Parshat Toldos: Proper Composure
by Rabbi Lobel
(Chapter 27; Verse 33) "And Isaac trembled a great trembling." Isaac realized a mistake was made when he gave his blessings to Jacob. Isaac reacted, "who - where - is he, the one who caught game and brought it to me, and I ate it all when you (Esau) had not yet come, and I blessed him? He (Jacob) shall also be blessed!"
The Medrash Tanchuma (Toldos 13) comments that in truth Isaac should have cursed Jacob for his actions. He did not. Instead, Isaac's reaction was, "He (Jacob) shall also be blessed." The Tanchuma quotes Proverbs (29:25), "The tremblings of man will make him stumble, if he trusts in G-d he will be exalted."
Isaac trembled, afraid he had mistakenly given the blessings to Jacob. Jacob seemingly took the blessings that did not belong to him. The logical reaction would be to lose composure and be angry with Jacob. Yet, Isaac was not. Instead, Isaac recognized that maybe he had made the mistake by wanting to give his blessing to Esau.
Isaac had trust in G-d and understood that what just happened was divine providence. Isaac's fear and trembling did not lead him to curse Jacob. Rather, Isaac was uplifted and realized that he was at fault throughout. As Proverbs explains, Isaac did not stumble through his fears but became exalted through his trust in G-d. Sometimes, all seems wrong and we lose our composure only to ultimately discover that everything was for the best.
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