HAFTARAH TEXT

On the day when you stood apart,
on the day when barbarians carried off their wealth,
and strangers entered their gates to cast lots for Jerusalem.
You should not have gloated over your kin
on the day of their calamity!
You should not have rejoiced over the people of Judah
on the day of their ruin!
And you should not have opened your big mouth
on the day of their distress!
You should not have entered my people's gate
on the day of their disaster
You should not have been among those who gloated over their misery
on the day of their calamity!
And you should not have stood at the crossroads
to cut off their fugitives!
And you should not have betrayed their survivors
on the day of their distress!

For the day of the Eternal draws near for all the nations:
As you have done, so shall it be done to you;
Your deeds shall come back to haunt you.
Obadiah 1:15

Parashat VaYishlach (Gen. 32:4-36:43), for Dec. 17, 2005

What goes around comes around- until we seek forgiveness.

Study with Baruch Sienna

This year's cycle of weekly Parasha study explores what connections and insight we can find by examining the Torah portion together with the Haftarah.

Again this week, Ashkenazim and Sephardim read different Haftarot. It's confusing; this week, some Ashkenazim read what the Sephardim read last week (Hosea 11:7-12:12), and Sephardim (as well as some other communities) read the book of Obadiah. (Yes, the whole book- actually only one chapter of 21 verses!). Since this is the only time Obadiah is read, I have chosen to examine it. Like the Hosea passage, Obadiah's prophecy concerns Edom, the nation of Esau. The emnity between the brothers is the source of the eternal conflict that will only be resolved at the end of time.

The name 'Obadiah' means the 'servant of God' and may be a personal name, or like Malachi simply a title describing an unnamed prophet. The book of Obadiah is the shortest book of the Bible, and is possibly a fragment of a larger collection of prophecies that has been lost. No biographical information is included in the 21 verses, so not much is known about Obadiah. Obadiah probably lived after the destruction of the first Temple, and prophecied against Edom. The Talmud (incorrectly) identifies him with an 'Obadiah' mentioned in the book of Kings who lived at the time of Elijah and King Ahab.

Our parasha ends with a lengthy genealogy of Esau. "This is the line of Esau- that is, Edom" (Gen. 36:1). The Edomites were later destroyed, but later rabbinic interpretation assigned the name 'Edom' to the hated Roman Empire, and then to Christianity. The Torah's account of the twin brothers Jacob and Esau's confrontation and reconciliation contrasts with Obadiah's message of Edom's destruction. In the Torah, Jacob and Esau settle old scores, and while they go their separate ways, a tentative detente is declared. According to Obadiah, however, the national conflict between their descendants will continue. Obadiah accuses Edom (the older brother) as the deceiver, and predicts Edom's downfall. The prophet's message is that Israel will triumph and consume the destroyed Edom.

The Torah rarely passes judgment on a person's behaviour'; it doesn't moralize. The Torah lets 'actions speak louder than words' and by describing actions (and their consequences) the astute reader gets the point. Although the term comes from eastern religions, we could even say the Torah believes in Karma: 'what goes around, comes around.' The rabbis call it 'middah k'neged middah' (literally, measure for measure). A classic example is the drowning of the Egyptians at the Sea of Reeds which mirrors the Israelite children who perished when they were thrown into the Nile.

And there is probably no better example than the story of Jacob. He survives by his wits, masquerading as his older brother to steal his birthright. After he runs to Haran, he has met his match in Laban, his father in law, and the tables are turned. Laban plays the old 'switcheroo' on Jacob, and marries off his eldest daughter who like his earlier deception pretends to be her sibling. Oh, the delicious irony of it. I can imagine the Torah saying: "See what a taste of your own medicine is like, Jacob!" but of course, it doesn't.

And this 'tit for tat' that happens on a personal level will happen to nations too. Obadiah therefore warns Edom: "As you have done, so shall it be done to you; Your deeds shall come back to haunt you." Some have observed that how Jews are treated by a country is often an accurate predictor of that country's prestige and success. Obadiah ends his message on a triumphant note: the surviving remnant will ascend Mount Zion and wreak judgment on Mount Esau, "and dominion shall be the Eternal's."

Obadiah's message of Israel's ascendancy may be comforting, but I find the Torah's message of Jacob and Esau's reconciliation more satisfying and more promising. Indeed, Jacob's encounter with his brother includes his giving Esau gifts -- instead of the regular word (minchah), Jacob chooses the Hebrew word , birkhati (literally, my blessing), the identical word used to describe the blessing that he stole from Esau. We may await the day when God will rule over all the earth, good will overcome evil, and God's mountain will be established. Until then, we should remember that Jacob and Esau greeted each other with a contrite and generous spirit. What goes around comes around- until we seek forgiveness.

Shabbat Shalom,

BDS