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The Struggle for the Birthright
Jacob’s early years were marked by efforts to get the birthright from his brother
Esau. One day, Esau returned from the field
faint from hunger. Seizing an opportunity,
Jacob informed Esau that he would sell him
some lentil soup which he had cooked, in
exchange for the birthright which belonged to
Esau as the older brother. Esau agreed,
commenting, "I am going to die - what is this
birthright to me?"
The birthright included the traditional
Biblical birthright, which granted superior
rank in the family (Genesis 49:3), a double
portion of the paternal inheritance
(Deuteronomy 21:17), the priestly office in
the family (Numbers 8:17-19), and the
Abrahamic blessing, which promised that his
descendants would be a source of blessing for
all the nations of the earth (Genesis
21:15-18). However, Esau, knowing that God had
declared that Abraham's descendants would be
enslaved for 400 years before returning to
their own land (Genesis 15:13-14), wanted to
exclude himself from being part of God's
chosen people.
The Ruse
When Isaac grew old and was blind, Rebecca
overheard Isaac send Esau out to hunt down
some meat and prepare him a meal, after which
Esau would receive his blessing as his eldest
son, before he died. Rebecca then commanded
Jacob to bring the meal that she prepared to
Isaac to receive the blessing in his brother's
stead. Jacob protested that his father might
notice the substitution through touch, since
Esau was hairy and he was smooth. Rebecca told
him not to worry, and placed hairy goatskins
over his neck and arms.
Thus disguised, Jacob went into his father's
tent. After a suspicious beginning Isaac
nevertheless blessed him. As soon as Jacob
left the tent, Esau arrived and exposed the
deception. Isaac was shaken, but affirmed that
Jacob would indeed be blessed. To Esau's
pathetic entreaties, he agreed to give Esau a
lesser blessing. Then Esau swore to himself
that he would kill Jacob in revenge as soon as
his father was dead.
Jacob’s Ladder
Knowing Esau’s murderous intentions, Rebecca
commanded Jacob to flee to Haran, the house of
her brother, Laban. His trip would serve the
double purpose of finding a wife, as Laban had
two daughters, Leah and Rachel.
On his way to Haran, Jacob had the vision of a
ladder reaching into heaven with angels going
up and down it. From the top of the ladder he
heard the voice of God, who repeated many of
the blessings upon him. When he woke up that
morning, he stopped by the well where the
shepherds were gathering their flocks to water
them and met Laban's younger daughter, his
cousin Rachel. Jacob loved her immediately and
proposed to marry Rachel. However, Laban deceived Jacob by switching his older
daughter, Leah, as the veiled bride during
their wedding.
When the truth became known, Laban agreed to
give Rachel in marriage as well if Jacob
worked another seven years for him. After the
week of wedding celebrations with Leah, Jacob
married Rachel, and continued to work for Laban another seven years.
Leah gave birth to four sons, Reuben,
Simeon,
Levi, and Judah. Rachel, however, was barren,
and gave Jacob her handmaid Bilhah in marriage
so she could raise children through her.
Bilhah gave birth to Dan and Naphtali. Leah
then gave her handmaid Zilpah to Jacob in
marriage so she could raise more children
through her. Zilpah gave birth to Gad and
Asher. Afterwards, Leah gave birth to
Issachar,
Zebulun, and Dinah. Rachel later gave birth to
Joseph.
Wrestling with An Angel
When Joseph was born, Jacob was ordered by God
to return home to the land of his parents. But Laban was
reluctant to release him, as God had blessed
his flock because of Jacob. Nevertheless,
Jacob, his wives and children left without
informing Laban. As Jacob neared the land of
Canaan, his messengers to his brother Esau
returned with the news that Esau was coming to
meet Jacob with an army of 400 men. Preparing
for the worst, Jacob felt that he must now
depend only on God and prayed earnestly. He
then sent, "a present to my lord Esau from thy
servant Jacob."
Jacob, his
family and flocks then crossed over towards
the direction from which Esau would come, and
spent the night alone, in communion with God.
There, a mysterious being ("a man", according
to Genesis 32:24, or "the angel",
according to
Hosea 12:4) appeared and wrestled with Jacob
until daybreak. When he saw he
could not defeat Jacob, he touched him on the
sinew of his thigh. Jacob then demanded a
blessing, and the mysterious being said that
from now on, Jacob would be called Israel,
meaning "one who has struggled with God".
Jacob then asked the being's name, but the
being refused to answer. Afterwards Jacob
named the place Pnei-el (Penuel, meaning "face
of God"), saying "I have seen God face to face
and lived."
With his wives and twelve children behind him
Jacob proceeded with his journey back to
Canaan, expecting Esau's revenge. However,
Jacob's gift of camels, goats and flocks had
appeased Esau who offered to accompany them on
their way back to Israel. As they neared the
border of Canaan, Rachel went into labor and
died as she gave birth to her second—and
Jacob's twelfth—son, Benjamin. Jacob buried
her and erected a monument over her grave,
which is located just outside Bethlehem, which
remains a popular site for pilgrimages and
prayers to this day.
Jacob was finally reunited with his father
Isaac in Mamre (outside Hebron) where later he
was joined by Esau for their father's burial.
In the midst of Jacob’s quiet pastoral family
life he received with inconsolable grief news
of Joseph's death and his separation from
Benjamin. However, later came the news that Joseph was
still alive and that Joseph had invited him to come to Egypt
revived the patriarch. In Egypt, he met Joseph
again, to enjoy the honors conferred upon him
by Pharaoh, and to spend prosperously his last
days in the land of Gessen. There, on his
death- bed, he foretold the future of fortunes
of the respective descendants of his sons. As
he wished, he was buried in the land of
Canaan.
Jacob was
blessed with 12 sons. They are the ancestors
of the tribes of Israel, and the ones for whom
the tribes are named. Each occupied a separate
territory (except the tribe of Levi, which was
set apart to serve in the Holy Temple). |