══════════»THE MORAL ACTS FOR ISRAEL «══════════ ══════════»ACCORDING TO THE TORAH.... . «══════════ ✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡ PART-E (3) ✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡✡ ⋓⋓⋓ ANSWERING THE TOUGHEST QUESTIONS FROM TORAH ⋒⋒⋒ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ The so-called stealing by Jacob from father ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Isaac, his blessings meant for Esau ............ ! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ …CONTINUED…. In the previous article we discussed the disagreement between Isaac and Rebecca regarding the roles of Jacob and Esau. Isaac rightly knew that a man of Esau’s qualities is needed within the Jewish people. The nation of Israel has to be well-balanced. It should have a comprehensive approach. It is not supposed to be a secluded nation of saints, studying Torah and striving towards God, wholly unconcerned with the fate of mankind. Israel’sinternal role of self-perfection is embodied in Jacob. But ultimately, Israel’s mission is to be a worldly people, a “light unto the nations” (Isaiah 42:6). Israel would oversee the world’s spiritual development and ensure – by force if necessary – that they live up to God’s mission for them. This was the role of the worldly, aggressive Esau – one which he utterly failed to live up to. Rebecca understood this as well, but she realized Esau was not about to live up to his divine calling. Thus, Rebecca devised an alternate plan. Jacob would feign to be Esau – receiving the blessings for physical prosperity Isaac intended for him. He would thus not only be the righteous Torah scholar. He would also go out into the world, taking evil head on. He would have to fulfill two roles at once. The continuation of the Book of Genesis outlines his evolution into his new dual position. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ SETTLED DIVINE PRINCIPLE ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ Simply put, the rejection of Esav and acceptance of Jacob meant the superiority of good over evil and the ultimate triumph of good represented by Jacob! There cannot be a division of roles but a centralization of diverse roles in the hands of the Torah-learned Jew. So remember that said principle was settled long back with Jacob receiving from his father Isaac, all of Esavs blessings. Isaac confirms, repeats and reiterates those blessings even after the first giving of all the blessings to Jacob. There is a second key event in Jacob’s evolution into his new role. After he successfully deals with Laban and Esau, Jacob is granted a new name – Israel (35:10). Israel – Yisrael – implies a sar – a master and leader of others: “for you have striven with an angel and with men and you have persevered” (32:29). Jacob – Israel – was no longer the passive Torah scholar, withdrawing into his own little world of wisdom and ideas. He was now the man of the world, who had taken on the best and prevailed. Unlike Abraham and Sarah whose new names replaced their old, Jacob is still known by his original name as well (e.g. Gen 46:2). God did not change Jacob’s name. He gave him a second one. This implies that Jacob now had two roles to fulfill, two names to live up to – his original one as inwardly-focused Torah scholar, and a second one as external authority. The second role was the one he had wrested from Esau. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ DUEL ROLE SEALED ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ When Jacob is on the way back to the Holy Land after leaving Lavans house, about to meet his brother Esau, he finds himself alone on the far side of the Jabbok River. Jacob battles with an angel the entire night – he is the guardian angel of Esau (Bereishit Rabbah 77:3). As dawn breaks, the angel insists he must leave. Jacob refuses to let him go, demanding that the man bless him first. He does so – by informing Jacob that his name would shortly become Israel. Jacob asks the man his name, but he refuses to give it. Jacob afterwards names the place Peniel (“my face towards God”), “for I have seen a divine being face to face and my soul was saved” (32:30). Thus, by awarding him his second name, God formally appointed Jacob to fulfill Esau’s mission. His transformation into a dual person with a dual role was complete. Before Jacob was officially given Esau’s mission, one person had to acquiesce – Esau himself. His very angel came to oppose Jacob and all he stood for. In a battle as much spiritual as physical, the angel failed to overcome Jacob’s strength and fortitude. He conceded. He informed Jacob that he would soon be granted a new name – the one Esau lost. This in a nutshell is the story of Jacob and Esau. Originally, both brothers were to have significant roles in Israel – as Isaac wished. Esau was not worthy to fulfill his role, so Rebecca initiated a procession of events in which Jacob would assume Esau’s mission in addition to his own. He did so successfully, also by marrying Esau’s soulmate Leah apart from Rachel and by earning a new name. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ ESAVS PLIGHT ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ What happens to Esau in all this? He was left out, no longer to play a decisive role in world history. When he first discovers that Jacob took his blessings, he cries out – “a very great and bitter cry” (Gen. 27:34). The Sages teach us that his cry would reverberate throughout the ages. Certainly he could not deny that Jacob was the more deserving brother. Yet he resented bitterly his loss and awaited the day he could avenge it. As long as the Children of Israel would live up to its role of living pious lives as per the dictates of the Torah, Esau’s cry would be unheard. But if the Children of Israel would fail in their duty, G-d forbid, Esau’s bitter cry would reverberate. Isaac blessed him that he would live by his sword. He would serve his brother Jacob, but when he would justifiably dislike Jacob’s dominance, he would rebel against it (27:40). This is the continuation of Israel’s story. Jacob and his descendants would have two missions to fulfill. Yet there is also a hurting Esau out to avenge his lost prestige. If Israel would fulfill its mission, it will lead all mankind – even Esau – to salvation. If not, Esau and his sword would be there at the ready. The message is complete. There was no stealing of blessings, just claiming of divinely proclaimed assignments. ………………………….. MAY BE CONTINUED……………………………… ≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 20:29:35 +0000
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