“Genesis: ‘See You Again!’”

  Please don’t think I’m beating a dead horse, as the expression goes, referring once again to Jacob, the patriarch’s birth-name that plagued him until his self-struggle, and Israel, the name with which he was blessed after that struggle. Thinking about it, I am “beating a dead horse” in that in this sedra Jacob/Israel dies.

   I’ve mentioned that both names refer to him even after the struggle. That might be due to editors that had their hand in writing the Torah, editors with their own perspectives on our biblical characters and their stories. But when we look at one example of the use of both names, we can see an interesting point of view.

  Mah tovu ohalecha Ya’akov, mish’k’notecha Yisrael, “How lovely are your tents, o Jacob, your dwelling places, o Israel.” “Tents” are movable, but “dwelling places,” are more permanent. Thinking about it, I realized that all of us, myself included, have aspects of our lives that we wish we could cast off especially if we recognize their negative impact on us; others we simply must own though we still can do our best to overcome. We remain both Jacob and Israel. 

  With this sedra, Vayechi, we conclude Genesis. As much as I love that special Simchat Torah-moment when we end Deuteronomy and begin Genesis (“love that special Simchat Torah-moment”? That must be a rabbi thing), I know I’ll miss Genesis despite its total mishugas, its dysfunction, its tensions, its drama. Or maybe it’s because of all that that I’ll miss reading it. I’ve discussed with colleagues of mine – Jewish and Christians alike – what the allure of these stories is. Truth be told, my non-Jewish clergy pals are befuddled over my attraction to these “faith heroes,” the men and women who are the anchors of our people and our history. And when I tell them, “Hey, they’re like you and I are,” they respond, “Hey, yourself, who wants our heroes to be like us?” I point out that such is one of the differences between our faiths. 

Now that I have this Jacob/Israel interpretation, it will be one more point in my cache of reasons why I hate to say Shalom to Genesis…the good thing is that I really say L’Hitraot, “See you again,” because in the cycle of things Torah, I will.