Parshah%20Toldot%20Bnei%20Abraham%20Ceaser

1
Parshah ToldotBnei AbrahamCeaser
2
Overview

• Isaac marries Rebecca. After twenty childless
  years their prayers are answered and Rebecca
  conceives. She experiences a difficult pregnancy
  as the "children struggle inside her" G-d tells
  her that "there are two nations in your womb",
  and that the younger will prevail over the elder.
• Esau emerges first Jacob is born clutching
  Esau's heel. Esau grows up to be "a cunning
  hunter, a man of the field" Jacob is "a
  wholesome man", a dweller in the tents of
  learning. Isaac favors Esau Rebecca loves Jacob.
  Returning exhausted and hungry from the hunt one
  day, Esau sells his birthright (his rights as the
  firstborn) to Jacob for a pot of red lentil stew.
• In Gerar, in the land of the Philistines, Isaac
  presents Rebecca as his sister, out of fear that
  he will be killed by someone coveting her beauty.
  He farms the land, reopens the wells dug by his
  father Abraham, and bores a series of his own
  wells over the first two there is strife with
  the Philistines, but the waters of the third well
  are enjoyed in tranquility.
• Esau marries two Hittite women. Isaac grows old
  and blind, and expresses his desire to bless Esau
  before he dies. While Esau goes off to hunt for
  his father's favorite food, Rebecca dresses Jacob
  in Esau's clothes, covers his arms and neck with
  goatskins to simulate the feel of his hairier
  brother, prepares a similar dish, and sends Jacob
  to his father. Jacob receives his fathers'
  blessings for "the dew of the heaven and the fat
  of the land" and mastery over his brother. When
  Esau returns and the deception is revealed, all
  Isaac can do for his weeping son is to predict
  that he will live by his sword, and that when
  Jacob falters, the younger brother will forfeit
  his supremacy over the elder.
• Jacob leaves home for Haran to flee Esau's wrath
  and to find a wife in the family of his mother's
  brother, Laban. Esau marries a third wife --
  Machlat, the daughter of Ishmael.

3
The Players
4
Bnei Ishmael
5
Genesis Chapter 16

• 1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bore him no children
  and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name
  was Hagar.
• And Sarai said unto Abram 'Behold now, the LORD
  hath restrained me from bearing go in, I pray
  thee, unto my handmaid it may be that I shall be
  builded up through her.' And Abram hearkened to
  the voice of Sarai.
• 6 But Abram said unto Sarai 'Behold, thy maid is
  in thy hand do to her that which is good in
  thine eyes.' And Sarai dealt harshly with her,
  and she fled from her face.
• 7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a
  fountain of water in the wilderness, by the
  fountain in the way to Shur.

6
Genesis Chapter 16

• 8 And he said 'Hagar, Sarai's handmaid, whence
  camest thou? and whither goest thou?' And she
  said 'I flee from the face of my mistress
  Sarai.'
• 9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her
  'Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under
  her hands.'
• 10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her 'I
  will greatly multiply thy seed, that it shall not
  be numbered for multitude.
• 11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her
  'Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a
  son and thou shalt call his name Ishmael,
  because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
• 12 And he shall be a wild ass of a man his hand
  shall be against every man, and every man's hand
  against him and he shall dwell in the face of
  all his brethren.'

7
Yisrael and Yishmael Rosh Hayeshiva Harav
Mordechai Greenberg, shlita , (From the book,
MeInvei Hakerem Sefer Bereishit)

• Yisrael and Yishmael are the only two nations
  that contain G-ds Name, as it says in Pirkei
  DRabbi Eliezer (ch. 29)
• Bilaam said Of the seventy nations that G-d
  created in His world, he did not place His Name
  in any one of them, other than Yisrael. Since G-d
  equated Yishmaels name with that of Yisrael
  Oh! Who will survive in his days, as it says,
  Oh! Who will survive when He imposes these!
  (Bamidbar 2423)
• Pirkei DRabbi Eliezer states further
• Why is his name called Yishmael? Because G-d will
  hear the sound of the Israels groan from what
  Bnei Yishmael are destined to do in the Land in
  the end of days. Therefore, his name is called
  Yishmael, as it says, Yishma E-l veyaanem
  G-d will hear and answer them. (Tehillim 5520)
• Radak (R. David Luria) explains that although the
  name Yishmael was given because G-d heard the
  voice of Hagar and the voice of the lad,
  nevertheless, since the name Yishmael is in the
  future tense, there must be two meanings, one for
  the past and one for the future.

8
Yisrael and Yishmael Rosh Hayeshiva Harav
Mordechai Greenberg, shlita , (From the book,
MeInvei Hakerem Sefer Bereishit)

• Israels enemies are the four kingdoms
  Babylonia, Persia, Greece and Rome. The question
  is, where does Yishmael fit in? After all, it is
  impossible to ignore this tremendous mass! The
  Ibn Ezra writes in Daniel (714), that indeed
  Yishmael is the fourth kingdom, whereas Greece
  and Rome are considered as one kingdom.
• The Ramban on Parshat Balak rejects this
  position, and writes that the Ibn Ezra erred in
  this, because their fear fell upon him. The
  Maharal also explains that the criteria of the
  four kingdoms is not only their hatred of Israel,
  but also the taking away of sovereignty from
  Israel. They fight against G-ds Kingdom, which
  is represented by Israel. On the other hand,
  Yishmaels very strength is because Avraham
  pleaded on his behalf, O that Yishmael may live
  before You (Bereishit 1718), and G-d granted
  his request, Regarding Yishmael, I have heard
  you. (1720)
• Yishmael does not come to rebel against G-ds
  rule, to add another element to divinity, as
  Christianity does. They believe in One G-d.
  Therefore the four kingdoms are compared (in
  Daniel) to animals, whereas Yishmael, to a
  person. Yet, a pereh adam A wild donkey of a
  man. (Bereishit 1612)

9
Yisrael and Yishmael

• Rav S.R. Hirsch explains that a wild donkey
  refuses to accept discipline and yoke, but rather
  is free Like a wild donkey accustomed to the
  wilderness. (Yirmiya 224) Therefore, His hand
  against everyone, and everyones hand against
  him. (Bereishit 1612)
• In Hebrew (unlike English), the noun always
  precedes the adjective, as in adam gadol (great
  man). Thus in the phrase, pereh adam, the noun
  is pereh and the adjective is adam. The
  Chafetz Chaim already wrote that since the Torah
  is eternal, Yishmael will always be wild, and he
  added, Who knows what this pereh adam is still
  liable to do to Israel.
• This idea is expressed in the names Yishmael and
  Yisrael. Yisrael indicates, yishar E-l, that we
  straighten ourselves in the direction of G-d, to
  walk in His ways. Yishmael is on account of the
  fact that G-d heard their voices they subjugate,
  as if, G-d for their needs. They think that all
  of what they do is the Divine will their wars
  are Jihad, holy wars, and all of their actions
  in the name of Allah.

10
Yisrael and Yishmael

• Not long ago, there was a convention of the
  Islamic clergy to discuss the question of how to
  explain the fact that this infection of the
  Jewish state got stuck in the middle of the large
  Islamic region. Their conclusion was that G-d
  sent Israel into the midst of the Moslem region
  in order to make it easier to destroy them, what
  Hitler was unsuccessful in because of the Jews
  great dispersion.
• There are those who explain that this attitude is
  a form of idolatry. They worship, the dust that
  is on their feet, believing that wherever they
  go, G-d is with them.
• Pirkei DRabbi Eliezer (ch. 29) relates that
  Sarah saw Yishmael shooting an arrow at Yitzchak
  in order to kill him, and said, The son of that
  slavewoman shall not inherit with my son, with
  Yitzchak. (Bereishit 2110) Why does the issue
  of the inheritance trouble Sarah so much?
• The sefer, Minchat Ani (by the author of the
  Aruch Laner) explains that Sarah that Yishmael
  did want Yitzchak to inherit together with him,
  but rather he would inherit everything.

11
Yisrael and Yishmael

• Rav Hutner explains that for this reason Yishmael
  hates Israel so much, since the children of the
  concubines received presents from Avraham,
  whereas Yishmael was chased away. Moreover, all
  of this was after he thought that he was the only
  child. Therefore, his disappointment was so
  great, and he burned with hatred.
• Why did Yishmael think that everything was his?
  The Netziv explains that Sarah was punished by
  being taken to Avimelechs house because she
  laughed to herself and said, my husband is old.
  (Bereishit 1812) There is an element of quid quo
  pro here. When she said, my husband is old,
  there was a lack of faith that Avraham was
  capable of fathering. Her punishment was that the
  skeptics of the time were given room to say that
  Yitzchak was actually not the son of Avraham, but
  rather of Avimelech, and that Sarah became
  pregnant from him. This was the meaning behind
  Yishmaels mocking.

12
Yisrael and Yishmael

• The child grew and was weaned. Avraham made a
  great feast on the day Yitzchak was weaned. Sarah
  saw the son of Hagar, the Egyptian, ... mocking.
  (Bereishit 218-9) The Sforno writes He was
  ridiculing the feast, saying that she became
  pregnant from Avimelech. Sarah laughed in
  herself saying, ... and my husband is old.
  (Bereishit 1812) Now she saw Yishmael mocking
  that Yitzchak is not his son.
• This is the source of the Yishmaelites contention
  on our holding of Eretz Yisrael, since if
  Yitzchak is the son of the Philistine, then Eretz
  Yisrael belongs to the descendents of Avraham,
  who are the Yishmaelites.
• With this we can understand Chazals teaching
  that Yishmael repented. Their source is from the
  pasuk, Yitzchak and Yishmael, his sons, buried
  him (Bereishit 259), that Yishmael allowed
  Yitzchak to go before him. What is the proof from
  this that he repented? Since Yishmael had claimed
  that Yitzchak was not Avrahams son, by allowing
  him to go first, he acknowledged that Yitzchak
  is, indeed, a son following his fathers coffin.

13
Yisrael and Yishmael

• Eretz Yisrael is the land of faith and
  Providence G-ds eyes are upon it. (Devarim
  1112) Only believers can dwell in it. So long as
  it is empty, believers like Yishmael can dwell in
  it, but when Israel, who are steadfast believers,
  arrive, their merit expires.
• Therefore there is a double obligation to
  increase our faith in these times, to overcome
  Yishmaels right to the Land.
• Now we are approaching the end A dread! Great
  darkness fell upon him. (Bereishit 1512) A
  dread... these allude to the four kingdoms
  upon him alludes to Yishmael, and over them the
  son of David will sprout, as it says, His
  enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon him,
  his crown will sprout. (Tehillim 13218) R.
  Chaim Vital writes that all of the kingdoms
  wanted to convert us, and only through this came
  to murder, unlike Yishmael, whose goal is to
  eradicate Yisraels name from the world, and does
  not suffice with converting faith.

14
Yisrael and Yishmael

• The Rambam writes in Iggeret Teiman that there
  was no nation worse to Israel than Yishmael, and
  about them David said, Woe unto me, for I
  dwelled with Meshech, I dwelled with the tents of
  Kedar. (Tehillim 1205) Despite the fact that we
  bear their yoke without complaining, and their
  subjugation and their lies and falsehoods are
  more than we can handle, despite all this, we
  cannot be saved from the magnitude of their evil
  and recklessness. As much as we chase after peace
  with them, they chase us with war, as David said,
  I am peace but when I speak, they are for war.
  (1207)

15
Zohar

• 16. Vaera 22. "But Sarai was barren"
• Verse 203. The children of Ishmael are destined
  to rule over the Holy Land for a long time when
  it is empty from anything, like their
  circumcision, which is empty and imperfect. And
  they will prevent the children of Yisrael from
  returning to their place until the reward for the
  merit of the children of Ishmael reaches
  completion.

16
Bnei Esav
17
Esav Genesis Chapter 25

• 21 And Isaac entreated the LORD for his wife,
  because she was barren and the LORD let Himself
  be entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife
  conceived.
• 22 And the children struggled together within
  her and she said 'If it be so, wherefore do I
  live?' And she went to inquire of the LORD.
• 23 And the LORD said unto her
• Two nations are in thy womb, and two peoples
  shall be separated from thy bowels and the one
  people shall be stronger than the other people
  and the elder shall serve the younger.
• 25 And the first came forth ruddy, all over like
  a hairy mantle and they called his name Esav.
• 26 And after that came forth his brother, and
  his hand had hold on Esav's heel and his name
  was called Jacob. And Isaac was threescore years
  old when she bore them.

18
Genesis Chapter 25

• 30 And Esav said to Jacob 'Let me swallow, I
  pray thee, some of this red, red pottage for I
  am faint.' Therefore was his name called Edom.
• 32 And Esav said 'Behold, I am at the point to
  die and what profit shall the birthright do to
  me?'
• 33 And Jacob said 'Swear to me first' and he
  swore unto him and he sold his birthright unto
  Jacob.
• 34 And Jacob gave Esav bread and pottage of
  lentils and he did eat and drink, and rose up,
  and went his way. So Esav despised his
  birthright.

19
Genesis Chapter 27

• Isaacs Blessing
• ??  .. ?????? ???? ???????, ????????????, ?????
  ??????.
• 22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father and
  he felt him, and said 'The voice is the voice of
  Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esav.'
• 28 So God give thee of the dew of heaven, and of
  the fat places of the earth, and plenty of corn
  and wine.
• 29 Let peoples serve thee, and nations bow down
  to thee. Be lord over thy brethren, and let thy
  mother's sons bow down to thee. Cursed be every
  one that curseth thee, and blessed be every one
  that blesseth thee.

20
And Esav hated Jacob

• 34 When Esav heard the words of his father, he
  cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and
  said unto his father 'Bless me, even me also, O
  my father.'
• 35 And he said 'Thy brother came with guile, and
  hath taken away thy blessing.'
• 36 And he said 'Is not he rightly named Jacob?
  for he hath supplanted me these two times he
  took away my birthright and, behold, now he hath
  taken away my blessing.' And he said 'Hast thou
  not reserved a blessing for me?'
• 37 And Isaac answered and said unto Esav
  'Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his
  brethren have I given to him for servants and
  with corn and wine have I sustained him and what
  then shall I do for thee, my son?'

21
And Esav hated Jacob

• 38 And Esav said unto his father 'Hast thou but
  one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also,
  O my father.' And Esav lifted up his voice, and
  wept.
• 39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto
  him Behold, of the fat places of the earth shall
  be thy dwelling, and of the dew of heaven from
  above
• 40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and thou
  shalt serve thy brother and it shall come to
  pass when thou shalt break loose, that thou shalt
  shake his yoke from off thy neck.
• 41 And Esav hated Jacob because of the blessing
  wherewith his father blessed him. And Esav said
  in his heart 'Let the days of mourning for my
  father be at hand then will I slay my brother
  Jacob.'

22
And Esav hated Jacob

• The voice is the voice of Jacob and the hands are
  the hands of Esau the voice here refers to
  the cry caused by the Emperor Hadrian who
  killed in Alexandria of Egypt sixty myriads on
  sixty myriads, twice as many as went forth from
  Egypt. The voice of Jacob this is the cry
  caused by the Emperor Vespasian who killed in the
  city of Bethar four hundred thousand myriads, or
  as some say, four thousand myriads. The hands
  are the hands of Esau
• this is the Government of Rome which has
  destroyed our House and burnt our Temple and
  driven us out of our land. Another explanation is
  as follows The voice is the voice of Jacob
  no prayer is effective unless the seed of Jacob
  has a part in it. The hands are the hands of
  Esau no war is successful unless the seed of
  Esau has a share in it..'
• Talmud - Mas. Gittin 57b

23
Use of Name Edom

• The name "Edom" is used by the Talmudic Sages for
  the Roman empire, and they applied to Rome every
  passage of the Bible referring to Edom or to
  Esau.
• We are told that Tzafo, son of Eliphaz, son of
  Esau founded the city of Rome and was King of
  Italia. Western civilization is based upon the
  foundation of Rome and is therefore seen in
  Jewish thought as an extension of Esav in a
  metaphorical manner. (Yilamdenu, Batei Medrashos
  160)
• In Leviticus Rabbah (xiii.) Rome, under the name
  of "Edom," is compared to a boar, and the
  symbolic name "Seir" was used by the poets of the
  Middle Ages not only for Rome (comp. Ecclus. 1.
  26, Hebr.), but also for Christianity (Zunz,
  "Literaturgesch." p. 620).
• On this account the word "Edom" was often
  expunged by the censor and another name
  substituted (Popper, "Censorship of Hebrew
  Books," p. 58). In place of "Edom," the word
  "?azir" (swine) was occasionally used, perhaps as
  a mere term of reproach (but see Epstein,
  "Beiträge zur Jüd. Alterthumskunde," p. 35).
• In Midrash Tan?uma Bereshit, Hadrian is called
  "the King of Edom."

24
Roman Connection to EdomResearcher-Articles-Wrest
ling with Angels - Vendyl Jones Research
Institutes

• We go back to the year 2255 on the Hebrew
  calendar (around 1505 BCE), the patriarch Jacob
  has just passed away at the age of 147. The 56th
  chapter of Sepher ha Yasher records that as the
  sons of Jacob attempted to bury him in Hebron,
  Esau the brother of Jacob blocked the entrance to
  the sepulcher. A scuffle broke out and Esau was
  decapitated, his head rolling into the tomb. The
  scene escalated from a skirmish to an all out
  battle. The children of Jacob defeat the children
  of Esau.
• Among the captives is Zepho, the grandson of
  Esau. He is taken to Egypt in chains. Years
  later, when Joseph passes away, Zepho escapes
  from his Egyptian captors and flees along the
  western coast of Africa until he arrives in
  Dinhaba. Angeas appoints Zepho as "captain of his
  hosts." Angeas will come to regret this action.
  From the moment Zepho takes command he will lobby
  daily to mount an all-out war against the
  Egyptians. In reality he is more interested in
  revenge against the children of Israel who are
  still living peacefully among the Egyptians.
  Zepho continued to pound the drums of war against
  Egypt. The hatred for the Children of Israel had
  been learned at the knee of his father and
  grandfather Eliphaz and Esau.

25
Roman Connection to Edom Researcher-Articles-Wrest
ling with Angels - Vendyl Jones Research
Institutes

• Angeas was afraid to take on the Egyptian armies
  knowing they also enlisted the Israelites as
  fighters. Zepho soon grew disenchanted with
  Angeas and turned against him and migrates to the
  coasts of Chittim. There he was hired by the
  locals to defend them against the likes of
  Angeas. It was during this time that Zepho not
  only proved himself on the battlefield but he
  became exceedingly rich. It is at this point in
  our search for the Esau/Edom connection that we
  will see the pieces come together. In the 61st
  chapter of Sepher ha Yasher, verses 24-25 tells
  how Zepho, the grandson of Esau, becomes a leader
  of the people called the children of Chittim
• "And the children of Chittim saw the valor of
  Zepho...and they made Zepho king over them...they
  built him a very large palace for his royal
  habitation and made a large throne for him, and
  Zepho reigned over the whole land of Chittim and
  over the land of Italia fifty years."
• The Jewish commentator, Abarbanel makes this same
  connection as does Yossipon xliwhich states in
  chapter three that Zepho was crowned king of
  Chittim by its inhabitants.xlii History and
  myth are easily assimilated with the passage of
  time. We have already seen a few examples where
  the two have become intertwined.
• If Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, grandson of Esau
  became the first king to rule over all of Italy,
  it would come as no surprise that his subjects
  would want to know of his origins. As he traced
  his lineage, relating how G-d told Rebecca that
  great leaders were in her womb and adds the
  detail that Jacob and Esau were twins, this
  account could have evolved into a saga of twins
  born of a god and suckled by a wolf. I have
  speculated how the wolf wandered into this
  legend. It is not too much of a stretch to
  consider that the Hebrew word for "wolf" is
  ze'ev. Though not spelled the same, it sounds
  very much like Zepho.
• We can now see how this grandson of Esau/Edom
  brought his legacy of hatred for Israel to a
  people and place that would grow into an
  instrument of terrible cruelty and oppression
  known as the Roman Empire.

26
Treachery Brings Bondage Researcher-Articles-Wrest
ling with Angels - Vendyl Jones Research
Institutes

• Zepho is also a key player in the pivotal
  decision by the Egyptians to enslave Israel. If
  you have ever wondered how Egypt could turn from
  a nation grateful to Joseph for saving them from
  starvation to evil overseers Sepher ha Yasher
  provides the answer. Earlier, we learned that one
  of the reasons that Zepho turned against his
  former ally Angeas was that ruler's refusal to
  attack Egypt. After Zepho was securely ensconced
  as king over the children of Chittim, he mounted
  an invasion against Egypt and called upon his
  relatives, the Edomites, now residing in Seir
  (Petra)to join him.
• He also enlisted the aid of the Ishmaelites in a
  massive onslaught that must have rivaled our
  modern Normandy Invasion. The Egyptians defended
  themselves by meeting Zepho and his army where
  they were camped, somewhere east of the Delta
  region.
• Curiously the Egyptians feared that the Children
  of Israel would turn against them in battle.
  After all, they reasoned, the Israelites are
  blood relatives of Zepho and his Edomite band.
  However, when the onslaught of Zepho's combined
  forces proved too powerful, the Egyptians pulled
  back in retreat and called up the Israelites as
  reinforcements. Here's where the real trouble
  began.
• Israel joined the Egyptians in the fray but the
  Egyptians kept running! It was now the vastly
  outnumbered Israelites against the combined might
  of Chittim, Edom and the Ishamelites. Israel
  called out to Hashem to strengthen them and the
  Creator answered their prayer. They fought on
  with such bravery and fierceness that they put
  thousands to flight. The armies of Zepho began
  their own retreat. The Israelites have turned the
  tide of battle in their favor. They return home
  to Egypt but not before they tend to some
  unfinished business. As Israel encounters the
  still retreating Egyptian deserters they pretend
  that they are the enemy and execute them along
  the way. This act is to have enormous and
  far-reaching consequences.

27
Treachery Brings Bondage Researcher-Articles-Wrest
ling with Angels - Vendyl Jones Research
Institutes

• The surviving Egyptian deserters return to the
  king and recount the terrible battle. They lodge
  a formal protest regarding the attack of Israel
  while conveniently omitting their own cowardly
  retreat, which left the Hebrews outnumbered.
• Hearing this report, Pharaoh believes that the
  Hebrews pose an internal threat to the nation.
  But because of their prowess on the battlefield
  it is also apparent that the Egyptians would not
  survive a civil war. They must design a plot to
  gradually destroy Israel. Using the recent attack
  by Zepho as an excuse, Pharaoh calls on all
  citizens of Egypt to join in a national work
  project to fortify the country against future
  assaults from foreign invaders. The crown
  proposes to improve the cities of Pithom and
  Rameses, in the Delta to defend their eastern
  frontier. Pharaoh shows his support of the
  project by ceremonially laying the first brick.
• The children of Israel cheerfully work alongside
  their Egyptian neighbors while Hebrew and
  Egyptian alike received their daily wages from
  the government-financed venture. Slowly,
  according to the plan, the Egyptian workers
  withdrew forcing the Israelite laborers to take
  up the slack. Over a period of time, the Hebrews
  found themselves alone on the construction and
  completely under the supervision of the
  Egyptians. And that is how Israel became slaves
  in Egypt.xliii

28
Comunicación y Gerencia

• Bnei Israel

29
The Oath

• 5 Now therefore, if ye will hearken unto My voice
  indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be
  Mine own treasure from among all peoples for all
  the earth is Mine
• 6 and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests,
  and a holy nation. These are the words which thou
  shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
• 7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the
  people, and set before them all these words which
  the LORD commanded him.
• 8 And all the people answered together, and said
  All that the LORD hath spoken we will do.
  Exodus 198
• The Jewish People are the Connection between
  HaShem and the Material World.

30
Who is a Jew?

• A Jew is any person whose mother was a Jew or any
  person who has gone through the formal process of
  conversion to Judaism.
• It is important to note that being a Jew has
  nothing to do with what you believe or what you
  do. A person born to non-Jewish parents who has
  not undergone the formal process of conversion
  but who believes everything that Orthodox Jews
  believe and observes every law and custom of
  Judaism is still a non-Jew, even in the eyes of
  the most liberal movements of Judaism, and a
  person born to a Jewish mother who is an atheist
  and never practices the Jewish religion is still
  a Jew, even in the eyes of the ultra-Orthodox. In
  this sense, Judaism is more like a nationality
  than like other religions, and being Jewish is
  like a citizenship.

31
Who is a Jew?

• This has been established since the earliest days
  of Judaism. In the Torah, you will see many
  references to the strangers who dwell among you
  or righteous proselytes or righteous
  strangers. These are various classifications of
  non-Jews who lived among Jews, adopting some or
  all of the beliefs and practices of Judaism
  without going through the formal process of
  conversion and becoming Jews. Once a person has
  converted to Judaism, he is not referred to by
  any special term he is as much a Jew as anyone
  born Jewish.

32
Who is a Bnei Israel?

• The traditional explanation, and the one given in
  the Torah, is that the Jews are a nation. The
  Torah and the rabbis used this term not in the
  modern sense meaning a territorial and political
  entity, but in the ancient sense meaning a group
  of people with a common history, a common
  destiny, and a sense that we are all connected to
  each other.
• Bnei Israels most common thread is that they are
  descendants of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, who went
  down to Egypt, Freed from Slavery and were
  elevated to a Holy Nation at Mt. Sinai.
• Bnei Israel was originally composed of 13 tribes
  who were the decedents of Jacobs 12 sons.
• Along with the Children of Jacob/Israel others
  joined them to leave Egypt. These were known as
  the mixed multitude or Erev Rav.

33
The Erev Rav

• The Children of Israel traveled from Ramses
  towards Succot. There were about 600,000 adult
  males on foot, besides the children. The Erev Rav
  also went up with them. (Exodus 1237-38)
• History of Erev Rav
• Parshat Miketz in "Ahavat Chaim", a sefer written
  by the Mekubal Rav Menachem Menashe zs'l, speaks
  about secrets and interesting facts about the
  Erev Rav that was never revealed before. During
  the time of Egypt, prior to the time when Bnei
  Israel were slaves, the Erev Rav had total
  control over the Egyptians and land. The Erev Rav
  were leaders of Egypt for hundreds of years,
  including when Yaakov Avinu, zs'l, and sons
  descented to Egypt.

34
The Erev Rav

• They were shepherds and were called Shepherd
  Kings. When Yosef HaTzaddik, zs'l, ruled the
  land, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, was not an
  Egyptian. He was a shepherd king from the kingdom
  of Erev. Targumic translator Unkolus, zs'l, says
  that the Yishmaelim were arab shepherds, from the
  family of Avraham Avinu, zs'l.
• They were the descendants of Yishmael and Katura
  (aka Hagar, wife of Avraham Avinu) whom captured
  Egypt by force, against the will of the
  Egyptians. They brought their countrymen brothers
  and placed them as judges, officers, and
  governors over the land of Egypt. They also build
  an army from their tribesmen to avoid rebels and
  to subjugate them.
• The Eyptians hated them and named them Hoksas.
  They also called them "the thorns". They hated
  the shepherd kingdom and its government but had
  no choice in the matter. Till today, Egyptians
  loath shepherds.

35
The Erev Rav

• At that time, Egyptian policy was that a prisoner
  or servant can never become a member of the
  kingdom. But the Erev king paid no mind to
  Egyptian policy and Pharaoh escalated Yosef
  HaTzaddik's position from servant and prison to
  ruler over all of Egypt. Pharaoh liked Yosef
  HaTzaddik because of his loyalty to the kingdom.
• In order to subdue the Egyptians, Yosef HaTzaddik
  forced them to move from one end of the land to
  the other end. If one lived in the South, they
  were forced to move to the North. Chazal says
  that Yosef HaTzaddik also commanded all Egyptian
  males to be circumcised because the Erev Kingdom
  were circumcised.
• When Yosef HaTzaddik passed away, the Egyptians
  rebelled and won. The ruler of the rebels became
  the new Pharaoh king and he was Egyptian-born and
  bred. He hated the Jews, the family of Yosef
  HaTzaddik, the shepherd Kings (erev rav), sons of
  Yishmael, and the sons of Katura from Midyan. And
  that is why it says " ???? ??? ??? ?? ????? ???
  ?? ??? ?? ???? And a new king ruled in Egypt, and
  he did not know Yosef".

36
The Erev Rav

• The new Pharaoh tortured all of them the Jews,
  the family of Yosef HaTzaddik, the shepherd Kings
  (erev rav), sons of Yishmael, and the sons of
  Katura from Midyan. That is the reason the Erev
  Rav came out of Egypt with the Jews. They were
  tortured together with the Jews and redeemed
  together with the Jews.
• Throughout all the generations the Jews fight
  against the three 'heads' of the K'lipot, Eisav,
  Yishmael, Erev Rav. Zohar The Erev Rav damage
  Israel more than all the nations. The Vilna
  Gaon, zs'l, predicted warned, that the reigns of
  power are in the hands of the Erev Rav right
  before Moshiach's arrival.

37
Final ThoughtsIsaac and Yishmael RABBI SHLOMO
RISKIN

• Biblical interpretation is that "the actions
  which were done by our forefathers serve as
  sign-posts for the future of their descendants.
• And (Sarah) said to Abraham, 'Banish this
  handmaiden (Hagar) and her son (Yishmael), for
  the son of that handmaiden will not inherit
  together with my son, with Yitzhak" (Genesis
  2110). The Bible clearly delineates the fierce
  sibling rivalry and schism between Yaakov and
  Esau, the twin sons of Yitzhak and Rivkah
  Midrashically identified as Judaism and
  Christianity (Edom-Rome). However, in studying
  between the lines of the Bible, there appears no
  less of a jealous struggle between Yitzhak and
  Yishmael, Jew and Moslemwith a great
  ramification for the Middle East today.
• Despite the fact that Sarah has Abraham banish
  Yishmael and remove him from any inheritance with
  Yitzhak, Yitzhak seems to be haunted by the
  spectre of Yishmael throughout his life. The
  first time Rivkah meets Yitzhak, she falls from
  her camel when she sees the spiritual Yitzhak
  "coming out from speaking to G-d in the fields."
  But that very Biblical verse begins, "And Yitzhak
  was coming from having come from Be'er LeHai
  Ro'i" (Genesis 2462). Apparently Yitzhak was
  enamored with, fixated upon, Be'er LeHai Ro'i
  because the Bible just told us that he was
  constantly traveling back and forth from there
  (ba Meboh in Hebrew).
• You will remember that Be'er LeHai Ro'i was the
  place where the Lord appeared to Hagar, who had
  escaped to there from the affliction she suffered
  at the hand of Sarah when she became pregnant
  with Yishmael. It was then and there that the
  angel of heaven told her to return to the home of
  Abraham and Sarah, and instructed her to name the
  child in her womb Yishmael, "because the Lord has
  heard your affliction. And it was then and there
  that Yishmael is described as "a wild ass of a
  man, whose hand will be against everything (yad
  bakol, in Hebrew), the hand of everyone will be
  against him, and in the face of all of his
  brothers shall he dwell" (Genesis 1611).

38
Final ThoughtsIsaac and Yishmael RABBI SHLOMO
RISKIN

• Now we can hardly blame Yitzhak for being jealous
  and fearful of Yishmael. After all, he must have
  heard that the first time G-d announced to the
  aged centenarian Abraham that he would father a
  son with Sarah, he laughs and makes the request
  "Would that Yishmael walk before You," let
  Yishmael be my firstborn heir (Genesis 1719). It
  was also at that time that G-d promises Abraham
  that twelve princes (corresponding to the twelve
  tribes of Israel) will emerge from the loins of
  Yishmael and He will make of him a great nation
  (Genesis 1720,21). Yitzhak also must be aware of
  the fact that the only two individuals in the
  family of Abraham named by G-d (or G-d's angel)
  is himself and Yishmaelwhich certainly gives his
  older brother special status and only adds to
  Yitzhak's sibling jealously.
• The parallels between these two brothers are very
  striking, and go even deeper, if Yitzhak
  undergoes an Akedah, the test of a binding which
  almost costs his life, Yishmael had experienced
  even earlier a similar test of near death from
  thirst in the desert which almost costs his
  lifeand each is saved by an angel deus ex
  machina at the very last moment. Moreover, just
  as G-d promises Abrahamafter Yitzhak's
  akedahthat "I will greatly multiply your seed
  (Harbeh arbeh et zarekha) as the stars of the
  heavens and the sand at the edge of the sea"
  (Genesis 2217), so does G-d promise Hagar when
  He saves her life in the desertthat "I will
  greatly multiply your seed (Harbeh arbeh et
  zarekh), whose great number will not be able to
  be counted" (Genesis 1610). And if G-d
  guaranteed to Abraham that from the Mountain of
  the akedah (Mount Moriah) G-d will be seen (by
  future generationsGenesis 2214), so is Be'er
  LeHai Ro'i named for the fact that "G-d saw me,
  in the words of Hagar, and so saved the
  handmaiden and the unborn child in her womb.

39
Final ThoughtsIsaac and Yishmael RABBI SHLOMO
RISKIN

• Given these parallels, and the brute power with
  which Yishmael is endowed ("his hand will be
  against every thing," yad bakol), it is no wonder
  that Yitzhak is obsessed with Yishmael, and
  constantly returns to Be'er LeHai Ro' i, the
  place of G-d's revelation to Hagar.
• Indeed, the Bible recounts that at the end of
  Abraham's life, he gives "everything that he has
  (Kol asher lo) to Yitzhak, and to the children of
  his concubines (including Yishmael the son of
  Hagar- Keturah, the concubine) he gives gifts."
  Yishmael apparently repents upon Abraham's death,
  since the Biblical text records, "And Yitzhak and
  Yishmael his sons buried (Abraham) at the Ma'arat
  Ha Mechpelah but the incident concludes, "And it
  happened after the death of Abraham that G-d
  blessed Yitzhak his son and Yitzhak dwelt with
  Be'er LeHai Ro'i." Yitzhak is apparently
  constantly haunted by the spectre of the power
  and prophecy surrounding Yishmael.
• Now why must Yitzhak worry or be concerned? After
  all, Yishmael was banished by Sarah and
  disinheritedan act agreed upon by Abraham after
  he receives the divine directive, "Everything
  which Sarah says to you, you must hearken to her
  voice" (Genesis 2112). Yishmael has been forced
  out of the picture!

40
Final ThoughtsIsaac and Yishmael RABBI SHLOMO
RISKIN

• The source of Yitzhak's concern is that Yishmael
  the metzahek (the one who laughs now, he seeks
  immediate gratification) never really leaves the
  scene. Despite the fact that Abraham gives
  everything (Kol) he has to Yitzhak, the verse
  concludes that gifts are still given to Yishmael,
  a son of a concubine (cf. B.T. Sanhedrin 91a).
  Abraham always loved Yishmael, Yishmael's progeny
  and twelve princes for descendants are repeated
  even after Abraham's death, and the Bible again
  reiterates, "in the face of all his brothers
  shall fall out his portion (Genesis 2512,
  usage based on Judges 712).
• As the great Torah teacher of Jerusalem, Rav
  Mordechai Allen, explains it, Sarah has him
  banished not because he isn't entitled to any
  part of the land of Israel, but rather because he
  would never be satisfied with only a share of the
  land, not even with half of the land. "The son of
  that handmaiden is incapable of sharing an
  inheritance with my son, with Yitzhak (Genesis
  2110). He demands it all, "his hand is against
  everything," (yado bakol, Genesis 1611) -- and
  the "everything Kol"with which G-d blesses
  Abraham and which Abraham bequeathes to Yitzhak
  is the land of Israel (Genesis 284). Yishmael
  gets other gifts, but these do not satisfy him.
  He is always around, in the face of his brothers,
  scheming and struggling to get it all, the whole
  land of Israel. This is what worries, consumes
  and obsesses Yitzhak!

41
Final ThoughtsIsaac and Yishmael RABBI SHLOMO
RISKIN

• (And this is the attitude of the descendants of
  Yishmael to this very day, when they rejected the
  United Nations partition of the West Bank on
  November 29, 1947, when they started the Six Day
  War in June 5, 1967, when they rejected former
  Prime Minister Barak's all to generous offer of
  96 of Judea, Samaria and Gaza initiated this
  Oslo War three and one half years ago, and when
  they refuse to recognize that we have any rights
  whatsoever to the Temple Mount. "Their hand is
  against everything" because they demand
  everything!)
• At least according to one Midrash, the matter
  will only be resolved in the pre-Messianic age,
  where "a star will come forth from Jacob "and
  destroy our enemies. Balaam cries out, "oh woe,
  who will live after the positioning of (the two
  enemy nations) with El at the end of their names,
  YishmaEl and YisraEl... Even the enemy will be
  utterly destroyed" (Numbers 2423).

42
Final ThoughtsEsau and Yaacov Rabbi Z. Miller

• The Torah (Bereishis 2527) contrasts the
  characters of Esau and Yaacov "Esau became one
  who knows hunting, but Yaacov was a wholesome
  man..." Rashi explains the phrase who knows
  huntingEsau knew how to 'trap' and deceive his
  father with deceptive words. Whereas, the
  capability of deception was completely foreign to
  Yaacov who was a wholesome man i.e., his words
  and his heart were one.
• The honesty of Yaacov is superior to the
  falsehood of Esau, as light is superior to
  darkness. Nevertheless, it would appear that the
  ability to deceive requires an aspect of
  cleverness that is lacking in a 'wholesome'
  person. Indeed his lack of guile may be a
  weakness that renders him innocent, naive, and
  vulnerable.
• However, we find just the opposite to be true.
  Our Sages tell us that Yaacov affirmed about
  himself "I am equal to Esau in the ability to
  deceive. Notwithstanding, his wholesomeness
  prevented him from employing deception! The
  purity of his heart would only allow him to act
  and speak with absolute integrity.
• On the other hand, a person who acts with deceit
  is the opposite of a wholesome person. His inner
  corruption spurs him to trap others with his sly
  words and schemes. He has no scruples to harness
  his selfserving ambitions.
• Let us follow in the footsteps of Yaacov Avinu,
  whose words were one with his heart. If we make
  every effort to conduct ourselves with honesty,
  HaShem will bless our lives with success and
  peace of mind. Implement Strive to keep all of
  your words and actions within the bounds of
  integrity.

43
Final Thoughts

• The Torah is not just the blueprint to creation
  it is also the road map to our Spiritual journey
  to come closer to the Creator.
• Our Prophets tell us that in the future, a great
  war will occur in which most of our material
  world will be destroyed. The nations that will be
  involved in this final war are led by the very
  same people we have been discussing.
• HaShem will keep His word and in spite of all
  odds, will send our Messiah who will save the
  Jewish People and once and for all times, bring
  Peace to Our People, so that we may at last serve
  Him.

May it be Your Will, HaShem, that the Holy
Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days and grant
us our share in Your Torah. Shabbat Shalom