stillsmallvoice
July 31st 2003, 08:00 AM
Hi all!
Genesis 33 tells us about the meeting, their first in many years, between Jacob and Esau. It also has a wonderful lesson on materialism and the source of true happiness.
Esau asks Jacob , "What do you mean by all this camp which I met?", regarding the latter's lavish gifts (referred to in Gen. 32:14-16). Jacob replies that the gifts are, "to find favor in the sight of my lord ." Esau initially dismisses his brother's gifts. Most translations have Esau saying, "I have enough." I happen to be a Hebrew-to-English translator & I think that this is wrong. The New American Standard Bible's "I have plenty," and Young's, "I have abundance," are better. In the original Hebrew, Esau says [I]Yesh li rav, literally, "I have much/alot." But Jacob insists that Esau accept the gifts (which he eventually does) and tells his brother that, "God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have all." (The KJV's "I have enough" is simply wrong. In Hebrew, Jacob says Yesh li kol, literally, "I have all." Young gets it right; Darby's "I have everything" is pretty close.)
Our Sages contrast Esau's "I have much" with Jacob's "I have all." Our Sages teach that while Jacob certainly was not poor, Esau was far wealthier than him (Didn't Esau meet his brother with 400 men? Retaining 400 men is no mean expense!). So how could Jacob say, "I have all," against his far wealthier brother's, "I have much"? Our Sages teach that Esau was the materialist par excellance, that he lived for riches and material things of this world. Such people are never satisfied, no matter how much they have, even if it's a lot; it's never enough, they are not content and want more. (Like Ecclesiastes 5:9 tells us: "He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loves abundance, with increase; this is also vanity." To borrow a phrase from 19th-20th century American poet Edwin Arlington Robinson, such people are plagued by "the worm of what-was-not", see http://www.poemtree.com/poems/BewickFinzer.htm) Even though Esau was very wealthy, all he could say was, "I have much." But Jacob was a spiritual man who knew that material things are transitory and who knew what was really important. He had a God, children & wives whom he loved & who loved him; therefore, he could truly say, "I have all."
Our 2nd century CE sage, Ben Zoma, says, "Who is rich? He who is happy with his portion." Jacob would have agreed fully; Esau would have had no idea what our sage was talking about.
Be well!
ssv :hi:
Genesis 33 tells us about the meeting, their first in many years, between Jacob and Esau. It also has a wonderful lesson on materialism and the source of true happiness.
Esau asks Jacob , "What do you mean by all this camp which I met?", regarding the latter's lavish gifts (referred to in Gen. 32:14-16). Jacob replies that the gifts are, "to find favor in the sight of my lord ." Esau initially dismisses his brother's gifts. Most translations have Esau saying, "I have enough." I happen to be a Hebrew-to-English translator & I think that this is wrong. The New American Standard Bible's "I have plenty," and Young's, "I have abundance," are better. In the original Hebrew, Esau says [I]Yesh li rav, literally, "I have much/alot." But Jacob insists that Esau accept the gifts (which he eventually does) and tells his brother that, "God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have all." (The KJV's "I have enough" is simply wrong. In Hebrew, Jacob says Yesh li kol, literally, "I have all." Young gets it right; Darby's "I have everything" is pretty close.)
Our Sages contrast Esau's "I have much" with Jacob's "I have all." Our Sages teach that while Jacob certainly was not poor, Esau was far wealthier than him (Didn't Esau meet his brother with 400 men? Retaining 400 men is no mean expense!). So how could Jacob say, "I have all," against his far wealthier brother's, "I have much"? Our Sages teach that Esau was the materialist par excellance, that he lived for riches and material things of this world. Such people are never satisfied, no matter how much they have, even if it's a lot; it's never enough, they are not content and want more. (Like Ecclesiastes 5:9 tells us: "He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loves abundance, with increase; this is also vanity." To borrow a phrase from 19th-20th century American poet Edwin Arlington Robinson, such people are plagued by "the worm of what-was-not", see http://www.poemtree.com/poems/BewickFinzer.htm) Even though Esau was very wealthy, all he could say was, "I have much." But Jacob was a spiritual man who knew that material things are transitory and who knew what was really important. He had a God, children & wives whom he loved & who loved him; therefore, he could truly say, "I have all."
Our 2nd century CE sage, Ben Zoma, says, "Who is rich? He who is happy with his portion." Jacob would have agreed fully; Esau would have had no idea what our sage was talking about.
Be well!
ssv :hi: