12.3.24 ~ Who's Voice Is That?
Good morning!
Rebecca loves Jacob, the child dwelling in the tents; while Isaac loves Esau, the “skilled hunter, the man of the field.” As the story progresses, Isaac grows old and his eyes become dim. He expresses his desire to bless his beloved son Esau before he dies. While Esau goes off to hunt for his father's favorite food, Rebecca summons her son Jacob and instructs him to go take his father’s blessings. She dresses Jacob in Esau's clothes, covers his arms and neck with goatskins to simulate the feel of his hairier brother, prepares a similar dish, and sends Jacob to his father with the food (Gen. 27:7-18). She says...
And now my son, listen to my voice, to what I am commanding you. Go now to the flock, and take for me from there two choice kids, and I will make them tasty foods for your father, as he likes. So Jacob drew near to Isaac, his father, and he felt him, and he said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
Jacob receives his father's blessings for "the dew of the heaven and the fat of the land" and mastery over his brother. Once Esau returns with the food, it is too late. Jacob has already obtained the blessings. Oh my! What now? What's going on? What type of parents are these? Secrets? Hidden agendas? Enquiring minds want to know.
Finally, when Jacob entered Isaac’s chamber, and his father felt him, Isaac declared:
"The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
Clearly, Isaac identified this man as having Jacob’s voice. So why did he give him the blessings? Why did he not investigate who the person standing before him was?
Commercial: Last night's zoom call: My Two Sons, My Two Souls: Making the Two Become One
As we discussed last night, the mission of every believer is to transform the physical and material world into a divine abode. To achieve this, he must enter into the real world and impact it. He must enter the open fields of society and live proudly as a follower of Messiah, to bring sanctity and holiness into the mundane, to integrate heaven and earth; as Yeshua prayed, your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
In Isaac’s mind, a partnership between the twins Esau and Jacob will guarantee an eternal people. Jacob will grant the people its soul, spirit, conscience, and moral GPS, its Divine core, but Esau will be in charge of the "field," he will become the facilitator of Jacob’s spiritual light and love in our physical world, standing guard against the enemy that craves to destroy goodness, morality and holiness in our world.
The tragedy was, of course, like Cain and Abel (Gen. 4), that Esau did not see himself as a partner of Jacob. His material prowess, hunting skills, and field-maneuvers have become divorced from his spiritual, soulful core. His body was severed from his soul.
“And Esau came from the field, and he was exhausted.”
His soul was exhausted because it felt empty. He craved to conquer the entire “field,” to own the world, but he did not own himself; he remained internally worn out, emotionally exhausted, detached from his own spiritual roots. His internal universe was chaotic, distraught, and frenzied...I resemble this too much in my own journey. How about you?
Isaac yearned that Esau’s enormous strength be harnessed to facilitate his soul, becoming a partner with Jacob. He wants to bless, empower and sublimate Esau.
Rebecca, on the flipside of this coin understands the calling of the moment—and the calling of history.
“Now my son, listen to my voice, to what I am commanding you. Go now to the flock, and take for me from there two choice kids, and I will make them tasty foods for your father, as he likes.”
My dear Jacob! It is time to leave your tents of study and go out to the field (where the goats are). It is time for you to learn how to dress yourself in Esau’s cloaks and gear—to confront the enemy that might come to kill you. Sure, your tents of study and prayer will remain your eternal compass; they will guide your direction in the field and navigate your movements in the outside world; your faith and spiritual authenticity will be the bedrock of your success. But to be anchored in God means that at times you must go out and protect your children, defend your spouse, standing up to your enemies with unwavering resolve.
You must never apologize for your moral duty to crush your enemy, and you must never allow your hyper sense of fake morality and ethics to turn you into the punching bag of the world. If there is even the slightest chance that one of your children is in danger, you must go on the offensive and let your enemy be frightened for his life.
My dear Jacob! You despise violence, loathe conflict, and never give up on the dream of peace. We are the people of the book, not of the sword. But Jacob, there is a time in history when you must wage war, so that your children live. David will need to stand up to a Goliath; in the Persia of old, during the edicts of Haman, Jews will need to engage in moral violence to fight off their blood thirsty foes. In the days of Chanukah (coming up in just a few weeks), the Jews will once again need to take up arms to save their people and faith. Time and time again, Jews will need to learn how to fight back.
In June of 1967, and numerous times before and after, Israel will need to wage war to save a beleaguered people from the enemy’s quest for our annihilation.
My dear Jacob—said his mother—one day, Esau and Yishmael will become your partner. One day, the Moshiach will come—and may it be very very speedily in our days—and you will return to your tents of spiritual ecstasy, as the “spirit of impurity will be removed from the world,” and the entire “earth will be filled with Divine consciousness as the waters covers the sea.” There will be a time when, in the words of Isaiah 2:4, “God shall judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift the sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”
But till that glorious day, my dear Jacob, you -- a prince of God, a man of wisdom, a man of truth, integrity and faith, must dress like Esau, you must don his gear. For your enemy is brutal, ruthless, and bloodthirsty. As long as you duck, the international community empathizes with his murderous plans.
Jacob obeys. He learns to enter the field. He learns to don the clothes of Esau. And when he enters the chambers of his father, something remarkable happens.
And Isaac said, "Serve it to me so that I may eat of the game of my son, so that my soul will bless you." And he served him, and he ate, and he brought him wine, and he drank.
And his father Isaac said to him, "Please come closer and kiss me, my son."
And he came closer, and he kissed him, and he smelled the fragrance of his garments, and he blessed him, and he said, "Behold, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field, which the Lord has blessed!
Isaac tells his son that his fragrance is one of a field blessed by God. Esau was a man of the field. Jacob was not. But when Jacob was forced to enter the field—to enter into the material, physical and earthy reality where Esau lives and succeeds; when Jacob is forced to learn how to use a rifle and drive a jeep; when Jacob is compelled to battle a war for survival; when Jacob is compelled to live and function in the larger world—it has “the fragrance of a field, which the Lord has blessed!”
It is not a field which causes exhaustion and loneliness; it is a field that mirrors the radiance of the Divine. Jacob’s field is filled with sanctity, harmony, and spiritual depth. Jacob imbues Esau’s cloaks and vocation with holiness. Jacob's field is not a place of vulgarity and bruteness; it is a garden of God.
Jacob holds his book in one hand, and his plow in the other; his book in one hand and his sword in the other—realizing that the material too belongs to the oneness of the Divine. Later in Deuteronomy 23:10, Moses tells his people: “For the Lord, your G-d, goes along in the midst of your camp, to rescue you and to deliver your enemies before you. Therefore, your camp shall be holy…”
Isaac, at lasts, acknowledges the possibility of Jacob fulfilling his mission, even while Esau is not yet ready to serve as a partner.
“So Jacob drew near to Isaac his father, and he felt him, and he said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
His voice is the voice of Jacob—a voice of Torah, of wisdom, of spiritual truth, of justice, compassion, ethics, sacred nobility, and moral values. “But the hands are the hands of Esau”—this same boy is capable of standing up to a cruel enemy with unapologetic resolve, unwavering moral clarity, unrestrained determination, and undeterred strength to preserve its life. His mind, heart and soul will be defined by Torah, and when the moment calls for it, he will know how to go out and change the world.
May it be the same for each of us!
Shalom
Commercial: All in one spot...studies, blog, audio studies and videos: https://allmylinks.com/lightintorah
And now my son, listen to my voice, to what I am commanding you. Go now to the flock, and take for me from there two choice kids, and I will make them tasty foods for your father, as he likes. So Jacob drew near to Isaac, his father, and he felt him, and he said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
Jacob receives his father's blessings for "the dew of the heaven and the fat of the land" and mastery over his brother. Once Esau returns with the food, it is too late. Jacob has already obtained the blessings. Oh my! What now? What's going on? What type of parents are these? Secrets? Hidden agendas? Enquiring minds want to know.
Finally, when Jacob entered Isaac’s chamber, and his father felt him, Isaac declared:
"The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
Clearly, Isaac identified this man as having Jacob’s voice. So why did he give him the blessings? Why did he not investigate who the person standing before him was?
Commercial: Last night's zoom call: My Two Sons, My Two Souls: Making the Two Become One
The journey of blending the earthiness of Esau and the heavenly pursuit of Jacob
As we discussed last night, the mission of every believer is to transform the physical and material world into a divine abode. To achieve this, he must enter into the real world and impact it. He must enter the open fields of society and live proudly as a follower of Messiah, to bring sanctity and holiness into the mundane, to integrate heaven and earth; as Yeshua prayed, your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
In Isaac’s mind, a partnership between the twins Esau and Jacob will guarantee an eternal people. Jacob will grant the people its soul, spirit, conscience, and moral GPS, its Divine core, but Esau will be in charge of the "field," he will become the facilitator of Jacob’s spiritual light and love in our physical world, standing guard against the enemy that craves to destroy goodness, morality and holiness in our world.
The tragedy was, of course, like Cain and Abel (Gen. 4), that Esau did not see himself as a partner of Jacob. His material prowess, hunting skills, and field-maneuvers have become divorced from his spiritual, soulful core. His body was severed from his soul.
“And Esau came from the field, and he was exhausted.”
His soul was exhausted because it felt empty. He craved to conquer the entire “field,” to own the world, but he did not own himself; he remained internally worn out, emotionally exhausted, detached from his own spiritual roots. His internal universe was chaotic, distraught, and frenzied...I resemble this too much in my own journey. How about you?
Isaac yearned that Esau’s enormous strength be harnessed to facilitate his soul, becoming a partner with Jacob. He wants to bless, empower and sublimate Esau.
Rebecca, on the flipside of this coin understands the calling of the moment—and the calling of history.
“Now my son, listen to my voice, to what I am commanding you. Go now to the flock, and take for me from there two choice kids, and I will make them tasty foods for your father, as he likes.”
My dear Jacob! It is time to leave your tents of study and go out to the field (where the goats are). It is time for you to learn how to dress yourself in Esau’s cloaks and gear—to confront the enemy that might come to kill you. Sure, your tents of study and prayer will remain your eternal compass; they will guide your direction in the field and navigate your movements in the outside world; your faith and spiritual authenticity will be the bedrock of your success. But to be anchored in God means that at times you must go out and protect your children, defend your spouse, standing up to your enemies with unwavering resolve.
You must never apologize for your moral duty to crush your enemy, and you must never allow your hyper sense of fake morality and ethics to turn you into the punching bag of the world. If there is even the slightest chance that one of your children is in danger, you must go on the offensive and let your enemy be frightened for his life.
My dear Jacob! You despise violence, loathe conflict, and never give up on the dream of peace. We are the people of the book, not of the sword. But Jacob, there is a time in history when you must wage war, so that your children live. David will need to stand up to a Goliath; in the Persia of old, during the edicts of Haman, Jews will need to engage in moral violence to fight off their blood thirsty foes. In the days of Chanukah (coming up in just a few weeks), the Jews will once again need to take up arms to save their people and faith. Time and time again, Jews will need to learn how to fight back.
In June of 1967, and numerous times before and after, Israel will need to wage war to save a beleaguered people from the enemy’s quest for our annihilation.
My dear Jacob—said his mother—one day, Esau and Yishmael will become your partner. One day, the Moshiach will come—and may it be very very speedily in our days—and you will return to your tents of spiritual ecstasy, as the “spirit of impurity will be removed from the world,” and the entire “earth will be filled with Divine consciousness as the waters covers the sea.” There will be a time when, in the words of Isaiah 2:4, “God shall judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift the sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”
But till that glorious day, my dear Jacob, you -- a prince of God, a man of wisdom, a man of truth, integrity and faith, must dress like Esau, you must don his gear. For your enemy is brutal, ruthless, and bloodthirsty. As long as you duck, the international community empathizes with his murderous plans.
Jacob obeys. He learns to enter the field. He learns to don the clothes of Esau. And when he enters the chambers of his father, something remarkable happens.
And Isaac said, "Serve it to me so that I may eat of the game of my son, so that my soul will bless you." And he served him, and he ate, and he brought him wine, and he drank.
And his father Isaac said to him, "Please come closer and kiss me, my son."
And he came closer, and he kissed him, and he smelled the fragrance of his garments, and he blessed him, and he said, "Behold, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field, which the Lord has blessed!
Isaac tells his son that his fragrance is one of a field blessed by God. Esau was a man of the field. Jacob was not. But when Jacob was forced to enter the field—to enter into the material, physical and earthy reality where Esau lives and succeeds; when Jacob is forced to learn how to use a rifle and drive a jeep; when Jacob is compelled to battle a war for survival; when Jacob is compelled to live and function in the larger world—it has “the fragrance of a field, which the Lord has blessed!”
It is not a field which causes exhaustion and loneliness; it is a field that mirrors the radiance of the Divine. Jacob’s field is filled with sanctity, harmony, and spiritual depth. Jacob imbues Esau’s cloaks and vocation with holiness. Jacob's field is not a place of vulgarity and bruteness; it is a garden of God.
Jacob holds his book in one hand, and his plow in the other; his book in one hand and his sword in the other—realizing that the material too belongs to the oneness of the Divine. Later in Deuteronomy 23:10, Moses tells his people: “For the Lord, your G-d, goes along in the midst of your camp, to rescue you and to deliver your enemies before you. Therefore, your camp shall be holy…”
Isaac, at lasts, acknowledges the possibility of Jacob fulfilling his mission, even while Esau is not yet ready to serve as a partner.
“So Jacob drew near to Isaac his father, and he felt him, and he said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau."
His voice is the voice of Jacob—a voice of Torah, of wisdom, of spiritual truth, of justice, compassion, ethics, sacred nobility, and moral values. “But the hands are the hands of Esau”—this same boy is capable of standing up to a cruel enemy with unapologetic resolve, unwavering moral clarity, unrestrained determination, and undeterred strength to preserve its life. His mind, heart and soul will be defined by Torah, and when the moment calls for it, he will know how to go out and change the world.
May it be the same for each of us!
Shalom
Commercial: All in one spot...studies, blog, audio studies and videos: https://allmylinks.com/lightintorah
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