Haftarah of Parshat Toldot - 5761

The Haftarah of Parshat Toldot, according to both the Sefardic and the Ashkenazic communities is taken this week from the Book of "Malachi, "Perek"/Chapter 1, "Passuk"/Verse 1 - "Perek"/Chapter 2, "Passuk"/Verse 7.

Introduction

Chaggai, Zechariah and Malachi (approx. 526 B.C.E. - 490 B.C.E.)

The Talmud groups these three prophets together as the "last of the prophets," even though Chaggai and Zechariah prophesied in general somewhat earlier than Malachi.

One of the major themes of the Prophecy of Chaggai and Zechariah was the  encouragement of the People of Yehudah to rebuild the Temple that had been  destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E., despite the efforts of the "Shomronim" (the "not-so-good" Samaritans) to interfere with the reconstruction of the Temple in Yerushalayim.

Malachi prophesied somewhat later, when the Temple had already been built and was functioning, but the Jewish People were not treating it with the proper reverence, as we will see below.

The three actually did all prophecy together at one time; namely, the second year of the Persian King, Daryavesh who, according to the Midrash, was the son of Queen Esther.

Summary of the Haftarah

Malachi begins by portraying a debate between G-d and the People of Israel. The debate begins with G-d speaking first,

"I have loved you, says HaShem,
But you said, 'How have You loved us?'
Was not Esav the brother of Yaakov, says HaShem,
And I loved Yaakov!"
But I hated Esav,
And made his mountains a desolation,
And gave his inheritance to the jackals of the wilderness."
(Malachi 2-3)

HaShem accuses the People of not showing Him proper honor, of bringing Him blind and lame sacrifices, of not even measuring up to the nations in fear of the L-rd! And the People have no response.

Malachi takes to task in particular, the "Kohanim," the Priests, who were supposed to be the guardians of the spiritual life of the People, for their negligence in the above regard.  For they have permitted the People to act in this contemptuous manner, encouraging the belief that the altar of G-d, the Table of Holiness in the Temple, was in fact disgusting.  They have stripped the meaning and significance from the sacrifices, and it would be better, says HaShem, to close the doors of the Temple, rather than continue the Divine Service which had come to be seen in the eyes of the People as meaningless.

The "Kohanim" have failed to live up to the legacy of the great Priests, the heroes of the Tribe of Levi: Aharon, the Peacemaker par excellence, and Elazar, his son, who followed in his ways.  And Pinchas, who was zealous for the Name of the L-rd,  and didn't permit the sinners Zimri and Cuzbi, the Prince of Israel and the Princess of Midian, to live together in public, in desecration of HaShem's Name.

The Haftarah ends with a word portrait of the ideal "Kohen:"

"For the lips of the Priest should guard knowledge,
And they should seek Torah from his mouth;
For he is a messenger of the L-rd."   (Malachi 2:7)

Connections

• In the Parshah, we find a description of the beginning (in Bereshit 25:22) of one of the classic sibling  rivalries detailed in the Bible, that between Yaakov and Esav (mirroring that of Kayin and Hevel, Yitzchak and Yishmael, preceding that between Yosef and his brothers,  and suggesting that fierce rivalry between siblings is an unavoidable part of human  nature, except that the Bible tells us also of the loving relationship between Moshe and Aharon and Miriam, where the sibling rivalry was sublimated to such a high level that it served as the source of incredible cooperation).

In the Haftarah, reference is made by Malachi to the Yaakov-Esav brotherly connection (Malachi 1:2).

• In the Parshah, there is a reference to love of each of the brothers Yaakov and Esav (Bereshit 25:28), Esav by Yitzchak, Yaakov by Rivkah.

In the Haftarah, there is reference made to the love of Yaakov by HaShem (Malachi 1:2).

• In the Parshah, we see Esav performing his great "Mitzvah," "Kibbud Av," Honoring his Father, in Bereshit 25:27.

In the Haftarah, reference is made to the "Mitzvah" of "Kibbud Av" in Malachi 1:6.

• In the Parshah, Esav says "of what use to me is the birthright?" (Bereshit 25:32)  The Priesthood originally was to go to the First-Born.  Thus, Esav is showing contempt for the Priesthood.

In the Haftarah, Malachi rails at the "Kohanim," for being contemptuous of their honored status (beginning Malachi 1:6 till the end of the Haftarah).

• In the Parshah, Shem informs Rivkah that "the elder will serve the younger" (Bereshit 25:23).

In the Haftarah, Malachi speaks, in the Name of HaShem, of the fate that awaits Esav when he attempts to rebuild his ruins, as the Children of Yaakov will have successfully done in rebuilding Yerushalayim, "they will build but I will destroy!" (Malachi 1:4)

• In the Parshah, Rivkah goes to Shem ben Noach, a Priest of HaShem, to seek counsel (Bereshit 25:22).

In the Haftarah, Malachi speaks of the ideal role of the "Kohen," as a source of counsel (Malachi 2:7).

Conclusion

Malachi, truly the last of the Prophets, was a member of the "Anshei K'nesset HaGedolah," "Men of the Great Assembly," a group of 120 members that met for about 200 years at the beginning of the Second Temple period, and provided critical leadership for the Jewish People at that time. They were the ones who defined the contents of the Hebrew Bible, as well as organized the public prayers, and enacted important decrees.

When Malachi and his colleagues realized that the Spirit of Prophecy was about to withdraw from the Jewish  People for a long period, they ordained that the twelve "Minor Prophets" ("minor" only in  the sense of quantity, not quality, for their meaning and value were truly "l'dorot," for all  generations), be combined into one "Book," known as "Trei Asar," the Twelve, and  be included in the "Sacred Canon;" that is, the Hebrew Bible.

In his final prophecy, Malachi challenges the People to return to G-d before they are caught up in the cataclysmic battles that will precede the arrival of the Mashiach -

"Behold, I will send you
Eliyahu the Prophet,
Before the coming of the great and terrible
Day of the L-rd."

"And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children,
And the heart of the children to the fathers…"
(Malachi 3:23-24)

According to the RAMBAM, Malachi was a link in the Chain of "Mesorah," and received the Tradition of Torah from Baruch ben Neriah and his court.

The Talmud says that the Divine Presence has not totally abandoned the Jewish People in its long Exile. Rather, the gift of Prophecy was left in the province of (holy) fools and madmen!

Rabbi Pinchas Frankel