Dont let your anger get the best of you!
This weeks reading from Parashat Toledot (Bereshit / Genesis 25:19-28:9) Jacob first steals Esau’s birthright in Bereshit / Genesis 25:29-31: כט וַיָּזֶד יַעֲקֹב נָזִיד וַיָּבֹא עֵשָֹו מִן-הַשָּׂדֶה וְהוּא עָיֵף: ל וַיֹּאמֶר עֵשָֹו אֶל-יַעֲקֹב הַלְעִיטֵנִי נָא מִן-הָאָדֹם הָאָדֹם הַזֶּה כִּי עָיֵף אָנֹכִי עַל-כֵּן קָרָא-שְׁמוֹ אֱדוֹם: לא וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב מִכְרָה כַיּוֹם אֶת-בְּכֹרָתְךָ לִי: 25:29 When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; 25:30 and Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.’ Therefore his name was called Edom. 25:31 But Jacob said, ‘First sell me your birthright.’ (NASB) Then Jacob steals Esau’s covenant blessing at the advise of his mother Rebecca in Bereshit / Genesis 27:6-8 ו וְרִבְקָה אָמְרָה אֶל-יַעֲקֹב בְּנָהּ לֵאמֹר הִנֵּה שָׁמַעְתִּי אֶת-אָבִיךָ מְדַבֵּר אֶל-עֵשָֹו אָחִיךָ לֵאמֹר: ז הָבִיאָה לִּי צַיִד וַעֲשֵֹה-לִי מַטְעַמִּים וְאֹכֵלָה וַאֲבָרֶכְכָה לִפְנֵי יְהוָֹה לִפְנֵי מוֹתִי: ח וְעַתָּה בְנִי שְׁמַע בְּקֹלִי לַאֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מְצַוָּה אֹתָךְ: 27:6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, ‘Behold, I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, saying, 27:7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare a savory dish for me, that I may eat, and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’ 27:8 ‘Now therefore, my son, listen to me as I command you. (NASB) As a result of these things Esau became very angry. In his anger he disobeyed his parents and violated the command of God all at the same time by marrying daughters from Canaan according to the following Scriptures.
כתבי הקודש / The Holy Scriptures
ספר בראשית פרק כח
ו וַיַּרְא עֵשָֹו כִּי-בֵרַךְ יִצְחָק אֶת-יַעֲקֹב וְשִׁלַּח אֹתוֹ פַּדֶּנָה אֲרָם לָקַחַת-לוֹ מִשָּׁם אִשָּׁה בְּבָרֲכוֹ אֹתוֹ וַיְצַו עָלָיו לֵאמֹר לֹא-תִקַּח אִשָּׁה מִבְּנוֹת כְּנָעַן: [מפטיר] ז וַיִּשְׁמַע יַעֲקֹב אֶל-אָבִיו וְאֶל-אִמּוֹ וַיֵּלֶךְ פַּדֶּנָה אֲרָם: ח וַיַּרְא עֵשָֹו כִּי רָעוֹת בְּנוֹת כְּנָעַן בְּעֵינֵי יִצְחָק אָבִיו: ט וַיֵּלֶךְ עֵשָֹו אֶל-יִשְׁמָעֵאל וַיִּקַּח אֶת-מַחֲלַת | בַּת-יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן-אַבְרָהָם אֲחוֹת נְבָיוֹת עַל-נָשָׁיו לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה:
Bereshit / Genesis 28:6-9
28:6 Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take to himself a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he charged him, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,’ 28:7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Paddan-aram. 28:8 So Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan displeased his father Isaac; 28:9 and Esau went to Ishmael, and married, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth. (NASB)
Esau saw all that Jacob had done and what Isaac had said to Jacob about the women of the land of Canaan. In his anger he took from the daughters of Canaan because this despleased his father Isaac. When we become angry, in the height of our emotions, it is very easy to do things that we dont really want to and then disobey the Lord. Yeshua said in Matthew 5:43-48:
Matthew 5:43-48
5:43 ‘You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 5:44 ‘But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 5:45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 5:46 ‘For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 5:47 ‘If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 5:48 ‘Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (NASB)
When dealing with others, especially when we think things are not fair, we need to keep Yeshua’s words in mind and do what is right. In this we will be perfect, as our heavenly Father who is in Heaven is perfect and we would be living according to God’s will. Read more here: BTT_Parashat Toledot-2012
