Parashat Tol'dot (Genesis 25:19 - 28:9)

by Rabbi Pete Tobias

Summary

This week’s portion introduces us to Jacob, who will be the father of the Children of Israel.  The portion begins with the birth of the twins and the battle lines between the two of them are drawn when Jacob takes Esau’s birthright in exchange for his ‘red, red stew’. ’After a brief interlude, when Isaac and Rebekah have an almost identical experience to that endured by Abram and Sarai, the conflict between Jacob and his older twin brother Esau is renewed when Rebekah and Jacob conspire to dupe the aging Isaac into bestowing his blessing on Jacob, the younger son.

Commentary

The overriding theme that seems to emerge from this week’s portion is that of family relationships and, in particular, the rivalry between two brothers.  It is a theme that is destined to repeat itself in the coming chapters of Genesis, where the favour shown to younger offspring occurs in the story of Joseph (Genesis 37 ff) and, in a curious reprise of his own experience, when Jacob gives a preferential blessing to Joseph’s younger son Ephraim over his older brother Manasseh (48:14 ff).

On one level, this is a reflection of political realities of the time.  We need to be aware that the stories of Genesis are not intended to suggest that a man called Jacob had 12 sons. Rather they are a symbolic representation of a historical period that may have covered several centuries at the end of which a number of tribes were united as ‘Israel’ and the relative ages of the ‘children of Israel’ actually represent either the length of time a particular tribe has lived in the land (Reuben and Simeon the longest, Benjamin the most recent arrival) or their political/military dominance (Ephraim was significantly more powerful than Manasseh).

This political reality that underpins the story helps to explain the competitiveness between the different ‘brothers’ that is such a feature of the book of Genesis. But on another level we find that sibling rivalry quite shocking.  If the Bible is meant to be a guide for the way we should live our lives, then it seems to be setting us a very poor example.  This week’s portion contains an astonishing amount of lying and deception, of favouritism and animosity.  Taken in isolation from the historical reality that underpins these accounts, we are left with examples of divisiveness and hostility that still characterise relationships between those of us who purport to be descendants of the same biblical ancestors.  Perhaps if we took a little time to understand the past realities that are the basis of these stories, we and our younger brothers and sisters might manage to shape a more positive and meaningful future with greater emphasis on what unites rather than divides us.

Rabbi Pete Tobias

The Liberal Synagogue Elstree

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