Whose God Is It, Anyway? (Parshat Toldot)

God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob and God of you

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Abraham, Isaac and Jacob according to AI

Week 6: Parshat Toldot

• Torah Portion: Genesis 25:19 - 28:9

• Haftarah Portion: Malachi 1:1 - 2:7

• Summary: This portion narrates the birth of Jacob and Esau and the selling of the birthright. The Haftarah condemns the priests' negligence in carrying out their duties, emphasizing the significance of honoring God.

• Thematic Connection: Family and God's Choices

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By Rabbi Patrick Beaulier

Parshat Toldot opens with the following:

ואלה תולדת יצחק בן־אברהם אברהם הוליד את־יצחק

This is the story of Isaac, son of Abraham. Abraham begot Isaac (Genesis 25:19).

This translation is a bit off because toldot is the word we focus on. Toldot is generation. Lineage. Those before and after. It sets up a premise. It says “hi, I’m here to introduce you to someone. But in order to know them, you need to know what comes before and what will come after”. It’s linear, in an oddly non-linear way.

But first, a confession.

Every year or so, my friend

Ketzirah haMa’agelet

will post on social media a re-introduction to who she is, the work she does, and why it matters to her and to those who support her work.

I did the same when Darshan Yeshiva started this Substack. It had been some time since I had done any “blogging” (yes, I’m that old) and it was important that people knew who I was.

I want to tell you who I am.

I want to give you my Parshat Toldot.

My generations.