Jacob and the Blessings

Transcription

1 READING HEBREW

2 Jacob and the Blessings

3 IN THIS LECTURE: 1. Reading from the Torah 2. Reading from the Siddur 3. Reading from the Dead Sea Scrolls

4 Words of the Week Look for these words while reading year. (noun) a - ש נ ה (noun) a boy, a young - נ ע ר male. (verb) to love, to favor - א ה ב or prefer, to long for, to desire. present, (verb) to give, to - נ ת ן to offer, to set, to put, to appoint. people, (noun) - ע ם inhabitants, citizens. (verb) to bow, to fall - ש ח ה prostrate, to pay homage, to worship. (verb) to curse, to - א ר ר abhor, to detest, to restrict, to do harm. assembly, (noun) - ק ה ל gathering, congregation. messenger, (noun) - מ ל א ך agent, angel.

5 Reading Torah

6 ו י ג ד ל ו ה נ ע ר ים ו י ה י ע ש ו א יש י ד ע צ י ד א יש ש ד ה ו י ע ק ב א יש ת ם י ש ב א ה ל ים When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the outdoors; but Jacob was a mild man who stayed in camp. (Gen. 25:27)

7 ו י א ה ב י צ ח ק א ת ע ש ו כ י צ י ד ב פ יו ו ר ב ק ה א ת י ע ק ב א ה ב ת Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for game, but Rebekkah loved Jacob (Gen 25:28).

8 ו י אמ ר ע ש ו א ל י ע ק ב ה ל ע יט נ י נ א מ ן ה א ד ם ה א ד ם ה ז ה כ י ע י ף א נ כ י ע ל כ ן ק ר א ש מ ו א ד ום And Esau said to Jacob, Give me some of that red stuff to gulp down, for I am famished which is why he was named Edom. (Gen. 25:30)

9 ו י אמ ר י ע ק ב מ כ ר ה כ י ום א ת ב כ ר ת ך ל י Jacob said, First sell me your birthright. (Gen. 25:31)

10 The text is clear that Jacob, seeing his older brother s weakness takes advantage of his hunger. He demands that Esau מ כ ר ה כ י ום א ת ב כ ר ת ך should (mikra chayom et ל י bchoratcha li) sell him his right of firstborn right that very day This incident set other tricks into motion. Jacob went along with deceiving his father to give Esau s blessing to him.

11 Jacob brought and served special food to his father. Isaac beckoned Jacob to draw near and kiss him. Upon smelling the clothing of Esau, blind Isaac was mistakenly convinced that before him there stood his favorite son Esau. So Isaac announced the blessing prepared for Esau and Jacob listened.

12 We read the exact text of the blessing stolen by Jacob in Genesis 27:28-29: ו י ת ן ל ך ה א לה ים מ ט ל ה ש מ י ם ומ ש מ נ י ה א ר ץ ו ר ב ד ג ן ו ת יר ש May God give you of the dew of heaven and the fat of the earth, abundance of new grain and wine. (Gen. 27:28)

13 The basic idea in the blessing here is that Jacob will not have to work hard in his livelihood. The earth and the heavens will work for him instead. All that he would see is the fruit of the earth as it is symbolized in this text by grain and wine. He will be rich beyond belief and would not have to work for it all very hard.

14 ו י ע ב ד ו ך ע מ ים ו י ש ת ח ו ל ך ל א מ ים ה ו ה ג ב יר ל א ח י ך י ש ת ח ו ו ל ך ב נ י א מ ך Let peoples serve you, and nations bow to you; Be master over your brothers, and let your mother s sons bow to you. (Gen. 27:29)

15 Contrary to the stolen blessing Jacob worked hard for everything he had in his life. Another part of the blessing is that Jacob will be blessed with enormous power and authority. The nations around Jacob will become his slaves, they will pay homage to his great rule. That did not really come true either because it was meant for Esau.

16 Another part of this stolen blessing said: א ר ור א ר ר י ך ומ ב ר כ י ך ב ר ו ך Cursed be they who curse you, blessed they who bless you. (Gen 27:29)

17 How helpful were these stolen blessings to Jacob? Laban abused Jacob since he had no means and practically enslaved him for fourteen years of his life. All this was done through trickery and yet no terrible harm came to Laban (as far as we know).

18 ו א ל ש ד י י ב ר ך א ת ך ו י פ ר ך ו י ר ב ך ו ה י ית ע מ ים ל ק ה ל May El Shaddai bless you, make you fertile and numerous, so that you become an assembly of peoples. (Gen. 28:3) In contrast all of these words (meant for Jacob) came to full fruition. They promised Jacob that God the Provider will grant him large offspring and they will have their own Land.

19 While Jacob slept he saw a dream: ו ה נ ה ס ל ם מ צ ב א ר צ ה ו ר אש ו מ ג יע ה ש מ י מ ה מ ל א כ י ו ה נ ה א לה ים ע ל ים ו י ר ד ים בו a stairway was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky, and angels of God were going up and down on it. (Gen. 28:12)

20 ו ה נ ה יהוה נ צ ב ע ל יו ו י אמ ר א נ י יהוה א לה י א ב ר ה ם א ב י ך ו א לה י י צ ח ק ה א ר ץ א ש ר א ת ה ש כ ב ע ל יה ל ך ול ז ר ע ך א ת נ נ ה And the LORD was standing beside him and He said, I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac: the ground on which you are lying I will assign to you and to your offspring. (Gen 28:13)

21 ו ה י ה ז ר ע ך כ ע פ ר ה א ר ץ ופ ר צ ת י מ ה ו ק ד מ ה ו צ פ נ ה ו נ ג ב ה ו נ ב ר כ ו ב ך כ ל מ ש פ ח ת וב ז ר ע ך ה א ד מ ה Your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you and your descendants. (Gen 28:14)

22 Reading Siddur

23 ב ר ך ע ל ינ ו יהוה א לה ינ ו ה ש נ ה א ת ה ז את ו א ת כ ל מ ינ י ת ב וא ת ה ל ט וב ה Bless on our behalf, LORD our God, this year all of its kinds of crops for the best (from Amidah)

24 Reading Dead Sea Scrolls

25 ל ק ר א ש נ ת ר צ ון ל יהוה ו י ום נ ק ם ל נ ח ם כ ל א ב ל ים ל א לה ינ ו to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, (Is 61:2)

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