[Jewish] [Mindful Torah] The Peace of Brothers - a midrash on Va'yetzei

[Rabbi Steven Nathan]

In this week’s parashah, Va’yetze (Genesis/Bereshit28:10-32:3), the
saga of Jacob continues. After fleeing from the anger of his brother,
Esau, he finally arrives in the land of Haran, from where his ancestors
came, and find Rebecca, his bride. Later on we also read that Esau
marries from the daughters of Canaan and the daughters of Ishmael, his
father Isaac's "half brother."



The primary narrative in the parashah focuses on Jacob, as he is the
patriarch from whom our people take it's name (once it is changed to
Israel). The ancient rabbis demonize Esau for the most part, equating
his name with the oppressive Roman empire. But in the Torah there is
none of this demonization.





If we view all the characters in the Torah as representing a part of
each of us, much as one might analyze a dream, we can see Esau as that
within us which we feel the need to demonize, criticize and ostracize.
Only by viewing this piece of us with equanimity and compassion can we
walk on the path of oneness.




And so, through the original midrash that follows, I have tried to
recover Esau as a patriarch and as part of myself, along with his
brother and the other patriarchs and matriarchs of the Jewish people.




Shabbat Shalom,




Steven








The Peace of Brothers




The young man walked as fast as he could along the desert path.
Surrounded by nothing but sand, stones and sparse brush he could feel
the blood pumping, anger pulsing within. Behind him, the setting sun
burned bright red. Mingling with the red hair that covered his body and
the crimson of the anger in his face it seemed as if he were on fire.
For he was.



“How could he have done it,” he continually muttered under his breath,
“… my own brother.” The anger in his eye mingled with an intense
sadness the two struggling for domination of his mind and soul.
Currently, anger was winning the battle.



“And my father …” he thought to himself, “ … how could he not have
realized what was happening? Even blind, how could he not have known in
his soul that he was being tricked? I expect no better from my
mother …… but him!” And so the young man continued walking, almost
running, looking all around him for something – someone – who could not
be see anywhere. Looking for his brother who, unknown to him, was far
away in the opposite direction.



Finally he realized that he had better make camp before the sun set. At
that moment he came upon a stream that he had never seen before, even
though he thought he knew this part of the desert well. He went to the
stream, bent down and splashed its cool water on his burning face. It
did nothing to cool his rage. Then he gathered odd bits of wood and
brush to make a fire. He then sat down upon a large stone and began to
arrange the wood, all the while mumbling to himself “when I find him
I’ll kill him for what he has taken from me.”



While still muttering to himself he lit the fire and stared into it’s
burning flames as they tried to stay alive. Suddenly he noticed a
shadow on the ground in front of him. He looked up and saw a strange
man standing there, his facial features eclipsed by the sun that was
setting directly behind him. Out of the blackness of this sunset shadow
the man, “Esau, what are you doing?” Esau was stunned, “how did you
know my name?” he asked. The man did not respond, but simply continued
to speak to him with great intensity and purpose.



“Esau. Your anger has cried out to me. I have heard the screams of your
desire for vengeance. It is your rage that has brought me here to you.”
The man paused and Esau sat in silence not knowing how to respond.



“But why are you so enraged? Why is murder the only thought on your
mind?” “How could I think of anything else? My very own brother has
stolen my birthright along with the blessing from my father! I have
been left with nothing! And beyond that, my father, who I thought loved
and understood me, allowed himself to be duped by my brother and my
mother. Now I am left with nothing except my desire for revenge and
justice!”



“Justice!” replied the stranger, “true justice does not require the
blood of another human being! Especially the justice of the God of your
ancestors! The God whose name is shalom/peace. The God who brought me
to you at this very moment.”



“That God is no longer my god,” replied Esau. “That God has abandoned
me. That God, in which that I believed with my whole being may still be
my father’s God, my mother’s God, my brother’s God. If that God were my
god this would not allow this to happen. I no longer have a God!” With
that Esau turned away from the stranger, looked down at the ground and
began stoking the flames of the slowly dying fire.



As the sun continued to set behind the stranger he spoke to Esau in a
voice that filled Esau with fear and awe. “If that is the case, then
why am I here? Your voice cried out to the God of your ancestors, of
your God. And it is God who has sent me to you to deliver a message.”
“But why?” Esau replied, “If God truly cared God would not have allowed
any of this to happen.”



“ Listen closely Esau, for I am here to give you a message from the
Divine, but which comes from my experience and my all-too-human heart.
I am here to beg you, to plead with you, not to continue your hatred of
your brother. You must let go of the hatred in your heart. You must rid
yourself of your murderous desire. For hatred destroys compassion and
mercy and eventually will destroy you.”



Upon hearing these words Esau looked up with fierceness in his eyes
that mirrored the hatred in his soul. “How dare you tell me what I must
or must not do? You have no idea what I have gone through! You haven’t
a clue what it feels like to be a pawn in a game of favorites between
your parents and then to think that finally, the fact that you are just
a few minutes older will finally pay off because – no matter what
–father’s blessing is yours! And then to have all of that taken from
you. To see your brother, whom you have tried to love in spite of
everything, become the chosen one instead! This is more than anyone can
bear!”



The stranger replied with a sense of compassion and equanimity that
began to slowly have an affect on Esau’s anger, though he did not know
why. “Esau, know what you are feeling. I have felt this way as well. I
know what it’s like to feel rejected by a parent figure, to feel
inferior to your brother and to allow my hatred to become so strong, so
uncontrollable that it eventually led me to murder. Unable to find
compassion within or to change the direction of my heart I reached out
my hand to slay my own brother! That is why God sent me, begging you
not to make the same mistake as I. Do not to doom yourself to a life of
endless wandering, loneliness and hopelessness, such as I.”



At that moment Esau looked up at the stranger. The sun had finally set
so that he could see his face a little more clearly in the light of the
flames. It was worn with years, and yet he still appeared young in some
strange way. Esau could see in the man’s eyes a sadness and a
tenderness that told him this man was bringing him a truth that he
needed to hear. A truth that transcended the hatred he had been
feeling.



As the flames grew even brighter, Esau’s eyes were drawn to the man’s
forehead, for in the middle there was a mark. As he was attempting to
make out if it was a letter or an image of some other kind he suddenly
realized who was speaking to him. “You …” he stammered “ you are …” he
could not make himself say the name. “Yes,” said the stranger, “I am
Cain, son of the first human beings and the first one to murder … my
very own flesh and blood! I have been doomed since that day to wander
the earth trying to repent for my sin by preventing others from doing
the same. And so when your heart cried out to me in anger and pain I
knew I had to come.”



Esau remained sitting in stunned silence as Cain continued, “The
message I have for you is a simple one. If you turn your heart and soul
away from your anger and return to your home, then this place on which
we stand will be blessed, just as your life will be blessed. It will be
a holy place, as you have inherent holiness within you. It will be
place of rahamim and shalom, of compassion, peace and tranquility, as
will your soul. This place will forever be known as a place where God’s
presence dwells. It will also be the place to which, when the time is
right, you shall return and reconcile with your brother in peace and in
love.



“But if you continue to hate – whether or not you find or kill your
brother – this place will forever be cursed. It shall be known as a
place of death and hatred where nothing shall bloom or grow. It will
remain forever as empty and desolate as a heart of hatred and jealousy.
The choice is yours, my son. I only pray that you chose the right path
and do not do as I did.”



The two men looked into each other’s eyes and each other’s souls. Not
another word needed to be spoken. Esau looked down at the flames at his
feet he allowed Cain’s words to enter him. He paid attention to the
message be sent and he could feel the anger within him beginning to
melt.



When he looked up to reply to Cain, he was no longer standing there.
Esau arose and looked around. But he knew that he was once again alone.
But he then realized something important. Filled with anger he had cut
himself off from humanity, from family and from God. He was truly
alone. But as the anger subsided he realized that he was not alone.
Standing there he could sense his connection to all, to God. He looked
at the flames, now beginning to die, he listened to the water flowing
and imagined it dousing the flames of hatred in his heart and purifying
his soul. For a long time he simply stood there paying attention to
these feelings within him. H knew that there was still anger and hurt
within him, but he was no longer allowing this to control him. Then he
looked down at the place where he stood and he knew at that moment that
it was indeed destined to return. He then lay down on the ground next
to the stone where he had been sitting and fell into a deep sleep.



In the morning when he awoke, Esau anointed the stone next to him with
the water from the stream and named the place M’kom Shalom - place of
peace, in honor of what had occurred. He then returned home to live his
life, knowing that one day he would once again stand by that stream,
the one that he had never noticed before, and embrace his brother in
peace, compassion and love.




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Posted By Rabbi Steven Nathan to Mindful Torah at 11/27/2009 02:58:00 PM
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