Parsha: Toldot
Genesis 25:19-28:9
Haftarah: Malachi 1:1-2:7
Saturday, November 14, 2026
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Jewish Learning by Kimberly D
Genesis 25:19-28:9
Daily Reading Schedule:
Sunday November 8, 2026: Genesis 25:19-26:5
Monday November 9, 2026: Genesis 26:6-12
Tuesday November 10, 2026: Genesis 26:13-22
Wednesday November 11, 2026: Genesis 26:23-29
Thursday November 12, 2026: Genesis 26:30-27:27
Friday November 13, 2026: Genesis 27:28-28:4
Saturday November 14, 2026: All of the above Plus Genesis 28:5-9 AND
maf: Genesis 28:7-9
Haftarah: Malachi 1:1-2:7
Talmudic References:
Explore key discussions and cross-references from the Talmud that provide profound depth to the themes of Parsha Bereshit.
1
Sanhedrin
Daf Reference: 91a:14
(Reference for Genesis 25:19)
The Gemara relates: And on another occasion, the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Keturah came to judgment with the Jewish people before Alexander of Macedon. They said to the Jewish people before Alexander: The land of Canaan is both ours and yours, as it is written: “And these are the generations of Ishmael, son of Abraham, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore unto Abraham” (Genesis 25:12), and it is written: “And these are the generations of Isaac, son of Abraham” (Genesis 25:19). Therefore, the land should be divided between Abraham’s heirs.
2
Shabbat
Daf Reference: 118b:1
(Reference for Genesis 26:3)
on the inheritance of Jacob your father, as the mouth of God has spoken” (Isaiah 58:13–14). The reward for delighting in Shabbat is specifically the portion of Jacob. Not that of Abraham, about whom it is written, “Rise, walk through the land through its length and its width because I have given it to you” (Genesis 13:17), i.e., only this land alone in its borders. And not that of Isaac, about whom it is written, “Dwell in this land and I will be with you and I will bless you because I will give all of these lands to you and your offspring” (Genesis 26:3), meaning these lands and no others. Rather, that of Jacob, about whom it is written, “And your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and all of the families of the land will be blessed through you and your offspring” (Genesis 28:14). There are no boundaries for Jacob’s portion.
3
Megillah
Daf Reference: 17a:2
(Reference for Genesis 28:6)
And it was taught in a baraita: Jacob our father was sixty-three years old at the time he was blessed by his father, and at that same time Ishmael died. How is it known that these two events occurred at the same time? As it is written: “When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob…then Esau went to Ishmael and took for a wife Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth” (Genesis 28:6–9). From the fact that it is stated: “the daughter of Ishmael,” do I not know that she was the sister of Nebaioth? For what purpose then does the verse say this explicitly? This teaches that Ishmael betrothed her to Esau and in the meantime he died, and Nebaioth her brother married her off. Therefore, special mention is made of Nebaioth. Consequently, it is understood that Jacob was sixty-three years old when he received his blessing and left his father’s house.
Commentaries from our Sages:
01
Rashi on Genesis 25:22:1-5
(Referece for Genesis 25:22)
Rashi on 25:22
ויתרוצצו. עַ"כָּ הַמִּקְרָא הַזֶּה אוֹמֵר דָּרְשֵׁנִי, שֶׁסָּתַם מַה הִיא רְצִיצָה זוֹ וְכָתַב אִם כֵּן לָמָּה זֶּה אָנֹכִי? רַבּוֹתֵינוּ דְּרָשׁוּהוּ לְשׁוֹן רִיצָה; כְּשֶׁהָיְתָה עוֹבֶרֶת עַל פִּתְחֵי תּוֹרָה שֶׁל שֵׁם וָעֵבֶר יַעֲקֹב רָץ וּמְפַרְכֵּס לָצֵאת, עוֹבֶרֶת עַל פֶּתַח עֲבוֹדַת אֱלִילִים, עֵשָׂו מְפַרְכֵּס לָצֵאת. דָּבָר אַחֵר מִתְרוֹצְצִים זֶה עִם זֶה וּמְרִיבִים בְּנַחֲלַת שְׁנֵי עוֹלָמוֹת.
AND [THE CHILDREN] STRUGGLED — You must admit that this verse calls for a Midrashic interpretation since it leaves unexplained what this struggling was about and it states that she exclaimed “If it be so, wherefore did I desire this” (i.e. she asked whether this was the normal course of child-bearing, feeling that something extraordinary was happening). Our Rabbis explain that the word ויתרוצצו has the meaning of running, moving quickly: whenever she passed by the doors of the Torah (i. e. the Schools of Shem and Eber) Jacob moved convulsively in his efforts to come to birth, but whenever she passed by the gate of a pagan temple Esau moved convulsively in his efforts to come to birth (Genesis Rabbah 63:6). Another explanation is: they struggled with one another and quarrelled as to how they should divide the two worlds as their inheritance (Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 111:2).
ותאמר אם כן. גָּדוֹל צַעַר הָעִבּוּר.
means AND SHE SAID, “IF the pain of pregnancy be so great,
למה זה אנכי. מִתְאַוָּה וּמִתְפַּלֶּלֶת עַל הֵרָיוֹן:
WHY IS IT that I longed and prayed to become pregnant?” (Genesis Rabbah 63:6).
ותלך לדרוש. לְבֵית מִדְרָשׁוֹ שֶׁל שֵׁם:
AND SHE WENT TO ENQUIRE at the school of Shem (Genesis Rabbah 63:6).
לדרוש את ה'. שֶׁיַּגִּיד לָהּ מַה תְּהֵא בְּסוֹפָהּ:
TO ENQUIRE OF THE LORD, that He might tell her what would happen to her at the end.
Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934
02
Rashi on Genesis 26:4
(Reference for Genesis 26:4)
Rashi on Genesis 26:4
והתברכו בזרעך. אָדָם אוֹמֵר לִבְנוֹ יְהֵא זַרְעֲךָ כְּזַרְעוֹ שֶׁל יִצְחָק, וְכֵן בְּכָל הַמִּקְרָא, וְזֶה אָב לְכֻלָּן בְּךָ יְבָרֵךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר יְשִׂמְךָ וְגוֹ' (בראשית מ״ח:כ׳); וְאַף לְעִנְיַן הַקְּלָלָה מָצִינוּ כֵן וְהָיְתָה הָאִשָּׁה לְאָלָה (במדבר ה'), שֶׁהַמְקַלֵּל שׂוֹנְאוֹ אוֹמֵר תְּהֵא כִּפְלוֹנִית, וְכֵן וְהִנַּחְתֶּם שִׁמְכֶם לִשְׁבוּעָה לִבְחִירַי (ישעיהו ס"ה), שֶׁהַנִּשְׁבָּע אוֹמֵר אֱהֵא כִפְלוֹנִי אִם עָשִׂיתִי כָּךְ וְכָךְ:
AND IN THY SEED SHALL BLESS THEMSELVES — A man will say to his son, “May your seed be as the seed of Isaac”. Such is the meaning of this phrase wherever it occurs in the entire Scriptures. The following passage is that from which this meaning may be derived for all such passages: (48:20) “By thee shall all Israel bless their children saying, “May God make thee [as Ephraim and Manasseh]”.
So, too, in the case of a curse do we find a similar idea: (Numbers 5:27) “And the woman shall become a curse”, meaning that one who curses his enemy will say “May you be like such and such a woman”. Similar, also, is (Isaiah 65:15) “And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto mine elect”, meaning that one who takes an oath will say “May I be like such-and-such a person if I have really done so-and-so”.
Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934
03
Ramban on Genesis 27:41
(Reference for Genesis 27:41)
Ramban on Genesis 27:41
וַיֹּאמֶר עֵשָׂו בְּלִבּוֹ אָמַר רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם (אבן עזרא על בראשית כ"ז:מ"א) יִתָּכֵן שֶׁגָּלָה סוֹדוֹ לְאֶחָד מֵאוֹהֲבָיו. וְאֵין צֹרֶךְ, כִּי הַהַסְכָּמָה בְּדָבָר אֲשֶׁר יִמָּלֵךְ אָדָם עִם לִבּוֹ תִּקָּרֵא אֲמִירָה עִם הַלֵּב, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בָּהּ דִּבּוּר בַּשְּׂפָתַיִם. וְכֵן "בְּלֵב וָלֵב יְדַבֵּרוּ" (תהלים יב ג), כִּי הָרָצוֹן יִקָּרֵא "לֵב", "וְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵב אֶחָד לְהַמְלִיךְ אֶת דָּוִד" (דהי"א יב לח), שֶׁהָיוּ כֻּלָּם עַל אוֹתָהּ הַהַסְכָּמָה וְהָיוּ מְדַבְּרִים בָּהּ. וְכֵן "וַיֹּאמֶר יָרָבְעָם בְּלִבּוֹ" (מלכים א יב כו), וְכֵן אָמַר אֱלִיעֶזֶר (בראשית כ"ד:מ"ה) "אֲנִי טֶרֶם אֲכַלֶּה לְדַבֵּר אֶל לִבִּי", וְהָיְתָה שָׁם תְּפִלָּה בִּשְׂפָתָיו "וַיֹּאמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם" (שם יב), אֲבָל "טֶרֶם אֲכַלֶּה לְדַבֵּר אֶל לִבִּי" – טֶרֶם הַשְׁלִימִי מָה שֶׁעָלָה בְּדַעְתִּי. וְיֹאמַר כָּאן כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר בָּאָה מַשְׂטֵמָה גְּדוֹלָה בְּנֶפֶשׁ עֵשָׂו לִשְׂטֹם אֶת יַעֲקֹב עַל הַבְּרָכָה, עָלָה בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁיַּהֲרֹג אֶת אָחִיו וְהָיָה מִתְנַחֵם בָּזֶה מֵרֹעַ לִבּוֹ. וְזֶה טַעַם "וַיֻּגַּד לְרִבְקָה אֶת דִּבְרֵי עֵשָׂו", וּלְכָךְ אָמְרָה "מִתְנַחֵם לְךָ". וְרַשִׁ"י כָּתַב (רש"י על בראשית כ"ז:מ"ב), בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ הֻגַּד לָהּ מָה עֵשָׂו מְהַרְהֵר בְּלִבּוֹ. וְכֵן בִּבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה ס"ז:ט'). וְאִם כֵּן יִהְיֶה "דִּבְרֵי עֵשָׂו", מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ עִם הַלֵּב, כְּמוֹ "דִּבַּרְתִּי אֲנִי עִם לִבִּי" (קהלת א טז). וְהִנֵּה עֵשָׂו הָיָה אוֹמֵר "יִקְרְבוּ יְמֵי אֵבֶל אָבִי", כִּי בְּחַיָּיו לֹא יְצַעֲרֶנּוּ, אוֹ מִפַּחְדּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יְקַלְּלֶנּוּ וְתֵהָפֵךְ בִּרְכָתוֹ לִקְלָלָה. וְרִבְקָה פָּחֲדָה שֶׁמָּא יָמוּת הַזָּקֵן פִּתְאוֹם וְיַהַרְגֶנּוּ, אוֹ שֶׁמָּא יִזְדַּמֵּן לוֹ בְּחַיָּיו וְיַהַרְגֶנּוּ:
AND ESAU SAID IN HIS HEART. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said, “It is possible that he revealed his secret to one of his friends.”
But this is not necessarily so for any decision which a person reaches after deliberation is referred to in Hebrew as “speaking with the heart,” even when it also includes speech with the lips. A similar case is found in the verse, And with a double heart do they speak, for the will is synonymous with the heart. And all Israel were of one heart to make David king, meaning that they had all arrived at the same decision and were talking of it. Similarly, And Jeroboam said in his heart. Similarly did Eliezer say, And before I had finished speaking in my heart, whereas the prayer there was with his lips, as Scripture states, And he said, O Eternal G-d of my lord Abraham. However it is possible that the expression, before I had finished speaking in my heart, means “before I had concluded the thought in my mind.”
Now here the verse states that when the great hatred of Jacob permeated Esau’s soul because of the blessing, he conceived the idea of murdering his brother, and with this he comforted himself from his depressed state. This explains the verse, And the words of Esau were told to Rebekah. This is why she said to Jacob, Thy brother Esau comforts himself to slay thee.
Now Rashi comments, “She was told, through Ruach Hakodesh, what Esau was thinking in his heart.” And so it is found in Bereshith Rabbah. If so, Esau’s words and thoughts were only in his heart, just as in the verse, I spoke with my own heart.
The reason that Esau said, Let the days of mourning for my father be at hand then will I slay my brother is because he would not bring grief to his father during his lifetime. Perhaps it was due to his fear lest his father curse him, and his blessing would then turn into a curse. Rebekah, [who nevertheless advised Jacob to flee], feared that perhaps the elderly one would die suddenly, and Esau would then kill Jacob, or perhaps he might find occasion to kill him even during Isaac’s lifetime.
Charles B. Chavel. Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976
Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976