Toldoth: Place in the World

 Toldoth: Place in the World

The crucial story in this week's parsha is the "blessing" imparted by Isaac. It is Isaac's stated intention to bless Esau.  Despite his suspicions, he gives it to Jacob and cannot ,or will not, revoke it.  Esau's sense of injustice in this matter brings him to contemplate the  murder of his brother. 

Isaac told Esau to prepare a feast so that his soul would bless him. This paradigm of meal followed by blessing echos the sacrifices of Abel and Cain, the first pair of brothers - whose competition in bringing an offering comes to murder. The meal, and perhaps the intoxication from the wine that accompanies it,  will permit the emergence of enchanted words of portent. 

Rebecca, the mother of the twins, overhears Isaac's charge to Esau.  She has known, since the twins were in her womb, that the descendants of one will serve the other.  When she asked about the excessive fetal activity, she was told

 שְׁנֵ֤י (גיים) [גוֹיִם֙] בְּבִטְנֵ֔ךְ וּשְׁנֵ֣י לְאֻמִּ֔ים מִמֵּעַ֖יִךְ יִפָּרֵ֑דוּ וּלְאֹם֙ מִלְאֹ֣ם יֶֽאֱמָ֔ץ וְרַ֖ב יַעֲבֹ֥ד צָעִֽיר׃ 

,
“Two nations are in your womb,
Two separate peoples shall issue from your body;
One people shall be mightier than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger.”

Now they are past 40 years old and she has judged it best that Jacob be the dominant.  Isaac seems to have favored Esau. 

This prophecy of "And the older shall serve the younger.”became confused. Jacob had bought the birthright. Had he bought a status that consigned him to servitude or does the physical reality prevail?  This sale of birthright seems not to have been a secret. The terms of sale:  מִכְרָ֥ה כַיּ֛וֹם אֶת־בְּכֹרָֽתְךָ֖ לִֽי, include the words "as day"  Rashi renders  it: 

כַּיּוֹם שֶׁהוּא בָרוּר, כָךְ מְכֹר לִי מְכִירָה בְרוּרָה:: just as the day is clear, let the sale be clear. 

 I understand this to mean that the sale was public, everyone  including the parents, Isaac and  Rebecca knew about the sale and thought... whatever they thought. 

Faced with the redirection of the blessing, Esau admits to his father that he had sold the birthright: 

וַיֹּ֡אמֶר הֲכִי֩ קָרָ֨א שְׁמ֜וֹ יַעֲקֹ֗ב וַֽיַּעְקְבֵ֙נִי֙ זֶ֣ה פַעֲמַ֔יִם אֶת־בְּכֹרָתִ֣י לָקָ֔ח וְהִנֵּ֥ה עַתָּ֖ה לָקַ֣ח בִּרְכָתִ֑י וַיֹּאמַ֕ר הֲלֹא־אָצַ֥לְתָּ לִּ֖י בְּרָכָֽה׃ 

[Esau] said, “Was he, then, named Jacob that he might supplant^aHeb. ‘aqab, connected with “Jacob.” me these two times? First he took away my birthright and now he has taken away my blessing!” And he added, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” (a better translation)

What did Jacob  buy? The brand? Presumably he bought the right to announce himself as the first born, which he does when it counts; perhaps it was a joke in the family...at first.  

The nature of the "blessing" is problematic. When Esau asks for some blessing that was held in reserve, Isaac tells him: 

 גְּבִ֞יר שַׂמְתִּ֥יו לָךְ֙ וְאֶת־כׇּל־אֶחָ֗יו נָתַ֤תִּי לוֹ֙ לַעֲבָדִ֔ים וְדָגָ֥ן וְתִירֹ֖שׁ סְמַכְתִּ֑יו וּלְכָ֣ה אֵפ֔וֹא מָ֥ה אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֖ה בְּנִֽי׃

“But I have made him master over you: I have given him all his brothers for servants, and sustained him with grain and wine. What, then, can I still do for you, my son?

Why does a father do this: Make one son dominant and the other subservient? There is a precedent in Noah's curse of Ham.  The more immediate precedent is Isaac's elevation over Ishmael ( in our version). These characters are progenitors of tribes and nations, they represent systems of values and have trajectories through time.  This bracha, translated as blessing, retains some of the agricultural meaning of the word, planting branches to make new trees. The bracha is a hierarchical placement. 

A few verses before Isaac's decision to confer the bracha, there is an interaction with Avimelach and his Philistine retinue. This Avimelech  wants to make an non-aggression treaty with Isaac, similar to the treaty between Avimelech and Abraham.  Isaac asks why; and Avumelech answers: 

We now see plainly that the LORD has been with you

Perhaps, only now does Isaac recognize that he inherited not only the worldly wealth of Abraham, but also his status and he must decide to whom this should be conveyed. The blessing was not intended for either individual, it was intended for the one who could get it. It was a prize up for grabs. 

The conolation blessing is very disturbing: 

וְעַל־חַרְבְּךָ֣ תִֽחְיֶ֔ה וְאֶת־אָחִ֖יךָ תַּעֲבֹ֑ד וְהָיָה֙ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר תָּרִ֔יד וּפָרַקְתָּ֥ עֻלּ֖וֹ מֵעַ֥ל צַוָּארֶֽךָ׃ 

Yet by your sword you shall live,
And you shall serve your brother;
But when you grow restive,
You shall break his yoke from your neck.”

Thus, the relationship between  children of Jacob (who will become Israel)  and Esau ( Rome?,Europe?) is established as violent antagonism, distantly echoing the relationship between the serpent and the offspring of woman. 

You have a place in the world.  Does it help to know where it is?