Summary:
Our Torah portion begins as Jacob prepares to meet Esau. He wrestles with a "man," who changes Jacob's name to Israel. Jacob and Esau meet and part peacefully, each going his separate way. Later, Dinah is raped by Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, who was chief of the country. Jacob's sons Simeon and Levi take revenge by murdering all the males of Shechem, and Jacob's other sons join them in plundering the city. Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin and is buried in Ephrah, which is present-day Bethlehem. Isaac dies and is buried in Hebron.
Lesson from our Haftarah Portion – Hosea 11:7-12:12
Our Torah portion this week focuses on the story of Jacob. In our portion Jacob’s name is changed to Israel – because he struggles with God. In our Haftarah portion the prophet Hosea connects Jacob’s story with the story of the people of Israel, to whom he is speaking.
Our Haftarah takes us on a journey through highlights of Jacob’s life. First, we are reminded that while in his mother, Rivka’s, womb, Jacob holds onto his twin brother, Esau’s, heel, trying to prevent him from being born first. Jacob is therefore known as a “heel-grabber.” Second, after Jacob grows up, as we read in our Torah portion this week, he wrestles with an angel and is thus known as Israel – God-wrestler. Finally, in a third narrative from Jacob’s life, we read of Jacob’s vision of God, that occurs when he is fleeing from his brother Esau. This leads him to dispose of all the idols and gods from his home. After the vision Jacob builds an altar to God at Beth El.
Reading of these three highlight moments from Jacob’s life, we are reminded that he grows from a scheming youth to a struggling young man and then finally into a mature person who merits the blessing of his father. He wrestles with his base inclinations and overcomes them. He disposes of idols and devotes the rest of his life to the service of God.
In our Haftarah, Hosea reminds of this narrative, something that is familiar to readers of Torah. His goal in retelling the story is to remind his listeners that they too are Israel. Their name connects them to the past and challenges them to create a better future. If, like Jacob, they grow and return to God, their past sins will be forgiven. And if they don’t, then divine punishment is sure to follow.
The people of Israel did not heed Hosea’s words. The Assyrians conquered the country in 721 BCE, exiled its leaders and settled the land with strangers. The ten tribes disappeared, never to be heard of again. In our time we have chosen to name our modern state, Israel. May we heed Hosea’s message of growth and maturity so that we don’t face the fate of our ancestors.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Don Goor