- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on Mar 11, 2022 17:54:56 GMT -8
This Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Genesis 27:1-29
Haftara- Isaiah 46:3-11
D’rash: I want to go back this week, especially as we missed Genesis 25. I want to tie in these stories of Ya’akov in a way most have not heard if raised in Christian churches. As we study, let us remember this from our haftara:
Isaiah 46:3a,11b “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, … I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.”
God does as He wills, and He chose Ya’aqov to propagate the line of His people, Yisroel. He made a covenant with Rivkah this would be the plan. Ironically Genesis 25 and the proceeding chapters are often used to validate anti-Semitism. The way Ya’aqov is portrayed brings disrepute to an important patriarch. From these chapters men say all Jews are sheisters. The ESV gives this account of the birth of Esav and Yitz’chaq:
Genesis 25:26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
Footnotes: Genesis 25:26 Jacob means He takes by the heel, or He cheats
Strong’s portrays the name as: H3290 יַעֲקֹב ya‛ăqôb; heel catcher (that is, supplanter); Jaakob, the Israelitish patriarch [“Israelitish” patriarch? Really?]
According to Dr. Stern, “The expression that sounds so critical of Ya’akov is better translated “May God be at your heels,” meaning, “may God be your rear guard.”” So there is no reason for the negative connotation to be the default here; and no reason to use this to promote antiSemitism. But the church fathers were almost every one anti-Semitic, and they passed these definitions and attitudes down to the generations.
יַעֲקֹב Ya’aqov was father of the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel. Born holding his brother’s heel, his name is usually rendered “supplanter.” The reasoning is “he twice deprived his brother of his rights as the firstborn son.” But God had ordained him the one through which Messiah would come. And it was Esav who sold his birthright:
Genesis 25:29-34 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom. [Edom sounds like adam, or red] Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Now Esav is sowing sour grapes. He never took the role of firstborn, leaving those duties to Ya’aqov; and he despised his birthright in selling it cheap for a pot of stew:
Genesis 27:36 Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
So Ya’aqov is often portrayed as a sheister (though few probably know the true meaning of the term).
shyster- a person who is professionally unscrupulous especially in the practice of law or politics; a person who lies or uses questionable practices; a slang word for someone who acts in a disreputable, unethical, or unscrupulous way, especially in the practice of law, sometimes also politics or business.
The New York Observer in a complaint about the National Review’s use of the term: ““shyster” is a “deplorable and demeaning word,” “not acceptable in polite company,” “offensive, redolent with prejudice and hatred.””
Described variously in different translations, Ya’akov is usually portrayed in a bad light compared to Esav:
Genesis 25:27 (KJV) And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.
Esav, the cunning hunter; a real man’s man. Ya’aqov was just plain, boring, hanging around the tents all day. A real mamma’s boy. But the truth is someone had to be there to welcome travelers. Tending the stew pot was the job of the firstborn so that he could welcome them to rest and eat. And managing the camp, assigning duties for shepherds, maintenance and repairs, etc. was a big job. Esav abdicated these duties and thus his position by staying away in the fields, hunting. So he had nothing to complain about in Ya’aquov taking his birthright- he gave that away many times over.
Ya’aqov is said to be a whiner, always looking to cheat someone. But in truth Esav was the whiner. He may have been hungry, but he was not about to die! A person can go a long time without food. A study in the British Medical Journal cited hunger strikes that ended after 40 days because of the life-threatening symptoms of participants.
Now we may discuss the morality of the ploy his mother and he came up with to take the final blessing from his father. However the birthright itself was already his. Furthermore the term “plain” is a bad translation:
תָּם tâm- complete; usually (morally) pious; specifically gentle, dear: coupled together, perfect, plain, undefiled, upright.
Ya’akov was a pious man who did not despise the responsibility of being in the line of HaMoshaich. That is the part of the blessing he coveted, revered, and respected. His brother did not. That notwithstanding, he not only lied but he invoked the name of the Lord when he did it:
Genesis 27:18-20 (NASB) Then he came to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me. Get up, please, sit and eat of my game, that you may bless me.” Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the Lord your God caused it to happen to me.”
While Torah had not yet been given I believe there was an Oral Torah since the time of Adam. The Oral Torah is meant to change, to adapt Torah to different times and circumstances. Before Torah was given all they had were these oral instructions. But they were not without moral guidance, and using the name of the Lord in vain is a major problem. And there is ample evidence that from Adam on men knew the basics of the instructions of God. He knew he was doing wrong, even though he thought the only way to get the part of the birthright he wanted was to lie.
Still, God blessed Ya’aqov:
Genesis 27:28-29 (NASB)
Now may God give you of the dew of heaven,
And of the fatness of the earth,
And an abundance of grain and new wine;
May peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you;
Be master of your brothers,
And may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be those who curse you,
And blessed be those who bless you.”
Grain and wine, metaphors for the fruits of the earth. His dealings and efforts will bear much fruit- even those with the conniving Laban (his father-in-law). In the last two lines here however only part of the covenant blessing is given compared to Avraham and Yitz’chaq. Most of the blessing was carefully thought out for Esav and fit his personality, and so it did not come true for Ya’aqov. We cannot know what blessing Yitz’chaq had reserved for Ya’akov. But here is the blessing as given to Avraham:
Genesis 12:3 (ESI) And I will bless (בָּרַךְ bârak) those who bless (בָּרַךְ) you, and utterly destroy (אָאֹר aor) him who makes light (מְקַלֶּלְךָ meqalelcha) of you; and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.
However we see that the blessing intended for Esav was a bit different:
Genesis 27:29 (NASB) Let people serve you, and nations bow down to you; be lord over your brothers, and let your mother's sons bow down to you; cursed be every one who curses you ( אֹרְרֶיךָ אָרוּר orerecha arur), and blessed (בָּרַךְ bârak) be he who blesses (בָּרַךְ) you.
Nothing there about all the families of the earth, just a personal blessing and/or curse. So it may be when Isaac sought to bless Esav with the blessing of the firstborn he was not bestowing the actual blessing given to Avraham and Yitz’chaq. He may have been saving that for Ya’aqov as the spiritual heir as promised by God.
The blessing Isaac had for the firstborn was thoughtfully prepared for the dominant Esav. Ya’aqov being the more timid could never fulfill this blessing. Who knows what blessing Isaac had prepared for him; probably one that would have played to his spiritual strengths. And since the blessing he stole did not contain the promise of all the nations of the world being blessed through him, it is possible Isaac was actually reserving the full covenant blessing for Jacob anyhow. However the firstborn was supposed to inherit spiritual leadership, a thing Esav was unfit to do. Who knows what may have transpired in the lives of the clans and indeed all the peoples of the earth had Rivkah not decided God needed some help implementing His plan. Or had Ya’aqov been strong enough to just say no to her.
Mekorot: All scripture from the ESV unless otherwise specified; Drs. Eli and Parker of the Israel Bible Center; Dr. Stern and his CJB Study Bible; R Stanley of Beit Aveinu; e-Sword/Strong’s; my father and others
Next Week’s Readings: Parashah- Gen 27:30-28:9 Haftara- Mic 1:1, 5:1-15
Parashah- Genesis 27:1-29
Haftara- Isaiah 46:3-11
D’rash: I want to go back this week, especially as we missed Genesis 25. I want to tie in these stories of Ya’akov in a way most have not heard if raised in Christian churches. As we study, let us remember this from our haftara:
Isaiah 46:3a,11b “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, … I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.”
God does as He wills, and He chose Ya’aqov to propagate the line of His people, Yisroel. He made a covenant with Rivkah this would be the plan. Ironically Genesis 25 and the proceeding chapters are often used to validate anti-Semitism. The way Ya’aqov is portrayed brings disrepute to an important patriarch. From these chapters men say all Jews are sheisters. The ESV gives this account of the birth of Esav and Yitz’chaq:
Genesis 25:26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
Footnotes: Genesis 25:26 Jacob means He takes by the heel, or He cheats
Strong’s portrays the name as: H3290 יַעֲקֹב ya‛ăqôb; heel catcher (that is, supplanter); Jaakob, the Israelitish patriarch [“Israelitish” patriarch? Really?]
According to Dr. Stern, “The expression that sounds so critical of Ya’akov is better translated “May God be at your heels,” meaning, “may God be your rear guard.”” So there is no reason for the negative connotation to be the default here; and no reason to use this to promote antiSemitism. But the church fathers were almost every one anti-Semitic, and they passed these definitions and attitudes down to the generations.
יַעֲקֹב Ya’aqov was father of the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel. Born holding his brother’s heel, his name is usually rendered “supplanter.” The reasoning is “he twice deprived his brother of his rights as the firstborn son.” But God had ordained him the one through which Messiah would come. And it was Esav who sold his birthright:
Genesis 25:29-34 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom. [Edom sounds like adam, or red] Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Now Esav is sowing sour grapes. He never took the role of firstborn, leaving those duties to Ya’aqov; and he despised his birthright in selling it cheap for a pot of stew:
Genesis 27:36 Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
So Ya’aqov is often portrayed as a sheister (though few probably know the true meaning of the term).
shyster- a person who is professionally unscrupulous especially in the practice of law or politics; a person who lies or uses questionable practices; a slang word for someone who acts in a disreputable, unethical, or unscrupulous way, especially in the practice of law, sometimes also politics or business.
The New York Observer in a complaint about the National Review’s use of the term: ““shyster” is a “deplorable and demeaning word,” “not acceptable in polite company,” “offensive, redolent with prejudice and hatred.””
Described variously in different translations, Ya’akov is usually portrayed in a bad light compared to Esav:
Genesis 25:27 (KJV) And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.
Esav, the cunning hunter; a real man’s man. Ya’aqov was just plain, boring, hanging around the tents all day. A real mamma’s boy. But the truth is someone had to be there to welcome travelers. Tending the stew pot was the job of the firstborn so that he could welcome them to rest and eat. And managing the camp, assigning duties for shepherds, maintenance and repairs, etc. was a big job. Esav abdicated these duties and thus his position by staying away in the fields, hunting. So he had nothing to complain about in Ya’aquov taking his birthright- he gave that away many times over.
Ya’aqov is said to be a whiner, always looking to cheat someone. But in truth Esav was the whiner. He may have been hungry, but he was not about to die! A person can go a long time without food. A study in the British Medical Journal cited hunger strikes that ended after 40 days because of the life-threatening symptoms of participants.
Now we may discuss the morality of the ploy his mother and he came up with to take the final blessing from his father. However the birthright itself was already his. Furthermore the term “plain” is a bad translation:
תָּם tâm- complete; usually (morally) pious; specifically gentle, dear: coupled together, perfect, plain, undefiled, upright.
Ya’akov was a pious man who did not despise the responsibility of being in the line of HaMoshaich. That is the part of the blessing he coveted, revered, and respected. His brother did not. That notwithstanding, he not only lied but he invoked the name of the Lord when he did it:
Genesis 27:18-20 (NASB) Then he came to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me. Get up, please, sit and eat of my game, that you may bless me.” Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the Lord your God caused it to happen to me.”
While Torah had not yet been given I believe there was an Oral Torah since the time of Adam. The Oral Torah is meant to change, to adapt Torah to different times and circumstances. Before Torah was given all they had were these oral instructions. But they were not without moral guidance, and using the name of the Lord in vain is a major problem. And there is ample evidence that from Adam on men knew the basics of the instructions of God. He knew he was doing wrong, even though he thought the only way to get the part of the birthright he wanted was to lie.
Still, God blessed Ya’aqov:
Genesis 27:28-29 (NASB)
Now may God give you of the dew of heaven,
And of the fatness of the earth,
And an abundance of grain and new wine;
May peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you;
Be master of your brothers,
And may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be those who curse you,
And blessed be those who bless you.”
Grain and wine, metaphors for the fruits of the earth. His dealings and efforts will bear much fruit- even those with the conniving Laban (his father-in-law). In the last two lines here however only part of the covenant blessing is given compared to Avraham and Yitz’chaq. Most of the blessing was carefully thought out for Esav and fit his personality, and so it did not come true for Ya’aqov. We cannot know what blessing Yitz’chaq had reserved for Ya’akov. But here is the blessing as given to Avraham:
Genesis 12:3 (ESI) And I will bless (בָּרַךְ bârak) those who bless (בָּרַךְ) you, and utterly destroy (אָאֹר aor) him who makes light (מְקַלֶּלְךָ meqalelcha) of you; and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.
However we see that the blessing intended for Esav was a bit different:
Genesis 27:29 (NASB) Let people serve you, and nations bow down to you; be lord over your brothers, and let your mother's sons bow down to you; cursed be every one who curses you ( אֹרְרֶיךָ אָרוּר orerecha arur), and blessed (בָּרַךְ bârak) be he who blesses (בָּרַךְ) you.
Nothing there about all the families of the earth, just a personal blessing and/or curse. So it may be when Isaac sought to bless Esav with the blessing of the firstborn he was not bestowing the actual blessing given to Avraham and Yitz’chaq. He may have been saving that for Ya’aqov as the spiritual heir as promised by God.
The blessing Isaac had for the firstborn was thoughtfully prepared for the dominant Esav. Ya’aqov being the more timid could never fulfill this blessing. Who knows what blessing Isaac had prepared for him; probably one that would have played to his spiritual strengths. And since the blessing he stole did not contain the promise of all the nations of the world being blessed through him, it is possible Isaac was actually reserving the full covenant blessing for Jacob anyhow. However the firstborn was supposed to inherit spiritual leadership, a thing Esav was unfit to do. Who knows what may have transpired in the lives of the clans and indeed all the peoples of the earth had Rivkah not decided God needed some help implementing His plan. Or had Ya’aqov been strong enough to just say no to her.
Mekorot: All scripture from the ESV unless otherwise specified; Drs. Eli and Parker of the Israel Bible Center; Dr. Stern and his CJB Study Bible; R Stanley of Beit Aveinu; e-Sword/Strong’s; my father and others
Next Week’s Readings: Parashah- Gen 27:30-28:9 Haftara- Mic 1:1, 5:1-15
