Parshat Toldot In memory of Shimshon Ben Shalom

As we can infer from Rashi, HaShem made Isaac look like Avraham to silence the critics that were claiming that Yitzchak wasn't really Avraham's child. However, we can ask the simple question of what does this really prove in the first place that they looked alike? Don't we see from another Rashi that Lot also looked like Avraham?!

As well, we see in this world the possibility for people to look alike without being immediate relatives. Even more so, Avraham was a blood relative to Sarah, as his brother was her father, so it could still make sense that her child from another man would still look like Avraham! Something else must be going on here besides them looking alike physically..

Let us see by explaining an utmost principal foundation of foundations of reality which is called 'Holy Faith'. It is upon us to believe with full Emunah/Faith that everything that happens is simply divine providence directly from HaShem. Also, whatever appears to be a bad thing or an unfortunate thing that occurs, we must know and believe that even this scenario is for our good and much goodness is hidden within this seemingly bad situation. Because, in the world of truth only goodness and kindness comes from HaShem who is 'all good' and bestows that goodness to all.

As the sages say -

This means to say that you now believe that everything is for the good as if you see with your own eyes what the future beholds, when at that time, everything will be revealed, and that all things were actually good, and for the good.

This is what was taught by the Rambam, and many other sages of Israel -

"The purpose of knowledge, is that we don't know" - which means that real knowledge will inform us that we don't know the ways of the Blessed Creator, and his pathways are unknown to us, rather, a human must believe with full faith that HaShem is good, and oversees and runs the world with kindness and deals with his creations with mercy, and that anything that transpires, must be considered good.

It is true that we must pray that this goodness that we are speaking of should be revealed goodness! As it is taught in the Holy writings of the Kedushat Levi based on the below verse from the Torah.

And these are his words based on the above verse -

"When the verse says I will 'deal bountiful with you', it is referring to the reality that all the goodness in store for us should be revealed to us, because sometimes there are kindnesses that come to us from above, however they are clothed in a hidden manner and are not revealed to the eye. Actually, its the exact opposite! Some things appear to be very bad, and the goodness within it is beyond hidden. This is not the case when the Creator does kindness with us and reveals to man the revealed goodness." These are his words.

However, even in times when we cannot see the revealed goodness, we must believe with utmost faith that the scenario is indeed good. This can be seen as well from the writings of the great sage, the Chatam Sofer, may he be remembered for eternal life, in his book 'Torat Moshe', based on the below verse -

And these are his words, "We can say based on whats hidden here, we see multiple things, and reasons within various reasons of things that transpire on the Earth, in which we wonder, "Why did G-D, or could G-D do such a thing??"... And then after an extended period of time we end up seeing and understanding everything retroactively, that all the things that had transpired were simply preparatory steps for something great to come out of the situation.

An example would be the miracle of Purim. Vashti the Queen was killed, and Esther was taken, and regarding all the speculation you could have thought of at the time regarding what was really happening, it ended up being that this was a critical event in the unfolding of the redemption plan for Israel. However, before the decree of the King was made to save the Israelites, we had no clue what was happening in the storyline, all we had was faith that without a doubt this is not an act empty of divine will, and the reasons for the events unfolding are just simply hidden from us at the time... and this thought process is considered the highest level of faith. This high level of faith comes with a unique reward for those that hold by it.

And this here is the secret to the above verse 'You will see my back, but my face you will not see' - Which we can now reread as saying the following, 'You will see things from after the fact (Achorai), meaning after something happens and its purpose later on revealed, only then will you see my goodness that was found within it, 'but beforehand (L'fanai) you will not see the goodness found in things!' Which means that we will only see after something seemingly bad happens that it was really good the whole time, and that beforehand, from the word in the verse that would be referring to the front of HaShem, we are taught that from the inception of something, we may not immediately see the goodness within it." Until here are his words

'So we see according to his words, that its not always possible to see the revealed goodness from the inception of something, so a person MUST believe that all that transpires and happens to him/her, is for the good! And to know that later on, everything was indeed for the good, and all came from HaShem who happened these instances upon you. And you will realize that it would have been impossible to come to such a place of salvation, joy and wealth, ect, without these seemingly unfortunate acts befalling upon you, and that everything was indeed just a preparation for goodness to come your way.

Now knowing this we can explain the below verse from Pslams -

What does it mean before and after? The explanation is that Hashem formed and fashioned this world in a way that a scenario from its inception will appear to be difficult... as goes the famous saying 'all beginnings are difficult'. This is the reality of beginnings.. and now there is a reality called after, which is an aspect of 'after the fact we shall greatly comprehend', and the worship of humans is to form his soul to see the after, which means the goodness that will be revealed, but from the inception itself to see it! And in the beginning to strengthen oneself until he/she reaches a place where G-Ds salvation and goodness becomes revealed to our eyes. Therefor, the verse above from Pslams states the word 'after' first and only then the word 'before', as to instill in us that now, in the beginning, when things are not revealed to us, that salvation from HaShem will come, and that we should believe right away that everything is for the good directly from the story weaver of the beginning and the end.

And here we see a tremendous difference between the offspring of King Avimelech and between the holy seed of Avraham our forefather, may he be loved by the Heavens. Because only through the seed of Avraham is such a lofty level of faith (of seeing things as good from the start) imbedded and instilled, and it's not a given reality that the nations of the world have easy access to. And now we can see that this was the intention of the sages, and Rashi, when it's said that HaShem formed Isaac in the face of Avraham. It's not just saying that they look alike, or have similar eyes, rather, his face (Panav in Hebrew) is similar to Avraham. The word Panav, meaning face, is also the same letters as L'fanai (the word we used above to describe seeing HaShem in the beforehand situation)!! This is a hidden teaching in this verse - that Isaac was given the same level of faith that Avraham had, that he was able to see things as good from the onset of a happening, and that he was similar to Avraham in regards to his wisdom and understanding of reality, and that his view of reality was exactly the same as Avraham, and this was the clearest proof to all that Isaac was indeed the child of Avraham, and from holy seed was he carved from!