Friday January 21, 12-1

Last week our group examined the role deception plays in many biblical narratives as we looked at Genesis 25:29-27:46.  We also continued our examination of how the gaps in biblical text are filled in by Talmudic sages and later commentators in order to accommodate their agendas.

• Starting with the episode where Esau exchanges his birthright (his privileges and responsibilities as a first born son) for “a mess of pottage” (something that is basically not of much value), we discover that the sages assume that the lentil stew that Jacob was preparing was intended to serve those who mourned Abraham’s death.  There is nothing in the actual text that shows this, but it appears in Talmudic midrash (Bava Basra 16b).  In keeping with the binary opposition set up between Jacob and Esau, the sages want to emphasize Esau’s boorish nature–pour the red stuff down my throat”–and the fact that Jacob is dutifully acknowledging the death of his grandfather while Esau nonchalantly goes about his business of trapping and hunting.  According to Rashi, Esau spurns his birthright because he’s incapable of properly performing the sacrificial service for Abraham, and Jacob is not duping him by asking for the birthright exchange, but he is preventing his wicked brother from making the sacrificial offering. 

• In Chapter 27, when there is a famine in the land, and Isaac and his family go to live among the Philistines, we find him repeating the “she’s-my-sister-not-my-wife” deception that Abraham tried to carry out with Pharaoh and Abimelech (i.e., saving his own life at the potential degradation of his wife).    

• In Chapter 28, we encounter another deception:  Rebecca convinces Jacob to pretend to be Esau in order to obtain a blessing Isaac intended to bestow on his older son.  Through some elaborately dishonest scheming, Rebecca and Jacob take advantage of Isaac’s poor eyesight, deceive him, and cheat Esau.  According to the sages, however, such blatant deception was justified (Jacob had some misgivings, but Rebecca said “Heed my voice”) because it was part of the Divine Plan–“the older son will serve the younger.”  Rashi lends weight to this argument by saying that Isaac’s poor eyesight was caused by the incense Esau’s Hittite wives burned while worshipping idols.  The Tanhuma suggests that Providence caused the blindness so that Jacob would receive the blessing.  And Sforno explains that Isaac’s blindness was punishment for his failure to restrain Esau’s wickedness. 

• After the great deception of  Chapter 28, Esau says he will kill Jacob.  To prevent this from happening, Rebecca urges Jacob to get out of town and hide out in Haran with her brother Laban.  And Rebecca engages in yet another deception.  She tells Isaac that she has sent Jacob away so that will not marry Hittite woman as had Esau.  According to Rashbam,  Rebecca used the unsuitability of the Hittite women as a pretext for her decision.

Throughout our reading participants noted that none of these justifications had clear support in the biblical text; they were, however, plausible explanations that advanced the successful development of the nation of Israel.

This Friday, we will look at Genesis 28:10-30:24.   These chapters include Jacob’s dream of angels, his encounter with Rachel, his marriage to Leah and Rachel, and the offspring that result from that marriage–with some assists from handmaids Bilhah and Zilpah.

Our informal group meets via Zoom every Friday from 12-1. Check the CBI web page for a link.  All are welcome to join us, regardless of their level of expertise.  Please bring whatever copy of the Bible you might have (the more different translations the livelier the discussion).  If you have questions, please contact Jay Jacoby at jbjacoby@uncc.edu. 

Join us for Shabbat morning services in-person or via Zoom every Saturday morning at 9:30am.

Join the Zoom service by going to Our Virtual Community page here, then scroll down and click on the blue Saturday Morning Service button.

“Take this job and shove it!”

Join us for Torah on Tap this Sunday (4pm – 5:30) as we explore the opportunities and obstacles of change. Share your own story of growth, learn the most common impediments to change and how, with the help of our Jewish traditions, we can re-frame what it means to change – making it easier and more meaningful.

We’ll meet by the stream beside the CBI parking lot. Bring your beverage of choice, a lawn chair and a caring, open mind. Come as you are. Leave different.

Friday January 21, 12-1

Last week our group examined the role deception plays in many biblical narratives as we looked at Genesis 25:29-27:46.  We also continued our examination of how the gaps in biblical text are filled in by Talmudic sages and later commentators in order to accommodate their agendas.

• Starting with the episode where Esau exchanges his birthright (his privileges and responsibilities as a first born son) for “a mess of pottage” (something that is basically not of much value), we discover that the sages assume that the lentil stew that Jacob was preparing was intended to serve those who mourned Abraham’s death.  There is nothing in the actual text that shows this, but it appears in Talmudic midrash (Bava Basra 16b).  In keeping with the binary opposition set up between Jacob and Esau, the sages want to emphasize Esau’s boorish nature–pour the red stuff down my throat”–and the fact that Jacob is dutifully acknowledging the death of his grandfather while Esau nonchalantly goes about his business of trapping and hunting.  According to Rashi, Esau spurns his birthright because he’s incapable of properly performing the sacrificial service for Abraham, and Jacob is not duping him by asking for the birthright exchange, but he is preventing his wicked brother from making the sacrificial offering. 

• In Chapter 27, when there is a famine in the land, and Isaac and his family go to live among the Philistines, we find him repeating the “she’s-my-sister-not-my-wife” deception that Abraham tried to carry out with Pharaoh and Abimelech (i.e., saving his own life at the potential degradation of his wife).    

• In Chapter 28, we encounter another deception:  Rebecca convinces Jacob to pretend to be Esau in order to obtain a blessing Isaac intended to bestow on his older son.  Through some elaborately dishonest scheming, Rebecca and Jacob take advantage of Isaac’s poor eyesight, deceive him, and cheat Esau.  According to the sages, however, such blatant deception was justified (Jacob had some misgivings, but Rebecca said “Heed my voice”) because it was part of the Divine Plan–“the older son will serve the younger.”  Rashi lends weight to this argument by saying that Isaac’s poor eyesight was caused by the incense Esau’s Hittite wives burned while worshipping idols.  The Tanhuma suggests that Providence caused the blindness so that Jacob would receive the blessing.  And Sforno explains that Isaac’s blindness was punishment for his failure to restrain Esau’s wickedness. 

• After the great deception of  Chapter 28, Esau says he will kill Jacob.  To prevent this from happening, Rebecca urges Jacob to get out of town and hide out in Haran with her brother Laban.  And Rebecca engages in yet another deception.  She tells Isaac that she has sent Jacob away so that will not marry Hittite woman as had Esau.  According to Rashbam,  Rebecca used the unsuitability of the Hittite women as a pretext for her decision.

Throughout our reading participants noted that none of these justifications had clear support in the biblical text; they were, however, plausible explanations that advanced the successful development of the nation of Israel.

This Friday, we will look at Genesis 28:10-30:24.   These chapters include Jacob’s dream of angels, his encounter with Rachel, his marriage to Leah and Rachel, and the offspring that result from that marriage–with some assists from handmaids Bilhah and Zilpah.

Our informal group meets via Zoom every Friday from 12-1. Check the CBI web page for a link.  All are welcome to join us, regardless of their level of expertise.  Please bring whatever copy of the Bible you might have (the more different translations the livelier the discussion).  If you have questions, please contact Jay Jacoby at jbjacoby@uncc.edu. 

Join us for Shabbat morning services in-person or via Zoom every Saturday morning at 9:30am.

Join the Zoom service by going to Our Virtual Community page here, then scroll down and click on the blue Saturday Morning Service button.

Just as healthy foods nourish us through the blood stream, so Jewish meditation nourishes our “soul stream.” Meditation can be transformative, taking us from the intellectual awareness of ourselves to a deeper spiritual practice that links us to Judaism in the most profound way. Each mitzvah, holy day and cycle of life has its own rhythm, nuance, taste and character. Jewish meditation is a practice of infusing their essence into our daily spiritual lives.

Ready to give it a try? Join us via Zoom (every Sunday from 2:30pm – 4pm. No previous meditation experience necessary.  This opportunity is free and open to all. Please contact Linda Wolf at linda@networktype.com for the online meeting information.