BY: Ayelet Kahane
Genesis is fraught with complicated and tense familial relationships. The prototypical relationship in Genesis is one that includes jealousy, deceit, and rivalry. The relationships found in Parshat Toldot are no exception. The parasha begins with an introduction to Rebekah, Isaac, and the home they ultimately create together. Rav Elchanan Samet points out that from Genesis 25:19-26, the narrative's focus is Rebekah and Isaac. Then, from verse 27 to 34, the narrative's focus is Esau and Jacob. Within each of these segments, there are two distinct subsections. In the first section, where the primary characters are Isaac and Rebekah, verses 22-23 speak of Rebekah's difficult pregnancy and the prophecy that foretold of the two nations that she would bear. Verses 24-26 speak of the birth of Esau and Jacob, with Esau emerging from the womb first with Jacob, quite literally, at his heel. Isaac and Rebekah then name their newborn twins.
In section two, where the primary characters are Esau and Jacob, there is a division in the storyline between verses 27-28 and verses 29-34. In verses 27-28, Esau and Jacob grow into two very distinct individuals. Esau becomes a man of the fields, while Jacob becomes a man of the tents. Esau is loved by his father, while Jacob is loved by his mother. Then, in verses 28-34, Esau infamously sells his birthright for a bowl of soup that Jacob was cooking.[1]
The first subsection of each segment focuses on the conflict between Esau and Jacob. Rebekah's difficult pregnancy was a premonition, an indicator of the tumultuous relationship that would develop between Esau and Jacob. Her two sons would begin their relationship in conflict and the divide and rivalry between them would increasingly grow as they developed in distinct and diverging directions.
Interestingly, the sibling rivalry described between Esau and Jacob closely resembles the first biblical sibling rivalry, that of Cain and Abel. Esau and Jacob are described as distinct to an extent that the world is seemingly divided between them. Cain's dominion extended to the fields, to agriculture, while Abel's dominion extended over animals,as a shepherd. So too, Esau is described as an "ish sadeh," a man of the fields, while Jacob is described as "yoshev ohalim," a dweller of tents. Commenting on the phrase "yoshev ohalim," the Chizkuni (R. Hezekiah ben Manoach, 13th century France) explains that the most direct, text-based translation is that these were tents for sheep. He furthers this point by explaining that it makes sense that Jacob was a professional shepherd because he was an incredibly successful shepherd for Laban later on in his life.[2] In line with a peshat (simple reading) interpretation of this verse, Nehama Leibowitz posits that in addition to meaning hunter, "ish sadeh" could imply that Esau was also a man of agriculture, a man who worked the fields. If this is the case, Esau and Jacob occupied the same distinct physical realms that Cain and Abel did- agriculturalist and shepherd.[3]
Verses 24-26, which constitute the second part of the first section, describe the unusual birth of Esau and Jacob and foreshadow the future selling of the birthright, as described in verses 28-34. The events prior to their births impacted the birth of Esau and Jacob and the continued directions of their lives. The second part of section two describes the fulfillment of the prophecy found in section one. The flow of the entire story points to the omnipotent hand in all of these events. This becomes increasingly apparent through the story of the blessings which occurs later in this parasha in Genesis 27.
In Genesis 27, the drama continues to unfold. Robert Alter points out that there are seven distinguishable scenes within this larger story and each scene includes only two characters. The chapter begins with an interaction between Isaac and Esau, where Isaac tells Esau to prepare a meal for him, in order for Isaac to bless Esau before his death. Overhearing this conversation, Rebekah then interacts with Jacob, telling him to pose as Esau and receive the firstborn blessing. The next scene includes only Jacob, disguised as Esau, and his frail father Isaac. Following this third scene, Esau interacts with Isaac, learning that his blessing has just been given to his younger brother Jacob. Hearing that Esau is intent on murdering his brother for the deed he has just done, Rebekah tells Jacob that he must flee to his brother's house in Padan Aram. Rebekah then goes to Isaac and argues, under the veil of despising the women of Ca'naan, that Jacob must go to Padan Aram and find a wife there. The two-character interactions then continue, with Isaac sending Jacob off to Padan Aram.[4]
Throughout the entire parasha, the four dominant characters are interacting in a convoluted web of actions. Notably, though, every single scene includes a mere two characters. All the events and relationships in the parasha unfold in a series of interconnected scenes, but they only happen between pairs of characters- rather than three or four characters- and there is very little communication between the conflicting characters. In Genesis 27, it is not until the sixth scene in the larger narrative that Isaac and Rebekah communicate. Furthermore, they communicate under false pretenses, pretending that the nature of their conversation and its urgency have solely to do with Jacob finding a proper wife, and not with Jacob`s safety from Esau. Additionally, there is no communication between Esau and Jacob throughout the entire episode of the blessings.
The structure of the parasha boldly emphasizes the contentious and complicated nature of the relationships between the four dominant characters. It connects this story with the larger context of history and God's plan, of what has happened in the past and what will happen in the future.
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[1] Elchanan Samet, Studies in the Weekly Parasha (Jerusalem, Israel: Hemed Press, 2003), 102-121.
[3] Moshe Sokolow, Studies in the Weekly Parasha: Based on the Lessons of Nechama Leibowitz (Jerusalem, Israel: Hemed Press, 2008), 42.
[4] Robert Alter, Genesis (New York, N.Y.: W.W. Norton & Company, 1996), 137-150.
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