Parsha poem by Rabbi Shmuel Wagner: When I learn this week about Esav, It leaves me hurt and deflated: Why would Hashem give them this Rasha, After the twenty years that they waited?!
When I learn this week about Esav,
It leaves me hurt and deflated:
Why would Hashem give them this Rasha,
After the twenty years that they waited?!
This pain of unacceptance,
Is in truth on myself too,
Why must I have inner evil,
Haunting every act that I do?
But wait, I stop and wonder,
How did Esav come to be?
Once I pause to ponder,
I see a seeming fallacy:
How could such a Rasha,
Come from such a holy couple?!
Of course Esav had free choice,
But he was pre-choice trouble:
Already in his mother’s womb,
Esav ran towards bad,
From a father named for laughter,
How could come a son so sad?!
The story just gets stranger,
When I think about it truly:
If created with this nature,
Why is Esav deemed unruly?!
The answer is, we make a mistake,
Describing Esav as bad from the source,
Esav was really a very high soul,
With an intense passion and force.
Yes, he made bad choices,
And for those he bears infamy,
But, as we see, Yitzchok loved Esav,
There was tremendous potentiality.
Like every story in the Torah,
Its lesson we must unravel.
Yaakov and Esav are two paths,
Both of which we all travel.
‘Yaakov’ are those Mitzvos,
That come to me with ease,
Some things I do, some days I live,
Are nothing but a breeze.
But then there are the ‘Esav’ times,
When temptation is my fuel,
Hurling down with every step,
I feel all sick and cruel.
When I catch a glimpse of myself,
The picture makes me mad,
How can I crave such loathsome things?
I must be really bad!
To that the Torah tells me:
Do not get fooled by the illusion!
Wanting wrong doesn’t mean you’re bad,
Perfect-Yaakov may be a delusion.
The fight I fight is fine –
Emotions are made to juggle,
Never mind I am not holy,
It is not a sin to struggle!
Hashem who made me from the womb,
Mixed me with dark and light,
But when I sort it out for Him,
Oh, how special is that fight!
Inclinations can be an abyss,
But also a great treasure,
When I make a correct choice,
Hashem has the greatest pleasure!
So don’t abhor temptation,
The struggle is essential.
Esav in the Parsha,
Was born with great potential!
True – don’t act like Esav,
Never let the desire win you,
But the fact you desire should not drag you down,
Just stand strong and continue.
Trust Hashem, after all, He made you,
So He must know you best,
Every time He gives you a challenge,
It’s up to you to pass the test!
Keep and keep on trying,
Believe in Hashem’s Master Plan,
Don’t only see the victory –
It’s the fight that makes the man!
(Based on Likkutei Sichos Volume 20 – Toldos 2)
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