Toldot (תּוֹלְדֹת – Generations)
Genesis 25:19–28:9 – Malachi 1:1–2:7
The Toldot Torah portion recounts the birth of Jacob and Esau, the sale of the birthright, and Isaac’s blessing. Isaac reopens the wells of his father Abraham, encounters resistance from the people of Gerar, and finally digs a well he names Rehovot (רְחֹבוֹת) — a gesture that ends strife and opens a space of peace and prosperity. The haftarah from the prophet Malachi echoes the tension between Israel and Edom, while emphasizing the moral responsibility tied to divine election.
Genesis 26:22
וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמָהּ רְחֹבוֹת וַיֹּאמֶר כִּי עַתָּה הִרְחִיב ה’ לָנוּ וּפָרִינוּ בָאָרֶץ
He named it Rehovot, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room, and we shall prosper in the land.”
The modern city of Rehovot was founded in 1890 by pioneers of the First Aliyah[1], organized under the Menuḥah ve‑Nahala society[2]. The name was proposed by Israel Belkind[3], drawn from Genesis 26:22, to express the hope for an open and fertile land.
The first land parcels were acquired through negotiations led by key figures of the Yishuv, including Yehoshua Hankin[4], Yehudah Goor[5], and Aharon Eliyahu Eisenberg[6], from a Christian Arab landowner. From the outset, the project emphasized financial autonomy and rejected external patronage, notably from Baron Rothschild. The local economy initially relied on vineyards, almond trees, and citrus cultivation.
Founded in 1904, the Great Synagogue Ohel Sarah stands at the heart of the moshava. Its façade bears the inscription: זה השער לה’ — צדיקים יבואו בו
This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it (Psalm 118:20). It also displays the Hebrew year שנת תרס״ד (5654) and the civil year 1904. Built through community donations and the commitment of the founding society, the synagogue served not only for religious services but also as a communal gathering space. Its architecture is modest and functional, reflecting the needs of an agricultural pioneer settlement and embodying values of simplicity, spirituality, and cohesion.
[1] First Aliyah: Wave of Jewish immigration to Ottoman Palestine (circa 1881–1903), mainly from Eastern Europe and Yemen, responsible for founding many agricultural settlements.
[2] Menuḥah ve‑Nahala: Founding society of Rehovot, established in Warsaw, composed of pioneers seeking local autonomy and self-management.
[3] Israel Belkind (1861–1929): Educator, writer, and founder of the Bilou movement (ביל״ו), a group of young Russian Jews pioneering Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel. The name Bilou is an acronym from Isaiah 2:5 — Beit Yaakov Lekhu Venelkha (“House of Jacob, let us go and walk”).
[4] Yehoshua Hankin (1864–1945): Zionist activist responsible for most major land purchases for the Zionist Organization in Ottoman and Mandate Palestine, known as the “father of modern agriculture in Israel.”
[5] Yehudah Goor (Grasovski) (1862–1950): Educator, lexicographer, and land negotiator. Born in Belarus, he immigrated to Eretz Israel in 1887. He helped acquire the lands of Rehovot and was active in Hebrew education and lexicography. He received the Bialik Prize in 1946 for contributions to Hebrew literature.
[6] Aharon Eliyahu Eisenberg (1863–1931): Central figure in the Hibbat Zion movement (חיבת ציון – Love of Zion), a pre-Zionist current that emerged in the 1880s in Eastern Europe. It promoted practical Jewish settlement in Eretz Israel through land acquisition and agricultural colonization.