Sorry about the mess in my kitchen in this picture, I was in the process of freezing produce from my garden at the time, but since I don't have twin guys in my family I had to use twin squash from my garden, so here are Jacob and Esau or Esau and Jacob!!!! (you choose, I could probably make a lesson either way, ha ha! Just roll with the VeggieTales theme here, would you?) I always try to have a visual to go with my lessons. Somehow it just seems to help me, does it help you even if it is a picture of squash? I, personally tend to remember things better when a picture is involved.
This Parashat is perhaps one of the more difficult writings for me, at this time. I think it is due to something weighing heavy on my mind regarding a tragedy in our community. I feel the need to write a lesson on that in the near future yet feel the need to expound on this section first. There are a lot of lessons in Toldot, I just don't particularly have any of them on my heart right now. The only lesson I am leaning toward at this time is geared to women, so I hope if you are one of my male readers you just hang with me on this one, but men you could take a little clue from this one that God REALLY does talk to women in unique ways. With that in mind, you might want to listen a little closer to your wife at times (or perhaps ask her what God has told her lately). Hint, hint!!
Last week we learned about the marriage of Isaac and Rebecca. This week we pick up where that Parashat left off. After 20 years pass in their marriage, it is apparent that Rebecca can not conceive (sound familiar). Isaac pleads with the Lord God on her behalf and God not only hears, but answers the prayer by allowing Rebecca to conceive. I am not sure if I mentioned the fact last week that Rebecca was a devout, Godly woman. When she married Isaac the Shechinah Glory of God, which had departed when Sarah died, rested once again upon the tent.
We now have a pregnant woman who is obviously in-tune with the Lord God. (I know there are a great number of women reading this, who know exactly what I am talking about here. You will totally relate with what I am going to say, because YOU have these conversations with God all the time or you had one during a pregnancy.) Rebecca is probably midway or more through the pregnancy since she can feel movement and although she has never been pregnant before, she knows something isn't right. Come on now, you girls know what I am talking about. It's not a feeling like you are going to miscarry, but like maybe the enemy is trying to take your child before he is even born! You know you have a fight on your hands at the very onset. If you have more than one child you knew what each child was going to be like while they were still in the womb.
Whatever Rebecca was feeling she knew something just wasn't the way it should be and it greatly troubled her! It troubled her so bad that she went to her knees before God Himself, and cried out to Him. "If it be so, why am I like this?" In other words, "If you have blessed me with these children, why am I so distraught?" And God answered her! He graciously told her what she needed to know, yet the answer was twofold. There certainly was a spiritual battle going on inside of her. She would have two children. The older would be worldly minded and the younger would be spiritual minded. Not only that, but the older would serve the younger and both will turn into great nations, yet one of the nations would not seek God, but idols. Gee, I don't think I ever got a word from God like that, have you?
I know that during both of my pregnancies, God clearly spoke to me about my children. I knew things about them I could not have known otherwise unless God told me. Do you have a similar story? I think we have overlooked this portion when reading this story many times. Now, follow me on down into the story further, because it skips a lot of years in the re-telling of it.
We see that as they grew up, Esau became one who knows hunting, a man of the field; but Jacob was a wholesome man, abiding in tents. Our problem with seeing this verse from a western way of thinking, is interpreting Esau as a man's man and Jacob as a Mama's boy. Admit it, isn't that the way you have heard this lesson explained many times in Sunday School or from a pulpit? Come on now. The fact of the matter is, nothing could be further from the truth. Esau, according to the Jewish Rabbi's and sages was a deceiver. His game was in his mouth did not refer to hunting, but referred to the fact that he could deceive you with his mouth. He also idled away the hours in the fields "where the idols were," rather than taking care of the things he needed to at home. (You know the ones, out skateboarding or playing video games instead of cleaning their rooms or doing homework, ahem!!! Just joking, but trying to kind of put a modern day spin on the story ;-) Jacob, however, is described as one who "dwells in tents" a phrase meaning to seek the righteousness of the Lord God on a daily basis. The person who dwelt in tents was one who walked with God; meditating on Him day and night and spending time with Him in conversation. I don't think that sounds like a Mama's boy, does it?
For instance, the Talmud (the Oral Torah) tells us that the day of the birthright incident takes place on the very day of Abraham's death. (The twins would have been 15 at the time.) The day when a family and probably the entire area around for many miles was in mourning, Esau was no where to be found. He certainly wasn't taking care of family business and when he did come in from the fields he didn't even seem to be concerned that his grandfather had passed away. On the other hand Jacob was there taking care of his father and mother and family business that day.
Just wondering....do you see the ending to this day with Esau selling his birthright to Jacob any differently now? Someone who thinks so little of family and obligations thereof ...... hmmmm ........ would think highly of his birthright? Rather than seeing Jacob as an opportunist, do you maybe see him as someone trying to hold up the family honor? Maybe even a little angry at his brother for acting so non-chalantly about Abraham's death and the fact that his own father, Isaac was grieved? Okay, let us go on.
Now, let's fast forward a few years toward the end of Isaac's life and his blessing of the two boys, or rather men. What do we know for certain about this passage: Isaac was either blind or near blind at the time, the family had lived through a famine and a well digging incident and Rebecca and Jacob set out to deceive Isaac so Jacob can receive honor and glory, right? Are you sure about that last statement? Let's take a closer look at the story with new eyes.
Isaac is (according to the Midrash), 123 years old at the time. He is mostly or completely blind and knows his death could come at any time. He has probably been thinking about what he needs to do to get his affairs in order and passing on the Patriarchal blessing is one of those. I kind of doubt there were wills, insurance policies and mutual funds in those days to worry about.
What we read and what the Jewish Rabbis teach seems to be worlds apart. The commentaries I have read on this one says that Isaac knew Jacob was a man of God and was intent on serving Him. Isaac was so well pleased with that fact, he wanted nothing to interfere with that goal, therefore he wanted Esau to have the blessing of ruling cities and governments so Jacob would not be burdened with such and could live out his calling. He also believed Esau needed the blessing, in order to arm him in his struggle to overcome an inborn nature toward bloodshed and other cardinal sins. Can you see a little bit in this how we can have the correct motive, but be making plans to go in the wrong direction? I think I have heard a scripture quoted about that which says something like, "My ways are not your ways, says the Lord". Quite a different picture than the many lessons I have been taught.
The Rabbis also teach that in order for the Patriarchal blessing to take place, the prophetic spirit must be resting upon someone and that person must be in a state of joy (Shabbos 30b). That is why Isaac tells Esau to bring him some game prepared the way he likes it before he can bless him. Rebecca overhears the conversation and suddenly she is in overdrive. She knows Isaac and she remembers the words of the Lord God during her pregnancy, (not that she has ever forgotten them). What should she do? She has never told Isaac about them. I wonder why she never revealed those words to him? The Rabbis say the Lord God never authorized her to tell him. Hmmm Here is the interesting thing about this situation, if the prophetic spirit is the one who will give Isaac the words to say in the blessing, then Rebecca has no way of knowing what Isaac will say in the blessing of the young men, right? Then why is she so worried and why does she go to such great lengths since she knows God has already pronounced the blessing on them? Wouldn't you think she would be confident that God would take care of it all? Pondering....pondering....pondering. I really have no answer and can't find one from the sages.
I think I need to sidebar for just a moment here on something. I did call them young men just a few sentences back, but according to the Jews, (and there is clear evidence for this), the twins were 63 at the time of the blessing. Not so young in our time, huh? Esau had been married for 23 years to two Hittite women, who are said to be a kind of "spiritual blight" to Isaac and Rebecca. The commentaries are divided on the meaning of this: either they were leading him away spiritually to idols OR they were the daughters-in-law from you know where. Either way, not a good family bonding experience or in modern day terms - a little dysfunctional family situation. Those poor, poor grandchildren is what I'm thinking about right now! Oy vey! (woe, woe!)
We see when Rebecca tells Jacob what to do in order to receive the blessing, Jacob does not want to go along with it. This further exemplifies Jacob's character as he lets his mother know there will be a curse associated with deceit of this nature. Rebecca is so adamant about this matter she is willing to accept the curse on herself if necessary and so the plan begins.
There is more than a spiritual difference between the men. It is apparent that Esau is a hairier man than Jacob, so that fact must be dealt with. Rebecca to the rescue. She takes the skin of the goats she has just prepared and covers Jacob's neck, arms and hands with them. She also takes a piece of Esau's clothing for Jacob to wear. Not just any clothing, but the clothing he received by killing Nimrod. (I'll let you research that one!)
Jacob enters Isaacs presence with the meal his mother has prepared. He addresses his father and Isaac asks who it is. Jacob never really says he is Esau. You have to catch the play on words he uses. The Hebrew translation reads as follows: " It is I, Esau your firstborn." As if to say, "It is I, Esau is your firstborn." It is actually with the character of his own mouth that Jacob is nearly given away when his father asks how it is that he was able to find game this quickly and get it prepared. Jacob responds with thanking the Lord God for blessing him with the meal. Isaac quickly picks up on this matter, because he knows Esau rarely ever expounds, spiritually, on matters.
We can look the part, smell the part and even cook up the part, but the words that come from our mouth will always give us away. Our words reflect the heart. Jacob's mouth almost gave him away. It was a true reflection of his heart, one that sought God with all his being yet Esau's heart was one that followed idols and his mouth revealed the truth. Remember his game was in his mouth? Even in relaying the birthright incident to Isaac at the blessing, he recounted it as if it were a deception that came from Jacob. It was however, a lack of a connection with the Lord God Himself that led Esau to sell his birthright. He chose to give it up, because it meant nothing to him. There was no deception involved. We all know those Esaus. The siblings in a family who are all up in every situation that gets attention for themselves, but when the family needs them they are nowhere to be found. Lots of excuses and no time to be involved. Bottom line, they just don't care about anyone but themselves. They will shrug their shoulders if it bores them or cry rivers if that's what it takes to get the attention.
I want to leave you with one parting thought on this Parashat. Rebecca was a great Godly woman. Isaac a great Godly man. Two sons, one of them drawn to idols while the other was drawn to God. Did Isaac and Rebecca love both of their sons? I think the answer to that is, absolutely! When the time came for the blessing, Isaac and Rebecca had the same motive yet different ideas on how that should play out. A mother's heart, a father's heart. Both loved their sons dearly. Both wished to see Esau walking a Godly path like Jacob, I'm sure. We are not told if the two of them ever discussed this situation beforehand. We really aren't told if they inquired of the Lord with the exception that the prophetic spirit would give Isaac the words to say at the blessing. If they had, I wonder if the reading of this entire Parashat would have been different......what do you think?
What about your motives? Do you discuss them with God to make sure they line up with His plans? You can have the best of intentions in the world, but be on the wrong course. If your intentions are to supply food for the hungry in a Third World country, you will not buy loads of fresh meat to take with you. Would they love fresh meat? Absolutely, but they have no way of storing it and you could only feed them for one day. Take several hundred or thousand pounds of rice or beans and they can store that for months, it goes a looooonnnng way and their hunger is satisfied for weeks to come! Your'e intentions are the same, just different ways to go about it. Take along enough seed and tools to show them how to plant and harvest their own crops and you can feed them for years. Now, try talking to God before you go. Tell Him your intentions and He might have an even greater way of feeding the hungry that you haven't even thought of!!!! "You have not, because you ask not!"
I would love to read your comments on any of the postings from Hannah's Song, so please feel free to comment away! We may not agree, but the Jews have this wonderful saying: "Ask two Rabbis, get three opinions!" To the Eastern way of thinking there are many answers to every question, so we don't have to agree. I am hoping to have something more than a Parashat between now and Thanksgiving, so until then, Shalom!!!! And if by chance I don't publish another until next weekend, Happy Thanksgiving, be thankful and stay safe my friends!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment