NOVEMBER 16 • 2023 | 45
J
N

SPIRIT

Can the End Ever 
Justify the Means?
L

ong before we referred to 
ourselves a Jews, we were 
Am Yisrael — the People 
of Israel. Our name emerged 
from the famous story in Torah 
when our ancestor Jacob wres-
tles with an angel. But 
Jacob was struggling long 
before.
In this week’s portion, 
Jacob and his brother 
Esau spar over the affec-
tion of their parents. 
Rebecca favors Jacob 
while Isaac favors Esau, 
the elder son. While their 
love feels important, 
the central objective is 
who will receive Isaac’s 
blessing (carrying the 
family authority into the 
future) and the family’s birth-
right (inheritance). According to 
ancient laws of primogeniture, 
there is no debate: The first-born 
son receives everything and leads 
the family into the future. 
With Rebecca’s help, Jacob 
takes advantage of his brother 
twice. First, he offers food to 
a ravenous Esau in exchange 
for the birthright — he fools 
him into trading all the fami-
ly’s wealth for a bowl of stew. 
Later, Jacob fools his father into 
bestowing the blessing of family 
authority onto him by imper-
sonating Esau. 
When Esau discovers that he 
was bested, he goes into a rage, 
threatens to kill his brother and 
forces Jacob to flee out of fear. 
But the damage has been done; 
even though Jacob has to leave 
home, he is now possessor of a 
tradition that will lead him to 
finally become “Israel” and lead 
us into a better future.
Although most commentators 
explore how this episode defines 
Jacob’s character and seek les-

sons about how to address fam-
ily conflict, I think it’s clear that 
there is a realpolitik element to 
the narrative. What would have 
happened if we linked our des-
tiny to the brutish, violent Esau? 
No, even though it meant 
resorting to subterfuge, 
Torah seems to be telling 
us that the ends some-
times justify the means.
As modern people, 
we often don’t like that 
argument. It feels disin-
genuous; it lacks a sense 
of righteousness. But this 
is not just a theoretical 
matter. Since the brutal 
Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 
we all have been wrestling 
with understanding and 
defending the painful impacts 
of Israel’s necessary war to elim-
inate the ongoing threat from 
Gaza. 
I have not heard a single 
Jewish leader suggest that Israel’s 
actions are based on vengeance. 
I am not aware of a single Jewish 
person who is happy about the 
suffering in Gaza or who relishes 
the situation we find ourselves 
in. At the same time, just about 
everyone I interact with is feel-
ing a sense of steely resolve to 
do what is necessary to create a 
better, safer and more peaceful 
future in Israel and beyond.
While we continue to pray for 
peace, may we also recognize 
that as long as our aim is just 
and as long as we make deci-
sions according to our deepest 
Jewish values, we are indeed the 
inheritors of Rebecca and Jacob’s 
vision — wisdom that has sus-
tained us and ensured our sur-
vival for thousands of years. 

Rabbi Mark Miller is senior rabbi at 

Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township.

TORAH PORTION

Rabbi Mark 
Miller

Parshat 

Toledot: 

Genesis 

25:19-28:9; 

Malachi 

1:1-2>7.

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