It's been a while since I read Dr. Seuss's story "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." I hain't never seen the movies either. So, I'm going off of memory here.
So there was this miserable little creature known as the Grinch. Everybody in Who-ville (did I get that right?) celebrated Christmas every year and had a grand time. But the Grinch didn't like that. So one year he decided that he would steal Christmas. How? By hitching up a sled to his dog (?) and stealing all the presents and trees and lights and decorations in Whoville. Then he'd see how well they celebrated Christmas without the trees and lights and presents and so forth.
Christmas day he woke up to the sound of singing. He couldn't believe it. How could they be singing? They didn't have any toys! There was no tree! No lights! But as he listened to the singing something happened inside him and it is said that his heart grew three times its size that day. And he returned everything he had stolen and even cut the roast beast.
What's the point? Christmas is not about the toys and trees and lights and eggnog and cookies and roast beast and so on and so on. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth who came to save his people from their sins. The hymn "Joy to the World" expresses the idea very well. "Joy to the World, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare him room. And heaven and nature sing; and heaven and nature sing; and heaven and nature sing." How could those in Whoville sing without presents and trees and lights? They had joy. They were expressing their joy for the holiday. A mighty gift has been given to all the people. Should we not be grateful? Should we who have walked in darkness and now seen a great light not be happy? Let there be joy for all of us this holiday season.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Opposites contd
Now there is some question as to whether Isaac really knew which son he was blessing when Jacob came in pretending to be Esau. "Are you really my son Esau?" "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
However, there is no question as to whom Isaac blesses the next two times.
What does Isaac say when he knows for sure it's Esau?
"Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above.
You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck." Gen 27:39-40
What kind of blessing is this? Away from the earth's richness and away from the dew of heaven above? It's the opposite of what he originally intended to give to Esau. Instead of blessing of the heavens and earth, he is away from them. Instead of ruling over his brother, he is servant to him.
Isaac had already blessed Jacob and Jacob had to remain blessed. Esau asked if Isaac had only one blessing. His pitiful cry "bless me too, father!" echos through the ages. And so Isaac answers his eldest son. Although if this is a blessing, I'm not sure what to make of it.
Esau is naturally upset at Jacob supplanting him two times (once with the birthright and now again with the blessing.) And Esau vows to kill Jacob once their father is dead. The rabbis say that Esau wished for his father's death so that he could kill Jacob sooner. There's nothing in the text to support this, but the rabbis go out of their way to villify Esau.
Rebekah, knowing of her son's murderous intent invents another story to have Jacob flee Canaan and go to Haran, to her brother Laban's house.
And so Rebekah blames Esau's wives for her misery and says that Jacob must not marry a Hittite woman. So Isaac sends Jacob away. And before Jacob goes, Isaac gives Jacob another blessing.
And this time, Isaac is sure that it is Jacob, and not Esau. And what does Isaac say?
"May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham." Gen 28:3-4
The blessing of children and the land. The same promise given to Abraham and to Isaac. This is the covenant. This is what Jacob was to get. Notice that when Isaac first gave the blessing to whom he thought was Esau, he didn't mention this at all.
Perhaps Isaac knew that Esau was not the one to inherit the covenant after all.
But oh what misfortune and heartache when parents are at opposite ends of the tent and don't communicate with one another.
Let there be shalom bayit (peace in the home) and blessings on all of us. Amen.
However, there is no question as to whom Isaac blesses the next two times.
What does Isaac say when he knows for sure it's Esau?
"Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above.
You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck." Gen 27:39-40
What kind of blessing is this? Away from the earth's richness and away from the dew of heaven above? It's the opposite of what he originally intended to give to Esau. Instead of blessing of the heavens and earth, he is away from them. Instead of ruling over his brother, he is servant to him.
Isaac had already blessed Jacob and Jacob had to remain blessed. Esau asked if Isaac had only one blessing. His pitiful cry "bless me too, father!" echos through the ages. And so Isaac answers his eldest son. Although if this is a blessing, I'm not sure what to make of it.
Esau is naturally upset at Jacob supplanting him two times (once with the birthright and now again with the blessing.) And Esau vows to kill Jacob once their father is dead. The rabbis say that Esau wished for his father's death so that he could kill Jacob sooner. There's nothing in the text to support this, but the rabbis go out of their way to villify Esau.
Rebekah, knowing of her son's murderous intent invents another story to have Jacob flee Canaan and go to Haran, to her brother Laban's house.
And so Rebekah blames Esau's wives for her misery and says that Jacob must not marry a Hittite woman. So Isaac sends Jacob away. And before Jacob goes, Isaac gives Jacob another blessing.
And this time, Isaac is sure that it is Jacob, and not Esau. And what does Isaac say?
"May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham." Gen 28:3-4
The blessing of children and the land. The same promise given to Abraham and to Isaac. This is the covenant. This is what Jacob was to get. Notice that when Isaac first gave the blessing to whom he thought was Esau, he didn't mention this at all.
Perhaps Isaac knew that Esau was not the one to inherit the covenant after all.
But oh what misfortune and heartache when parents are at opposite ends of the tent and don't communicate with one another.
Let there be shalom bayit (peace in the home) and blessings on all of us. Amen.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Opposites cont'd
Opposition between Isaac and Rebekah is perhaps best illustrated in the story of Jacob stealing the blessing. The story is recorded in Genesis chapter 27. I'm using the NKJV, but feel free to follow along in whatever version you like best. :) Genesis, chapter 27, starting at verse 1.
Now it came to pass when Isaac was old- How old? Good question. I don't know off the top of my head. I know that Isaac was 60 when his sons were born. (Gen 25:26) And Genesis 26 ends with Esau taking as wives daughters of the Hittites when he was 40, which would make Isaac 100 by that time. I just don't know how much time elapsed between the end of Genesis 26 and the beginning of Genesis 27. All we can say with certainty was that Isaac was at least 100 years old. Yeah, I'd say that qualifies as old.
and his eyes were so dim that he could not see-Isaac was blind. What caused this blindness? We are not told. When did he become blind? We don't know. The rabbis speculate that Isaac's blindness was caused by the incense that Esau's wives burned for their pagan gods and idols. Let me be clear, that's all speculation. But, be that as it may that's not all that important. Isaac's blindness is mentioned because of what follows.
Isaac then called his firstborn son, Esau. And he said, "my son." And Esau said, "here I am."
Hineni (in Hebrew). This is an appropriate response, but it's sometimes followed by a difficult test. Abraham said hineni and was told to sacrifice his son. Joseph said hineni and went to find his brothers and was thrown into a pit and then sold into slavery. If you say hineni, be ready to be tested.
Why did Isaac call Esau? “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. 4 And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” (Gen 27:2-4)
How old? Again, we don't know for certain. Isaac was at least 100. Perhaps we can narrow it down still further. I'm jumping ahead quite a bit here, but we know that Jacob spent twenty years in Laban's service after this incident and then returned home. And then he buried his father. And Isaac died at the age of 180. So, Isaac was somewhere between 100 and 160 years old at this time. None of us know the day of our death. But the older we get, the closer we feel it coming. Isaac wanted to bestow his blessing on Esau before Isaac died. Now, Isaac lived for another 80 years (at least), but he had no way of knowing that. Isaac loved the taste of meat. He may have been thinking of having a last meal before he passed on the blessing and died.
Notice that Isaac says "that my soul may bless you before I die." This is an important detail.
Where was Rebekah while this was going on? Where was Jacob? Isaac said, 'my son.' Didn't he have two sons? Wherever Jacob was, he didn't come when Isaac said, 'my son.' Rebekah heard the exchange between Isaac and Esau however.
And Rebekah went and spoke to Jacob. And listen carefully to what she says Isaac said.
“Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, 7 ‘Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.’ Gen 27:6-7
Is that what Isaac really said? Isaac told Esau to go hunt some game and make him some savory food such as he loves and bring it to him that his soul may bless Esau. What does Rebekah do? She adds that Isaac said "bless you in the presence of the Lord." Why? Didn't Isaac and Rebekah talk to each other? Rebekah knew that Jacob was the one to inherit the covenant, not Esau. Did she convey this to Isaac? Did she try and he not hearken? Did she think that Isaac was going to bestow the blessing of the covenant upon Esau? Is that why she added "in the presence of the Lord?" And what was Isaac's motivation? Did he intend to bestow the covenantal blessing on Esau? He never said as such. But see, this is where conflict arises. Without open communication, we have people working at cross purposes.
Rebekah, fearful that Esau would get the covenantal blessing and not Jacob, persuades Jacob to disguise himself as Esau and get the blessing from Isaac. Jacob protests but is finally convinced. And he goes before his blind father and in effect steals the blessing intended for Esau.
What was this blessing?
“ Surely, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a field
Which the LORD has blessed.
28 Therefore may God give you
Of the dew of heaven,
Of the fatness of the earth,
And plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you.
Be master over your brethren,
And let your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you,
And blessed be those who bless you!”
Gen 27:27-29
What is the blessing? Riches and power. "The dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine." The first part of the blessing intended for Esau was that he should never suffer want. He should always have plenty. The second part is political and military power. "Let peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren and let your mother's sons bow down to you." Isaac intends to give Esau power over his brothers. But didn't the prophecy from the Lord to Rebekah say that the older shall serve the younger? What's going on here? This appears to be opposite what God told Rebekah. Perhaps Rebekah knew Isaac would say something like this and thus urged Jacob to receive this blessing instead of Esau in order to fulfill the prophecy. And lastly, we have an echo of God's call to Abram in Genesis 12.
Interesting! Here we have Isaac intending to say to Esau what God said to Abram! Whoever blesses you will be blessed, whoever curses you will be cursed! Except this is not to Jacob but Esau! Be careful whom you bless and curse. Isaac is saying that whoever blesses Esau will be blessed and whoever curses Esau will be cursed. And yet throughout the centuries, Esau (aka Edom) has been cursed. Edom was synonymous with Rome during the Roman occupation of Canaan. All the horrible things that could be said about Rome, without actually using the word "Rome" were said about Edom. Wow. Has the curse been nullified because it was Jacob and not Esau who in fact who received the blessing? So when Isaac said whoever blesses you will be blessed and whoever curses you will be cursed transferred to Jacob instead of Esau? I don't know. It makes my head spin though. :)
To be continued...
Now it came to pass when Isaac was old- How old? Good question. I don't know off the top of my head. I know that Isaac was 60 when his sons were born. (Gen 25:26) And Genesis 26 ends with Esau taking as wives daughters of the Hittites when he was 40, which would make Isaac 100 by that time. I just don't know how much time elapsed between the end of Genesis 26 and the beginning of Genesis 27. All we can say with certainty was that Isaac was at least 100 years old. Yeah, I'd say that qualifies as old.
and his eyes were so dim that he could not see-Isaac was blind. What caused this blindness? We are not told. When did he become blind? We don't know. The rabbis speculate that Isaac's blindness was caused by the incense that Esau's wives burned for their pagan gods and idols. Let me be clear, that's all speculation. But, be that as it may that's not all that important. Isaac's blindness is mentioned because of what follows.
Isaac then called his firstborn son, Esau. And he said, "my son." And Esau said, "here I am."
Hineni (in Hebrew). This is an appropriate response, but it's sometimes followed by a difficult test. Abraham said hineni and was told to sacrifice his son. Joseph said hineni and went to find his brothers and was thrown into a pit and then sold into slavery. If you say hineni, be ready to be tested.
Why did Isaac call Esau? “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. 4 And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” (Gen 27:2-4)
How old? Again, we don't know for certain. Isaac was at least 100. Perhaps we can narrow it down still further. I'm jumping ahead quite a bit here, but we know that Jacob spent twenty years in Laban's service after this incident and then returned home. And then he buried his father. And Isaac died at the age of 180. So, Isaac was somewhere between 100 and 160 years old at this time. None of us know the day of our death. But the older we get, the closer we feel it coming. Isaac wanted to bestow his blessing on Esau before Isaac died. Now, Isaac lived for another 80 years (at least), but he had no way of knowing that. Isaac loved the taste of meat. He may have been thinking of having a last meal before he passed on the blessing and died.
Notice that Isaac says "that my soul may bless you before I die." This is an important detail.
Where was Rebekah while this was going on? Where was Jacob? Isaac said, 'my son.' Didn't he have two sons? Wherever Jacob was, he didn't come when Isaac said, 'my son.' Rebekah heard the exchange between Isaac and Esau however.
And Rebekah went and spoke to Jacob. And listen carefully to what she says Isaac said.
“Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, 7 ‘Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.’ Gen 27:6-7
Is that what Isaac really said? Isaac told Esau to go hunt some game and make him some savory food such as he loves and bring it to him that his soul may bless Esau. What does Rebekah do? She adds that Isaac said "bless you in the presence of the Lord." Why? Didn't Isaac and Rebekah talk to each other? Rebekah knew that Jacob was the one to inherit the covenant, not Esau. Did she convey this to Isaac? Did she try and he not hearken? Did she think that Isaac was going to bestow the blessing of the covenant upon Esau? Is that why she added "in the presence of the Lord?" And what was Isaac's motivation? Did he intend to bestow the covenantal blessing on Esau? He never said as such. But see, this is where conflict arises. Without open communication, we have people working at cross purposes.
Rebekah, fearful that Esau would get the covenantal blessing and not Jacob, persuades Jacob to disguise himself as Esau and get the blessing from Isaac. Jacob protests but is finally convinced. And he goes before his blind father and in effect steals the blessing intended for Esau.
What was this blessing?
“ Surely, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a field
Which the LORD has blessed.
28 Therefore may God give you
Of the dew of heaven,
Of the fatness of the earth,
And plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you.
Be master over your brethren,
And let your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you,
And blessed be those who bless you!”
Gen 27:27-29
What is the blessing? Riches and power. "The dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine." The first part of the blessing intended for Esau was that he should never suffer want. He should always have plenty. The second part is political and military power. "Let peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren and let your mother's sons bow down to you." Isaac intends to give Esau power over his brothers. But didn't the prophecy from the Lord to Rebekah say that the older shall serve the younger? What's going on here? This appears to be opposite what God told Rebekah. Perhaps Rebekah knew Isaac would say something like this and thus urged Jacob to receive this blessing instead of Esau in order to fulfill the prophecy. And lastly, we have an echo of God's call to Abram in Genesis 12.
Interesting! Here we have Isaac intending to say to Esau what God said to Abram! Whoever blesses you will be blessed, whoever curses you will be cursed! Except this is not to Jacob but Esau! Be careful whom you bless and curse. Isaac is saying that whoever blesses Esau will be blessed and whoever curses Esau will be cursed. And yet throughout the centuries, Esau (aka Edom) has been cursed. Edom was synonymous with Rome during the Roman occupation of Canaan. All the horrible things that could be said about Rome, without actually using the word "Rome" were said about Edom. Wow. Has the curse been nullified because it was Jacob and not Esau who in fact who received the blessing? So when Isaac said whoever blesses you will be blessed and whoever curses you will be cursed transferred to Jacob instead of Esau? I don't know. It makes my head spin though. :)
To be continued...
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Opposites
va'ye'itar yitzhak l'Adonai l'nochah ishto ki akarah hee And Isaac prayed to (entreated) the Lord opposite his wife for she was a barren woman. Gen 25:21 (Emphasis added)
This word, l'nochah, is usually translated as "for" or "on behalf of." Isaac prayed, certainly. Did not Rebekah pray? Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzhak) says the use of the word "opposite" means Isaac prayed in one corner and Rebekah prayed in another. I wonder, did they face each other? Did they pray together? Why use the word for opposite?
Is there a sense of conflict perhaps? Maybe things were not so good at home? Let's consider this word opposite.
When God decided to create woman, He said that he would make an ezer kenegdo (fitting helper) for man. ezer-help. kenegdo-fitting. But kenegdo also has another connotation, that of opposition. If a man is worthy, his wife will be a help to him (Proverbs 31). If a man his unworthy, his wife will be in opposition (kenegdo) to him. For Isaac to be opposite his wife suggests that the two were in opposition to one another. Was Isaac unworthy? We don't know. Did they talk to each other?
Isaac prays to God. God hearkens to Isaac's prayer. And Rebekah conceived. The children struggled in her womb and Rebekah went to inquire of the Lord. Did Isaac go with her? It is Rebekah who hears the Lord. Where was Isaac? Rebekah is given the prenatal vision that the older would serve the younger. 25:23. Did she convey this prophecy to Isaac? If so, why did she have Jacob go through the ruse of pretending to be Esau? If Rebekah knew that Jacob was the one to inherit the covenant and not Esau, wouldn't she have said as such to Isaac? Maybe she did and he didn't hearken unto her. Unlike his father Abraham, Isaac did not hearken unto the voice of his wife. This would make sense with the use of the word "opposite."
Yes, Isaac loved Rebekah. But how long did that love last? Twenty years is a long time to wait for children. And after the children were born, Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob. Did they not love both sons? Hard to say. But I think that preference for one over the other was clearly shown. Did they speak to each other about this?
To be continued...
This word, l'nochah, is usually translated as "for" or "on behalf of." Isaac prayed, certainly. Did not Rebekah pray? Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzhak) says the use of the word "opposite" means Isaac prayed in one corner and Rebekah prayed in another. I wonder, did they face each other? Did they pray together? Why use the word for opposite?
Is there a sense of conflict perhaps? Maybe things were not so good at home? Let's consider this word opposite.
When God decided to create woman, He said that he would make an ezer kenegdo (fitting helper) for man. ezer-help. kenegdo-fitting. But kenegdo also has another connotation, that of opposition. If a man is worthy, his wife will be a help to him (Proverbs 31). If a man his unworthy, his wife will be in opposition (kenegdo) to him. For Isaac to be opposite his wife suggests that the two were in opposition to one another. Was Isaac unworthy? We don't know. Did they talk to each other?
Isaac prays to God. God hearkens to Isaac's prayer. And Rebekah conceived. The children struggled in her womb and Rebekah went to inquire of the Lord. Did Isaac go with her? It is Rebekah who hears the Lord. Where was Isaac? Rebekah is given the prenatal vision that the older would serve the younger. 25:23. Did she convey this prophecy to Isaac? If so, why did she have Jacob go through the ruse of pretending to be Esau? If Rebekah knew that Jacob was the one to inherit the covenant and not Esau, wouldn't she have said as such to Isaac? Maybe she did and he didn't hearken unto her. Unlike his father Abraham, Isaac did not hearken unto the voice of his wife. This would make sense with the use of the word "opposite."
Yes, Isaac loved Rebekah. But how long did that love last? Twenty years is a long time to wait for children. And after the children were born, Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob. Did they not love both sons? Hard to say. But I think that preference for one over the other was clearly shown. Did they speak to each other about this?
To be continued...
Monday, December 1, 2008
The generations of Isaac
This is the account of Abraham's son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac. Genesis 25:19 (NIV-Nearly Infallible Version ;) )
In Hebrew, "V'eleh toledot Yitzhak ben Avraham. Avraham holid et-Yitzhak" And these are the generations of Isaac, son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac.
Well, this is one instance where the NIV is fallible. And the NIV is not alone in its interesting translation of the Hebrew. Some translations take the word 'toledot' to mean 'line' or 'account' or 'records' or 'history'. Go with 'generations.' This word is significant in Genesis. Ten times this word is used in Genesis. It would not be a bad idea to think of Genesis as a record of generations. The generations of heaven and earth (2:4). The generations of Adam (5:1). The generations of Noah (6:9). The generations of the sons of Noah (10:1). The generations of Shem (11:10). The generations of Terah (11:27). The generations of Ishmael (25:12). The generations of Isaac (25:19). The generations of Esau (36:1, 9). The generations of Jacob (37:2).
A generation links the present with the past and the future. More than an accounting of who fathered whom, a generation encompasses people's lives. Father to son, mother to daughter, grandparent to grandchild. You might expect the generations of Isaaac to be about Isaac. Yet Isaac is almost lost among the stories concerning his famous father and famous sons. Yet of the three Patriarchs, he lived the longest (180 years)remained monogamous his entire life, and did not go down to Egypt. Isaac stayed in the land. Isaac was blessed by God abundantly and God made a covenant with him as well. Be that as it may, Isaac's story cannot be separated from his father or his sons.
From the beginning of this parsha, we are reminded again of Abraham. Isaac is first identified as the son of Abraham. Why then say Abraham begat Isaac? Isn't that redundant or at least obvious?
Well, yes and no. If Isaac is the son of Abraham, it stands to reason that Abraham begat Isaac. The Bible is known for economy of language. So when a detail is repeated it is
important to note it and examine it. So let us examine the text closely, you and I.
Firstly, just because a man is someone's son, doesn't necessarily mean that he is the birth son of his father. I am adopted. My father is not my birth father, but my adoptive father. I will give you another example-spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham-those of faith-are not necessarily of Abraham's bloodline but he is still their father.
Secondly, like begets like. Humans beget human children. Cows beget cows. Horses beget horses. Sheep beget sheep. Apple trees beget apple trees. Sunflowers beget sunflowers. God made each species according to its kind. Gen 1:11, 12, 21, 24.
So, Abraham begat Isaac in Abraham's own image. Some of Abraham's character passed on to his son. Abraham dug wells; Isaac redug his father's wells. Abraham passed off his wife as his sister; Isaac passed off Rebekah as his sister. God talked to Abraham. God talked to Isaac. Both prayed to God. Now, Isaac was also his own person and did not do everything Abraham did. Isaac did not go down into Egypt. Isaac did not have sex with a concubine in order to give a child to his wife. Isaac did not banish one son and bind the other. Isaac remained monogamous his entire life. And Isaac lived the longest of the three patriarchs.
Isaac is an important link in the generations of Israel. More of Genesis is devoted to Abraham and to Jacob than to Isaac. Yet without Isaac, we don't get to Jacob. Isaac is like an anchor. He remains rooted in the land of Canaan. Abraham heard the call lech lecha and was on the more a great deal. Jacob moved a great deal as well. Jacob went from Canaan to Haran to Shechem to Egypt. Isaac remained grounded-literally and figuratively.
When life's ebbs and flows come our way and we feel pulled in several different directions at once, may we be blessed to remain grounded as Isaac was. May we be firm in our faith. Though we may tremble, so long as we stand on solid rock, whatever winds and rains may come our way, we shall not be moved.
In Hebrew, "V'eleh toledot Yitzhak ben Avraham. Avraham holid et-Yitzhak" And these are the generations of Isaac, son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac.
Well, this is one instance where the NIV is fallible. And the NIV is not alone in its interesting translation of the Hebrew. Some translations take the word 'toledot' to mean 'line' or 'account' or 'records' or 'history'. Go with 'generations.' This word is significant in Genesis. Ten times this word is used in Genesis. It would not be a bad idea to think of Genesis as a record of generations. The generations of heaven and earth (2:4). The generations of Adam (5:1). The generations of Noah (6:9). The generations of the sons of Noah (10:1). The generations of Shem (11:10). The generations of Terah (11:27). The generations of Ishmael (25:12). The generations of Isaac (25:19). The generations of Esau (36:1, 9). The generations of Jacob (37:2).
A generation links the present with the past and the future. More than an accounting of who fathered whom, a generation encompasses people's lives. Father to son, mother to daughter, grandparent to grandchild. You might expect the generations of Isaaac to be about Isaac. Yet Isaac is almost lost among the stories concerning his famous father and famous sons. Yet of the three Patriarchs, he lived the longest (180 years)remained monogamous his entire life, and did not go down to Egypt. Isaac stayed in the land. Isaac was blessed by God abundantly and God made a covenant with him as well. Be that as it may, Isaac's story cannot be separated from his father or his sons.
From the beginning of this parsha, we are reminded again of Abraham. Isaac is first identified as the son of Abraham. Why then say Abraham begat Isaac? Isn't that redundant or at least obvious?
Well, yes and no. If Isaac is the son of Abraham, it stands to reason that Abraham begat Isaac. The Bible is known for economy of language. So when a detail is repeated it is
important to note it and examine it. So let us examine the text closely, you and I.
Firstly, just because a man is someone's son, doesn't necessarily mean that he is the birth son of his father. I am adopted. My father is not my birth father, but my adoptive father. I will give you another example-spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham-those of faith-are not necessarily of Abraham's bloodline but he is still their father.
Secondly, like begets like. Humans beget human children. Cows beget cows. Horses beget horses. Sheep beget sheep. Apple trees beget apple trees. Sunflowers beget sunflowers. God made each species according to its kind. Gen 1:11, 12, 21, 24.
So, Abraham begat Isaac in Abraham's own image. Some of Abraham's character passed on to his son. Abraham dug wells; Isaac redug his father's wells. Abraham passed off his wife as his sister; Isaac passed off Rebekah as his sister. God talked to Abraham. God talked to Isaac. Both prayed to God. Now, Isaac was also his own person and did not do everything Abraham did. Isaac did not go down into Egypt. Isaac did not have sex with a concubine in order to give a child to his wife. Isaac did not banish one son and bind the other. Isaac remained monogamous his entire life. And Isaac lived the longest of the three patriarchs.
Isaac is an important link in the generations of Israel. More of Genesis is devoted to Abraham and to Jacob than to Isaac. Yet without Isaac, we don't get to Jacob. Isaac is like an anchor. He remains rooted in the land of Canaan. Abraham heard the call lech lecha and was on the more a great deal. Jacob moved a great deal as well. Jacob went from Canaan to Haran to Shechem to Egypt. Isaac remained grounded-literally and figuratively.
When life's ebbs and flows come our way and we feel pulled in several different directions at once, may we be blessed to remain grounded as Isaac was. May we be firm in our faith. Though we may tremble, so long as we stand on solid rock, whatever winds and rains may come our way, we shall not be moved.
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