Vayishlach: Trojan Horse

Vayishlach: Trojan Horse

 

The point of the parsha comes toward the end, when we read (36:6-7):

ו  וַיִּקַּח עֵשָׂו אֶת-נָשָׁיו וְאֶת-בָּנָיו וְאֶת-בְּנֹתָיו, וְאֶת-כָּל-נַפְשׁוֹת בֵּיתוֹ, וְאֶת-מִקְנֵהוּ וְאֶת-כָּל-בְּהֶמְתּוֹ וְאֵת כָּל-קִנְיָנוֹ, אֲשֶׁר רָכַשׁ בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן; וַיֵּלֶךְ אֶל-אֶרֶץ, מִפְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב אָחִיו.	6 And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the souls of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his possessions, which he had gathered in the land of Canaan; and went into a land away from his brother Jacob.
ז  כִּי-הָיָה רְכוּשָׁם רָב, מִשֶּׁבֶת יַחְדָּו; וְלֹא יָכְלָה אֶרֶץ מְגוּרֵיהֶם, לָשֵׂאת אֹתָם--מִפְּנֵי, מִקְנֵיהֶם.	7 For their substance was too great for them to dwell together; and the land of their sojournings could not bear them because of their cattle.

 ( note the similarity to Avraham and Lot)

The beginning of the parsha is Jacob's invasion of the land.  Jacob's claim to possession is the Blessing that he recieved from Yitzchok, which he received based upon his prior purchase of the birthright.  What a convoluted ( and vague) deal!

But it is possible that all Esau wanted was the wealth... and Jacob surrenders this to him without the need for battle.  So Esau walks away.  Esau's offers to accompany Jacob and his clan are possibly an offer to unify their people by intermarriage- politely refused by father Jacob,

 

The next offer to assimilate, with the Hivite people of Shechem is also ( less politely) declined. This tradition of brother's involved in their sister's marriage ( Lavan and Rivka; Shimon and Levi and Dinah) is mysterious to me.

 

The questions are:  who will posses the land? what will the settlement look like? when is an act defensive? When is a deal a trap? Which side am I on?

army of Israel

 

ambiguity

 

2 state solution

 

 

 

what is in a name