Toldos

The passuk states, “ויתרוצצו הבנים בקרבה, and the children – of Rivka – were rotzitzim inside.” Rashi writes that the word rotzitzim is from the lashon ritzah, meaning running. When Rivka passed by the entrance of Shem and Aver’s Beis HaMidrash, Yaakov starting to rush out since he wanted to enter the Beis HaMidrash. But when Rivka passed by the entrance of avodah zarah, then Esav rushed to come out since he wanted to enter the house of idolatry.

The Griz Al HaTorah asks: The Gemara states that a child inside its mother’s stomach has a malach teaching it the entire Torah. Why then would Yaakov want to come out and miss this exceptional opportunity?

The Griz answers: Even with a malach as a teacher it is not worth it while being together with Esav harasha. One’s environment and the people around him will influence and affect him. By the mere fact that he is with a rasha, bad influence will penetrate.

Another answer is: From here we see how important one’s own ameilus b’Torah is. Yaakov had a malach as a teacher, however that was insufficient, he wanted the ameilus – hard-work to understand the Torah by himself. The Gemara writes: A person wants one measure of his own produce, more than nine measures of his friend’s produce. One who plows the ground, plants the seeds, waters the plants, removes the bad growths, and then harvests the crop, has much more of a connection with the fruit than if the fruit were to be given to him as a present on a silver platter. This is because with his own personal actions he acquires and produces his own fruits! Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz writes, so too, is with ameilus b’Torah. When one brings out his own fruit – his personal understanding – through his toil, it is more cherished and special, than if one were to listen to another person, and be taught an easy dvar Torah told over to him from someone else.

May we be zoche to be around influential people who influence for good, and may we merit to grow in our ameilus b’Torah!