Toledot 5766
The opening verse of Parashat Toledot reads, "These are the offspring of Yitzchak, son of Avraham; Avraham begot Yitzchak." Rashi addresses the seeming redundancy in this verse: once Yitzchak is introduced as "Yitzchak, son of Avraham," why must the Torah then emphasize, "Avraham begot Yitzchak"? Are we not already sufficiently aware of the fact that Avraham begot Yitzchak?
Rashi explains that the clause "Avraham begot Yitzchak" refers not to the birth of Yitzchak, but rather to a miracle that occurred, namely, that G-d made Yitzchak the spitting image of his father. This miracle was necessary to refute the claims of the "Letzanei Ha'dor" – the scoffers, or cynics, of the generation, who denied the supernatural birth of a son to Avraham, insisting that Sara conceived from Avimelech, the king of the Pelishtim. Just prior to Sara's conception, she and Avraham relocated in the city of Gerar where she was abducted by Avimelech. The cynics of the time scornfully accused Sara of betraying Avraham during that incident, and claimed that Yitzchak was Avimelech's son, not Avraham's. To dispel these rumors, G-d miraculously gave Yitzchak the precise image of Avraham, and the cynics had no choice but to acknowledge the great miracle of Yitzchak's birth to a 100-year old Avraham.
Rabbi Mordechai Gifter asks, why did G-d find it necessary to intervene and dispel the rumors spread by the cynics? Why should it matter that these scoundrels cast aspersions about Avraham and Sara? Why was it so important that they be proven wrong?
Rabbi Gifter answers that this miracle demonstrates the power and destructive force of cynicism, of a constantly critical attitude that refuses to acknowledge the value and greatness of even the most sublime matters, and instead finds fault in everything. Cynics have a profound impact upon everyone around them. When a person begins to receive inspiration, to make positive changes in his life, to dress, act and speak more appropriately, it takes but one snide remark by a cynic to turn that person back. Comments such as, "You really buy into that nonsense?"; "You think the rabbi knows what he's talking about?"; "Oh, so you've been brainwashed" – can wash away all traces of inspiration and spiritual growth. David Hamelech therefore wrote in the very first Pasuk of Tehillim, "Fortunate is the man who has not followed the counsel of the wicked…and has not sat in the company of the cynics." David understood the grave spiritual threat posed by exposure to cynics, and therefore warned us to keep away from their company.
For this reason, Rabbi Gifter explained, G-d had to ensure that the claims of the cynics be unequivocally refuted. Otherwise, their accusations would, over the course of time, cause the faith of Avraham's followers, and of his own descendants, to be diminished. The powerful effects of cynicism in extinguishing the flame of religious belief and devotion demanded G-d's intervention to dispel the allegations cast against Avraham and Sara.
Why do people become cynical? What attracts people to this most destructive quality?
Rabbi Gifter pointed to the innate human desire for freedom as the source of cynical attitudes. Denying the importance of important matters frees a person from his responsibility towards them. If a rabbi lectures about a certain religious obligation, a person can – in his mind – easily absolve himself from those obligations by simply dismissing the rabbi's credentials. Rather than challenging the actual content of the material, the cynic chooses the "cheap shot" – he simply scoffs at the rabbi, challenging his right to serve as an authority on these matters.
Cynicism also results from low self-esteem. A person with a low self-image feels threatened by those greater than himself, and to deal with this threat, he will find fault in those people, rather than admire them and seek to emulate them. Unable to tolerate his own inferiority, he will try to make other people inferior by looking upon them negatively and casting allegations wherever he can.
Today's generation is particularly prone to cynicism, even in the Orthodox Jewish world. Living in the "information age," we hear of all the scandals that occur all over the world, and thus lose trust in everybody. We have become mistrusting of government, public officials, and even rabbis and religious institutions. We have been let down so many times by leaders and men of influence that it has become difficult for us to look upon people with respect and admiration. We must therefore make the effort to focus our attention on the positive, to stop looking askance at everybody and everything, to maintain our ability to respect, admire, and revere.
Cynicism has a particularly harmful effect upon our children. Children who hear their parents criticize their rabbis, schools and synagogues will likely never develop any respect for these people and institutions. We must therefore commit ourselves to maintaining a positive, upbeat attitude, particularly around our children, and focus our attention on what is admirable about other people, rather than constantly looking to poke fun and criticize.
