Birthrights and Lentils....
Torah Study 12-24 Genesis 25:28-34
R. David Lieber. On Isaacs preference for Esau because he was compensating for his own lacking.
Midrash that Isaac comes back to say he loved his not so good son!
Because of the lentil stew they derive the Midrash regarding the mourning for the death of Abraham. Lentils because they are shaped like a wheel...round. Also that they have no mouth as mourners are not required to speak.
(Lentils. In Hebrew similar word for contact lenses. As the original word was lens and shaped like a lentil.)
Midrash paints Easau in a negative light.
Midrash drama... Mourning for Abraham... All weeping they return from the burial and Jacob is cooking the mourners meal. Where was Esau? Going about his regular day while others are mourning. "came in from the field" what it means?
- Esau is having a crisis of faith due to his grandfathers death. Deny the idea of the afterlife. Spiritual crisis.
- Esau is portrayed as a blasphemer
- Link to the story of the rape in the field...to try to accuse Esau of this sin.
- Esau was tired. In desperate need of food and drink. Same words apply to the land in other places in Torah.
- Rashi- he was exhausted from killing - comes from Jeremiah verse where same word used. (equate Esau with Rome)
interesting analysis:
V30- give me to gulp down. /. Let me swallow / pour in to me
“hapax legomenon” Word only occurs once in the Bible.
Does occur in Mishnah to apply to feeding animals. This is where more modern interpretations come from.
Robert Alter. Higher level of writing... And this word is from the colloquial.
"Give me that red red".
N Sarna.. Word play for the Edomites. Or word play for “dam” = blood.
Robert Altar. Jacob trying to compete with Esau who brought meat with his stew.
Family dynamics and survival of siblings.
Soloveichik. Esau lacks faith which adds to his hunger. He lives for the moment and has no foresight.
Lieber... Hunger usurps other needs.
Sell the birthright.
Robert Alter pays attention to the order of the words. Esau spontaneous with words vs Jacob's words carefully chosen. Greed vs Calculation.
Nachum Sarna. Jacob exploits his brother in the request.
V32 Esau says he is about to die (of hunger).
What use us the birthright?
Robert Alter. Same words used by Rebecca when they were in the womb.
V34 Jacob gave bread and lentil stew...chain of verbs...he ate and drank and got up ... And cast off his birthright.
Midrash. After he eats then he returns to his hunt.. Verbs reflect his impatient nature.
Negotiations... Sforno - commentator... “For the price agreed upon”...says that it was a monitory exchange. Implies that there was more negotiations than just the stew!
Story gave rise to the idiom about selling birthright for a bowl of pottage...
Thoreau. (from Walden – Life in the Woods)
The world is a place of business... No time for Sabbath... All about business rather than satisfaction
“I trust that I shall never thus sell my birthright for a mess of pottage. ...”
R. David Lieber. On Isaacs preference for Esau because he was compensating for his own lacking.
Midrash that Isaac comes back to say he loved his not so good son!
Because of the lentil stew they derive the Midrash regarding the mourning for the death of Abraham. Lentils because they are shaped like a wheel...round. Also that they have no mouth as mourners are not required to speak.
(Lentils. In Hebrew similar word for contact lenses. As the original word was lens and shaped like a lentil.)
Midrash paints Easau in a negative light.
Midrash drama... Mourning for Abraham... All weeping they return from the burial and Jacob is cooking the mourners meal. Where was Esau? Going about his regular day while others are mourning. "came in from the field" what it means?
- Esau is having a crisis of faith due to his grandfathers death. Deny the idea of the afterlife. Spiritual crisis.
- Esau is portrayed as a blasphemer
- Link to the story of the rape in the field...to try to accuse Esau of this sin.
- Esau was tired. In desperate need of food and drink. Same words apply to the land in other places in Torah.
- Rashi- he was exhausted from killing - comes from Jeremiah verse where same word used. (equate Esau with Rome)
interesting analysis:
V30- give me to gulp down. /. Let me swallow / pour in to me
“hapax legomenon” Word only occurs once in the Bible.
Does occur in Mishnah to apply to feeding animals. This is where more modern interpretations come from.
Robert Alter. Higher level of writing... And this word is from the colloquial.
"Give me that red red".
N Sarna.. Word play for the Edomites. Or word play for “dam” = blood.
Robert Altar. Jacob trying to compete with Esau who brought meat with his stew.
Family dynamics and survival of siblings.
Soloveichik. Esau lacks faith which adds to his hunger. He lives for the moment and has no foresight.
Lieber... Hunger usurps other needs.
Sell the birthright.
Robert Alter pays attention to the order of the words. Esau spontaneous with words vs Jacob's words carefully chosen. Greed vs Calculation.
Nachum Sarna. Jacob exploits his brother in the request.
V32 Esau says he is about to die (of hunger).
What use us the birthright?
Robert Alter. Same words used by Rebecca when they were in the womb.
V34 Jacob gave bread and lentil stew...chain of verbs...he ate and drank and got up ... And cast off his birthright.
Midrash. After he eats then he returns to his hunt.. Verbs reflect his impatient nature.
Negotiations... Sforno - commentator... “For the price agreed upon”...says that it was a monitory exchange. Implies that there was more negotiations than just the stew!
Story gave rise to the idiom about selling birthright for a bowl of pottage...
Thoreau. (from Walden – Life in the Woods)
The world is a place of business... No time for Sabbath... All about business rather than satisfaction
“I trust that I shall never thus sell my birthright for a mess of pottage. ...”
posted by Chavarah @ 7:08 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home