Two children.
Two
boys.
Each
with a body.
Each
with a soul.
The
body houses the soul.
The
soul enlivens the body.
And
we all strive, in our lives, to strike a balance,
And
to integrate the two together.
Two
children, two boys:
One,
from the start, seems to focus on the body:
Strength,
grit, power, physical stature.
The
other is a tent-sitter, staying close to home
Contemplating
the significance of his life, his soul,
Grabbing
onto the heel of his brother as they emerged from the womb.
Was
that a sign of dependence, or an indication
Of a
wrestling match and rivalry to come?
Each
was to become a great nation,
Full
of body and soul,
But
each had to find that balance.
Two
children, two boys.
The
one loved by the father came home from a hard day
And
the one loved by the mother, preparing a stew,
Demanded
to be sold his brother’s birthright.
Is
this transaction one that shows that one is all body
And
the other all soul…or is there more to it?
As
their mother arranged for her tent-sitter son
To
receive a blessing that would bestow on him the soul
Of
their people-to-be,
She
acted based on her belief of what she heard God say
Before
the birth of the boys: “The older will
serve the younger.”
Yet,
life has a way of seeking equilibrium, as the same statement from God
Could
mean “The older, the younger will serve.’
It
could be that both were true,
In
the same way that both children had in them a balance of body and soul
That
each would eventually achieve and maintain at a later time.
The
younger son. whom the mother loved donned skins to simulate his brother’s ruddy
arms
To
receive the first-born blessing.
The
older son, who approached his father for blessing, discovered, much to his
surprise, that the first born blessing had been bestowed on his brother.
And
he let out a cry. He pleaded for a
blessing.
Yes,
he, too, had a soul,
He,
too, desired to take his father’s words into the future as a guarantee of his
well-being.
But
he was angry.
Two
children. Two boys.
One who
had taken a birthright and blessing for the first-born who would find that
there were consequences that would require him to find a balance between body
and soul, between sheer strength and deep faith, between power and trust.
The
other who had focused on one aspect of life at the expense of another, now
resolved to amass power for himself, but also to seek the independence noted in
the words his father said to him, in such a way that he would find his soul.
How
do we know what will happen?
In
the Torah, there is always more to come.
Stay
tuned!
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