Jewish Life #29. Beresjiet serie. Toledot:Dedication

Parashat Toledot chronicles the difference and rivalry between Jacob and Esau, and the eventual selection of Jacob as heir to Isaac. The conflict became a historic conflict between Judaism and Rome (Christianity) and the civilizations they fathered. The parashah describes how Jacob purchased from Esau the right of the firstborn to offer the family’s sacrifices, and tells us that Esau spurned the birthright. 
 
The haftarah, Malachi 1:1-2:7, refer back to this conflict. The Jews of Malachi’s time are accused of spurning and scorning the sacrificial rite just as Esau had (1:6). According to the Rebbe, the common theme of the parashah and its haftarah, then, is that it is not enough to be chosen by God; we must reciprocate the love- on account of which He chose us- by dedicating ourselves lovingly to His service.[1] The Shabbat and Festival Siddur, Seif Edition says: ‘God is not content if we merely act kindly towards others. He wants us to love kindness (chesed). What someone loves to do is never a chore.’ Dedication is about loving kindness (and all other features of love) and act according to it. 
 
When God sees our efforts to remain loyal to Him and from this loyal to love itself, He responds with love, forgiving with shortcomings and pardoning our misdeeds. Moreover, the Rebbe says, He grants us the ability to rise above our innate spiritual limitations and achieve levels of union with Him that we would otherwise be unable to attain. This opportunity is the starting point to achieve our goal: creating a world that can be transferred into His home. Every Jew, equally, is himself or herself an indispensable element of God’s plan for the world. 
 
Reciprocity implies responsibility, that is, responding to His call and taking up the task that goes with it: to heal a fractured world. 
 
[1] Haftarot, a commentary by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Kehot Publication Society (p.49). 

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