For this I was chosen?: Spiritual Legacy and its Ill Effects

Ronit Langer

There are many lenses through which one can approach the bible. Each

approach provides a deeper understanding of the stories and the messages contained

within the text. In this paper, we will be examining the patriarchs through a

psychological lense.1 This method of interpretation allows the patriarchs to become

accessible to the modern reader, and does not deny their flaws.2 This paper will

explore the concept of a divine patrilineal blessing that is found in Genesis, and how

the blessing is coupled with sacrifice. It will analyze the questions of how each

patriarch must acclimate to his role in the legacy, and how each patriarch must

sacrifice. It will examine the effect of each of the sacrifices on the patriarchal

families, and how each individual is changed by their struggle. Mainly, it will answer

the questions of how does sacrifice make Genesis a “creation of a nation” story? What

flaws are resolved that allow a nation to emerge? By answering these questions, this

paper will explore another level of the patriarch story.

Sacrifice is evident from the very beginning of the patriarchal stories. The first

time God introduces the blessing to Abraham, he begins by informing Abraham of the

sacrifice that is required of him. God commands Abraham to exile himself from his

father’s household, and to abandon his family and way of life. Once Abraham is

willing to sacrifice, then God makes him the promise. This idea is evident from the

structure of the text.” And God said to Abram, go from your land, from your

1 Throughout this paper I will be reading the text through a psychological lens and drawing conclusions about the patriarchs based on modern psychological analysis techniques. I acknowledge that there are many ways to read each verse, but have selected the reading that best supports my thesis. 2 There is another approach to reading the patriarchal stories that transform the patriarchs from humans to demigods that are seemingly flawless. This method also has benefits for the reader, but will not be discussed in this essay.

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birthplace, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. And I will

make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great,

and a blessing. And those whom you bless shall be blessed and those whom you curse

and shall be cursed, and all the nations of the land will be blessed in your merit.”3

First “go from your father’s house” and then “I will make you into a great nation.”

Abraham devotes the rest of his life to sacrifice for God, which culminates in

Abraham’s ultimate sacrifice, the Akedah.

The Akedah is Abraham’s final sacrifice and test.4 It is on this mission that

Abraham is required to suppress all of his parental and moral reasoning, to fulfill the

will of God. The extent of the difficulty of the mission is twofold. Logically, God’s

command of the Akedah is counterintuitive to God’s previous commands to Abraham.

God is adamant concerning Isaac and his status as the heir to the blessing. 5 Abraham

has to trust that God will fulfill His promise, even if Abraham kills Isaac. God’s

command is extremely difficult. Isaac is the symbol of Abraham’s life ambitions, and

killing Isaac would be destroying what he has been working towards his entire life. In

addition, emotionally Abraham has to overcome his paternal instinct to protect his

child. God is requiring of Abraham to place his relationship with God above all other

relationships, including the relationship with his son.

Abraham is willing to place his relationship with God above all other

relationships. When Abraham and Isaac begin to ascend the mountain, “the two of

them go together.”6They were united in their task. Rashi comments that Abraham

3 Genesis, 12:1-34 There is an idea in Ethics of Our Fathers that Abraham was given 10 tests and the Akedah was the tenth test. (Ethics of Our Father, 5:3) 5 Beforehand, Sarah asks Abraham to send away his son through the maidservant Ishmael, because he was not a good influence on Isaac. God commands Abraham to listen to Sarah, because Isaac would be the one to inherit the blessing. “Listen to her voice, because it will be Isaac that will be called your seed.” (Genesis 21:12) Even in his initial command to Abraham about the Akedah, God refers to Isaac as “your son, your only son, that you love, Isaac” (Genesis 22:2) 6 Genesis 22: 6

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went in happiness to fulfill the word of God, and Isaac was unaware of the situation.7

However, Isaac is aware that the situation is peculiar due to the lack of sheep. After

three days, “Isaac asked Abraham ‘my father?’ and Abraham answered, ‘Here I am

my son’ And Isaac asked ‘here is the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the

offering?”8 Isaac is unaware of Abraham’s internal struggle. Ironically, Isaac

addresses Abraham as “my father,” unaware that Abraham cannot act as a father at

the present moment. However, Abraham continues to keep Isaac uninformed of the

situation. Therefore he responds, “Here I am, my son.” Abraham responds to Isaac’s

question, “‘God will provide the sheep my son’ and the two of them went together.”9

Abraham has alleviated Isaac’s fear, and then the “two of them went together” again.

Ibn Ezra comments that Isaac could not have possibly known what his father was

going to do, because if he did and he still went willingly, then his reward should have

been twice that of his fathers, and it is never mentioned in the text.10 Therefore the

Ibn Ezra concludes that Isaac must not have known, and that is why Abraham does

not inform him of the task before him, and does not reveal the true intent of the

mission on their way up the mountain.11

Abraham binds Isaac, “And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the

knife to slaughter his son.” In that moment Abraham and Isaac are transformed.

Abraham has completed his mission, an angel calls to Abraham and commands him,

“Do not stretch forth your hand to the lad, nor do the slightest thing to him, for now I

know that you are a God fearing man, and you did not withhold your son, your only

one, from Me."12 Abraham has demonstrated complete faith in God and a willingness

7 Rashi 22:6 on the words “They went together”8 Genesis 22:79 Genesis 22:8 10 Ibn Ezra 22:411 Isaac Chavel, “Isaac the Middle Father”, (unpublished work), 5-6.12 Genesis 22:12

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to fulfill God’s commands. By completing this task, Abraham ceases to be just a man,

rather he becomes an eternal symbol for the future nation. Therefore a second angel

calls to Abraham to reiterate the blessing. “...Because you have done this thing and

you did not withhold your son, your only one. That I will surely bless you, and I will

greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand that is on the

seashore, and your descendants will inherit the cities of their enemies.”13 Abraham has

completed his life’s mission, but not without repercussions.14 In fulfilling his task, he

has irrevocably destroyed his relationship with Isaac. In the beginning “they went

together,” afterward “Abraham returned to his men.” Abraham returned without Isaac,

they were no longer united. Furthermore, not only did Abraham destroy his bond with

Isaac, he also destroyed a part of Isaac. Isaac has endured an extremely traumatic near

death experience. His father, whom Isaac had such a close connection to, was ready to

slaughter him. While Abraham's life was full of sacrifice, Isaac’s life is now defined

by the fact that he was a sacrifice.

It seems that Isaac after the Akedah is frozen, he never truly deals with the

trauma of the Akedah.15 He was not able to grow into his own person, he followed

blindly the acts of his father,16 and repressed all of his emotions. However emotions as

strong as the ones connected to the Akedah, can never truly be repressed. The

emotions express themselves in different manners and are spread to those around

Isaac.

13 Genesis 22:16-1714 Rashi (Genesis 23:2 on the words “Abraham came to weep for Sarah’) suggest another repercussion of the Akedah: “ The telling of Sarah's death directly follows the binding of Isaac, because when Sarah is told about the binding of Isaac where her son has been prepared for slaughter and then was nearly not slaughtered, her soul flew from her and she died.“15 There is a reading of the Isaac story in which Isaac grows into a very unique persona, but that will not be the approach this paper will be taking. 16 Isaac goes down to Gerar in the same way his father did. He told the king that his wife was his sister, just as his father did. He dug the same wells his father did.

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Isaac expresses these emotions in a very physical way. Since he was unable to

cope with his emotions psychologically, they manifested themselves physically as

blindness. “And it was when Isaac got old, and his eyes ceases to see...”17 This

blindness is not an uncommon physical response, Aviva Zornberg writes: 18

In recent times, we have become painfully familiar with the notion of a response to trauma that is delayed, repressed, and that emerges in psychosomatic dysfunction. One example is the phenomenon of blindness afflicting women survivors of the Cambodian massacres. A considerable time after the Khmer Rouge horrors, and after they had found refuge in the United States, women began to complain of eyesight problems. No organic disorder was diagnosed, and existing diagnostic categories- such as Freud's hysterical blindness, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder- did not entirely fit. What the women had seen, years earlier, had made it necessary to repress emotional response.

Isaac had to repress trauma of the Akedah in a similar fashion to that of the women of

the Khmer Rouge horrors. In both cases the emotional trauma was expressed years

later as blindness. However, the emotions were still present, and repressed inside

him.19 Due to Isaac’s repression, he subconsciously transferred the trauma to his wife

and children.20

Isaac’s Akedah trauma is comparable to that of the trauma of a holocaust

survivor. Although their experiences differ greatly, both Isaac and a holocaust

survivor endured an experience they believed to be impossible. Isaac would have

never thought that his own father, with whom he had such a close connection, would

be willing to slaughter him. A holocaust survivor would never have imagined that in

such a short period of time the Germans, whom they were assimilated amongst, would

allow their families and communities to be brutally slaughtered by the Nazis. These

shocking experiences led to Isaac and a holocaust survivor transmitting their trauma 17 Genesis 27:118 Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg. Genesis: the beginning of desire, (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1995), 159.19 The Midrash does not take a psychological approach, they search for a physical reason for Isaac’s blindness. Rashi quotes a Midrash (Rashi 27:1) that the reason Isaac was unable to see was due to the fact that the angels cried into his eyes when he was upon the altar. 20 Ibid. 158-162

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in a similar manner. Natan Kellerman describes the effect of the survivors on the

second generation:21

Thus, in the same way as heat, light, sound and electricity can be invisibly carried from a transmitter to a receiver; it is possible that unconscious experiences can also be transmitted from parents to their children through some complex process of extra-sensory communication Transgenerational transmission is when an older person unconsciously externalizes his traumatized self onto a developing child’s personality. A child then becomes a reservoir for the unwanted, troublesome parts of an older generation. Because the elders have influence on a child, the child absorbs their wishes and expectations and is driven to act on them. It becomes the child’s task to mourn, to reverse the humiliation and feelings of helplessness pertaining to the trauma of his forebears (Volkan, 1997,p. 43).

This transmission of experiences that occurs in the children of survivors, occurs

in Isaac’s family.

The effect Isaac had on Rebekah can be seen by examining Rebekah before

and after she meets Isaac. Rebekah first enters the biblical narrative when Eliezer is

sent by Abraham to find a wife for Isaac. Eliezer pleads with God to send him “the

maiden to whom I will say, 'Lower your pitcher and I will drink,' and she will say,

'Drink, and I will also water your camels,' her have You designated for Your servant,

for Isaac, and through her may I know that You have performed loving kindness with

my master.”22 Eliezer is looking for a woman who is so full of patience and love, that

she will exceed that which is asked of her, even for a stranger. Rashi comments “She

is worthy of him, for she will perform acts of kindness, and she is fit to enter the

house of Abraham.”23 In order to become part of Abraham’s household Rebekah has

to be full of kindness.

These qualities of kindness and patience, will not only deem her worthy of

becoming Isaac’s wife, but are necessary if she will be an effective wife. The kindness

that Isaac had in his life was gone, his relationship with his father was broken and his

21Natan P.F Kellerman. "Transmission Of Holocaust Trauma - An Integrative View.” ("Psychiatry: Interpersonal Biological Processes 64, no. 3, 2001) 256-267.22 Genesis 24:1423 Rashi 24:14 on the words “her You designated”

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mother had died, and he needed a wife that would bring the kindness back into his

life. Rebekah filled this role.24 “Now [Eliezer] had not yet finished speaking, and

behold, Rebekah came out, who had been born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife

of Nahor, Abraham's brother, and her pitcher was on her shoulder.”25 God responded

to Eliezer’s pleas by sending him Rebekah. Rebekah fulfills all of Eliezer’s

requirements by giving water to him and his camels.

Rebekah returns with Eliezer to her father’s house. Her family consents to the

marriage, but her mother and her brother ask "Let the maiden stay with us a year or

ten [months]; afterwards she will go."26 They try to delay the process, but Eliezer

objects. They call in Rebekah and she informs her family that she intends to go, “And

they summoned Rebekah, and they said to her, ‘Will you go with this man?’ And she

said, ‘I will go.’"27 Rashi comments, “of my own accord, even if you do not desire

it.” 28 Rebekah is a strong woman, she is persistent in her desire to leave, regardless of

her family's wishes.29 Rebekah is kind, patient and strong, however this all changes

when she meets Isaac.

Rebekah’s change happens the moment she encounters Isaac in the field.

Isaac is in the field meditating when Rebekah approaches him. This meditation

is powerful, Isaac is contemplating and praying.30 Rabbi Sacks provides a

deeper understanding of Isaac’s meditation:

Isaac is withdrawn, inward, introspective. In their marriage it is more often Rebekah who is the active partner. Meditating in a field – that is Isaac’s characteristic gesture. He is a man of complex psychology. How could he not be? Bound and almost killed as a child, one can only guess at the mark that moment left on his soul. The result (since the Torah usually gives us

24 Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg. 139-14225 Genesis 24:1526 Genesis 24:55 27 Genesis 24:58 28 Rashi 24:58 on the words “and she said ‘I will go’”29 Leon Kass, The beginning of wisdom: reading Genesis, (New York: Free Press, 2003), 373.30 The Talmud attributes this meditation as Isaac creating the prayer of Mincha.

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only oblique hints about people’s inner feelings) is that he a curiously opaque. We know less about him than almost any other personality in Bereishith.31

The meditation is Isaac’s coping mechanism. The meditation provides him a

space in which he can be “withdrawn, inward, introspective.” Meditation is a

common way to ease the burden of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.32

Isaac’s emotions are so powerful while meditating that when Rebekah

lifts her eyes and sees Isaac, she is overwhelmed and falls off her camel. She

feels the pain emanating from him.33 She turns bewildered to Eliezer and asks

“‘Who is this man, that is coming in the field to greet us?’ and the servant said

‘this is my master’ and she took a scarf and covered her face.”34 Once Eliezer

informs Rebekah that this man, who is full of so much pain, is to be her

husband, she covers her face from him. Isaac escorts Rebekah back to Sarah’s

tent and “she was a comfort to him after his mother’s death.”35 Rebekah is

giving Isaac her kindness, patience and love, which were lost when his mother

died. Yet, while Isaac is gaining comfort from her warmth, Rebekah now has to

cope in her own way with his pain.

Isaac’s impact on Rebekah is clear when, after years of bareness, Rebekah

finally becomes pregnant. The pregnancy is a difficult one, “And the children

struggled within her, and she said, ‘If so, why is this happening to me?’ And she went

31Jonathan Sacks, "Covenant & Conversation 5768: Chayei Sarah – Isaac and Prayer." The Website of Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks. Published November 3, 2007, accessed April 15, 2013,http://www.chiefrabbi.org/2007/11/03/covenant-conversation-5768-chayei-sarah-isaac-and-prayer/#.UbndnPaY4xI.32 In a study done by Dr. Norman Rosenthal (Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University) they showed that after 8 weeks of meditation, veterans from the Iraq war showed a 50% reduction in their PTSD symptoms. "Veterans show a 50 percent reduction in PTSD symptoms after 8 weeks of Transcendental Meditation." EurekAlert! - Science News. Published June, 2011, accessed May 10, 2013,33 Another approach is that she felt his holiness emanating from him. These approaches are similar because the source of Isaac’s holiness, the Akedah, is also the source of his pain. 34 Genesis 24:6435 Genesis 24:67

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to inquire of the Lord.”36 Here is Rebekah’s transformation. She has gone from being

a vibrant woman of kindness, to someone who is sad and questioning. Rebekah

inquires of God why she is experiencing more pain. First it was the emotional pain of

Isaac that she had to bear, and now it is the physical pain of pregnancy that she has to

bear. God responds by telling her that her suffering is not over. In order to be a part of

the legacy of the blessing, she has to sacrifice.37 “And God said to her, ‘There are two

nations in your womb, and two kingdoms will separate from within you, and one

kingdom will become mightier than the other kingdom, and the elder will serve the

younger.’”38 Rebekah has to suffer the knowledge that her powerful maternal desire

for her children to be at peace with each other will never occur. She is burdened by

the knowledge that her younger son will usurp the older, and that they will not be able

to both succeed.

This knowledge has ramifications later when the narrative informs the readers

that “And Isaac loved Esau because of the game in his mouth, but Rebekah loved

Jacob.”39 Rebekah has the knowledge that Jacob will be the one to succeed, so it is

only logical that she loved Jacob more. However, we are also told that Isaac loved

Esau, which indicates that it is likely that Rebekah did not inform Isaac of her

prophecy. There is a lack of communication between Isaac and Rebekah. This point is

furthered during the narrative of Jacob stealing the blessing. Rebekah instructs Jacob

to trick his father into blessing him.

Understanding Isaac and Rebekah’s character as individuals and as a couple

allows the story of Jacob and Esau to be cast in a different light. Jacob and Esau were

born in a house full of pain, and a house where there was a lack of communication

36 Genesis 25:2237 Leon Kass, 377-37838 Genesis 25:2339 Genesis 25:28

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between their parents. Jacob and Esau’s environment has a clear impact on their

personality. “And the lads grew up and Esau was a man who know how to hunt a man

of the fields, and Jacob was a simple man who sat in the tents.”40 Their personality

traits and the personality issues they face, are similar to the personality traits and

issues of the children of holocaust survivors. Kellerman describes four main

problems that are faced by second-generation survivors; problems with self,

cognition, affectivity and interpersonal functioning. 41 Jacob and Esau each struggle in

their own way with the same problems.

“(1) Self. Impaired self-esteem with persistent identity problems, over-

identification with parents’ ‘victim/survivor’ status, a need to be super-

achievers to compensate for parents’ losses, carrying the burden of being

‘replacements’ for lost relatives.”42 Similarly, Jacob also has identity problems.

Jacob is merely a simple man that sits in the tents. He was born on the heels of

his brother, “And afterwards his brother exited the womb, and his hand was

grasping the heel of Esau, and they called his name Jacob.”43 Jacob has no

identity that is exclusively his, even his name is based off of his brother.

Furthermore, in order for Jacob to receive his blessing he has to lose his

identity as Jacob and disguised himself as Esau. Jacob struggles with his

identity his whole life.

“(2) Cognition. Catastrophic expectancy, fear of another Holocaust,

preoccupation with death, stress upon exposure to stimuli which symbolizes

the Holocaust, vicarious sharing of traumatic Holocaust experiences which

dominates the inner world.”44 Esau is a hunter. His way to cope with his 40 Genesis 25:2741 Kellerman, 256-267.42 Ibid. 25643 Genesis 25:2644 Kellerman, 257

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emotions is to go out into the field, to be alone and to kill. When Esau kills he

is in control of his surrounding, he decides whether the animal lives or dies.

This control helps him deal with the emotions that are out of his control, that he

was given by his parents. Due to the fact that Esau is a hunter and he is aware

of his father’s near encounter with death, he develops a preoccupation for

death. When Esau sells the birthright he says to Jacob, “behold I am going to

die, so why do I need this birthright.”45 On a simple level, he is on the verge of

death due to his fatigue and will therefore trade the birthright for his life.

However, on a deeper level Esau is expressing his discontent with the world.

He does not comprehend the value of the world if the end result is inevitably

death.

“(3) Affectivity. Annihilation anxiety, nightmares of persecution,

frequent

dysphoric moods connected to a feeling of loss and mourning. Unresolved

conflicts around anger complicated by guilt. Increased vulnerability to stressful

events.”46 When Esau discovers that Jacob has stolen his blessing, Esau

immediately responds by desiring to kill Jacob. “And Esau hated Jacob because

of the blessing that his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, ‘Let

the days of mourning for my father draw near, then I will kill my brother

Jacob.’" This response is expected from Esau. Esau was a hunter in order to

gain control. Jacob, by taking the blessing, has seized Esau’s control over the

situation. Esau wants to regain control by the only method he knows, and that

is to kill.

“(4) Interpersonal functioning. Exaggerated family attachments and

45 Genesis 25:32 46 Kellerman, 257

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dependency or exaggerated independence and difficulties in entering into

intimate relationships and in handling interpersonal conflicts.”47 Esau wishes

to be independent from his family. Esau has seen the sacrifice that is required,

and he does not wish to take part in it. Therefore, he takes wives from outside

of the family, which is uncommon in Genesis. “And Esau was forty years old,

and he married Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, the

daughter of Elon the Hittite. And they were a vexation of the spirit to Isaac

and to Rebecca.”48 These wives demonstrate his independence from his

family, despite the pain it causes his parents.

In order for a new nation to emerge the cycle of passing on the trauma must

end. A nation cannot endure when the trauma builds in every generation. It is Jacob’s

task to reverse his trauma. Jacob’s expression of his trauma is his lack of identity, so

to reverse the trauma he has to find his identity.

Jacob cannot discover his identity in his father’s house. Jacob’s lack of

identity in his childhood home is evident from the story of the stealing of the

birthright. Jacob submits to the will of his mother and seizes the blessing on her

command. In addition, in order to receive the blessing Jacob has to transform to

become Esau. “And [Isaac] said ‘are you my son Esau?’ and [Jacob] says ‘I am.’” It is

this episode, in which Jacob loses his identity, that he is exiled from home, and

thereby is unable to discover his identity.49 The exile of Jacob from his father’s home

is reminiscent of Abraham’s exile from his father’s home. Jacob has begun the

process of sacrifice and blessing, and through this process he will find his identity.

Therefore, the night Jacob flees his father’s house, God appears to him to transmit the

blessing: 47 Ibid. 25748 Genesis 26:34-3549 Shmuel Klitsner, Wrestling Jacob. (S.l.: Ben Yehuda Press, 2009), 70-72.

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And behold God was standing before him and He said “I am God, the God of Abraham your father, and Isaac, the land that you are resting upon I will give to you and your children. And your children will be numerous like the dust of the earth and you shall gain strength westward and eastward and northward and southward; and through you shall all the families of the earth be blessed and through your children. And behold I am with you and I will protect you in all that you go in and I will return you to this land, I will not leave you until I have done what I spoke to you. And Jacob awoke from his sleep, and he said, "Indeed, God is in this place, and I did not know.” 50

God introduces himself as the “God of Abraham and Isaac.” Jacob is inheriting their

blessing, and assuming his role in the chain. After God delivers the blessing, Jacob

wakes and says “God is in this place and I did not know.” On a simple level Jacob has

realized that God’s presence is in the place. However, on a deeper level, now that

Jacob has received the blessing, it awoke his sense of purpose. God appeared to Jacob

in this place, and Jacob was unaware of God’s presence, but also of his own identity.

Jacob employs the word “anoki”, which Jeffrey Cohen explains connotes soul

searching:

Even when the pronouns anokhi and ani are employed with reference to humans, the former is frequently (though, obviously, not always) invested with a particular existential intensity. Anokhi denotes far more, in those instances, than merely the first person. It serves to convey the notion of an individual focusing intensely upon the issue of his being, his identity, his rank and his situation…A. J. Heschel speaks of man's realization that the self is so much more than the self, and of the necessity for him to understand what he means, not just what he does. Anokhi is suggestive of the self reflecting on the self, of man acutely aware of his creation in the Divine image, with a mission to accomplish in the Divine scheme of things, yet tragically unaware of what that mission might be and to what extent he has played his, or any, part in its accomplishment.51ּ

Here Jacob’s use of the word Anochi portrays his desire to develop a deeper

understanding of himself. While typically a person is “tragically unaware of what the

mission might be,” Jacob has been informed by God of his role. God has made the

50 Genesis 28:13-1551Cohen, Jeffery . "WHICH ANOKHI DID JACOB NOT KNOW?" Jewish Bible Quarterly 37, no. No. 4 (2009): 226-227.

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route for Jacob easier, Jacob does not have to search for his identity, God has already

informed him. However, Jacob still has to develop into the role that he is given.

Jacob is transformed during his time in his uncle Laban’s house. For Jacob to

understand himself, he must first understand the mistakes he has made in the past

and repent for them. The first step to repentance is regretting and understanding your

sin. Jacob is able to understand his sin due to the fact that Laban sins against Jacob

in the same way that Jacob sinned. Laban deceived Jacob by switching Leah for

Rachel, just as Jacob deceived his father by switching himself for Esau. When Jacob

realizes that Laban has tricked him, Jacob approaches Laban and Laban says, "It is

not done so in our place to give the younger one before the firstborn.”52 Laban, in a

sense, is mocking Jacob, by giving Jacob the impression that Laban is more

righteous, because he follows the custom of the firstborn before the younger, the

custom Jacob did not follow.53 In the beginning Jacob worked for Laban for seven

years out of love for Rachel,54 but after the deception Jacob has to work an additional

seven years for Laban. These seven years are different, they are not for love, but

rather are a time for Jacob’s self-reflection.55

Jacob’s transformation is evident when, after twenty years of service, Jacob

is prepared to return home. In order to ensure that his transformation is complete, he

must undergo similar experiences with a different outcome. Jacob had to flee from

Laban’s house because he no longer found favor in Laban’s eyes, just as he had to

flee from the wrath of Esau.56 Jacob again has an encounter with angels, just as he

52 Genesis 29:2653 Shmuel Klitsner, 91-92.54 “So Jacob worked for Rachel seven years, but they appeared to him like a few days because of his love for her.” Genesis 29:2055 “and he worked with him yet another seven years.” Genesis 29:30. The pasuk uses the word “Acherot” which means different. The use of the word different connotes that these seven years served a different purpose. 56 “And Jacob saw Laban's countenance, that he was not disposed toward him as [he had been] yesterday and the day before.” Genesis 31:2

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did on the way to Laban’s house.57 However, we can see that Jacob has changed

when he sends messengers ahead of him who inform him that Esau is approaching

with four hundred men. Jacob is terrified of his brother due to the fact that the last

time they spoke Esau was prepared to kill Jacob, so Jacob divides his family into two

camps. The dividing of the camps symbolizes Jacob’s change. When he left for

Laban, Jacob was fleeing with nothing, but now he is returning with enough wives,

children and wealth to divide into camps.58 When Jacob left, God came to him to

inform him of his role, now Jacob begins the conversation with God:59

And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord, Who said to me, 'Return to your land and to your birthplace, and I will do good to you. I have become small from all the kindnesses and from all the truth that You have rendered Your servant, for with my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. Now deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him, lest he come and strike me, [and strike] a mother with children. And You said, 'I will surely do good with you, and I will make your seed [as numerous] as the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted because of multitude.'

In his conversation with God, Jacob displays that his time in Laban’s house

has allowed him to accept his role. His years of self-reflection have enabled

him to recognize that all of the wealth he amassed came from God, and that he

is part of the legacy of Abraham. Now Jacob has an identity and a role to play

in the lineage and the creation of a nation.

The climax of Jacob’s change is shown that night when Jacob crosses the river

by himself. There he encounters a “man.” The pasuk says, “And Jacob was left

alone, and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.” Shmuel Klitsner

suggests that since it says that Jacob remained alone and a man wrestled with him,

that it must be Jacob wrestling with himself. 60 This event is the culmination of the

57 “And Jacob went on his way, and angels of God met him”. Genesis 32:258 Shumel Klistner, 110-114.59 Genesis 32:10- 60 Klitsner, 122

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years of self-reflection. Jacob must face his subconscious the night before he meets

with Esau. He must fight with himself and wrestle with the ideas of his sins and his

identity. When the morning came, neither side of Jacob had won thus far. Jacob’s

subconscious is ready to retreat, but Jacob does not let him. Jacob demands that his

subconscious bless him. Jacob consciously and subconsciously desires to be worthy

of a blessing, because Jacob has repented for stealing the blessing. His subconscious

asks Jacob, “what is your name.” To which Jacob responds “I am Jacob.” Jacob

admits to who he is, the name Jacob encapsulates his lack of identity and his sin of

stealing from his brother, “on the heels of his brother.” At this moment of admission,

when Jacob confesses to his subconscious, Jacob’s transformation is complete. “And

[the man] said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, because you

have confronted God and men, and you have been able."61 Jacob no longer bears the

weak name of Jacob, but rather Israel, a name that connotes a strong personality.

Jacob is no longer a simple tent dweller, but he is Israel the fighter. Jacob has

accepted his role in the divine plan and has repented for his sins against man, and he

has succeeded. When Jacob does finally meet with Esau, their meeting is peaceful

and brotherly.62

Now Jacob has reversed the trauma of the Akedah. Jacob has found his

identity, and understands his role in the divine plan. Jacob has improved vastly on a

personal level, but is still greatly lacking on an interpersonal level. In both Jacob’s

father’s house and in Laban’s house, Jacob relinquishes his autonomy to those around

him. In his father’s house, Jacob allows his mother to dictate his actions to steal the

blessing, and in Laban’s house Jacob allows himself to become indebted to work for

Laban for fourteen years. When it comes time for Jacob not only to become

61 Gen 35:1062 Ibid. 123-127

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autonomous, but to also become responsible for his wives and children, he fails.

Jacob’s failure is understandable for two reasons: 1) due to the fact that at the same

time that Jacob had to learn to take responsibility for his family, he was still under the

authority of Laban, and 2) Jacob never has a good model for love. Jacob’s parents

relationship was strained,63 his father selectively loved his brother and not him, and

his mother’s selective love for him stemmed from a prophecy she received before he

was born. Therefore, it is not surprising that when Jacob has to love, he lacks

authority and responsibility, and that his love can be misplaced and selective. His lack

of authority and responsibility are evident from the constant strife between the

members of his family. Jacob does not involve himself in the rivalries between his

wives and his children. In fact, it is his selective and misplaced love that causes the

strife. Leon Kass explains Jacob’s fault:

The double marriage does not change Jacob’s love for Rachel. On the contrary, “he loved Rachel more than Leah” (29:30) Such preference, probably unavoidable in any bigamous marriage, promises trouble in the house. In the present case, it also raises questions about the basis of preference and whether, from the point of view of both marriage itself and God’s new way begun with Abraham, Jacob’s preference is to be applauded. Jacob loved Rachel more, but is Rachel more loveable? What, besides her beauty, recommends her?... the sort that Jacob felt for Rachel may not be the best foundations for marriage and family- especially if they are to be informed by God’s covenant with Abraham and his seed, with its emphasis on righteousness and holiness. 64

Kass is suggesting that Jacob’s love for Rachel was misplaced. Jacob immediately

falls in love with Rachel after meeting her. Her description, “Rachel had beautiful

features and a beautiful complexion”65 directly precedes the phrase, “And Jacob

loved Rachel, and he said, ‘I will work for you seven years for Rachel, your younger

daughter.’”66 He is willing to do whatever it takes for Rachel, because she is

beautiful. The juxtaposition of these phrases implies that Jacob’s love for Rachel was

63 As mentioned previously, there was a lack of communication between Isaac and Rebekah. In addition Rebekah’s spirit was harmed during her marriage to Isaac. 64Leon Kass. 245-24965 Genesis 29:1766 Genesis 29:18

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superficial. However, while Jacob’s love for Rachel was so much greater than his

love for Leah, the text supports his marriage with Leah. God reassures Leah that

even though Jacob does not recognize her worth, God believes she is more fit to be a

mother. Therefore, He speedily blessed her with seven children before Rachel even

had one. Rachel is deeply envious of Leah’s abundance of children, and Leah is

deeply envious of Rachel’s abundance of love from Jacob. The jealousy between the

sisters and Jacob’s inability to love correctly, makes a tremendous imprint on the

children, and cause the family to unravel.

There are two instances where the text mentions Jacob being actively involved

in parenting his children, and both cases have negative outcomes. The first instance

is when Jacob gives Joseph the multicolored coat. Jacob is demonstrating his

selective love, which in turn causes the brothers to despise Joseph. Jacob is unable to

see the hatred and the effects of his selectivity. Due to the fact that Jacob is blind to

the hatred, in the second instance Jacob sends Joseph to go fetch his brothers. It is on

this mission from Jacob that Joseph is sold.

The story of Joseph being sold is the strongest case of fraternal hatred in

Genesis.67 The brothers devise many different schemes of how to dispose of Joseph.

When they cast Joseph down into the pit, the brothers sit down to eat a meal. It

seems as though they show no remorse at all for their actions towards Joseph. When

a caravan of Ishmaelites passes, Judah suggests that they sell Joseph to the

Ishmaelites. The brothers agree and sell Joseph for twenty silver coins. When the

brothers inform Jacob that Joseph has been killed, Jacob goes into a state of intense

morning. After this episode of such intense hatred, there seems to be no hope for the

67 In the case of Ishmael and Isaac, it is not Isaac that hates Ishmael. Rather it is Sarah who believes that Ishmael was a bad influence. In the case of Jacob and Esau, when Esau discovered that Jacob had stolen the blessing, he threatens to kill him in a fit of rage, nevertheless when they reunite Esau greats Jacob with hugs and kisses. Here the brothers are not impulsive, they carefully plan how to dispose of Joseph, and carry out the plan.

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future. Jacob continues to be in a perpetual state of mourning, Judah leaves the tribe

completely, and additionally a famine plagues the land.68 The family is in ruins due

to Jacob’s selective and misplaced love.

Yet, it is out of their moment of deep dysfunction, that they are able to learn

the final lesson for becoming a nation. While Jacob’s family is in Israel suffering

from their sins, Joseph is in Egypt establishing a way for their redemption. When the

famine in Israel becomes too heavy, the brothers are forced to go to Egypt, where

there was food under Joseph’s control. When the brothers arrive and Joseph accuses

them of being spies, the brothers begin to comprehend their tremendous sin. “And

they said to one another, ‘Indeed, we are guilty for our brother, that we witnessed the

distress of his soul when he begged us, and we did not listen. That is why this trouble

has come upon us.’"69 While this situation was a punishment for selling Joseph, it

was also an opportunity for repentance. Joseph tells the brothers that they must leave

Simeon in Egypt until they bring Benjamin to prove that they are not spies.

The brothers appear before their father to tell them of Joseph’s condition.

Jacob is very hesitant to allow Benjamin to go, since Jacob had already lost two sons.

Reuben tries to persuade Jacob to allow Benjamin to go by offering his own sons to

be killed if Benjamin is not returned home safely. Reuben’s logic is nonsensical, if

Jacob is concerned that he lost two sons, then he would not want to also lose two

grandsons. However, after Judah persuades Jacob to allow Benjamin to go, Judah

tells Jacob, “Send the lad with me, and we will get up and go, and we will live and

not die, both we and you and also our young children. I will guarantee him; from my

hand you can demand him. If I do not bring him to you and stand him up before you,

68 Devora Steinmetz, From father to son: kinship, conflict, and continuity in Genesis.( Louisville, Ky.: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1991), 42-45.69 Genesis 42:21

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I will have sinned against you forever.”70 Judah previously suggested the idea to sell

Joseph, the idea that demonstrated such extreme fraternal hatred; And now he is

suggesting that he be responsible for Benjamin, an idea that demonstrates extreme

fraternal responsibility.71 Devora Steinmetz explains how by Judah volunteering, he

has taught the brothers the final lesson they needed to become a nation:72

Judah finally, understands. Offering himself for his brother, Judah demonstrates fraternal responsibility. As brothers, he explains to Jacob, they share a destiny; Judah will redeem Benjamin, but Jacob must be willing to send Benjamin to redeem Simeon and, indeed, the entire family.... It is the father’s role to take responsibility for his family and to pass on a sense of destiny to his sons... It is not enough for Judah and Jacob to understand their destiny; if the entire family is to be included in the mission, every member of the family must perceive his role in it.

The final lesson is that they must share the destiny. While previously in

Genesis the legacy was passed onto one person, now the legacy is being passed on to

twelve people. The legacy is still the same, they must sacrifice in order to gain their

reward. However, the brothers must learn to share the sacrifice, and by sharing in the

burden, they will also share in the reward.73 Once they have learned this, they go

down to Egypt to start the process of becoming a nation.

70 Gen. 43:971 Devora Steinmetz, 47-4972 Ibid. 4873 An evidence of the brother’s sharing is when Jacob blesses all of his sons. Each son has a different mission attached to a different blessing. Therefore the weight is not exclusively upon one person’s shoulders and together together they create one cohesive unit.

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