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S1 13: Grappling with God, Part 1
The Life of Jacob, Part 1
BEMA Episode Link: 13: Grappling with God, Part 1
Episode Length: 36:42
Published Date: Thu, 05 Jan 2017 01:00:00 -0800
Session 1
About this episode:
Episode Length: 36:42
Published Date: Thu, 05 Jan 2017 01:00:00 -0800
Session 1
About this episode:
Marty Solomon and Brent Billings begin a look at the life of Jacob, covering Genesis 25–31.
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God Was in This Place & I, I Did Not Know by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner
Notes
*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.
- Genesis 25-31
- Marty’s knowledge of Ya’akov has been greatly influenced by Rabbi David Fohrman
- Marty struggles with the tough parts of Ya’akov and how he becomes the father of G-d’s people.
- Genesis 25:19-34
- Birthrights: Firstborn would be known as the behor and the behor gets a double portion
- If a father as two sons, the estate would be split three ways and the behor would get two of the three portions, three sons, four ways, etc.
- The behor no only gets a double portion of wealth but also a double portion of responsibility.
- ‘Esav comes out first and so he gets the birthright.
- ‘Esav is the man’s man Yitz’chak prefers ‘Esav.
- Ya’akov preferred to stay at home and was a momma’s boy.
- Even though it was typically an honor to be the behor, ‘Esav despised his birthright and wanted nothing to do with it.
- Ya’akov, though, wanted the birthright deeply.
- If a father as two sons, the estate would be split three ways and the behor would get two of the three portions, three sons, four ways, etc.
- Birthrights: Firstborn would be known as the behor and the behor gets a double portion
- Genesis 27
- Yitz’chak is old and blind and Rivkah sends Ya’akov in to get ‘Esav’s blessing while he is away.
- Does Rivkah do this because she’s like Ya’akov or because she was told by G-d that the younger would serve the other? Did she ever even tell Yitz’chak what G-d revealed to her? Does he know and push back or is it kept a secret?
- Does it show a lot of faith and trust in the story to believe what G-d told her and make it happen especially knowing the kind of individual Ya’akov is at the time.
- Yitz’chak would have deliberately crafted two different blessings for each of his boys that he believe were given to him by G-d about the his boys and how their lives would go.
- Sticks and stone… but to Eastern Jews, words are power. Once these words leave his mouth, he cannot just take them back.
- Once the mistake has been made, ‘Esav weeped bitterly knowing he had lost the blessing Yitz’chak has spent considerable effort crafting for ‘Esav to Ya’akov as well.
- Does Rivkah do this because she’s like Ya’akov or because she was told by G-d that the younger would serve the other? Did she ever even tell Yitz’chak what G-d revealed to her? Does he know and push back or is it kept a secret?
- Yitz’chak is old and blind and Rivkah sends Ya’akov in to get ‘Esav’s blessing while he is away.
- Genesis 28
- Ya’akov leaves town after taking the blessing and heads to Nahor.
- On his way to meet Laban, the grandson of Nahor, he has a dream at Bethel of angels ascending and descending a ladder.
- Bethel is effectively “nowhere significant”. When Ya’akov wakes from his dream he realizes that G-d is everywhere–even in the places where we do not think he is.
- On his way to meet Laban, the grandson of Nahor, he has a dream at Bethel of angels ascending and descending a ladder.
- Ya’akov leaves town after taking the blessing and heads to Nahor.
- Genesis 29
- Ya’akov meets Laban who has two sisters, Leah (whose name means “Tired Eyes” meaning she wasn’t very attractive) and Rachel who Ya’akov finds incredibly attractive.
- Ya’akov meets his match in Laban. “Culture dictates the older daughter is married off first” and so Laban tricks Ya’akov into marrying Leah first and Rachel second.
- There comes a competition between the two to see who can usurp who best.
- Ya’akov meets Laban who has two sisters, Leah (whose name means “Tired Eyes” meaning she wasn’t very attractive) and Rachel who Ya’akov finds incredibly attractive.
- Genesis 31
- Ya’akov plans to leave knowing Laban doesn’t have anything to give him and his wives and suggests that Laban give him half of his flock. There then appears to be some intervention from G-d in this story with the flocks.
- When they do leave, Rachel secretly takes one of Laban’s idols and hides it under her cushion, and to find a way out of this confrontation, they had a meal together.
- This kind of meal is a reconcilliatory meal.
- There is still clearly disagreement between the two as they cannot even agree on what to call the place.
- “And Laban said…” implies that Ya’akov is listening and not responding.
- Ya’akov creates a pillar and the two argue about the god to whom they make their oath and the name of the place, etc.
- It seems that G-d likes to choose people that the people wouldn’t typically choose.
- It also seems that G-d prefers those that have a fire in their belly over those that are more apathetic. The Ya’akovs over the ‘Esavs.
- Ya’akov plans to leave knowing Laban doesn’t have anything to give him and his wives and suggests that Laban give him half of his flock. There then appears to be some intervention from G-d in this story with the flocks.