From Eden to Esau: The Spiritual Power of Eating and Desire in Scripture

WEBVTT
00:00:03.279 --> 00:00:05.280
Welcome to the Scripture Study Podcast.
00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:06.320
I am Susan Peterson.
00:00:06.559 --> 00:00:07.839
And I'm Cindy Madsen.
00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:09.759
We're so glad you're here with us.
00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:14.800
The Scripture Study Podcast is designed to be your midweek Bible boost.
00:00:15.199 --> 00:00:16.320
Let's dig in.
00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:25.760
Welcome back to the Scripture Study Podcast.
00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:26.800
I am Susan Peterson.
00:00:27.120 --> 00:00:28.480
And I'm Cindy Madsen.
00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:29.440
Hi, Cindy.
00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:30.320
Hi, Susan.
00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:31.039
How are you?
00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:31.760
So good.
00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:35.039
Are you ready to talk about part two of Isaac Jacob?
00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:37.520
And we're going to move into the theology of food.
00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:38.719
Yes, I'm so excited.
00:00:38.799 --> 00:00:39.520
I'm so excited.
00:00:39.679 --> 00:00:43.920
In the last episode, we look kind of laid the groundwork for that this conversation we're going to have.
00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:47.520
So if you've not listened to that, I would suggest going back and listening to that one first.
00:00:47.679 --> 00:00:49.200
But other than that, let's get started.
00:00:49.359 --> 00:00:50.000
All right.
00:00:50.320 --> 00:01:07.359
Okay, so in Judaism, the Torah, the five first books, often the five books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, the Torah is divided into 54 readings, which are read out loud in the weekly Shabbat meetings at the synagogue.
00:01:07.519 --> 00:01:12.239
And synagogues will refer to these weekly readings as the Parasha.
00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:20.319
Each parasha has a name that comes from the first significant word in that reading.
00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:27.280
The length of each of these readings depends on the week, but usually it's three to six chapters.
00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:39.120
When naming a specific parasha reading, one replaces the H in the word parashah, which is P-A-R-A-S-H-A-H, with a T.
00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:47.840
And so the weekly reading in the Torah cycle, in this Torah cycle that we're going to talk about, is called Parshat Toldat.
00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:48.879
Okay.
00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:49.599
All right.
00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:53.280
So Toldat means generations.
00:01:53.920 --> 00:02:09.759
And this section comprises Genesis 25, verse 19 through 28, verse 9, which starts with, and these are the, here's the word tol dot of Isaac, the generations of Isaac.
00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:12.879
And it's kind of like our come follow me readings.
00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:17.919
It's a it's common for them to discuss the parshaw of the week.
00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:34.879
So they'll write about this, they'll discuss this, and this will kind of be a source for ethical, spiritual, and moral lessons in daily life, which is what we do with the come follow me sections with the application of how that section of reading, how does it apply to your life?
00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:41.280
And have you noticed that if you're diligent in your come follow me, your life kind of plays out into the theme?
00:02:41.520 --> 00:02:42.319
That's a really good point.
00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:42.639
Yes.
00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:43.759
I hadn't thought about that.
00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:44.400
It does.
00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:45.599
Like it kind of plays out.
00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:47.280
Your life becomes scripture in a way.
00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:47.520
Yes.
00:02:47.919 --> 00:02:48.319
So true.
00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:49.039
I love that.
00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:50.879
That's a really, really good point.
00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:59.199
Well, in preparing for this podcast, I read several rabbis through about the Parashat Toldat.
00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:06.240
And so I want to start off by reading parts of a commentary by Rabbi Yitzhak Arya Strymber.
00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:06.719
Okay.
00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:07.680
And this is it.
00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:19.680
In the beginning of this week's Torah reading, Isav or Esau sold his firstborn status to his brother Yaakov, Jacob, in exchange for a dish of lentils.
00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:30.719
This verse says that Isav despised the firstborn status, meaning he despised the special service of God, which was created to the one who had the firstborn status.
00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:39.919
In the end of this week's Torah reading, he regretted the sale and claimed that Yaakov had tricked him for having him to sell his firstborn status.
00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:49.280
This, says Rabbeinu Bekai, is a typical example of how the Yetzer Hera or the evil inclination works.
00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:59.120
The Yetzer Hera convinces a person to follow his lusts and fulfill his desires in life, which causes him to despise the service of God.
00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:04.319
At the time he does so, he feels like he is taking advantage of life and enjoying himself.
00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:09.360
But in the end, he will regret it and feel very pained about what he has done.
00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:14.560
Heeding the Yetzer Hera provides a fleeting sense of pleasure and satisfaction.
00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:18.480
But in the long run, he will not be happy with himself.
00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:28.959
The Birchas Peretz adds that Isav claimed that his brother Yaakov had tricked him, but in reality, he is the one who tricked himself.
00:04:29.120 --> 00:04:33.680
He fooled himself into thinking that he was getting the better end of the deal.
00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:39.839
But the Midrash says that he mocked Yaakov and felt like he was taking advantage of Yaakov.
00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:44.879
And in the end, he realized that he had acted foolishly, but it was too late.
00:04:45.120 --> 00:04:47.839
It wasn't just Esau who acted like this.
00:04:48.079 --> 00:04:56.160
People decide to indulge in materialistic pleasures instead of taking the time to study Torah and pursue other mitzvot or good deeds.
00:04:56.399 --> 00:04:58.639
At the time they do so, they feel good.
00:04:58.879 --> 00:05:10.720
They feel like they succeeded in living it up, but sooner or later they are left with a guilty feeling of emptiness and are consumed with guilt, ill feelings which outweigh all the pleasure they had at the time.
00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:12.720
They also trick themselves.
00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:24.639
And as bad as one feels in this world, the real regret will be in the next world when one sees with clarity how foolish he was for giving up infinite goodness for some fleeting pleasure.
00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:27.279
That's the end of his little discussion.
00:05:27.519 --> 00:05:40.160
So what was interesting to me as I read this was that uh Rabbi Strember, he highlights something that suddenly struck me as I was reading chapters 25 and 27.
00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:46.079
And that was the role that appetite plays in these chapters.
00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:48.160
I suddenly really noticed that.
00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:56.800
So I'm gonna run through what I noticed in Genesis chapter 25, and this is what it says.
00:05:56.959 --> 00:06:02.319
In chapter 25, verse 28, it says this.
00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:09.759
And Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his wild game.
00:06:09.920 --> 00:06:12.879
And the word for wild game is Said.
00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:15.120
That really struck me.
00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:21.199
Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his wild game, his Said.
00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:30.079
Well, then in chapter 27, verse 2, we read, Isaac said, Since I am so old, I could die at any time.
00:06:30.560 --> 00:06:40.639
Therefore, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out into the open fields and hunt down some wild game, some tzaid for me.
00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:45.600
Then prepare for me some savory food, matam.
00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:50.000
That's the Hebrew word, the kind that I love, and bring it to me.
00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:56.000
Then I will eat it so that I may bless barak you before I die.
00:06:56.319 --> 00:07:03.199
And then in verse 7, Rebecca repeats almost verbatim to Joseph what Isaac had said.
00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:15.439
This is what she says: Look, I overheard your father tell your brother Esau, bring me some wild game, Saeed, and prepare for me some savory food, Matam.
00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:19.759
Then I will eat it and bless Barak you.
00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:35.120
In verse 9, go now to the flock and bring from their two kids, kids of the goat, and I will make from them savory food, matam, for your brother, such as he loves.
00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:36.560
Verse 14.
00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:40.319
And Jacob went and fetched and brought them to his mother.
00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:44.959
Now that is so interesting because it parallels how Rebecca acts.
00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:47.120
We talked about that in the last one at the well.
00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:49.439
Rebecca is just this whirl of activity.
00:07:49.680 --> 00:07:54.000
And then now Jacob goes and he went, fetched, and brought.
00:07:54.079 --> 00:07:58.000
And now his mom's going to be a whirl of activity again in preparing the meal.
00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:04.959
And it says then, and his mother made savory food, matam, such as his father loved.
00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:06.319
Verse 17.
00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:11.519
Rebecca gives Jacob the savory food, matam, that she prepared.
00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:12.720
Verse 19.
00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:19.360
Jacob takes the food into Isaac and deceives him, saying, I am Esau, your firstborn.
00:08:19.519 --> 00:08:21.199
I've done as you told me.
00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:28.800
Now sit up and eat some of my wild game, Saeed, so that you can bless Barachmi.
00:08:29.199 --> 00:08:30.399
Verse 25.
00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:40.000
Isaac says, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's wild game, Sa'id, that my soul may bless Barachdi.
00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:41.679
Verse 31.
00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:46.960
Esau comes back from hunting and he makes savory food, Matam.
00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:57.759
He brings it to Isaac, and he says to Isaac, the same thing that Jacob said, My father, sit up and eat some of your son's wild game, Saeed.
00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:00.879
Then you can bless Barachmi.
00:09:01.440 --> 00:09:06.720
Isaac realizes something is very wrong, and he asks, Who are you?
00:09:07.200 --> 00:09:13.519
And Esau replies, just as Jacob had done, I am Esau, your firstborn.
00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:19.759
And then there's this poignant scene where Isaac is trembling exceedingly.
00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:34.720
He baraked him.
00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:46.320
And then Esau cried with a great cry, exceedingly bitter, and said, Bless me also, my father.
00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:47.679
It's so sad.
00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:57.200
Isaac tells him, Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing, and the word for blessing, Berakah.
00:09:57.840 --> 00:10:03.519
And Esau said, Is not he rightly called by the name Ya'a'kov?
00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:11.519
For he has supplanted Akhav, which means to take by the heel, to supplant, these two times.
00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:14.000
It's such a sad, sad story.
00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:19.679
And there are obviously some very, very healthy, unhealthy family dynamics going on here.
00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:31.360
But what I noticed in chapter 25 and 27 is that Isaac loved Esau because of the food.
00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:32.000
Okay.
00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:36.000
The Zaid or the Maqtam that Esau provided him.
00:10:36.159 --> 00:10:38.240
He provides him wild game, Zaid.
00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:43.120
And in the very next verse, it says that Jacob was cooking food.
00:10:43.279 --> 00:10:47.200
He's cooking a mess of pottage or stew, however your translation.
00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:50.720
When Esau is born, he's described as red.
00:10:51.200 --> 00:11:00.240
And when he asks Jacob for some of the stew, he says, literally, feed me, please, with this red, red stuff, because I'm starving.
00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:06.000
And it really struck me in reading chapters 25 and 27 that food was playing a big part.
00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:10.080
So remember, we talked about in the first part of this podcast.
00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:15.759
When you see repetition, the author is telling you, pay attention.
00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:18.879
And so I was paying attention.
00:11:19.039 --> 00:11:19.440
Yes.
00:11:19.759 --> 00:11:23.360
And I thought there's a lot about food in here.
00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:23.840
Yeah.
00:11:24.080 --> 00:11:29.679
And I looked into this, and sure enough, other scholars have noticed this because there is nothing new under the sun.
00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:30.000
Yes.
00:11:30.159 --> 00:11:32.639
As Ecclesiastes tells us, I'm not that unique.
00:11:32.879 --> 00:11:33.840
So I looked into it.
00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:43.759
I found there are several biblical scholars that see food and appetite as a narrative device connecting several scenes in these chapters.
00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:54.799
And they also know that Isaac's favoritism, just like I said, it comes from his enjoyment of Esau's savory food, his meat, his Zaid.
00:11:55.120 --> 00:12:01.039
Well, and also probably the eating together and the time that they're spending together.
00:12:01.279 --> 00:12:01.519
Yeah.
00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:02.000
Yeah.
00:12:02.159 --> 00:12:04.080
Now we don't know on that because it doesn't say that.
00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:07.440
All it says is he loved him because he provided food.
00:12:07.679 --> 00:12:08.159
Got it.
00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:10.080
So that's what's interesting.
00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:19.519
So they conclude that there is a theme of physical appetite that shapes the family dynamics and the inheritance.
00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:20.960
They talk about this fact.
00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:30.240
The Jacob-Esau cycle is structured using the literary pattern of meal scenes and appetite to organize the story.
00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:35.120
So, first of all, appetite creates favoritism.
00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:41.519
Isaac loves Esau because he eats his wild game, his Zaid.
00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:44.559
And that's Genesis 25 and 28.
00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:45.039
Okay.
00:12:45.759 --> 00:12:49.200
Appetite transfers the birthright.
00:12:49.840 --> 00:12:53.600
Esau sells the birthright for lentil stew because he's starving.
00:12:54.000 --> 00:12:56.960
And that's in Genesis 25, 29 through 34.
00:12:57.759 --> 00:13:02.960
Then the third thing, appetite becomes the condition for blessing.
00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:09.600
Isaac requests Zaeid, venison, before he will give a blessing.
00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:12.960
And that's in Genesis 27, verses 3 through 4.
00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:16.960
And then food enables the deception.
00:13:17.279 --> 00:13:21.600
Rebecca prepares goat meat disguised as venison.
00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:27.759
And then Jacob is able to deceive Isaac because of the food.
00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:32.559
So every turning point in this story involves food.
00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:33.039
Yeah.
00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:38.240
The repetition of meals turns food into the mechanism through which inheritance passes.
00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:43.279
Gordon Wenham, who's a really good scholar, I think.
00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:47.360
He's coming from the evangelical Protestant perspective.
00:13:47.519 --> 00:13:55.039
But anyway, in his biblical commentary, the biblical commentary that he wrote on Genesis, he notes this ironic narrative structure.
00:13:55.120 --> 00:14:00.000
The appetite repeatedly determines who receives the blessing.
00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:05.200
And he highlights the contrast between the brothers' relationships to food.
00:14:05.519 --> 00:14:08.720
Esau is a hunter who provides food.
00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:11.360
Jacob is a pastoralist, right?
00:14:11.440 --> 00:14:14.879
Like he's tending the sheep and everything, who cooks food.
00:14:14.960 --> 00:14:20.799
And Gordon Winham argues that this distinction frames the entire narrative cycle.
00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:30.480
He says that Esau's impulsive appetite explains why he sells the birthright and ultimately loses the blessing.
00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:37.200
This story repeatedly shows food influencing major covenantal decisions.
00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:44.000
The narrative contrasts short-term bodily desire versus covenantal value.
00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:48.080
The Genesis text itself emphasizes the result.
00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:53.039
Quote, thus Esau despised his birthright.
00:14:53.200 --> 00:15:01.519
Now remember, it is not common for biblical authors to make a didactic point.
00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:05.759
It is not common for them to say, this is why this occurred.
00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:06.240
Okay.
00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:06.720
Okay.
00:15:06.879 --> 00:15:14.639
So when it does happen, like in describing Rebecca as not only a virgin, but a virgin who had never known a man.
00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:16.240
Like that's very specific.
00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:16.799
Yeah.
00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:21.039
They're telling, they're describing her instead of letting the dialogue describe her.
00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:22.639
This is the point that they're making.
00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:24.559
Esau despised his birthday.
00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:38.399
So Gordon Wenham argues, and this is what it initially occurred to me, that the text is also subtly criticizing Isaac as well as Esau, because Isaac is also influenced by his appetite.
00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:47.519
Scholars will argue that this food motif illustrates, first of all, that it illustrates immediate appetite versus covenantal inheritance.
00:15:47.679 --> 00:15:51.519
Esau values present hunger over future blessing.
00:15:51.679 --> 00:15:55.840
Secondly, physical senses versus discernment.
00:15:56.000 --> 00:16:03.279
Because Isaac has not curbed his bodily sense of taste and smell, he is vulnerable to deception.
00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:06.879
And thirdly, reversal through domestic skill.
00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:12.960
Jacob wins inheritance not through strength, but through cooking and preparation.
00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:20.000
The story repeatedly shows the covenant passing through the kitchen rather than the hunting field.
00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:27.840
In an article that I read called Food's Symbolic Burden, David Kramer makes a really interesting observation.
00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:33.120
And this is what he says, and again, about parashat tola dat.
00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:42.080
It has often been noted, and properly so that parashat toladat is framed by two stories of deceit and dishonesty.
00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:51.120
What has been neglected, however, is the recognition that central to both stories is the symbolic manipulation of food and drink.
00:16:51.440 --> 00:16:58.960
The role of food and drink in these and other stories is more than mere convention, more than a mere setting of scene.
00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:02.960
In fact, food carries a heavy symbolic burden.
00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:11.759
And by taking note of the manipulations of food in these stories, we gain access to meanings we otherwise would have missed.
00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:17.839
Esau trades his birthright for the lentil stew, but Jacob also gives him bread and drink.
00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:26.559
Kramer asks, is there significance to the fact that Jacob offers more and Esau takes more than Esau has requested?
00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:33.680
The answer lies, I think, this is still Kramer, in the consequence of such exchanges on relationships.
00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:44.799
An agreed-upon sale, such as the exchange of the stew for the birthright, creates a defined relationship, the details of which are negotiated in advance.
00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:57.279
But a gift, the bread and the drink, once accepted, creates unstated obligations and puts the party who accepts in a sort of subservient or obligated position.
00:17:57.519 --> 00:18:02.559
For this reason, you are unlikely to accept a gift from someone you do not know.
00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:11.920
And you will insist on reciprocating a gift if you want to insist, symbolically, on remaining in a position of equality with the gift giver.
00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:15.680
But Esau accepted and did not reciprocate.
00:18:15.839 --> 00:18:18.960
His inferior status was thereby established.
00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:22.640
He was the dependent one, subject to the will of others.
00:18:22.960 --> 00:18:26.720
Jacob, on the other hand, provided an abundance.
00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:29.279
He was the master of his own fate.
00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:42.960
Kramer goes on to note that when Jacob deceived Isaac and brought him the savory meat that Isaac had requested of Esau, Jacob also brought more than had been requested, wine and bread.
00:18:43.279 --> 00:19:01.519
Kramer said that once having accepted the food, Isaac then owed Jacob a blessing and blesses him with not only the dew of the heaven and the fats of the earth, this is literally translated, but also with plenty of corn, which is a word for grain, corn and wine.
00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:03.200
So bread and wine.
00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:07.359
For Jacob, his own food generosity has paid off.
00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:16.319
By contrast, Esau brings his father only savory meat, and Isaac's blessing of him excludes the mention of corn and wine.
00:19:16.480 --> 00:19:23.759
In other words, Kramer says, He who gives much food receives much food, a sign of blessing and abundance.
00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:29.200
In return, he who does not so provide will similarly not be blessed.
00:19:29.519 --> 00:19:41.359
And finally, in the article, Kramer notes that the connection of food and blessing is repeated in chapter 27, when we are told that there is a famine in the land.
00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:47.359
Isaac was going to go to Egypt to escape the famine because Egypt was the breadbasket of the Mediterranean.
00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:53.200
But the Lord tells him to remain in Canaan, promising to bless him and his offspring.
00:19:53.359 --> 00:20:00.319
And Isaac planted in the land, and he reaped in that year 100fold, and the Lord blessed him.
00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:04.960
Remember, blessing is expressed through the abundance of food.
00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:12.240
Kramer closes his article with this observation Why then is food so central to these narratives?
00:20:12.480 --> 00:20:16.319
The answer, I believe, is that food is religiously significant.
00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:22.000
For more than we might sometimes like to admit, of course, on one level we know this.
00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:33.599
Moreover, this eating system has always been central to Jewish identity.
00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:38.559
One thing almost all ancient writers know about Jews is that we do not eat pork.
00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:43.359
But when I say that food is religiously significant, I mean far more than this.
00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:44.960
Let me illustrate.
00:20:47.519 --> 00:20:52.640
As a consequence, my Shabbat begins not on Friday night, but on Friday morning.
00:20:52.799 --> 00:21:00.079
It is at that time that I go shopping, always at my favorite market, and imagine the Shabbat dishes I will prepare.
00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:05.839
Then, when the shortness of time demands, I undertake my preparations, which often take hours.
00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:08.480
But this is not a burden, it is a blessing.
00:21:08.640 --> 00:21:15.359
When I do not shop and cook, I feel that something is missing, that I have been cheated out of a part of my Shabbat.
00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:22.079
Then in the evening, when I watch my friends and family eating what I have prepared, I get great pleasure.
00:21:22.319 --> 00:21:26.079
It is at that moment that my Shabbat is complete.
00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:45.279
Judaism, he says, is not only a religion, a formal ritual and Torah, it is and always has been a religion of the kitchen, a way of life in which the masters of the kitchen, usually the women, were real religious virtuosi, sustaining the body and soul together.
00:21:45.440 --> 00:21:50.160
And Judaism has always believed in the importance of the body and soul together.
00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:55.359
Food matters, and it has always mattered Jewishly.
00:21:56.319 --> 00:21:57.839
I loved that article.
00:21:58.079 --> 00:21:59.759
So the covenant passed.
00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:01.359
Through the kitchen.
00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:02.720
Okay, love.
00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:03.680
All right.
00:22:03.920 --> 00:22:08.640
In fact, the structure of the section underscores this point.
00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:15.839
Several scholars point out that Genesis 25 through 27 forms a chiastic structure.
00:22:16.079 --> 00:22:16.319
Okay.
00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:20.960
And that food scenes mark the key turning points.
00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:24.559
Food and appetite anchor the structure of the narrative.
00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:29.839
Remember that a chiasm is a common literary pattern found in the Bible.
00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:30.240
Right?
00:22:30.319 --> 00:22:37.119
You'll have A, point A, point B, point C, then you'll repeat point B and then point A.
00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:39.039
So it's A, B, C, B, A.
00:22:39.119 --> 00:22:44.400
So A and A1 are parallel, B and B1 are parallel, C is the hinge point.
00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:50.720
So here is a proposed chiastic structure of Genesis 25 through 27.
00:22:51.039 --> 00:22:52.000
Okay, A.
00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:55.759
Isaac's appetite creates favoritism.
00:22:55.839 --> 00:22:57.759
This is Genesis 25, 28.
00:22:57.920 --> 00:23:01.920
Isaac loves Esau because he eats his game.
00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:04.559
Rebecca favors Jacob.
00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:08.240
So food introduces the family division.
00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:08.799
Okay.
00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:12.720
B, the birthright is exchanged for stew.
00:23:12.799 --> 00:23:15.920
It's in Genesis 25, 29 through 34.
00:23:16.079 --> 00:23:17.519
Jacob cooks stew.
00:23:17.680 --> 00:23:19.680
Esau sells his birthright.
00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:25.200
So food becomes the mechanism for transferring inheritance.
00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:26.559
Here's the hinge point.
00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:28.799
C, the hinge point of the chiasm.
00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:33.440
Isaac requests venison before he will give the blessing.
00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:36.480
And that's Genesis 27, 1 through 4.
00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:42.720
Isaac asks Esau to hunt and prepare a meal so he can bless him.
00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:47.039
Food becomes the condition for the covenantal blessing.
00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:48.720
Okay, now we're going to turn.
00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:49.599
B1.
00:23:50.079 --> 00:23:53.680
Rebekah and Jacob prepare deceptive food.
00:23:53.839 --> 00:23:56.160
Genesis 27, 5 through 29.
00:23:56.319 --> 00:24:00.000
Jacob serves goat meat disguised as venison.
00:24:00.319 --> 00:24:06.400
So the food exchange repeats, but now it transfers the blessing instead of the birthright.
00:24:06.559 --> 00:24:14.000
And finally, A1, the next A, Esau returns with real game.
00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:16.160
Genesis 27, 30 through 40.
00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:20.240
Esau brings the venison Isaac requested, but he's too late.
00:24:20.559 --> 00:24:25.519
Food again exposes the broken family relationship.
00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:33.759
So the center, C, highlights the moment when food becomes the gateway to the covenantal blessing.
00:24:34.079 --> 00:24:39.440
You know, I often say you can trace everything back to Genesis 1, 2, and 3.
00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:40.319
Yes.
00:24:40.640 --> 00:24:42.319
Well, you're going to be happy to know.
00:24:42.480 --> 00:24:42.799
Okay.
00:24:43.119 --> 00:24:44.640
This story is no exception.
00:24:44.799 --> 00:24:45.440
Let's do it.
00:24:45.680 --> 00:24:46.240
All right.
00:24:46.559 --> 00:24:51.759
The Jacob and Esau story echoes the Adam and Eve story.
00:24:51.920 --> 00:24:57.759
Food is the trigger for the loss of inheritance in both stories.
00:24:58.000 --> 00:25:00.799
This is one of the strongest literary parallels.
00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:04.880
Eating results in losing privileged status.
00:25:05.359 --> 00:25:10.880
In both narratives, food decision leads to irreversible loss.
00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:17.039
The action happens quickly, but it has long-term covenantal consequences.
00:25:17.359 --> 00:25:24.079
Esau trading his birthright for lentil stew points to immediate appetite versus long-term inheritance.
00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:27.920
Well, this is a theme that is also present in the Adam and Eve narrative.
00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:32.720
Another repeated element is deception tied to food.
00:25:32.880 --> 00:25:42.480
In Genesis 3, Eve tells God that the serpent beguiled me, the serpent deceived me and persuaded Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.
00:25:42.640 --> 00:25:50.799
In Genesis 27, Jacob beguiles Isaac with a meal disguised as venison.
00:25:51.279 --> 00:25:53.599
And I should say Jacob and Rebecca.
00:25:53.680 --> 00:26:02.720
So in both cases, you have Adam and Eve, and Jacob and Rebecca are going to fall, have part in the deception and the fall, the fall because of deception.
00:26:03.039 --> 00:26:09.440
So both scenes include sensory deception, mistaken judgment, and irreversible consequences.
00:26:09.680 --> 00:26:16.160
You can see how the Jacob narrative is replaying the Eden pattern in a family setting, but with a twist, right?
00:26:16.240 --> 00:26:21.759
Because in this case, it's not the outsider, the serpent, who is performing the deception.
00:26:21.839 --> 00:26:24.400
It's the insiders, Jacob and Rebecca.
00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:29.279
There's wordplay that connects these two, and wordplay is probably one of my favorite things.
00:26:29.359 --> 00:26:29.599
Yes.
00:26:29.759 --> 00:26:38.240
So as I noted earlier, Hebrew is an especially good language for wordplay because all the words are built on roots made up of three consonants generally.
00:26:38.480 --> 00:26:45.839
Well, scholars have noticed that in this story, there is a linguistic cluster around the word red.
00:26:46.319 --> 00:26:46.640
Okay.
00:26:47.039 --> 00:26:49.039
In Hebrew, a dome.
00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:50.160
A dome.
00:26:50.400 --> 00:26:51.279
Like Adam.
00:26:51.599 --> 00:26:52.559
Yes, we're gonna play it.
00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:53.599
It's a lot like Adam.
00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:54.960
Yes, a dome.
00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:59.599
At birth, Esau is described as red and hairy.
00:26:59.920 --> 00:27:05.119
Esau asks when he's asking for the stew for the red, red, the red, red stuff.
00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:06.960
We just kind of add that in there.
00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:10.480
Esau, it says, becomes associated with Edom.
00:27:10.559 --> 00:27:13.359
And the verse, the scripture verse is 2530.
00:27:13.440 --> 00:27:19.920
It says, and Esau said to Jacob, feed me, I beg you, with that same red pottage, for I'm famished.
00:27:20.160 --> 00:27:23.599
Therefore was his name called Edom.
00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:24.319
All right.
00:27:24.720 --> 00:27:32.480
Both red and Edom are spelled with the Hebrew letters alef, dalit, and mem.
00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:34.400
Same exact letters.
00:27:34.720 --> 00:27:39.279
The only difference is in their vowel points.
00:27:39.599 --> 00:27:47.680
Edom typically starts with a Shiva under the Aleph, and it makes the E sound.
00:27:47.920 --> 00:27:48.160
Right?
00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:49.519
The E is really what it means.
00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:50.799
Yeah.
00:27:51.200 --> 00:27:51.759
All right.
00:27:52.240 --> 00:27:59.279
And the Shava looks like two little on the far right, there are one dot over another.
00:27:59.599 --> 00:28:04.400
And right next to that, you have two dots on the top and another dot on the bottom.
00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:05.359
That's called Shiva.
00:28:06.240 --> 00:28:13.279
And then for red, the difference is that it is marked underneath, it's aleph.
00:28:13.359 --> 00:28:14.799
It is marked with a camets.
00:28:15.279 --> 00:28:16.880
And it kind of looks like a T.
00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:17.519
Okay.
00:28:17.759 --> 00:28:20.880
And so you've got Edom and Adom.
00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:22.559
Ed dom adom.
00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:25.359
Okay, now, like you notice, here's the fun thing.
00:28:25.599 --> 00:28:29.839
Adam is also linguistically related to the same root.
00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:31.599
Aleph, dolet, mem.
00:28:31.920 --> 00:28:37.519
Again, in the Masoretic text, the only difference is in the vowel points.
00:28:37.599 --> 00:28:41.599
And there is a comments, the little T under both the Aleph and the Dalit.
00:28:41.759 --> 00:28:44.559
So in that respect, it's ah, ah, Adam.
00:28:45.119 --> 00:28:50.000
Adam, Adam, Adam, A Dom.
00:28:50.319 --> 00:28:51.359
That's the only difference.
00:28:51.440 --> 00:28:54.640
It's the ah and o sound in that middle one.
00:28:54.960 --> 00:29:00.960
So when you see this in Hebrew, this is deliberate for on the part of the Hebrew authors, right?
00:29:01.279 --> 00:29:12.079
It's creating this literary link between Adam, meaning humanity, or to mean the name of a person, and Adom, Esau.
00:29:12.240 --> 00:29:14.720
Okay, it gets even more interesting.
00:29:15.039 --> 00:29:17.440
The word for ground, Adama.
00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:18.559
Yes.
00:29:18.880 --> 00:29:21.680
Adam was taken from the red ground.
00:29:22.160 --> 00:29:29.359
And through their roots, these Hebrew words share this common connection to red, earthly, or ruddy.
00:29:29.519 --> 00:29:30.640
Those are the concepts.
00:29:30.880 --> 00:29:36.799
Adam is linked to the red ground, while Edom is linked to the red color itself.
00:29:37.119 --> 00:29:38.799
And it gets even more fun.
00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:40.079
Get even better.
00:29:40.240 --> 00:29:40.640
Love.
00:29:40.799 --> 00:29:42.640
Guess what the word for blood is?
00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:43.599
Dom.
00:29:44.480 --> 00:29:48.160
So it just has no olive, just the dalit and the mem.
00:29:48.640 --> 00:29:52.319
Esau is a hunter, and that involves a lot of killing and blood.
00:29:52.400 --> 00:29:55.279
And of course, Dom is red, right?
00:29:56.240 --> 00:30:07.200
Well, to further cement this make no mistake consistency rule that is common in any biblical narrative, look at the bloody fate of Esau as described in Isaac's blessing.
00:30:07.359 --> 00:30:10.000
This is what it says, Genesis 27, 40.
00:30:10.319 --> 00:30:14.720
And by your sword shall you live and serve your brother.
00:30:14.960 --> 00:30:25.759
And this is interesting because in Numbers 20, when the children of Israel are in the wilderness, Moses sends a message to the king of Edom saying, Thus says your brother Israel, right?
00:30:25.920 --> 00:30:31.279
Moses reminds the king of their relationship, and then he asks if they can pass the land.
00:30:31.759 --> 00:30:39.119
But Edom said to him, You will not pass through me, or I will come out against you with a sword.
00:30:39.519 --> 00:30:45.440
So this is a deliberate connection upon the part of the Hebrew authors.
00:30:45.920 --> 00:30:56.960
So some literary scholars argue that the Jacob-Esau story is part of a larger Genesis repeating narrative motif where eating decisions shape destiny, right?
00:30:57.039 --> 00:30:59.279
There's this food temptation pattern.
00:30:59.440 --> 00:31:05.039
And this is how the pattern goes: there's a desirable or significant food situation.
00:31:05.519 --> 00:31:14.640
A choice or temptation is introduced, a character acts wisely or unwisely, and the result brings blessing, loss, or reversal.
00:31:14.799 --> 00:31:16.880
So let's look at how the motif plays out.
00:31:17.039 --> 00:31:20.640
Again, it all starts with the first story in the Bible: Adam and Eve.
00:31:20.880 --> 00:31:27.039
The fruit is described as good and desirable and has the ability to make one wise.
00:31:27.599 --> 00:31:36.559
The temptation, this is the forbidden fruit, is introduced by Satan, and Adam and Eve eat what is forbidden by God.
00:31:36.720 --> 00:31:41.680
The result, loss of innocence and exile, and a ruptured relationship with God.
00:31:41.839 --> 00:31:43.680
So that's going to set the template.
00:31:43.920 --> 00:31:48.240
Food plus desire plus transgression leads to a consequence.
00:31:48.480 --> 00:31:56.319
In the Jacob and Esau story, Esau is starving, and the desirable food situation, Jacob has to.
00:31:56.880 --> 00:31:58.480
The temptation is introduced.
00:31:58.640 --> 00:31:59.599
Sell me your birthright.
00:31:59.839 --> 00:32:03.839
Esau acts unwisely and trades his birthright for food.
00:32:04.079 --> 00:32:06.720
The result is immediate satisfaction.
00:32:06.880 --> 00:32:11.119
However, the ultimate consequence is a long-term loss of inheritance.
00:32:11.279 --> 00:32:15.920
So food here represents impulse, overpowering destiny.
00:32:16.319 --> 00:32:23.279
In Genesis 27, Isaac asks Esau to prepare a meal before he gives him a blessing.
00:32:23.839 --> 00:32:25.440
Got the situations introduced.
00:32:25.680 --> 00:32:28.319
Jacob and Rebekah deceive him using food.
00:32:28.480 --> 00:32:31.599
The result is that Jacob receives the blessing.
00:32:31.920 --> 00:32:37.680
In this situation, food becomes the vehicle of deception and blessing reversal.
00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:46.480
So how people handle basic appetites becomes a test of wisdom, trust, and moral responsibility.
00:32:46.799 --> 00:32:50.480
So look for this pattern as you read the Old Testament this year.
00:32:50.720 --> 00:32:57.359
What this pattern shows across these stories is that food is a basic human desire.
00:32:57.920 --> 00:33:01.440
Eating decisions reveal a character.
00:33:01.920 --> 00:33:08.400
The outcomes often involve reversal, gain to loss or loss to gain.
00:33:08.720 --> 00:33:18.640
Now, another similarity with the Garden of Eden story and the Jacob-Esau stories is that both stories emphasize sensory misjudgment.
00:33:19.039 --> 00:33:21.920
Their senses are going to deceive them.
00:33:22.480 --> 00:33:26.400
In the Garden, it is Eve's sense of sight.
00:33:26.640 --> 00:33:29.519
She sees that the fruit is good for food.
00:33:29.759 --> 00:33:32.240
It is pleasant to the eyes.
00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:34.880
It is desirable for wisdom.
00:33:35.359 --> 00:33:40.559
In Genesis 27, it is Isaac's sense of taste, right?
00:33:40.720 --> 00:33:47.279
The ma'a, the meal, or his desire for savory food, for savory wild game.
00:33:47.680 --> 00:33:49.359
His sense of touch, right?
00:33:49.519 --> 00:33:50.640
The hairy skins.
00:33:50.799 --> 00:33:56.400
He gets deceived by the goat skins that Rebecca put on Jacob's arm and neck.
00:33:56.559 --> 00:33:57.839
And the smell.
00:33:58.240 --> 00:34:01.279
Jacob is wearing Esau's garment.
00:34:02.000 --> 00:34:07.440
And so he says the voice is Jacob's, the smell is Esau's.
00:34:07.599 --> 00:34:14.320
So his senses are manipulated, and the result is misdirected blessing.
00:34:14.480 --> 00:34:24.639
Scholars often note that Genesis deliberately stresses the senses failing when food is involved.
00:34:24.880 --> 00:34:26.159
So watch for that.
00:34:26.400 --> 00:34:34.719
Finally, another thing that scholars notice about the Jacob-Esau cycle is that it domesticates the Eden pattern.
00:34:34.960 --> 00:34:46.400
In the Eden story, you have a cosmic fall in which humanity loses paradise because of the serpent's deceit.
00:34:46.719 --> 00:34:57.599
In the Jacob-Esau story, you have family conflict in which Esau loses his inheritance because of Jacob's deceit.
00:34:57.840 --> 00:35:06.400
Now, I want to make clear that the Genesis 25 through 27 story is not directly modeled on Genesis 3.
00:35:06.559 --> 00:35:22.719
It's not a mirror, but the author is using repeated motifs like food, appetite, deception, and the loss of status that echo earlier Genesis 1, 2, and 3.
00:35:22.800 --> 00:35:25.760
And that's a really common thing that biblical authors do.
00:35:25.840 --> 00:35:31.199
They echo and repurpose earlier biblical narratives to make their point.
00:35:31.760 --> 00:35:39.920
So the food scenes in the book of Genesis set up a pattern that occurs throughout the rest of the Bible.
00:35:40.239 --> 00:35:47.039
Meals become moments where God's purposes, human character, and relationship are revealed.
00:35:47.280 --> 00:35:58.159
If you think through what you've been reading about in Genesis, you will notice that there is a literary pattern in which key turning points revolve around food.
00:35:58.559 --> 00:36:12.960
These scenes appear at strategic moments and often mirror each other, showing how human choices about food affect their relationships with God, with family, and with the wider world.
00:36:13.519 --> 00:36:22.320
So when I went to Calvin Theological Seminary, one of my very dear friends was very interested in the theology of food.
00:36:22.559 --> 00:36:22.880
Okay.
00:36:23.199 --> 00:36:25.039
And I'd never heard of that.
00:36:25.360 --> 00:36:32.800
But what it is is that it is the study of how food relates to God, faith, and spiritual meaning.
00:36:33.039 --> 00:36:45.920
It explores how religious traditions understand food not just as nourishment, but as something more, something connected to creation, community, gratitude, morality, and worship.
00:36:46.239 --> 00:36:50.800
Usually scholars are studying concepts such as food as a gift from God.
00:36:51.199 --> 00:36:58.960
And most religious traditions see food as part of God's provision and in his creation.
00:36:59.280 --> 00:37:13.519
Food and spiritual practices, such as rituals like fasting or sacred meals, for example, the bread and the water in the sacrament, they connect eating with worship.
00:37:13.840 --> 00:37:24.320
And what is called the ethics of eating explores questions about justice and caring for the poor or stewardship of the earth and how food is produced.
00:37:24.880 --> 00:37:29.039
Shared meals often symbolize fellowship and unity.
00:37:29.360 --> 00:37:34.880
Prayers over meals acknowledge reliance on God and gratitude for his blessing of food.
00:37:34.960 --> 00:37:47.280
So a theology of food asks what eating, sharing, and producing food reveal about God, humans, and how we should live.
00:37:47.519 --> 00:37:51.199
My friend, she pointed me to a really interesting book.
00:37:51.440 --> 00:37:53.039
It's by Norman Weirsba.
00:37:53.280 --> 00:37:57.039
It's called Food and Faith, a Theology of Eating.
00:37:57.119 --> 00:38:01.199
And he's one of the most influential scholars on the theology of food today.
00:38:01.360 --> 00:38:07.519
And his work connects biblical theology, agriculture, ecology, and ethics.
00:38:07.760 --> 00:38:14.800
He argues that eating is a deeply theological act tied to creation, gratitude, and community.
00:38:15.119 --> 00:38:26.000
Weirsbutt talks a lot about themes like hospitality, the Eucharist, which means the sacrament of the Lord's Supper and care for the land and responsible food systems.
00:38:26.159 --> 00:38:32.159
So I just wanted to finish up this week's podcast by reading a passage from his book.
00:38:32.480 --> 00:38:32.800
Okay.
00:38:33.039 --> 00:38:33.360
Okay.
00:38:33.679 --> 00:38:34.960
But let's chat real quick.
00:38:35.119 --> 00:38:39.679
Because what Cindy loves to do, and I'm sure you guys are all realizing this, is she likes to provide a lot of information.
00:38:39.920 --> 00:38:40.480
I do.
00:38:40.719 --> 00:38:44.239
And then, but we also need to talk about Jacob and Esau a little bit.
00:38:44.480 --> 00:38:44.800
Okay.
00:38:45.440 --> 00:38:47.199
Before we jump into the book.
00:38:47.280 --> 00:38:50.159
Because I want if I'm sure that will just we'll close on that.
00:38:50.400 --> 00:38:55.360
So I grew up thinking, oh, Esau's kind of like maybe not as smart as Jacob.
00:38:55.920 --> 00:38:59.440
Maybe just kind of the dumber brother or whatever.
00:38:59.599 --> 00:39:05.519
I don't think that's right, but I don't know how I feel now, is where I'm at.
00:39:05.599 --> 00:39:05.840
Yeah.
00:39:06.000 --> 00:39:11.360
Which I'm not trying to get you to tell me how to feel, but I do want to just talk through how we should feel about Esau.
00:39:11.599 --> 00:39:12.800
Well, and I have some questions.
00:39:13.440 --> 00:39:15.679
Why did Isaac not reverse a blessing?
00:39:16.000 --> 00:39:17.360
The Bible does not tell us.
00:39:17.519 --> 00:39:18.559
The Bible doesn't tell us.
00:39:18.639 --> 00:39:19.840
And I think that's important.
00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:22.480
I've heard people make a lot of reasons.
00:39:22.719 --> 00:39:23.039
Okay.
00:39:23.599 --> 00:39:26.079
Well, he recognized that it was Jacob.
00:39:26.320 --> 00:39:26.800
Sure.
00:39:27.119 --> 00:39:29.840
Or he could have reversed it, but he chose not to.
00:39:30.079 --> 00:39:31.920
That is not what the text tells us.
00:39:32.079 --> 00:39:32.320
No.
00:39:32.559 --> 00:39:39.920
Like I said before, the text, the Torah trusts us to be able to hold really uncomfortable things.
00:39:40.079 --> 00:39:40.320
Yeah.
00:39:40.559 --> 00:39:45.199
Things that we might cringe at and live with that uncertainty.
00:39:45.440 --> 00:39:46.639
We don't know.
00:39:47.039 --> 00:39:56.320
I think with Esau, this is one of the really unusual places, like I said, where it does tell us about Esau's character.
00:39:56.400 --> 00:39:57.920
And it's very specific.
00:39:58.079 --> 00:40:01.440
And it says Esau despised his birthright.
00:40:01.519 --> 00:40:01.840
Yeah.
00:40:02.159 --> 00:40:09.599
So that is specifically telling us something about the character of Esau, which is he did not value the birthright blessing.
00:40:09.679 --> 00:40:20.320
So what the birthright blessing was was that when the father died, the inheritance would be divided equally among the sons, except a double portion would be given to the oldest son.
00:40:20.559 --> 00:40:29.840
And the reason was that he would be able to use that to care for his widowed mother and unmarried sisters.
00:40:30.079 --> 00:40:32.400
That was the reason for the double portion.
00:40:32.880 --> 00:40:39.119
And that is part of what the commandment to honor your father and your mother is about, right?
00:40:39.599 --> 00:40:42.320
It's also about this idea of caring for them.
00:40:42.559 --> 00:40:53.199
And in the New Testament, Jesus will specifically criticize some of the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites about the fact that they are not doing this.
00:40:53.360 --> 00:40:56.559
They are not using their money to care for their parents.
00:40:56.800 --> 00:40:57.440
Got it.
00:40:57.760 --> 00:41:01.519
So we are specifically told that he despised his birthright.
00:41:01.599 --> 00:41:03.440
So he didn't value it.
00:41:03.760 --> 00:41:10.719
And this also could have something to do with, and then this part, scholars will maybe make a little bit of a leap.
00:41:10.880 --> 00:41:13.599
It's much more spelled out once you hit Moses.
00:41:13.920 --> 00:41:14.159
Yeah.
00:41:14.320 --> 00:41:32.239
So when we get to Exodus and it's talking about why the Levites are the priestly tribe, it says that God had required the firstborn of every family to serve as a priest, but that instead of doing that, now he's going to set it aside in this tribe.
00:41:32.559 --> 00:41:38.320
So we can also conclude that there were probably priestly duties connected with this birthright.
00:41:38.559 --> 00:41:45.519
And so the idea also is that Esau was despising the priestly duties connected with the birthright.
00:41:45.679 --> 00:41:50.719
So not just physically caring for his mother and sister, but the priestly duties that went along with it.
00:41:50.960 --> 00:41:51.280
Right.
00:41:51.920 --> 00:41:53.840
It sounded like he resented it just a little.
00:41:54.079 --> 00:41:55.599
Yeah, or just didn't prize it.
00:41:55.679 --> 00:41:56.880
It was not a big deal to him.
00:41:57.039 --> 00:42:02.480
And you know, I mean, we can see that in our religious tradition too, in our church.
00:42:03.280 --> 00:42:07.119
Every deacon age boy is given the priesthood.
00:42:07.199 --> 00:42:12.400
And so some will hold that priesthood and understand the significance of it more than others.
00:42:12.559 --> 00:42:15.280
And obviously, when you're a young boy, you're not going to really understand that.
00:42:15.599 --> 00:42:20.079
But then they move on, right, into teacher and priest, and they're growing in their priesthood understanding.
00:42:20.239 --> 00:42:27.119
But then everybody who receives the Melchizedek priesthood when they turn what is 18, I think it is.
00:42:27.440 --> 00:42:27.840
Right.
00:42:28.079 --> 00:42:33.119
And so if every male has the priesthood, a lot of them really understand what they've got.
00:42:33.199 --> 00:42:36.880
They respect it, but it's also not respected, too.
00:42:36.960 --> 00:42:37.199
Yeah.
00:42:37.360 --> 00:42:37.679
Right.
00:42:37.840 --> 00:42:40.000
And I think you can say that same thing for women.
00:42:40.079 --> 00:42:45.039
Like biologically, unless there's a problem, every woman can conceive.
00:42:45.519 --> 00:42:53.679
And so children, which God says are his greatest blessing to us, are often not treasured as a blessing, right?
00:42:53.760 --> 00:42:55.679
Because it's kind of this thing we all do.
00:42:55.840 --> 00:42:56.880
So it's the same thing.
00:42:56.960 --> 00:43:00.960
If something is common, many times we do despise it.
00:43:01.039 --> 00:43:01.840
We don't sure.
00:43:01.920 --> 00:43:08.159
Or sometimes there's responsibility that comes with, I know in my own life, I think I've talked about this here before.
00:43:08.480 --> 00:43:11.199
I fell away from the church when I was younger.
00:43:11.519 --> 00:43:22.800
And I can remember thinking, I despised and resented the fact that I was born a member because I wanted to satisfy these appetites that I had.
00:43:22.960 --> 00:43:23.199
Right.
00:43:23.360 --> 00:43:30.320
And so I think that in that sense, we can understand where Esau is coming from sometimes because there's a lot of responsibility.
00:43:30.639 --> 00:43:36.079
And sometimes it feels like, well, I didn't choose to be the firstborn or I didn't choose this or whatever.
00:43:36.239 --> 00:43:37.760
And so I think there's some of that there.
00:43:37.920 --> 00:43:38.159
Okay.
00:43:38.320 --> 00:43:40.079
And then what about Rebecca?
00:43:40.480 --> 00:43:46.079
Again, the Bible doesn't say and as a mother, you can be like, Yeah, I get it.
00:43:46.239 --> 00:43:48.719
She was trying to do what's right, whatever it says.
00:43:48.960 --> 00:43:55.760
It says the reason that Isaac loved Esau was because he prepared him food.
00:43:55.840 --> 00:43:56.159
Okay.
00:43:56.320 --> 00:43:58.480
And then it says, and Rebecca loved Jacob.
00:43:58.559 --> 00:43:59.519
Like there's no cave out there.
00:43:59.599 --> 00:44:02.320
It's Just she just loves him, right?
00:44:02.639 --> 00:44:04.960
There's no condition on her love.
00:44:05.199 --> 00:44:08.880
There is a condition on Isaac's love for Esau.
00:44:08.960 --> 00:44:11.679
So there the Bible is making a statement.
00:44:12.239 --> 00:44:16.559
He is allowing his appetite to influence his favoritism, right?
00:44:17.360 --> 00:44:21.199
Well, does he know about Rebecca's experience?
00:44:21.760 --> 00:44:24.719
Does he know that Esau sold the blessing?
00:44:25.039 --> 00:44:25.519
We don't know.
00:44:25.599 --> 00:44:25.760
Yeah.
00:44:26.000 --> 00:44:31.039
Does he know that God told Rebecca that two nations fight in your womb and the younger is gonna rule over the older?
00:44:31.440 --> 00:44:31.840
We don't know.
00:44:32.000 --> 00:44:32.800
We don't know.
00:44:33.039 --> 00:44:38.079
Does he know that it was Rebecca who prepared the food and told Jacob to deceive?
00:44:38.239 --> 00:44:39.039
We don't know.
00:44:39.199 --> 00:44:41.039
Yeah, we do not know.
00:44:41.280 --> 00:44:43.440
The Bible is silent on that part.
00:44:43.679 --> 00:44:46.000
Rebecca never tells us, as Isaac never tells us.
00:44:46.239 --> 00:44:53.199
And we shouldn't necessarily attach meaning to that, except for the fact that the Bible doesn't tell us.
00:44:53.679 --> 00:44:57.840
And it is trusting us to just hold that.
00:44:58.000 --> 00:45:00.880
And even though it makes us cringe, yeah.
00:45:00.960 --> 00:45:04.639
Well, I'm just holding these things up because these are the uncomfortable things that we're not.
00:45:05.599 --> 00:45:08.320
We want definitive answers to because we're modern.
00:45:08.480 --> 00:45:08.719
Yes.
00:45:08.880 --> 00:45:13.119
And I think what I like to do is just sit in it and just be curious.
00:45:14.000 --> 00:45:15.199
Just be curious about them all.
00:45:15.679 --> 00:45:21.360
And again, at some point in your life, it'll mean one thing, and at another point it'll mean something else.
00:45:21.519 --> 00:45:22.719
And so just sitting with it.
00:45:22.960 --> 00:45:26.639
What's really funny is that obviously the Jews have wrestled with this for centuries.
00:45:26.800 --> 00:45:26.960
Yeah.
00:45:27.199 --> 00:45:29.599
And you'll have these midrash that'll talk about it.
00:45:29.679 --> 00:45:33.280
And they're kind of like stories that embroider on it.
00:45:33.360 --> 00:45:40.159
And all these stories are attached to the Torah, you know, and these scholars will read them and know them.
00:45:40.639 --> 00:45:43.199
We're not as comfortable doing that.
00:45:43.280 --> 00:45:43.840
Yeah.
00:45:44.079 --> 00:45:48.880
And we're not as comfortable telling stories about the text.
00:45:49.039 --> 00:45:49.360
Yeah.
00:45:49.679 --> 00:45:51.840
And I think there's good and there's bad.
00:45:51.920 --> 00:45:56.159
I mean, the good is that this is what the text says.
00:45:56.880 --> 00:45:58.239
We don't know.
00:45:58.639 --> 00:46:01.679
The bad is that sometimes we don't want to tell a story about it.
00:46:01.920 --> 00:46:08.320
And sometimes a story is a fun thing to do and helpful, but always keeping in mind it may or may not be the truth.
00:46:08.400 --> 00:46:10.400
And right now we just don't know.
00:46:10.559 --> 00:46:16.639
And we have to sit with the fact that we don't know and that the Torah is okay with that.
00:46:16.800 --> 00:46:18.079
That's our problem.
00:46:18.320 --> 00:46:20.239
We're the ones who want to know.
00:46:20.400 --> 00:46:22.000
It's not the Torah problem.
00:46:22.079 --> 00:46:24.960
It's not the problem of the Bible, it's a problem with us.
00:46:25.119 --> 00:46:25.440
Yeah.
00:46:25.760 --> 00:46:28.079
And there's a lot of uncomfortable stuff.
00:46:28.320 --> 00:46:30.079
And I will just end with this.
00:46:30.320 --> 00:46:37.280
It is our responsibility, though, to look at the fruits of both of all the decisions here and then make our decision.
00:46:37.360 --> 00:46:37.599
Yeah.
00:46:37.840 --> 00:46:41.440
Or help that have that help us help influence what we think.
00:46:41.599 --> 00:46:42.480
But absolutely.
00:46:42.559 --> 00:46:59.840
And I will say sometimes the purpose of the story will also be to identify and talk about the descendants of the story, because those are the nations that are surrounding Israel and that have interaction.
00:47:00.159 --> 00:47:07.360
So, like I read in Numbers about the king of Edom who would not let the children of Israel pass through his land.
00:47:07.440 --> 00:47:07.599
Yeah.
00:47:07.760 --> 00:47:12.000
And he pretty much verbatim quotes the blessing that was given to him by Isaac, right?
00:47:12.320 --> 00:47:16.159
So it's telling about these people and why they are.
00:47:16.480 --> 00:47:19.360
A lot of times that is the purpose of the story.
00:47:20.400 --> 00:47:23.119
I don't want to say that that's the only purpose.
00:47:24.000 --> 00:47:26.000
Scholars will say that's the only purpose.
00:47:26.239 --> 00:47:27.280
I do not think so.
00:47:27.440 --> 00:47:29.280
Those stories are telling us important things.
00:47:29.360 --> 00:47:40.079
And I would say in the Jacob and Esau story, and we're going to talk about this more in the next podcast, but we'll talk about this whole word motif of deceit.
00:47:40.320 --> 00:47:44.559
You'll see that play out through Jacob, the whole of Jacob's life.
00:47:44.880 --> 00:47:56.000
That's definitely a part of his character, but you also see his character arc as he goes from the low point of his deceit to a high point, you know?
00:47:56.320 --> 00:48:00.239
So you're going to see a character arc for Jacob.
00:48:00.400 --> 00:48:05.920
And you'll see him as just a superhuman character who's very fleshed out.
00:48:06.159 --> 00:48:08.079
Much more fleshed out than Isaac is.
00:48:08.239 --> 00:48:12.079
Of the three patriarchs, Isaac is the least fleshed out.
00:48:12.320 --> 00:48:12.719
Yeah.
00:48:12.880 --> 00:48:13.280
Yeah.
00:48:13.519 --> 00:48:13.840
Okay.
00:48:14.559 --> 00:48:15.119
All right.
00:48:15.280 --> 00:48:21.039
We're going to end with this really just an interesting statement about the theology of food.
00:48:21.119 --> 00:48:29.840
And I just want us to think about it in terms of just the fact that food plays such a big part in all of our lives, right?
00:48:30.159 --> 00:48:41.360
And I think one of the tragic things about our culture is that often our Western culture that you and I are in, is that often food has become the enemy.
00:48:41.519 --> 00:48:42.079
Yeah.
00:48:42.400 --> 00:48:46.159
We don't look at it as the great gift that God gave to us.
00:48:46.639 --> 00:48:50.960
But if you look in the Bible, so much of life revolves around food.
00:48:51.039 --> 00:48:56.239
And that food is used in these amazing celebrations of remembering the good of God.
00:48:56.800 --> 00:49:02.719
So Norman Weirsba, the book is called Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating.
00:49:02.960 --> 00:49:08.320
And I also want to talk about a couple other authors who are fun to read that you might want to look at.
00:49:08.400 --> 00:49:16.559
And that would be Wendell Barry, writes a lot of essays on agriculture, food, responsibility with the earth.
00:49:16.880 --> 00:49:22.800
And also, so does David Sleet, who I've talked about when he talks about trees.
00:49:22.880 --> 00:49:25.360
And I talked about him in a past episode.
00:49:26.000 --> 00:49:28.880
So this is what Norman Weirsba says.
00:49:29.199 --> 00:49:35.599
He says this Why did God create a world in which every living creature must eat?
00:49:35.840 --> 00:49:45.519
This is a humbling, even terrifying question, particularly for people who are intimately involved in the finding, growing, and harvesting of food.
00:49:45.920 --> 00:49:48.960
Eating is no idle or trifling activity.
00:49:49.360 --> 00:49:52.639
It is the means of life itself, but also death.
00:49:52.960 --> 00:50:00.239
For any creature to live, countless seen and unseen others must die, often by being eaten themselves.
00:50:00.800 --> 00:50:11.920
Life as we know it depends on death, needs death, which means that death is not simply the cessation of life, but its precondition.
00:50:12.559 --> 00:50:15.760
Death is eating's steadfast accomplice.
00:50:16.320 --> 00:50:19.199
It is also each creature's biological end.
00:50:19.519 --> 00:50:28.000
For no matter how much or how well we eat, for the sake of life's preservation, we cannot erase our mortal condition.
00:50:28.639 --> 00:50:35.599
Why eat if eating, even vegetarian eating, implicates us in so much death?
00:50:35.840 --> 00:50:40.960
Why eat if eating is the daily reminder of our own need and mortality?
00:50:41.360 --> 00:50:52.000
We could try to imagine all creatures as self-subsisting, non-eating entities that never take a bite, and thus presumably avoid the realities of eating death.
00:50:52.239 --> 00:51:04.559
But then we would also have to envision a tasteless and lonely world without belonging and fellowship, a world without the very delights that accompany the procuring, preparing, and sharing of food.
00:51:04.880 --> 00:51:14.480
Eating joins people to each other, to other creatures and the world, and to God through forms of natural communion too complex to fathom.
00:51:14.800 --> 00:51:27.760
It introduces us to a graced world of hospitality, a creation that from the beginning and constantly through its soil absorbs death and makes room for newness of life.
00:51:28.000 --> 00:51:38.880
Eating involves us in a daily life and death drama in which, beyond all comprehension, some life is sacrificed so that other life can thrive.
00:51:39.119 --> 00:51:49.760
It establishes a membership that confirms all creatures as profoundly in need of each other and God to provide life's nutrition and vitality.
00:51:50.079 --> 00:51:53.599
Food is a holy and humbling mystery.
00:51:54.000 --> 00:52:13.039
Every time a creature eats, it participates in God's life-giving yet costly ways, ways that simultaneously affirm creation as a delectable gift and as a divinely ordered membership of interdependent need and suffering and help.
00:52:13.280 --> 00:52:23.599
Whenever people come to the table, they demonstrate with the unmistakable evidence of their stomachs that they are not self-subsisting gods.
00:52:23.760 --> 00:52:40.159
They are finite and mortal creatures dependent on God's many good gifts, sunlight, photosynthesis, decomposition, soil fertility, water, bees and butterflies, chickens, sheep, cows, gardeners, farmers, cooks, strangers and friends.
00:52:40.400 --> 00:52:42.000
The list goes on and on.
00:52:42.239 --> 00:52:52.960
Eating reminds us that we participate in a grace, saturated world, a blessed creation, worthy of attention, care, and celebration.
00:52:53.280 --> 00:53:00.639
Despite what food marketers may say, there really is no such thing as cheap or convenient food.
00:53:00.960 --> 00:53:14.639
Real food, the food that is the source of creaturely health and delight, is precious because it is a fundamental means through which God's nurture and love of the whole creation are exposed.
00:53:14.880 --> 00:53:15.360
Oh wow.
00:53:15.599 --> 00:53:16.159
Isn't that beautiful?
00:53:16.559 --> 00:53:17.679
So beautiful.
00:53:18.000 --> 00:53:20.800
And so, yeah, we close this episode out.
00:53:20.880 --> 00:53:27.039
I mean, having remembered like the first instance of eating, which drove us out of God's presence, right?
00:53:27.519 --> 00:53:29.840
Launched us on the hero's journey.
00:53:29.920 --> 00:53:36.159
And in Revelation, we are told that there will be a final banquet.
00:53:36.480 --> 00:53:46.559
And we will all be invited to the table of the bridegroom and the lamb and restored to God's presence through food.
00:53:46.880 --> 00:53:47.679
I love it.
00:53:47.920 --> 00:53:48.320
All right.
00:53:48.480 --> 00:53:51.599
Thank you for listening, and we will see you next time.
00:53:54.719 --> 00:53:59.039
Thank you for listening to the Scripture Study Podcast, your midweek Bible boost.
00:53:59.199 --> 00:54:05.119
Everything we mentioned on this podcast, if we said there would be a link to it, it is in the show notes wherever you find your podcast.
00:54:05.280 --> 00:54:09.920
Cindy Madsen currently does not believe in or participate in social media.
00:54:10.079 --> 00:54:16.159
However, if you would like to follow along with Susan Peterson, she can be found on Instagram at susan.m.peterson.
00:54:16.480 --> 00:54:17.920
Have a good week.