Parashat Toldot, shelishi. Look at the pasuk that ends the last aliyah and begins this one: וַיִּזְרַע יִצְחָק בָּאָרֶץ הַהִוא וַיִּמְצָא בַּשָּׁנָה הַהִוא מֵאָה שְׁעָרִים וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ ה’ (Bereishit 26:12). Rashi says it was a terrible year: בַּשָּׁנָה הַהִיא — אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינָהּ כְּתִקְנָהּ, שֶׁהָיְתָה שְׁנַת רְעָבוֹן, and the land too was a hard place to grow anything: לוֹמַר, שֶׁהָאָרֶץ קָשָׁה וְהַשָּׁנָה קָשָׁה. And still Yitzchak was very successful: וַיִּגְדַּל הָאִישׁ וַיֵּלֶךְ הָלוֹךְ וְגָדֵל עַד כִּי גָדַל מְאֹד (26:13). Look how many times it says he grew. He grew and grew and grew.
This, the Ramban says in this parasha, is the sign of how Am Yisrael would live throughout history: ma’aseh avot siman labanim. Whatever happened to the fathers in their lives is a sign for their children, for Am Yisrael.
And this is the source of Am Yisrael’s success in wealth. Anyone could ask: why are Jews successful in whatever they do, why do they become wealthy? Are they more knowledgeable in business than others? Do they have some better way of doing things that makes them rich? The answer is that it was all given to us from Yitzchak Avinu. Here Hakadosh Baruch Hu blessed him with the bracha to be successful even when things are hard.
But it comes with a price. Right after that: וְכָל הַבְּאֵרֹת אֲשֶׁר חָפְרוּ עַבְדֵי אָבִיו בִּימֵי אַבְרָהָם אָבִיו סִתְּמוּם פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיְמַלְאוּם עָפָר (26:15). The goyim are constantly jealous of the wealth of Am Yisrael. They don’t leave us alone, and they use all kinds of excuses to explain why Am Yisrael should not have the wealth they have. Avimelech tells us the truth: וַיֹּאמֶר אֲבִימֶלֶךְ אֶל יִצְחָק לֵךְ מֵעִמָּנוּ כִּי עָצַמְתָּ מִמֶּנּוּ מְאֹד (26:16). You have become much greater than us; you have become so wealthy, we can’t handle it.
Based on Rabbi Shay Tahan’s class “Toldot. The Jewish Secret Of Success” (Parashat Toldot): watch the class.
