap for me venison. Make me
savory food . . . that I may eat,
that my soul may bless you before
I die" (Genesis 27:2-4).
Life is so short, says Isaac to
himself, and I am going to die any
day now. There is so much left un-
done. I have taken care of Jacob —
he is the sort of person who will
always be a credit to me. But what
of Esau? Must he always be con-
' demned to play the savage, un-
wanted and unloved, feared and
hated? Must he be eternally es-
tranged from his Heavenly
Father?
Shall it not be said of him that
he did something noble in all his
life? And so — because of his im-
pending death — Isaac takes ac-
tion, and sends Esau off on an er-
rand which he can perform. with

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