Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

“We came into the world like brother and brother;
And now let’s go hand in hand, not one before another.”
– William Shakespeare

Before Rivkah (Rebecca) gives birth to her twin sons, Ya’akov (Jacob) and Eisav (Esau), she is told: “VeRav Ya’avod Tsa’ir”, which is usually translated as “the older one”/rav, being Eisav “will serve the younger one”/tsa’ir, being Ya’akov.

This prophecy is often presented as justification for Ya’akov’s bilking the birthright from his famished brother, for a bowl of stew, and then in guile securing the blessing of the first born from his father. When Yitschak then blesses Ya’akov by saying “You shall be master over your brothers” he is understood to be acting in accordance with the divine plan communicated to his wife, Rivkah (Rebecca). Eisav is then told, when asking for a blessing of his own, “you shall serve your brother”.

Within the context of this parashah, in which the younger supplants the older, the words of the divine oracle are beginning to be fulfilled.

Yet, these words “VeRav Ya’avod Tsa’ir”, can also be read as “the older will the younger serve”. Despite the blessing given to Ya’akov, and the wishful thinking of his mother, who partnered with her son Ya’akov in duping Yitschak, her husband, Ya’akov had to live in fear of his powerful brother, a “hunter”, from whom he runs away, fearing retaliation for stealing the blessing of the firstborn.

“Rav” may also connote the more powerful or greater in number and tsa’ir the more diminutive in size and military might. This blessing, therefore, may be understood as a national promise, relating to the descendants of the two brothers and not the brothers themselves.

We are left then with the possibility that either brother or people may serve or dominate the other.

In this perhaps purposely ambiguous or multi-valent promise, the parashah might be suggesting that, like twins, our lives are always interconnected with others and what we wish for ourselves should be no more or less than what we wish for our fellow.

When, many years later he does finally see his brother, Eisav, again, Yitschak says to him: “Please take my blessing which has been brought to you”.

True blessings are of brotherhood, the Torah is teaching us, rather than of servitude.