Why Is a Vav Missing from Ishmael’s Generations?
The question: Why is the Hebrew word for Ishmael’s generations written without any vav, while the same word for Isaac’s generations has one? Does the difference have a meaning?
The answer:
Reading the end of Chayei Sarah, we reach the list of Ishmael’s descendants. A little later, at the opening of Toldot, the story of Isaac’s family begins. Both passages use the same Hebrew word, toldot, but in the Torah scroll it is not written in the same way.
For Ishmael, its consonants are tav-lamed-dalet-tav, with no vav at all. For Isaac, they are tav-vav-lamed-dalet-tav, with a vav after the tav. The difference does not change the pronunciation, but it invites us to pause: why does the same word take different written forms? Genesis 25:12, Genesis 25:19
First, look at the letters
The word has four spellings, which are worth distinguishing. The table lists only the consonants, without vowel points:
| Consonants | What does it contain? | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tav-vav-lamed-dalet-vav-tav | Two vavs | Generations of heaven and earth, Genesis 2:4 |
| tav-vav-lamed-dalet-tav | Only the first vav | Generations of Isaac, Genesis 25:19 |
| tav-lamed-dalet-vav-tav | Only the second vav | Generations of Jacob, Genesis 37:2 |
| tav-lamed-dalet-tav | No vav | Generations of Ishmael, Genesis 25:12 |
Minchat Shai records a detailed tradition: in the Torah, the spelling with two vavs occurs in the generations of heaven and earth; the spelling with none occurs in the generations of Ishmael; and three passages have only the second vav, twice for Esau’s generations and once for Jacob’s. The other occurrences in the Torah have only the first vav. Minchat Shai on Genesis 2:4
One detail deserves attention: Jacob and Esau belong to the same spelling group. The number of vavs alone therefore cannot tell us who is more righteous, or who has a stronger connection to Abraham. The Masoretic tradition records the spelling; interpreting its meaning requires another step.
Two vavs, from creation to Perez
Bereshit Rabbah connects two passages where the word has two vavs: the generations of heaven and earth in Genesis, and the generations of Perez at the end of Ruth. Genesis 2:4, Ruth 4:18
The midrash speaks of things taken from the first human following the sin, including his radiance, lifespan and stature, and of their future restoration through a descendant of Perez. In this reading, the full spelling becomes an image of wholeness: the world at its beginning, and the hope of renewing what was damaged within it. Bereshit Rabbah 12:6
Why Perez? The genealogy beginning with him at the end of Ruth leads to David. The midrash also reads this family list in anticipation of the future, of the descendant of Perez who will bring restoration. Behind the names of parents and children, a larger story opens: a world that has lost something, and the hope of recovering it. Ruth 4:18-22
And what about Ishmael and Isaac?
The difference in spelling is real, but the midrash about the two full spellings does not by itself explain each vav in the passages about Ishmael and Isaac. Their different roles can be understood from more explicit words: God promises to establish His covenant with Isaac, and on the same occasion also promises to bless Ishmael and multiply his descendants. There is a difference in their calling, alongside a blessing given to Ishmael too. Genesis 17:19-21
Against this background, we can offer a reflection of our own on the word toldot. A genealogy tells us who was born to whom, but the Torah’s stories also ask what passes from one generation to the next: a covenant, responsibility, a way of life. In Isaac’s case, the story that follows explores precisely how the covenant and blessing will continue into the next generation.
The vav can serve here as an image of connection, like the Hebrew conjunction vav, meaning “and.” This is a suggested reading, rather than Minchat Shai’s explanation for the difference between the brothers. Through it, we can ask: what holds the generations together? What do we receive, and what do we choose to pass on?
What is striking is that the very word concerned with continuity appears in spellings that are not all full. In the midrash, the full spelling returns in a genealogy leading to David and the hope of restoration. We can find an encouraging thought here: even generations recorded within an incomplete world can carry a future that has yet to reach its fullness.