Parashat Toldot, sheni. In this aliyah, when Yitzchak Avinu arrives in the city of Gerar, the people of the city right away ask about his wife. Who is this woman? They don’t ask about anything else; they get right to the point. They want to know who this beautiful woman with him is. He avoids the question and tells them she is his sister, so that they won’t kill him for being her husband.
But then Avimelech looks out and watches Yitzchak, and sees that Yitzchak and Rivka live together as husband and wife. What chutzpah! First, the first question you ask when you see a stranger is about his wife; and then you go and follow Yitzchak to see what he is doing with his wife. Mamash chutzpah, from the people of the city and from Avimelech, who was the king.
And right away, instead of taking the blame, he blames everything on Yitzchak. He brings him to a hearing: אַךְ הִנֵּה אִשְׁתְּךָ הִוא וְאֵיךְ אָמַרְתָּ אֲחֹתִי הִוא (Bereishit 26:9), she is your wife, how could you say she is your sister? מַה זֹּאת עָשִׂיתָ לָּנוּ כִּמְעַט שָׁכַב אַחַד הָעָם אֶת אִשְׁתֶּךָ וְהֵבֵאתָ עָלֵינוּ אָשָׁם (26:10). What did you do to us? You almost brought such a disaster upon us!
Here we see the idea of blaming the victim. Who is the victim here? Yitzchak and Rivka. What do you want from them? They come to your city: treat them nicely, give them some hospitality. Instead, you follow them and want to know who this woman is so you can take her. “Almost I took her,” says Avimelech. Who gave you permission to take her, even if she were a stranger? And right away he blames others.
That is the way of the wicked. Even today, they do all kinds of evil and then blame the victim.
Based on Rabbi Shay Tahan’s class “Toldot. Shnayim Yomi. Blaming The Victim” (Parashat Toldot): watch the class.
