{"id":38716,"date":"2018-08-26T15:32:06","date_gmt":"2018-08-26T12:32:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=38716"},"modified":"2022-03-20T23:21:27","modified_gmt":"2022-03-20T21:21:27","slug":"jacob-goes-for-win-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/jacob-goes-for-win-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacob Goes for Win-Win"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[302,486,490],"acf":{"old_id":"38716","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":33859,"related_cahpter":"32","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"He walks away limping, but victorious, in a deadlock which allows him to demand blessing, and to give it in return","content":"

Jacob’s encounter with Esau is not forced upon him; he initiates it, even while knowing the great risk. His message is not an apology, it’s even more extreme- a willing relinquishment of the blessing he stole. The sensitive reader will have noted that the difference between the blessing Jacob receives and the one that Esau receives is the issue of dominion. Who will rule? This was the question that defined their relationship from the womb as a zero-sum game of competition. <\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob sneakily defeated Esau in the battle over the blessings, but now he seems to be handing back the victory. While Isaac had told him “you will be your brothers’ master,” Jacob repeatedly refers to himself as servant and Esau as master, offering him tribute as proof. While Isaac had promised that “your mother’s sons will bow to you”, Jacob and his family bow to Esau. <\/span><\/p>\n

Is Jacob admitting defeat? <\/span><\/p>\n

Just the opposite. After all, in the win-lose dynamic, any victory is always only temporary- along with the promise to Jacob that he will rule always lurks the promise to Esau, that he will overthrow Jacob’s yoke. Every win is the preamble to the next loss. But Jacob has realized that, if he’s willing to pay the price, he can redefine the game as win-win. He can prevent Esau from throwing off his yoke if he willingly removes it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob’s mysterious night-long battle is the testing ground for this approach. His victory is gained not by defeating his adversary, but by reaching a deadlock which allows him to demand blessing, and to give it in return. He walks away limping, but victorious, no longer defined as Jacob, perpetually stuck in the struggle to come out on top, but as Yisrael<\/em>, a prince who defines his own terms of victory.<\/span><\/p>\n

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