Birth Pangs: Parshat Toldot & The Labor of Holiness

Parshat Toldot is a story of stories. Toldot itself is commonly translated as “generations,” however, could just as well be translated as “births,” hence, the clear etymological link between Toldot and Yulad, Molad, and Yuledet. Intriguingly, Molad refers to the birth of the Moon and the new month; thus, the yearly reading of Toldot arrives on the cusp of Rosh Chodesh Kislev. Yulad means ”was born,” and Yuledet means “birth”: thus, Toldot is a story of births….