GENESIS XLI:1-XLIV:17

JOSEPH (YOSEF) THE GREAT TECHNOCRAT

Yosef appears before Pharaoh (Par’o), extracted from the depths of his cell in the dungeon, because the “cupbearer,” who certified whether the wine was not poisoned, recalled that during his own stay in prison he had met a young Hebrew who correctly interpreted a dream for him. Now Par’o himself had the strange dream of 7 skinny cows and 7 fat cows, and an additional dream about the same number of thin sheaves and bulging sheaves, and he didn’t know how to interpret them. 

The astrologers and soothsayers offered their assessments, but Par’o was not satisfied with their interpretations. Yosef, on the other hand, claiming that he could only interpret dreams according to God’s instructions, offers a very sensible explanation. The 7 fat cows are, in reality, 7 years of plenty that will be followed by 7 years of scarcity, symbolized by the 7 lean cows. The repetition of the dream implied the immediacy of its realization. Moreover, Yosef continues, Par’o had to select a person who could implement and direct policies to deal with the situation. The territory had to be divided into departments and the surplus stored during the season of plenty to face the years of certain famine that would follow, Yosef said.

Yosef deserves admiration. The interpretation of the dream had been revealed to him by God. Instead, the measures to be taken were suggestions he was proposing. Apparently, Yosef was a great manager, a quality that the elder Yaacov discovered and therefore named him “r’oe tson“, the keeper of his numerous cattle. 

In defiance of Yosef‘s leadership, the brothers left the patriarchal home in search of pasture for the animals. The father instructed Yosef to go and find the brothers to inquire about their welfare. But deep down, Yaakov was rebuking Yosef, because the cattle was his responsibility and he didn’t understand how it was possible for him to allow his brothers to decide to drive the cattle to other people’s lands without prior consultation.

Yosef used to tell his father about the lies of his brothers, a fact that led to brotherly enmity. Actually, Yosef was probably giving regular reports to the father about the happenings in the home, because he had been appointed to such a task. Yosef had been appointed by his father as the leader of the brothers and had to keep the patriarch informed of all relevant events. 

Although Yosef was fulfilling an assigned task, it can be intuited, according to the text, that he highlighted the weaknesses of his brothers and perhaps took pleasure in doing so. Exegetes of the biblical text explain that he told his father that his brothers ate the flesh of an animal before slaughtering it, had incestuous relations, and were not careful about the idolatry that reigned in the environment.

During his formative years, Yosef appears as a consummate technocrat who disdains feelings, a fact that manifests itself when he rejects the amorous advances of Potiphar’s wife. Having been appointed as a sort of regent, to give quantitative reports of the harvest in the years of plenty, the number of storehouses to be used to store the grain.

This vocation for numbers and technology is challenged when the brothers come to stock up on food during the years of scarcity that plagued the entire region. The presence of the brothers brings out the other component of Yosef’s personality, his tendency to dream: his romantic and sentimental qualities. 

Although the brothers committed the crime of selling him as a slave to a caravan of merchants, Yosef stated that they were only fulfilling the destiny God had laid out for the family, so that he could save them during the period of famine. The biblical characters are complex, and the text lays them bare, showing their defects and shortcomings. And there is also an additional reason to assume the authenticity of these texts. Nothing is hidden, and the reader is free to express his preference for one character or another, because in the end much can be learned from each of the actors who participate in the drama that the Bible exposes. Even from those with whom you don’t sympathize.

GENESIS XXXVII:1-XL:23

THE INEVITABLE REALIZATION OF DREAMS

Dreams are a staple of our chapters, on which will depend the future of the emerging nation that Yaakov’s family will spawn. Following in the footsteps of this patriarch, the illustrious dreamer of the ladder that unites heaven and earth, Yosef, the son loved by the father above his other sons – a fact that led to the hatred of the brothers – would unleash a succession of events due to his dreams. 

Yosef dreamed, he told his brothers, and they hated him for it. Yosef related that in his dream his sheaf was in the middle and the sheaves of his brothers prostrated themselves before his sheaf. “Will you set yourself up as our king and ruler?” the brothers exclaimed, increasing their hatred for him, for his dreams and words.

Yosef had an additional dream. This time eleven stars, the sun and the moon bowed down before Yosef. Yosef related the contents of his dream to both his father and brothers. The brothers were jealous of him, and the father recorded the event. The reaction of the brothers was no longer only hatred, alsoenvy. The dream predicted that Yosef was destined to play a leadership role within the family. They wanted to get rid of him and ended up banishing him, selling him into slavery to prevent him from assuming his destiny of command.

The fundamental proposition is whether dreams have an inescapable outcome. Knowing the content of the dreams, the brothers wanted to prevent what was foretold from coming true, so they tried to eliminate Yosef and not allow him to play a role in future events. Our chapters teach that the brothers’ attempts were thwarted because Yosef rose to high office in Pharaoh’s court. His leadership capacity was unstopable. Moreover, due to the famine that broke out in the region, the brothers would have to go to Egypt to stock their empty food supplies and prostrate themselves before the person in charge of selling food, who was none other than Yosef himself, and in this way, what was announced in the dream was fulfilled.

It is possible that the cruel treatment of the brothers—who first threw Yosef into a pit, abandoning him to a fate that would be an undoubted death, and finally sold him to a caravan of slave traders—was intended to test the energy and veracity of Yosef‘s dream announcement. Could they alter the course of events, or did the dream foretell an inevitable situation? Although many years had passed since that episode, the brothers always bore the blame for their crime, or perhaps they were part of a higher biblical strategy that called for exile as a precondition for the formation of a new nation. 

The Hebrew people had to go through a period of slavery, just as the Creator had announced to the first patriarch Avraham: “Know for sure that your seed will be strangers in another land where they will be enslaved for 400 years.” Although slavery lasted only 210 years, exegetes propose various explanations for this numerical divergence.

Why was the period of slavery necessary? One of the dictates of the Chachamim is that one cannot judge one’s neighbor until one has had the same experience. To develop a sensitivity and empathy for the afflicted and despised, for the social stratus that has the least appreciation; to become the defenders of minorities and the persecuted, it was necessary for the Jewish people to live the experience in their own flesh. To learn firsthand what suffering and handicap are to become the champions of human rights.

Ancient history proves this, and contemporary history attests to it. The Jewish people were present in the struggle against discrimination against the black population in the United States. They were the first to parade through Moscow’s Red Square to demand respect for their rights. They are always present in all public demonstrations whose aim is the rescue of universal human values.

The modern State of Israel continues that path and tradition. Several years ago, we read the opinions of Abraham Burg, in which he severely punishes the apparent betrayal that is being perpetrated against Zionist ideals. We disagree with much of hisassessment, but we can highlight the fact that Israel allows criticism, even when it includes a challenge to the foundations of its national identity.

GÉNESIS XXXVII:1-XL:23

LA INEVITABLE CONCRECIÓN DE LOS SUEÑOS

Los sueños constituyen un elemento básico de nuestros capítulos, de los cuales dependerá el futuro de la emergente nación que engendrará la familia de Yaacov. Siguiendo los pasos del patriarca, ilustre soñador de la escalera que une cielo y tierra, ahora Yosef, el hijo amado por el padre por encima de sus otros hijos –hecho que condujo al odio de los hermanos–, desencadenaría una sucesión de eventos debido a sus sueños. 

Yosef soñaba, les contaba a sus hermanos y lo odiaban más aún por ello. Yosef relató que en su sueño su gavilla se encontraba en el medio y las gavillas de sus hermanos se postraban ante su gavilla. “¿Acaso te erigirás como nuestro rey y gobernante?”, exclamaron los hermanos e incrementaron su odio por él, por sus sueños y palabras.

Yosef tuvo un sueño adicional. Esta vez once estrellas, el sol y la luna se postraban ante Yosef. Yosef relató el contenido de su sueño tanto al padre como a los hermanos. Los hermanos lo celaron y el padre registró el evento. La reacción de los hermanos ya no fue solo el odio, sino la envidia también. El sueño predijo que Yosef estaba destinado a jugar un papel de liderazgo en el seno de la familia. Deseaban deshacerse de él y terminaron por desterrarlo, vendiéndolo como esclavo para evitar que asumiera su destino de mando.

La proposición fundamental es si los sueños tienen un desenlace ineludible. Al conocer el contenido de los sueños, los hermanos querían evitar que se cumpliera lo que fue vaticinado y por ello trataron de eliminar a Yosef y borrarlo del mapa de los acontecimientos. Nuestros capítulos enseñan que los intentos de los hermanos se vieron frustrados porque Yosef alcanzó un alto cargo en la corte del Faraón. Su capacidad de liderazgo era incontenible. Más aún, debido a la hambruna que se desató en la región, los hermanos tendrían que acudir a Egipto a abastecer sus almacenes de comida vacíos y postrarse ante el encargado de la venta de alimentos, que era el mismo Yosef, y de esa manera se cumplió lo que fue anunciado en el sueño.

Es posible que el trato cruel de los hermanos –quienes primero arrojaron a Yosef en un pozo, abandonándolo a una suerte que sería una muerte indudable, y finalmente lo vendieron a una caravana de mercaderes de esclavos– tuviera el propósito de poner a prueba la energía y veracidad del anuncio de los sueños de Yosef. ¿Podrían acaso alterar el curso de los eventos o es que el sueño vaticinaba una situación inevitable? Aunque habían pasado muchos años desde aquel episodio, los hermanos siempre cargaron con la culpa de su crimen, o tal vez formaban parte de una estrategia bíblica superior que exigía el exilio como una condición indispensable para la formación de una nueva nación. 

El pueblo hebreo tenía que pasar por un período de esclavitud, tal como el Creador le había anunciado al primer patriarca Avraham: “Ten conocimiento, con seguridad, de que los de tu simiente serán unos extraños en otra tierra donde serán esclavizados durante 400 años”. Aunque la esclavitud sólo tuvo una duración de 210 años, los exégetas proponen diversas explicaciones para esta divergencia numérica.

¿Por qué fue necesario el período de esclavitud? Uno de los dictámenes de los Jajamim reza que no se puede juzgar al prójimo hasta no haber tenido la experiencia. Para desarrollar una sensibilidad y empatía por el afligido y menospreciado, por el eslabón social que tiene el menor aprecio; para convertirse en el defensor de las minorías y los perseguidos, era necesario que el pueblo hebreo viviera la experiencia en carne propia: aprender qué es el sufrimiento y la minusvalía para convertirse luego en el campeón de los derechos humanos.

La historia antigua así lo demuestra y la historia contemporánea lo atestigua. El pueblo judío estuvo presente en la lucha contra la discriminación de la población negra en Estados Unidos. Fueron los primeros en desfilar por la Plaza Roja de Moscú para exigir el respeto por sus derechos. Están siempre presentes en todas las demostraciones públicas cuyo objetivo es el rescate de los valores humanos universales.

El moderno Estado de Israel continúa en ese camino y tradición. Varios años atrás leímos las opiniones de Abraham Burg, en las cuales castiga severamente la aparente traición que se está perpetrando contra los ideales sionistas. Estamos en desacuerdo con gran parte de sus apreciaciones, pero podemos destacar el hecho de que Israel permite la crítica, incluso cuando incluye un reto a las bases de su identidad nacional.

GÉNESIS XXXII:4-XXXVI:43

ASPECTOS DE LA PERSONALIDAD DE JACOB Y ESAV

Estos capítulos narran el reencuentro de Yaacov con Esavdespués de una separación de 20 años. Debido a este alargo período, era de esperar que hubiera cesado –o al menos disminuido– la ira de Esav, de tal manera que la vida de Yaacovno peligraría: ésa era la esperanza del patriarca. Por otro lado, Yaacov se había preparado para una posible confrontación, ya que su hermano venía a recibirlo con 400 hombres armados y temía por la seguridad de su familia. 

El desenlace es conocido: los hermanos se abrazaron y lloraron reposando la cara del uno sobre el cuello del otro. Pese a una invitación a hacerlo, Yaacov se negó a acompañar a Esav y emprendió una ruta diferente. Yaacov sintió que el rencor de Esav aún estaba vigente. Para asegurar una buena disposición de parte de Esav, Yaacov le envió regalos a fin de apaciguar su ánimo y, en un acto de humillación, se postró 7 veces ante su hermano. 

Los exégetas vaticinan que, por ello, el pueblo judío se postraría ante otras naciones en el futuro. Yaacov y Esav representarían la Diáspora: el encuentro del pueblo judío con las naciones que le adversan. Esav es identificado con Roma y, por ello, los mellizos que perturbaban la tranquilidad de la madre Rivkárepresentan simbólicamente el conflicto entre Roma y Jerusalén: Antoninus y Rabí Yehudá, citados en el Talmud. La actitud conciliatoria de Yaacov ante su hermano servirá de paradigma para el pueblo judío durante su largo exilio de 2 milenios, en los cuales tuvo que agachar la cabeza y seguir los mandatos de sus anfitriones. 

Mientras se preparaba para su encuentro con Esav, Yaacovluchó contra un ish, un ángel protector de Esav según Rashí. Con el arribo de la luz del día, la lucha terminó con Yaacovcomo vencedor, no sin antes de que éste obtuviera una bendición: Israel sería su nombre de ese momento en adelante. Yaacov salió herido, cojeando del encuentro. 

Si nos atenemos a la interpretación que identifica este episodio con la Diáspora, “cojear” sería una característica del pueblo judío durante el período de exilio y vejación. Al mismo tiempo, el exilio constituiría una experiencia imborrable, porque habría permitido que el judaísmo se nutriera de otras culturas y las asimilara por medio de una membrana que permitiría que sólo aquellos rasgos que fueran compatibles con el judaísmo pasaran la barrera. 

¿Por qué no había identificado Yitsjak correctamente el carácter de Esav, mientras que su esposa Rivká acertó al pensar que el auténtico heredero del legado del padre sería Yaacov? Muchos argumentan que Yitsjak tenía una personalidad pasiva, las cosas le sucedían y no era quien protagonizaba los eventos. También es posible que Yitsjak pensara que la formidable energía e iniciativa de Esav podían ser encaminadas hacia una mayor espiritualidad, dependiendo de si el padre lograba un mayor acercamiento emocional con el hijo. No es que Yitsjak no apreciara la personalidad de Yaacov: no quería abandonar a Esav, ni dejar de ayudarlo para que encontrara su identidad espiritual básica.

Después de la separación de los hermanos, Yaacov se dirigió a la ciudad de Shejem y desde entonces empezó la vida cotidiana de la familia engendrada por el patriarca con sus 4 esposas, con los odios y envidias entre los hermanos; la expatriación en Egipto, donde fueron esclavizados, situación que estimuló el nacimiento de un pueblo que siempre apreciaría la libertad en todas sus formas.

GENESIS XXXII:4-XXXVI:43

ASPECTS OF JACOB AND ESAU’S PERSONALITIES

These chapters narrate Yaakov’s reunion with Esav (Esau) after a 20-year separation. Because of this long period, it was to be hoped that Esav’s wrath would have ceased, or at least diminished, so that Yaakov’s life would not be in danger. That was the patriarch’s hope. On the other hand, Yaacov had prepared for a possible confrontation, as his brother came to meet him with 400 armed men and feared for his family’s safety. 

The outcome is well known: the brothers hugged and cried, their faces resting on each other’s necks. Despite an invitation to do so, Yaakov refused to accompany Esav and took a different route. Yaakov felt that Esav’s grudge was still present. To ensure a good disposition on Esav’s part, Yaakov sent him gifts to appease his spirits and, in an act of humiliation, prostrated himself 7 times before his brother. 

Exegetes predict that the Jewish people would therefore bow down to other nations in the future. Yaakov and Esav would represent the Diaspora: the encounter of the Jewish people with the nations that oppose them. Esav is identified with Rome and, therefore, the twins who disturbed the tranquility of their mother Rivka symbolize the conflict between Rome and Jerusalem: Antoninus and Rabbi Yehuda, mentioned in the Talmud. Yaakov’s conciliatory attitude towards his brother will serve as a paradigm for the Jewish people during their long exile of 2 millennia, in which they had to bow their heads and follow the commands of their hosts. 

While preparing for his encounter with Esav, Yaakov battled an Ish, a guardian angel of Esav according to Rashi. With the coming of daylight, the struggle ended with Yaakov as the victor, but not before he obtained a blessing: Israel would be his name from that moment on. Yaakov limped out of the encounter. 

If we stick to the interpretation that identifies this episode with the Diaspora, “limping” would be a characteristic of the Jewish people during the period of exile and humiliation. At the same time, exile would be an indelible experience, because it would have allowed Judaism to draw on other cultures and assimilate them through a membrane that would allow only those traits that were compatible with Judaism to pass through the barrier.

Why hadn’t Yitschak correctly identified Esav’s character, while his wife Rivka was right to think that the true heir to her father’s legacy would be Yaakov? Many argue that Yitschak had a passive personality, things happened to him, and he was not the one who starred in the events. It is also possible that Yitschakthought that Esav’s formidable energy and initiative could be directed toward greater spirituality, depending on whether the father achieved greater emotional closeness with the son. It’s not that Yitschak didn’t appreciate Yaakov’s personality: he didn‘t want to abandon Esav, nor did he want to stop helping him find his basic spiritual identity.

After the separation of the brothers, Yaakov went to the city ofShechem and  from then on began the daily life of the family engendered by the patriarch with his 4 wives, with the hatred and envy between the brothers; the expatriation in Egypt, where they were enslaved. The experience that provoked the birth of a people who would always appreciate freedom in all its forms.

GÉNESIS XXVIII:10-XXXII:3

UNA ESCALERA HACIA EL CIELO

Esav quiere vengarse porque Yaacov, su hermano gemelo, le arrebató la bendición paternal. Para evitar una tragedia, instado por la madre, Yaacov decide abandonar el hogar paterno y salir al exilio. Pero Yaacov no sólo se alejaría de la casa de sus padres: dejaría la Tierra Prometida, destino por el cual su abuelo Avraham había renunciado a la casa de su padre, Téraj. 

Se impone una nueva situación que exige una nomenclatura diferente: la Diáspora. Yaacov permanecería fuera del entorno paterno durante veinte años y se contagiaría con las astucias de su tío Laván, quien le dio albergue y le ofreció a sus dos hijas en matrimonio. Yaacov fue el creador del concepto de la Diáspora, porque pasaría los últimos años de su vida en Egipto, en la tierra de Goshen que fue cedida por el Faraón a los hebreos. Una tierra muy fértil pero que, al mismo tiempo, era una especie de gueto dorado, porque era el único lugar donde los hebreos podían residir. 

Los sueños de Yaacov serían ahora diferentes al famoso sueño descrito en nuestros capítulos, en el cual tuvo la visión de una escalera que unía cielo y tierra y por la cual los ángeles de Dios subían y bajaban. Un sueño que ha sido muy comentado y explicado, porque la imagen de la escalera alude a una conexión entre lo celestial y lo terrenal, que no son espacios excluyentes u opuestos. De acuerdo con el sueño, se puede construir un puente que los una, una “escalera” por la cual la persona puede elevarse espiritualmente desde la tierra que pisan sus pies, e incluso, alcanzar el cielo mismo.

¿Por qué subían y bajaban los ángeles por la escalera? Una sugestiva explicación es que querían comparar al Yaacovcelestial con el Yaacov terrenal. Aparentemente, cada persona tiene un doble, una figura que representa el potencial de la persona que se encuentra en el cielo y los ángeles deseaban verificar si Yaacov había alcanzado su potencial. La moraleja es que cada persona tiene un potencial mayor, un horizonte, un ideal que alcanzar. Una explicación alterna podría ser que la realidad celestial es diferente a la terrenal, porque el conocimiento humano es limitado cuando se le compara con el intelecto infinito de Dios que se encuentra en la cabecera de la escalera en la visión de Yaacov. 

El raciocinio humano no puede explicar ciertos fenómenos y entender el propósito final de algunos eventos. Pero, por otro lado, es perfectible: la reflexión y el continuo estudio puede profundizar la comprensión para aproximar cada vez más la certeza y la verdad absoluta, representadas por el entendimiento celestial. La naturaleza de la escalera, que está compuesta de peldaños, implica que el perfeccionamiento espiritual es progresivo: se puede “escalar” espiritualmente “peldaño por peldaño”. 

Incluso los ángeles de Dios descienden, como un reflejo de la condición humana, que tiene altos y bajos. Dado que los seres celestiales responden al comportamiento humano, el hombre tiene que tomar conciencia de la trascendencia de su conducta, porque tiene eco más allá de su persona. No se puede evitar pensar que esta idea está impregnada de un pensamiento narcisista que coloca al hombre en el centro del universo, tal como si su conducta pudiera alterar el plan Divino de la creación. 

La lectura de algunos de los argumentos que se encuentran en el Libro de Job cuestiona directamente esta idea, que presupone que una criatura insignificante como el hombre puede determinar el propósito de Dios en el acto de la creación. La escalera que reposaba sobre la tierra y que alcanzaba los cielos también enseña que el hombre debe tener los pies bien colocados sobre la tierra. Los acontecimientos terrenales no pueden ser desconocidos y es un error minimizar el valor de los hechos cotidianos y las manifestaciones de la materia física para una dedicación espiritual exclusiva. 

Por un lado, el hombre fue confeccionado del polvo de la tierra, mientras que, desde otro punto de vista, Dios invitó a Avrahama elevar su vista hacia las estrellas que están en el firmamento. El hombre es una síntesis de materia y espíritu, hecho que implica una dualidad y un conflicto básico cuya resolución progresiva permite la evolución y el desarrollo, tanto en el campo físico como en lo emocional y espiritual.

GENESIS XXVIII:10-XXXII:3

A STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

Esav (Esau) wants revenge because Yaakov, his twin brother, snatched his father’s blessing from him. To avoid a tragedy, at the urging of his mother, Yaakov decides to leave his father’s home and go into exile. But Yaakov would not only leave his father’s house: he would leave the Promised Land, a fate for which his grandfather Avraham had renounced the house of his father Terach. 

This new situation required a different nomenclature: the Diaspora. Yaakov remained outside his father’s environment for twenty years and was infected by the wiles of his uncle Lavan, who gave him shelter and offered him his two daughters in marriage. Yaakov created the concept of the Diaspora becausehe would spend the last years of his life in Egypt, in the land of Goshen that was ceded by Pharaoh to the Hebrews. A very fertile land but, at the same time, it was a kind of golden ghetto, because it was the only place where Jews could reside. 

Yaakov’s dreams would now be different from the famous dream described in our chapters, in which he had a vision of a ladder linking heaven and earth and by which the angels of God ascended and descended. A dream that has been much commented on and explained, because the image of the staircase alludes to a connection between the heavenly and the earthly, which are not exclusive or opposite spaces. According to the dream, a bridge can be built that unites them, a “ladder” by which the person can rise spiritually from the earth on his feet and reach heaven itself.

Why did the angels go up and down the ladder? A suggestive explanation is that they wanted to compare the heavenly Yaakovwith the earthly one. Apparently, each person has a double, a figure that represents the potential of the person in heaven and the angels wished to check if Yaakov had reached his potential. The moral is that each person has a greater potential, a horizon, an ideal to achieve. An alternative explanation might be that heavenly reality is different from earthly reality because human knowledge is limited when compared to the infinite intellect of God at the head of the ladder in Yaakov’s dream. 

Human reasoning cannot explain certain phenomena and understand the ultimate purpose of some events. But, on the other hand, it can be perfected. Reflection and continuous study can deepen the understanding to bring one ever closer tocertainty and absolute truth represented by the heavenly understanding. The nature of the ladder, which is composed of rungs, implies that spiritual perfection is progressive: one can spiritually “climb” “rung by rung.”

Even God’s angels descend, as a reflection of the human condition, which has ups and downs. Since celestial beings respond to human behavior, man must become aware of the transcendence of his behavior, because it has an echo beyond his person. One cannot help but think that this idea is imbued with a narcissistic thought that places man at the center of the universe, as if his behavior could alter the Divine plan of creation.

Reading some of the arguments found in the Book of Iyov (Job) directly challenges this idea, which presupposes that an insignificant creature like man can determine God’s purpose in the act of creation. The ladder that rested on the earth and reached the heavens also teaches that man must have his feet firmly planted on the earth. Earthly events cannot be ignored, and it is a mistake to minimize the value of everyday events and manifestations of physical matter for exclusive spiritual dedication.

On the one hand, man was made from the dust of the earth, while from another point of view, God invited Avraham to raise his eyes to the stars in the firmament. Man is a synthesis of matter and spirit, a fact that implies a duality and a basic conflict whose progressive resolution allows evolution and development, both in the physical and in the emotional and spiritual fields.

GÉNESIS XXV:19-XXVIII:9

LA AFINIDAD INCONTESTABLE DE LA HERMANDAD

Cuando Rivká sintió que se estaba desarrollando una lucha, una especie de rivalidad entre los mellizos que llevaba en sus entrañas, Dios le informó que sería la progenitora de 2 naciones, 2 reinos que no compartirían el poder. El ascenso de uno implicaría el retroceso del otro. El pronóstico se refería a la futura incompatibilidad de sus hijos: Yaacov y Esav. La tradición judía identificó a Esav con Roma y, luego, con el cristianismo. 

Kayin y Hével representan la rivalidad primordial que solo cesó con el asesinato de Hével. La competencia continuó con Yitsjaky Yishmael, aunque en este caso eran hermanos solamente por parte del padre, hecho que pudiera explicar parcialmente la marcada diferencia de sus respectivos caracteres y comportamiento. En el caso de Yaacov y Esav, en cambio, no solamente eran hijos del mismo padre y madre; también eran mellizos, aunque obviamente, no idénticos.

La discrepancia de personalidad exhibida por los hermanos se origina en la placenta de la madre, hecho que apunta a una decisión Divina: Rivká engendrará 2 tipologías que estarán en constante conflicto. De tal manera que la confrontación y la guerra forman parte del plan de Dios para la Humanidad. 

Son inevitables, porque estas actitudes forman parte integral del código genético de la Humanidad, que se presentan con mayor intensidad en el caso de los patriarcas. En este sentido, el profeta Malají testimonia: “Después de todo, dice el Señor, Esav es el hermano de Yaacov, he aceptado a Yaacov mientras he rechazado a Esav”. La inclinación al mal, de tanto Esavcomo Yishmael ha sido determinada de antemano con una resultante adversidad para el pueblo judío.

No obstante, lo antedicho, el Gaón de Vilna hace referencia a un antiguo Midrash que afirma que la cabeza de Esav está enterrada en Mearat Hamajpelá, las tierras adquiridas por Avraham para enterrar a Sará y que luego servirán de reposo eterno para los patriarcas. De acuerdo con el Midrash, Esav no simboliza únicamente la fuerza irracional y la agresividad. Existen elementos positivos y valiosos en su personalidad que ameritan que su cabeza reposara en la tierra que serviría de sepultura a los fundadores del monoteísmo.

El Midrash establece una dicotomía entre el cuerpo guerrero de Esav y su cabeza que se había nutrido de la santidad de Yitsjak. Sería por ello por lo que Yitsjak se sentía atraído por Esav. Mientras que Rivká forma juicio acerca de la personalidad de Esav por sus acciones violentas, Yitsjak tiene visión hacia el futuro y minimiza la importancia de la conducta varonil extrema del joven que desea afirmar su personalidad en el campo a través de la caza. 

La ceguera de Yitsjak no le permitía evaluar de cerca el comportamiento de su primogénito en el quehacer diario, porque su visión futura penetrante le indicó que el destino de la Humanidad tenía que incluir la reconciliación de los hermanos en el fin de los días. Solamente el cuerpo de Esav era rebelde, mientras que la cabeza permanecía leal a las enseñanzas del patriarca.

Judah Zoldan enfatiza que, de acuerdo con el prisma bíblico, el pueblo judío no dominará a los otros pueblos. Ese no es su destino. La tarea del pueblo judío es ser un faro que señale a las otras naciones cuál es la ruta de la justicia y la solidaridad con el prójimo. Esav no representa el mal insalvable. Tal vez no exista la perversidad absoluta dentro del seno de la Humanidad, aunque la época nazi reta de manera formidable esta hipótesis.

La Torá testimonia la reconciliación temporal de los hermanos: Yitsjak y Yishmael, Yaacov y Esav se ocupan y participan juntos en el entierro de sus respectivos padres. Episodios que apuntan al “fin de la Historia”, a la posibilidad de que los antagonismos y los enfrentamientos den paso a la fraternidad y al acercamiento que debe producirse en una era mesiánica. 

He allí entonces que el advenimiento de una era de tranquilidad y paz para la Humanidad depende de los hombres y las mujeres, de su comportamiento fraternal y solidario con el prójimo. La condición inicial de Kayin y Hével, Yitsjak y Yishmael, Yaacov y Esav es la hermandad que por razones equívocas da paso a la divergencia y a un reñido conflicto. El retorno a las raíces obliga a destacar el origen común, como en las citadas palabras de Malají: “Después de todo, dice el Señor, Esav es el hermano de Yaacov…”.

GENESIS XXV:19-XXVIII:9

THE UNQUESTIONABLE AFFINITY OF THE BROTHERHOOD

When Rivka felt that a struggle was developing, a kind of rivalry between the twins that she carried in her womb, God informed her that she would be the progenitor of 2 nations, 2 kingdoms that would not share power. The rise of one would imply the retreat of the other. The prognosis concerned with the future incompatibility of his sons: Yaakov and Esav. Jewish tradition identified Esav with Rome and, later, with Christianity. 

Kayin and Hevel represent the primordial rivalry that only ceased with Hevel’s assassination. The competition continued with Yitschak and Yishmael, although in this case they were brothers only on their father’s side, a fact that may partially explain the marked difference in their respective characters and behavior. In the case of Yaakov and Esav, however, they were not only sons of the same father and mother; they were also twins, though obviously not identical.

The personality discrepancy exhibited by the siblings originates in the mother’s placenta, a fact that points to a Divine decision: Rivka will beget 2 typologies that will be in constant conflict. Apparently, confrontation and war are part of God’s plan for humanity. They are unavoidable, because these attitudes are an integral part of the genetic code of humanity, which are most intensely present in the case of patriarchs. In this regard, the prophet Malachi testifies: “After all, says the Lord, Yaakov, I have accepted Yaakov while I have rejected Esav.” The evil inclination Esav and Yishmael has been determined in advance with a resultant adversity for the Jewish people.

Notwithstanding the above, the Vilna Gaon refers to an ancient Midrash that states that Esav’s head is buried in Me’aratHamachpela, the land acquired by Avraham to bury Sara and which will later serve as an eternal rest for the patriarchs. According to the Midrash, Esav does not only symbolize irrational strength and aggressiveness. There are positive and valuable elements in his personality that merit that his head rested in the earth that would serve as the burial place of the founders of monotheism.

The Midrash establishes a dichotomy between Esav’s warrior body and his head, which had been nourished by the sanctity of Yitschak. That is why Yitschak was attracted to Esav. While Rivka forms judgments about Esav‘s personality by his violent actions, Yitschak is forward-looking and downplays the importance of the extreme manly behavior of the young man who wishes to assert his personality in the countryside through hunting. 

Yitschak’s blindness did not allow him to evaluate closely the behavior of his firstborn in his daily life, because his penetrating vision of the future indicated to him that the destiny of humanity had to include the reconciliation of brothers at the end of days. Only Esav‘s body was rebellious, while the head remained loyal to the patriarch’s teachings.

Judah Zoldan emphasizes that, according to the biblical prism, the Jewish people will not dominate other peoples. That is not their destiny. The task of the Jewish people is to be a beacon that points out to other nations the path of justice and solidarity with others. Esav does not represent insurmountable evil. Perhaps there is no such thing as absolute perversity within humanity, although the Nazi era challenges this hypothesis in a formidable way.

The Torah testifies to the temporary reconciliation of the brothers: Yitschak and Yishmael, Yaakov and Esav take care of and participate together in the burial of their father. Episodes that point to the “end of history”, to the possibility that antagonisms and confrontations will give way to fraternity and the rapprochement that must take place in a messianic era. 

The advent of an era of tranquility and peace for humanity depends on men and women, on their fraternal behavior and solidarity with their neighbors. The initial condition of Kayin and Hevel, Yitschak and Yishmael, Yaakov and Esav isbrotherhood which, for equivocal reasons, gives way to divergence and bitter conflict. The return to the roots makes it necessary to highlight the common origin, as in the words quoted by Malachí: “After all, says the Lord, Esav is the brother of Yaakov…”

GENESIS XXII -XXV:18

INFLUENCE AFTER DEATH

Sarah’s death is the subject of the first verses of the biblical text. Her disappearance shook the foundations of the family because she had not been a passive woman. She helped propagate the ideal preached by her husband Avraham. During the family’s stay in Charan on their way to the Promised Land, Sarah showed initiative by teaching the women about the existence of the one God. On hearing of her death, Avraham burst into uncontrollable weeping because Sarah had been a loyal companion who had given birth to Yitchak, the true spiritual heir, who would carry forward the message of monotheism for humanity.

The fact that the name of the Parsha refers to Sarah’s life suggests that her influence did not cease with her death. Avraham recognizes that the void created by Sarah’s death and her influence had to be compensated, perhaps through the introduction of another woman into the household, Yitchak’s future wife. He entrusts his faithful servant Eli’ezer with the search for a suitable bride, a maiden who must come from the midst of the family that remained in Charan.

Eli’ezer invokes God’s help for the fulfillment of his mission and, deep in his spirit, he probably wants to find a woman with the same characteristics as Sarah. Rivka is the beautiful young woman chosen by Eli’ezer and when she returns to her master’s house, Yitchak ushers her into the tent that her late mother used to inhabit. The Torah says, “And he loved her.” It is the first time that the Torah speaks of love between man and woman, husband and wife. The word love does not appear in the case of Adam and Chava, Noach and his wife who is not even mentioned by name in the Torah.

Quoting the interpretation of one of his students, Lewis Warshauer suggests that Yitzchak’s professed love for Rivka was a manifestation of admiration and respect but was not the expression of a sense of intimacy and affection for the opposite sex. It is possible that Isaac considered Rivka’s character and personality as a substitute for his mother Sarah. Perhaps there was no fluid communication between the couple and, therefore, the desired emotional rapprochement did not take place, a fact that led to a different preference for their sons Esav and Yaakov.

While Yitchak admired the courage and physical prowess of Esav, the man of the field, Rivka was inclined to the sensitivity expressed in Yaakov’s personality. A similar idea appears in Ramban’s commentary, which suggests that, according to the Torah, Yitchak was extremely saddened by the death of his mother and found solace only with Rivka. This is how Ramban understands the paradigm of love that Yitchak professed for Rivka. He loved her because she had the spiritual semblance of his dear mother Sarah.

However, the differences between the three matriarchs, Sarah, Rivka, and Rachel—because each person is usually a universe on their own—there is a common thread that unites them. Sarah was the faithful wife who accompanied the pioneering work of her husband Avraham, the iconoclast who transformed the spiritual map of humanity. Rivka, on the other hand, recognizes that Yitchak had undergone a metamorphosis due to the Akedah, because he had been tied on an altar to be sacrificed and had become a totally spiritual being, far from the mundane, inattentive to the possible intrigues and jealousies that usually arise between brothers.

Rachel, on the other hand, had to compete with her sister Le’ah and their respective concubines for Yaakov’s attentions. However, there is a common denominator for the matriarchs: their concern for the continuity of the monotheistic ideal, a concern that translates into acts and postures that ensure the transmission of the principles of the faith. Thus, Sarah’s life served as an example for the following matriarchs, and although our text begins with her passing, her influence endured beyond her earthly life.