{"id":39036,"date":"2018-09-01T23:32:06","date_gmt":"2018-09-01T20:32:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=39036"},"modified":"2022-03-27T20:23:49","modified_gmt":"2022-03-27T17:23:49","slug":"esau-the-peacemaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/esau-the-peacemaker\/","title":{"rendered":"Esau the Peacemaker?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Of all the characters of the book of Genesis, Esau is the one with the worst reputation. He seems violent. He seems overly emotional and overbearing. He hunts (which in the Jewish world is not a great thing), and although favored by his father, he is certainly not the cherished one of his mother. Esau famously cries: \u201cFather, don’t you have a blessing for me!?\u201d So what are we to make of this chapter\u2019s little tidbit about Esau and what looks like restraint and greatness of character?<\/span><\/p>\n

We are told (v. 6) the land isn’t big enough for Esau and for his brother, Jacob \u201cfor their possessions were too many for them to dwell together in the land where they sojourned could not support them because of the livestock.\u201d At the end of that observation, without any real fanfare, the Torah just lets out (v. 8) that \u201cEsau settled in the hill country of Seir.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What’s going on here? Why would he make this unusual choice for a man who is supposedly a bully and a warrior? Maybe his life experiences taught him something? \u00a0Maybe he realized that it takes real strength to walk away from conflict, that the measure of a person’s character is not their bluster or their aggression, but is to be found in their ability to remain in self-control and to look out for those they love. Esau, with a large family, multiple wives, a horde of children, is that rare biblical figure: there is not a single word of conflict between any of his wives or children. <\/span><\/p>\n

Apparently, Esau and his clan have figured out a path to living together peacefully. So he is the one who, without even a conversation about not getting along, realizes that he and his brother\u2019s clan would do better if they lived next to each other rather than in constant friction. Yet again, the Biblical insight emerges from the person you would least expect it to. Yet again, the Torah slips in its elevation of peace as the highest ideal. <\/span><\/p>\n

There’s a lesson there for us today, isn’t there?<\/span><\/p>\n

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