There seems to be a
problem rooted in Jewish history- legitimacy.[1] It all started with two brothers, the younger a
prototypical bookworm who liked to stay inside his cozy tent and read a good
book, while the older was a competitive jock who liked to go out to the field
and test his prowess with the latest wild game, among other things. The father was a quiet type, and quite tough.
Despite his taciturn personality, he accomplished much as he made sure to overcome
adversity where he saw it. In particular, he had a set of wells that he
inherited from his father, Abraham, and some unruly Philistines near Gaza blocked
them, so he opened them again. After
that, he dug wells around his land and he reestablished Be’er Sheva. This father had an affinity for the athletic
son. His competitive streak and ability
to overcome adversity rang true to him more than his contemplative, scholarly son- just like he knew to how to dig
deep, both proverbially and literally, so too this older son. When the time came for the father to give his
blessing to the two sons, he decided the older son had earned it.
The younger son did not see it
that way, and in fact, neither did the mother. They realized that his father missed
the point. His father, enraptured with
the potential of this attribute to overcome adversity and stand ones’ ground, didn't see the downside. Very often the older son misused that capability to do a slew
of evil things- rape, pillage, and murder.
In fact, the competitive mind gets a thrill when it overcomes adversity and
establishes self, and there is no greater way to do that than through murder- the
ultimate establishment of self over the other.
Therefore, the younger son had to show his father that he too could
overcome adversity. He too could be a person that can stand his ground,
especially if it was the right thing to do.
And that is what he did. He went
to his father in trepidation (for if he was caught, rather than a blessing, a
curse would come in its stead), and pulled off the trick of a lifetime, he
pretended to be his older brother. In
the process, he won his father’s true blessing because he showed that he too
possessed the ability to establish self in the face of adversity, but he
coupled it with the right cause, rather than for the sake of self.
Obvious to most, what we have
just discussed is the story of Jacob and Esav.
What it represents mystically is the following. Abraham represented chessed- loving
kindness. That is a foundational attribute,
but it is limited. One thing is to have
a desire to give, but it is quite another thing to carry out that desire even
under difficult conditions. Isaac
represents might and the ability to overcome obstacles. That is dependent on will and inspiration. It allows someone to be more than what he
naturally is. For example, a mother is
not pound for pound as strong as a father.
But threaten her children, and any lack of physical might is more than made
up for with internal power and will.
That ensures that even when it is hard to do the right thing a person
still does it. Therefore, if one couples this attribute of might with chessed,
then one has reached the apogee of greatness.
Not only does a person give, but he is willing to give even in the face
of adversity- that is Yaakov- but he had to become that.
People make the mistake and think
that the blessing was won through trickery, and therefore, not fully legitimate. Really, the blessing had to be done this way.
Jacob had to prove his mettle and show that he could fulfill the role of both moral
judge and moral police. He had to show that he studied the right thing and
could implement it with courage.
Sometimes the cost of doing the right thing is difficult, and at times
the world can say that it is illegitimate, but at those times,
fighting to do the right thing is all that matters, especially when those who say it is illegitimate
have no moral compass. As we sit here on
the brink of war, we have to realize what is right and what is wrong and stick
with it. That is how this nation started
and that is how it must continue-know what the right thing is and have the
courage to implement it.
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