Torah in the Womb

Shavua Tov- Rav Elazar Abuchatzeira זצ״ל, asked two questions related to the Parsha. The questions relate to the twins, Yakov and Eisav in the womb. Firstly, if a baby is being taught the whole Torah while in the womb, why did Yakov try to get out when Rivka passed a house of study. And secondly, if we are commanded to stand when a תלמיד חכם passes, why don’t we stand for a pregnant woman, who is carrying a child who knows the entire Torah? The first answer is that Yakov was unable to learn Torah peacefully when he was in the company of his wicked brother, Eisav. It is difficult to be immersed in Torah study when one is surrounded by a negative environment. One must always choose to live among righteous people, so that his spirituality and Torah study can flourish. And the reason we don’t stand for a pregnant woman (unless riding on a bus and giving her your seat), is because the fetus is being spoon fed the Torah by an Angel. He is not struggling to wake up early and stay up late at night to acquire Torah. He is not running to classes and learned rabbis, so that his knowledge can grow. We, therefore, stand for the Talmid Chacham, not only out of respect for his scholarship, but also for his diligence in acquiring the Torah.