Toldot
Genesis 25:19-28:9
Tol'dot--Humble Calling or Calling that Humbles?
Rabbi Jeffrey Feinberg, Congregation Etz Chaim,
Tol'dot--translated generations, offspring [
will (whether we want it or not). Yet in this parashah=
,
destiny and free will collide. One is left to wonder, "Will destiny or
free will prevail?"
With her twins crushing one another within, Rivkah
inquires of the Lord, and He responds with the foreordained decree, "T=
he Rav/older will serve
the younger." Suddenly, the principle of being born into privileged st=
atus
as a firstborn is turned on its head, even before the infant enters the wor=
ld!
In our parashah this week, Ya'akov
will face the prospects of a lengthy exile, as a result of "stealing&q=
uot;
his brother's birthright. Ironically, the younger must flee the wrath of the
older, despite the Divine decree
that the Rav would serve the younger. Ya'akov's free will, to listen to his mother's advice=
and
participate in a scheme to deceive his father,
ironic that Avraham ("Father of Many
Nations") would go to the grave with no great-grandchildren, and with =
his
twin grandsons locked in a bitter contest of sibling rivalry. Recall that t=
he
first words of the parashah begin, "These =
are
the Tol'dot of Yitzchak, son of Avraham.
Avraham
begot Yitzchak" (Gen. 25:19).
On his return, Ya'akov must face his brother, a=
nd
show humble repentance, bowing on the ground before him as one greets a mon=
arch
or a superior (Rav). In this way, the younger w=
ill
repent his wrongful use of free will, despite the destiny decreed when the =
two
were twin nations-in-embryo. Serving the older/Rav
will reverse the crime of
stealing his birthright (Gen. 33:11).
Are we left to conclude that Divine purposes can be postponed, so long as we
use our free will in ways that work at cross purposes to the plan of God?
The principle that the Rav will serve the young=
er
finds its way into the teachings of both Yeshua and Ra=
v
Sha'ul. In discussing God's sovereignty, Rav Sha'ul observes: &quo=
t;For
though the twins were not yet
born, and had not done anything good or bad, in order that God's purpose
according to His choice might stand, not because of works, but because
of Him who calls, it was said to [Rivkah], 'The=
older
will serve the younger'" (Rom. 9:11-12).
Can divine sovereignty circumscribe free will at times, or could it be that=
the
"hand one receives" is also shaped by the fathers--and this
"hand" extends beyond genetics to include pre-determined choices =
that
one is fated to confront in the course of a lifetime? =
Rav
Sha'ul eventually concludes, "So then it d=
oes
not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has
mercy" (Rom. 9:16).
But this disturbing fate (a "hand" determined by one's fathers as=
a
problem to be faced by one generation or then passed on to be faced by
the next generation) explains only part of the spiritual relationship betwe=
en
God and His people. Does one have the free will to choose, in
this world, to become a Rav in the World-To-Com=
e? Is
this an appropriate question to ask or an appropriate hope to pursue?
A mother's mere asking of this question kindles sibling rivalry between the
Sons of Zebedee and a minyan of Yeshua's
disciples. Yeshua intervenes, responding, "You know that the rulers of=
the
Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men ["Ravs"]
exercise authority over them. It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to
become a Rav among you shall be your servant, a=
nd
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of
Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life a ransom for
many" (Mt. 20:25-28).
The historical precedents for Yeshua's response=
are,
of course, biblical. Ya'akov bowed and offered
himself as Esav's servant (Gen. 33:3, despite t=
he
Divine decree of Gen. 25:23 and Esav's oath to
"sell" the birthright in Gen. 25:33); Y'huda=
h
bowed and offered himself as Yosef's slave (Gen.
44:14, 23, 32-34); in Matthew's account, Yeshua
instructs his talmidim on the paramount virtues=
of
humility and servant leadership. Then, leading by example, Yeshua enters
lowly king, riding on a donkey (Mt. 21:4-5, cf. Zech. 9:9).
The "hand" dealt the Messiah is a most humble one. Yet even when =
the
King reaches Y'rushalayim (en route to his deat=
h as a
ransom for/in the place of many), Yeshua instructs his community:
"But do not be called Rabbi/My Rav, for On=
e is
your Teacher and you are all brothers.&nbs=
p;
And do not call anyone on earth your father, for One is your Father, He =
who is
in Heaven. And do not be call=
ed
leaders;
for One is your Leader, that is, Messiah. But the
greatest among you shall be your servant.&=
nbsp;
And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself=
shall
be exalted" (Mt. 23:7-12).
Do we, then, abandon using terms such as Rabbi, Father, and Leader? Or is t=
he
point something more profound--that the way to "redeem" an
"ill-fated destiny" is to respond in humility and lead by personal
example?
Are you prepared to embrace life's injustices humbly and then to lead by
personal example--or does that look like a bitter pill that is best avoided?
Suppose our leaders lack humility, then what is a
community to do? And if our greater Jewish community lacks humility, how th=
en
shall we, in Messianic Judaism, respond? How can we, the younger, clothe ou=
r
wisdom in humility to serve the older and await the decreed Resurrection po=
wer
that inevitably follows?