Becoming Israel – Genesis/Bereshith 28

[Just like the series Journey of Faith, ‘Becoming Israel’ is the Sinaite’s reading of the chapters that focus on the life of the third patriarch, Yaakov/Jacob who is later renamed “Israel”. The intent is to share our discussions and insights as introduction to subsequent posts that feature the three commentaries. Translation is Everett Fox, The Five Books of Moses.—Admin1.]

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There is not much to comment about Yaakov’s quest for a bride except for the fact that he ends up with—not one but two—brides who are sisters, plus two maidservant/concubines.  Out of these four women are born 12 sons and a daughter. Most bible students who never read Genesis carefully miss such details that come as a shock in cultures where monogamy is the the rule for marital relations.  It is easy to follow the narrative; it is not easy to relate to the culture of multiple wives and concubines for the formation of the chosen people; that’s just the way it was then, and so be it. Surely this has been used to justify polygamy in some religious sects but let us understand this:  God worked His Will and Way within the mores of those times as He does these post-Sinai-revelation times. They had an excuse for living according to practices of their times, much has changed since then. Continuing with the 3rd stage of the patriarchal narratives, let’s scrutinize the text since we really need to get the details straight this time around: 28:3-4  Yitzhak repeats the blessing he had unknowingly given his supplanter son earlier; why the repetition? Ponder the following:

• Because earlier he thought he was giving it to Esau;
• this time even if he discovered he had been deceived, yet he still gives it to Ya’aqob instead of correcting the “wrong”;
• Does that indicate that a blessing wrongly or rather, given to the wrong recipient is irrevocable?
• Perhaps it is the custom of the times (word of honor);  OR,
• perhaps Yitschaq knew all along what God had planned for his sons, just like Rebekah did before the twins were born;
• If Yitschaq did know all along, then he would have known he was violating the Divine Will if he had proceeded to give it to his favored firstborn Esau, to whom he really and originally wanted to give it;
• Is it possible he knew he was being deceived by Yaakov after all, and played along?
• Why?  So he would have a good excuse to tell the son he favored that he could not give him what God had not willed for him; remember, Yitschaq is a passive type, he simply lets things happen.
• But — this is all speculation.

Ya’aqob leaves his father’s house [in Beer-sheba] for 2 reasons:

• to seek for himself a bride from among his kin in Haran [where Terah died, where Abraham left];
•  at his mother’s instigation to save him from Esau’s declared threat to kill him—-

Kinship language tends to get confusing so let’s get the relationships right:

• Bethuel is—the Aramean [who probably spoke Aramaic, Terah’s son who remained behind inPaddan-aram]
  • Abraham’s brother
  • Rebekah’s father
  • Ya’aqob’s grandfather

• Laban is —
  • the son of Bethuel
  • Rebekah’s brother
  • Ya’aqob’s maternal uncle
• Rachel and Leah areYa’aqob’s cousins, daughters ofLaban
  • Bilhah and Zilpah are the maidservants of the sisters

28:10-22 Ya’aqob’s journey turns out to be—-

• not simply a quest for a bride
• but a personal exile from his parents home
• and it also turns out to be his own spiritual encounter with the God of Abraham and Yitschaq Who will now be his personal God as well:
• vs. 11 —  http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/geo/Moriah.htmlconnect “the place” where Jacob spent the night and dreamt about theladder with the following biblical events:
  • In the course of time the mountain had acquired an aura of sanctity and he subject of many traditions. Indeed, its sacred status may date back to the early Canaanite period, when it perhaps was the cultic center of “El Elyon,” god of Melchizedek, king of Salem: “And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High [=El Elyon]. He blessed him, saying, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, creator of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:18).
  • The best-known tradition related to Mount Moriah is the Binding of Isaac for sacrifice by his father Abraham, related in Genesis 22.
  • The tradition of “Jacob’s Dream” is also identified with Mount Moriah: “He came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. He had a dream; a stairway was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky, and angels of God were going up and down on it. And the Lord was standing beside him… Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, … “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the abode of God and that is the gateway to heaven” (Genesis 28:10-18).

This is perhaps the most colorful representation of the essential nature of the site which some would later claim was the “navel of the world”. At the summit of Mount Moriah, traditionally, is the “Foundation Stone,” the symbolic fundament of the world’s creation, and reputedly the site of the Temple’s Holy of Holies, the supreme embodiment of the relationship between God and the people of Israel.

• • Upon the completion of King Solomon’s Temple, famed for its sumptuous splendor, the Ark of the Covenant was placed within its confines. The sanctity of the site is reflected in the graphic description provided by the Book of Kings: “the priests came out of the sanctuary for the cloud had filled the House of the Lord and the priests were not able to remain and perform the service because of the cloud, for the Presence of the Lord filled the House of the Lord…” (1 Kings 8:11).

• vs. 12-15 — Ya’aqob had a dream.  During the dream,Yaakov encounters God whopersonalizes for this third generation patriarch the same promises He had given Abraham andYitschaq:
  •  a “ladder”
  • slanted “eastward”
  • with its top reaching “heavenward”
  • angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
  • Significance?
    • Artscroll note:  “The dreams mentioned in Scripture are vehicles of prophecy. Jacob’s dream symbolized the future of the Jewish people and man’s ability to connect himself to God’s master plan.”
    • Other Jewish interpretations:
    • For the curious, we add the Christian interpretation:  predictably, the ladder is who else, Jesus Christ.
      • Prayer
      • Spiritual journey is a step-by-step ascent toward God
      • God’s provisions for mankind to reach Him just as He reaches down to mankind

Genesis Bereshith 28

Take note that:

• “the place” was still within the land of Canaan, the future site of the Temple, “the house of God.”
• Ya’aqob is still named Ya’aqob and is travelling towards the land of idol-worshippers, the surviving family of Terah.
• At this time, the land is still Canaan, populated by idolaters themselves who indulged in abominable practices.
• This 3rd generation from Abraham who will be the progenitor of the people of Israel is a gentile, just as Abraham and Yitschaq were gentiles.
• He is being prepared to be the progenitor of the chosen people,  yet-to-be formed from the sons who would descend from him.
• Despite human machination to influence events for their desired self-serving results, God’s plan to create a people proceeds as divinely willed.