Why Did Yaakov Hide Esau? • The Daily Lesson from Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a

Before you is a summary of the topics from the daily lesson as delivered by our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a – yesterday after the Maariv (evening) prayer, Sunday night, the 26th of MarCheshvan 5786, Parshat Toldot:

1. "These are the generations of Abraham, Abraham fathered Isaac." Do we not know that Abraham fathered Isaac? Rashi (the classic Torah commentator) explains that [the verse repeats this] so people would know he was born from Abraham and not from Abimelech.
2. Zohar Toldot: Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai) said, "I see that there will be terrible decrees in the years of Tach and Tat (the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648-1649), but then there will be Techiyas HaMeisim (resurrection of the dead)." "And they bowed to the children of Heth."
3. People always say that the Jews are guilty and are murderers, even though in the rest of the world, they kill a thousand times more.
4. Yaakov (Jacob) hid Esau in his tent, and as a reward, [Esau] replied, "The days of mourning for my father are approaching, and I will kill my brother Yaakov." Rebbe Noson asks in Gazeila 5 (a section of Likutey Halachos): How could Yaakov host Esau? Rather, Yaakov knew that in the future, Edom (the descendants of Esau/the Western world) would help Israel. Just as we see that Trump helps Israel. The Rebbe (Rebbe Nachman) also says this in Torah 20 [of Likutey Moharan].
5. Sarah was greater than Abraham in prophecy. But people ask why Hashem (God) did not reveal to Isaac, "Whatever Rebecca tells you, listen to her voice" [as He told Abraham regarding Sarah]. Rather, Hashem wanted him to bless Yaakov under the guise of Esau, so that even if he were Esau, the blessings would remain.
6. Why didn't Esau want the blessings since he received the whole world? Was he lacking blessings? Rather, [he said] "Have you reserved (atzalta) a blessing for me?" When the tzaddik (righteous person) blesses, it comes from the world of Atzilus (the highest spiritual realm of Emanation)! These are blessings of Techiyas HaMeisim (resurrection of the dead)! And Isaac told him that he could not give this. Then [Esau] planned how to kill Ishmael and Isaac on the same day by taking Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael [as a wife].
7. The Gemara (Talmud) in Avodah Zarah relates that the Emperor would kill a slave every day. One day he said to Rabbi Chanina bar Chama, "Resurrect the slave." And Rabbi Chanina bar Chama brought him back to life. Everyone mentioned in the Gemara was able to perform Techiyas HaMeisim (resurrection of the dead).