WHERE ELSE CAN YOU PICK UP THE PHONE, MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A
FURNITURE DESIGNER TO COME TO YOUR HOME AT NO CHARGE, CUSTOM DESIGN
YOUR NEW FURNITURE TO FIT YOUR ROOM AND THEN FINANCE IT FOR YOU?
The Story Of Our People
Traces Contention
RABBI ELIEZER COHEN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
s we begin again to read
and to study the Book of
Genesis, we can gain fur-
ther insight into the na-
ture of the world that God has
created, and, in particular, the
nature of man and his relation-
ship to God, to the world around
him and to his fellow man.
It is certainly significant that
with the birth of Cain and Abel
we have not only the first sibling
relationship in the world, but also
the first instance of strife and con-
tention, jealousy and dispute and
ultimately of murder. It is as if
the Torah is telling us that from
the very beginning it was ex-
tremely difficult for human be-
ings to live together in harmony
and cooperation and mutual re-
sponsibility. But this — as the
saying goes: "was only the be-
ginning." The entire Book of Gen-
esis, as it traces the progenitors
of the Jewish people is one story
after another of rivalry, conflict
and contention between brothers.
In every generation from
Abraham through the sons of Ja-
cob, the Torah describes the ap-
parent difficulty of people within
the same family — for whom co-
operation would seem so easy and
so beneficial — living, instead,
lives of dissension and hatred.
Abraham and his nephew Lot,
who as foreigners surrounded by
"the Canaanites and the Per-
izzites" (Genesis 13:7) would, it
seem, benefit from cooperation,
were instead subject to disputes
between their shepherds and
forced.to separate.
This trend becomes even more
pronounced in the very genera-
tions of our forefathers. Yishmael
and his mother, Hagar, are ban-
ished at the insistence of Sarah
in order that he not "inherit with
Isaac" (Genesis 21:11).
With the brothers Jacob and
Esau, born to the same parents,
and, in fact, twins, we have yet
another and even more pro-
nounced generation of strife. One
brother sees himself taken ad-
vantage of by the other to the
point of threatening to kill him
and forcing him to flee for his life.
Even after more than 20 years of
separation, the accused expects
that he and his entire family will
be exterminated.
In the same generation, we are
told of the rivalry ofJacob's wives,
the sisters, Rachel and Leah. One
feels deprived of children in the
face of the competition with her
sister; and the other feels so de-
prived of the love of her husband
A
-Xs
rni
DIRECT
from the
ARNUFACTURER
MONTH
Interest-Free
FINANCING
-Limited-
offer
„.
• • • • • - • ••• • •
GIVE YOUR CAR THE
WINTER COAT IT DESERVES
• Waxing c Polishing • Exterior & Interior Detailing •
Engine Steam Cleaning
• Window Tinting • Paint Sealant e Fabric Protection
Will Pick s Vehicles From Your Home Or Office
/II ■ DETAII
■ •• ■ ••• ■ =1
10.
siuripo
AUTO APPEARANCE CENTER
28
I
The Button Men
Are Better!
C
Butto n
ei t ,;(4/
Me n
LUCITE FRAMED PHOTOS
BUTTONS • MEMORY BOOKS
•
CUSTOM SCREEN PRINTING
FUN FOOD CATERING
For Additional Information Cal Howard Schwartz or Mark Feldman
810-471-1150
(810) 960-7617
Eliezer Cohen is rabbi of Young
Israel of Oak-Woods.
because of her sister that the very
names of her children (and the
future of Israel) emphasize the
strife.
Certainly, the jealousy and ha-
tred ofJacob's sons make up the
actual theme of the last half of
the Book of Genesis. Joseph's
brothers not only hate him to the
point of "being unable to speak to
him peaceably" (Genesis 37:4) but
actually plot to and only coinci-
dentally avoid killing him, sell-
ing him into slavery instead.
Joseph, in turn, puts his broth-
ers (and father) through one ter-
rible experience after another.
It is only with Joseph's two
sons, Ephraim and Menashe,
that we have two brothers that
don't exhibit jealousy, hatred and
contention, even though the
younger supplants the older. This
may, in fact, be why Jacob bless-
es them by saying "in thee shall
Israel be blessed saying: God
Shabbat Bereshit:
Genesis 1:1-6:8
Isaiah 42:5-43:10.
make thee as Ephraim and
Menashe." (Genesis 48:20) (And
we ourselves continue to use this
formula to bless our own chil-
dren.) But still we don't have a
clear example of brothers coop-
erating fully out of love, mutual
concern and responsibility. This
comes only with Moses and
Aaron.
Moses finally consents to. God's
will only when he is told that
Aaron will be his spokesman; and
the Torah tells us that Aaron, too,
is "glad in his heart" (Exodus
4:14) in spite of the fact that
Moses, his younger brother, su-
percedes him. Together these two
brothers cooperate fully with
complete devotion to their duty
and to each other. It is certainly
illuminating to note that after
generations of contention and
strife that cause and culminate
in the exile and enslavement of
the nation it is the cooperative ef-
forts of brothers.
How long will it take the Jew-
ish people — here and particu-
larly in Israel — to learn from the
examples of Cain and Abel, Abra-
ham and Lot, Ishmael and Isaac,
Esau and Jacob, Rachel and
Leah, Joseph and his brothers,
Ephraim and Menashe, and
Moses and Aaron that discord,
dispute and contention ultimately
bring tragedy and suffering; and
it is only through mutual love, re-
spect and cooperation that re-
demption is possible? ❑
r
_/