Parshat Toldot & Haftarat Machar Chodesh

Quick thoughts:

• Parshat Toldot

Genesis Chapter 26

5 because that Abraham hearkened to My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.'

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What commandments, statutes, and laws? As best I recollect, the only laws that had already been given were "p'ru u-r'vu, be fruitful and multiply," and the law of circumcision.

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I'm guessing that it's from this verse that the rabbis derived the highly-anachronistic notion that the Avot and Imahot (Patriarchs and Matriarchs) knew of and obeyed all of Jewish law, even thought it wouldn't be given until after the Exodus.

• Haftarah Machar Chodesh

1 Samuel 20:18–42

41 And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the South, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times; and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded."

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Before we get all excited about David having loved Jonathan more or having been the better person, I think we might wish to consider the possibility that David cried longer because he'd just been told to run for his life.

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See also Parshat Toldot links.