Jacob most traumatic life experiences revolved around deception. His brother Esav was a ‘master’ of deception. Esav was an accomplished hunter, as our rabbis explained, because he mastered the art of deceiving animals, hiding his presence by acting and looking like them. Esav was also a talented deceiver of humans. He was able to make his own father, Yitzchak, believe that he, Esav was a righteous man and that he –and not Jacob- would deserve to be appointed as Yitzchak’s (and Abraham’s) successor. In this extreme circumstances Jacob ended up deceiving his deceived father…. Jacob was forced by his mother to become Esav/deceiver in order to make things right…
Still, and although he did what he did on behalf of his mother, Jacob paid a very high price for his desperate act. Later on, as our rabbis explained, he himself was deceived twice by his father in law Laban in similar circumstances. Deception as a victim or a performer, characterized Jacob’s first part of his life.
But then, he fought with an angel. Who was this angel? Our rabbis said: saro shel Esav. Elie Wiesel interpreted the struggle between Jacob and the angel as a struggle between Jacob and himself (or, from a more Freudian approach: between Jacob and the Esav/deceiver within him). Defeating the angel (the personality of –saro shel- Esav, that he was forced to adopt) allowed Yaakov to make a turning point in his life and become ish emet, a man of truth.
Jacob reminds us the value of repentance, our duty to change and our bad incorporated habits and the love for truth.
DO SOMETHING FOR ISRAEL, FROM YOUR OWN PC
Please, see and share with everyone you know, by email and Facebook Jews and non Jews! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuCzHQB1sks.
Send this link to NYTimes and other Newspapers 'comments' so readers who see your comment can click on this link.
Let everyone know the truth.
Still, and although he did what he did on behalf of his mother, Jacob paid a very high price for his desperate act. Later on, as our rabbis explained, he himself was deceived twice by his father in law Laban in similar circumstances. Deception as a victim or a performer, characterized Jacob’s first part of his life.
But then, he fought with an angel. Who was this angel? Our rabbis said: saro shel Esav. Elie Wiesel interpreted the struggle between Jacob and the angel as a struggle between Jacob and himself (or, from a more Freudian approach: between Jacob and the Esav/deceiver within him). Defeating the angel (the personality of –saro shel- Esav, that he was forced to adopt) allowed Yaakov to make a turning point in his life and become ish emet, a man of truth.
Jacob reminds us the value of repentance, our duty to change and our bad incorporated habits and the love for truth.
DO SOMETHING FOR ISRAEL, FROM YOUR OWN PC
Please, see and share with everyone you know, by email and Facebook Jews and non Jews! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuCzHQB1sks.
Send this link to NYTimes and other Newspapers 'comments' so readers who see your comment can click on this link.
Let everyone know the truth.
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