{"id":38757,"date":"2018-08-27T07:15:13","date_gmt":"2018-08-27T04:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=38757"},"modified":"2022-03-21T17:14:47","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T15:14:47","slug":"jacob-and-esau-a-fractured-reunion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/jacob-and-esau-a-fractured-reunion\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacob and Esau: A Fractured Reunion"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jacob and Esau were riven by a hatred of such intensity that there appeared no possibility of resolution. Esau’s last recorded thought was murderous, <\/span>And Esau hated Jacob \u2026And Esau said to himself: ‘when the days of mourning for my father arrive I will kill my brother Jacob\u2019<\/span><\/em> (27:41) However, after decades of separation the brothers were about to reunite. Perhaps there was hope.<\/span><\/p>\n

Envoys sent by Jacob return and report, <\/span>we came to your brother Esau, and he is also coming to meet you, and four hundred men accompany him<\/span><\/em> (32:7). What the size of Esau’s entourage meant, just four Hebrew words, was fraught with ambiguity. David Kimhi, siding with Rashi, interprets it ominously, as a mobilized army, a sign of Esau\u2019s lingering hatred. Conversely, Rashbam, Rashi’s grandson, argues that its plain sense (<\/span>peshat<\/span><\/em>) connotes a reformed loving Esau, who, assembled an impressive delegation to greet Jacob much like honour guards greeting visiting dignitaries. Blinded to its deferential intent according to Rashbam, Jacob, anticipating combat, defensively divided his camp.<\/span><\/p>\n

Contrasting perceptions ensue, suggested by the phrase <\/span>raising of the eyes<\/span><\/em>,<\/em> conveying internal as well as visual observations. Jacob <\/span>raised his eyes<\/span><\/em> sighting <\/span>Esau approaching with his four hundred men<\/span><\/em>, (33:1) corroborating the threat perceived previously. Jacob reacted aligning his family in order of increasing endearment, the older wife and children frontally exposed, the youngest shielded in the rear. <\/span><\/p>\n

Esau emotionally rushed to embrace and kiss Jacob. Rapprochement was imminent. Esau, then <\/span>raising his eyes<\/span><\/em> saw Jacob\u2019s extended family and considerately inquired <\/span>Who are these with you<\/em> <\/span>(33:5). Yet, after being introduced Esau oddly repeated the question, puzzling all the commentators, <\/span>who is this camp with you that I just met<\/em> <\/span>(33:8)., The family\u2019s strategic array alerted Esau to Jacob\u2019s misguided suspicions. Offended, Esau\u2019s second question rhetorically addressed Jacob\u2019s distrust – what is the <\/span>meaning<\/em> <\/span>of your camp\u2019s arrangement? It also reminded Esau that Jacob was still up to his old tricks, willing to sacrifice older family members for the sake of the younger.<\/span><\/p>\n

The opportunity for reconciliation was squandered. Heartbreakingly they depart estranged, going their separate ways. <\/span>Esau returned that day on his way to Seir And Jacob journeyed to Succoth<\/span><\/em>, <\/span><\/i>never to see each other again except, as is often the case in fragmented families, at a parent\u2019s funeral: <\/span>And Isaac died, … and Esau and Jacob his sons buried him<\/em> <\/span>(35:29)<\/span>.<\/span><\/i> History is stained with the carnage of conflicts provoked and sustained by miscommunications and misperceptions.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":false,"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Jacob and Esau: A Fractured Reunion","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"Esau saw that Jacob was still up to his old tricks, willing to sacrifice older family members for the sake of the younger, and the opportunity for reconciliation was squandered","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":false,"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"old_create_date":"","links":false,"send_noty":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38757"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38757"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103244,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38757\/revisions\/103244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}