Spiritual and
Ethical Issues in the Historical Books of Tanach;
SPIRITUAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN THE BEREISHIT STORIES These four books ostensibly are merely the history of Israel from the entry into the Promised Land until the destruction of the Temple and the temporary loss of independent statehood. In fact they are actually, in a specifically Jewish sense, the most deeply religious and spiritual books of the Bible. One does not have to be specifically Jewish to see or feel the religion and spirituality in the revelations of the prophetic writings or in the words of the Tehillim. They speak to all people, as evidenced by the fact that the Bible is still the world's bestseller and there are millions of non-Jews who regularly recite the Psalms. However, it is specifically and intrinsically Jewish to understand that G-d is revealed in the prosaic material, in the political, social and military events in the lives of ordinary men and women, kings and leaders that are described in the Nevim Rishonim. Here are described the ideology and religious thoughts in Judaism, while in Chronicles we have the purely historical. "These are the Generations
of Yitschak" [2] "Yitschak entreated: prayed abundantly and urged according to R' Yochanan in the Midrash or as a pitchfork that overturns the decree according to R' Yitschak (Yevamot 64a) or as one bores or penetrates a wall (Pesikta Zutresa). Yitschak prayed for both of them since both he and Rivka were barren, as we learn from the similarity of language with Manoach and his wife, parents of Samson [Maharam of Rotenburg)." When there was no doubt that Rivka was barren, Yitschak took her to Har HaMoriah, to the site of his Akeida, to pray. He stood in one corner and prayed while she stood opposite him and prayed. He prayed: May the sons promised to me all be born from this saintly woman while she prayed: May all my sons be from this tzaddik" (Bereishit Rabba, 63)). "He began to doubt that the Abrahamic Covenant would be through somebody from Lavan's family so he prayed particularly referring to Rivka, his wife" (Rabbi S. R. Hirsch). The text tells us that his prayers, rather than hers, were answered, since one who prays on behalf of another is listened to more carefully: "a prisoner cannot free himself from jail". "Understanding 'Nochach' used by the text as meaning 'for the sake of', teaches of Yitschak's great love for Rivka. He did not take her maid-servant as did his father take Hagar nor did take other wives as did his son, even though he had to wait 20 years after the marriage until Rivkah's barrenness ended" (Radak). "From Yevamot (64a) we understand 'nochach' not as opposite but rather on the same plane, equal to his wife" (Kuzari). "Although Yitschak had already been promised children, he begged Hashem that they should be from this worthy woman opposite him" (Sforno); Despite the similarity with other Imahot, the story of Yitschak's descendants is very different. Now the purification was not to be between two sons born of two separate mothers as in Sarah's case nor was the inheritance to be divided into 12 streams as in the case of Yaakov, rather here were twins born of one father and mother. "They had to be twins to show their equality in spiritual potential, so that this final refinement would remove all the spiritual shortcomings from within the Abrahamic seed without any foreign entanglement. Therefore these twins were unlike other twins right from their conception. They were not formed in one embryonic sack but rather in two separate ones. While still in the womb the twins struggled with each other foretelling of their future relationship that was that of enmity, unlike the amicable feelings that normally twins have for one another" (Abarbanel). When Rivkah felt the struggle in her womb she enquired of other woman whether such pain and struggle was their normal experience in childbirth and when they told her that it was not, she went to enquire from the prophet of G-d, Shem (Ibn Ezra). Perhaps she felt that in that case there was a danger to her life from the strange birth pain, or perhaps that she would give birth to a stillborn child so that her yearning for sons was misplaced and exaggerated. -d assured her that none of these applied but that she would bear two nations and two spiritually different groups, who would eternally war with each other to try and impose their philosophies on the world. Abrabanel writes that she was concerned that her child would be partially evil and partially saintly, such division being worse than complete evil. "We learn (Sotah 13a) that Eisav tried to prevent Yaakov's burial at Maarat HaMachpela, claiming that as the first-born it belonged to him. Chushim ben Dan who was deaf, saw the commotion and killed him, thus fulfilling Rivka's prophecy that they would die at the same time. Chushim had to stab him in the back since his face was identical to Yaakov's. Being so similar in appearance and born as twins to the same two tzaddikim, they were like two vines of identical stock, planted in identical types of soil with similar climatic condition, yet the one, Yaakov, yielded quality wine but the other, Eisav was vinegar" (Shem Mi Shmuel). This is the 121st installment in Dr. Tamari’s series on “Tanach and its messages for our times” [The
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