Give Grace to Abraham, Truth to Jacob (Micha 7: 20)
Rabbi Z. Aviner
NoahideSevenCommandment.com
The prophet Micha observes that Abraham was seeking Grace and Kindness, whereas Jabob was seeking Truth. What exactly does the prophet mean?
Abraham was very charitable. He planted an E-shel tree which stands in Hebrew as an acronym for Food, Drink and Hospitality. He provided those things free to whoever needed, asking only one thing in return – give thanks to Hashem, Who Owns the Heavens and the Earth.
By being so charitable, Abraham struggled against THEFT, Noah’s Commandment number Four, that was so prevalent in his generation.
The list of the peoples he met through his traveling in the Holy Land, shows that all of them were engaged with THEFT and ABDUCTION, one way or another. This way the reader can learn about seven different categories of violating THEFT, information you wouldn’t get from any other section in the entire Bible.
That is about AbrahamseekingDrace.. What does the prophet Micha mean by saying that Jacodb sought Truth?
To find out, let’s write down the chain of stories the Torah tells about Jacob, without going into details.
The first story shows Jacob’s struggling with his twin brother Esau about the firstborn status. Usually, it is not difficult to decide who is the firstborn. Whoever exit first his mother’s womb is the firstborn.
But here the Torah in Her wisdom presents the twins as an unusual case. Esau’s head came out first, yet Jacob followed while holding Esau’s heel, as if protesting. You could have therefore said that that the twins came out as one piece.
The midwives named Esau as the firstborn, yet their mother Rebeca noticed the unusual exit and kept it on her mind. She knew that if Esau would be found unfit for the title, Jacob could potentially replace him. Jacob too had a legitimate claim, at least in Rebecca’s mind.
Let’s recall that the firstborn status in those days, rendered the oldest son many benefits, some material and some spiritual. Here, in Rebecca’s twins, the firstborn son would inherit the much-coveted Abraham’s blessing, which is material but mainly spiritual.
What was Abraham’s spiritual Blessing?
Lert’s recall that Hashem had promised Abraham that his seed would be the source of blessing to all the families of the Earth, all the Seventy Noahite Nations. Thus, the firstborn son of Isaac and Rebecca would lead Mankind to holiness. Would it be Esau, or Jacob? Rebecca kept the question on her mind.
Since both came out as one piece, she took that as a sign that she was given an option to decide between them.
And as it turned out, the twins grew up and became two completely different personalities, as we often see among twins.
Esau was a man of the field, enjoying the pleasures of life, becoming a good hunter and a good cook, a natural leader liked by all.
But the Midrash says that he secretly violated all the Seven Commandment’ of Noah. He could hide it from his blind father Isaac, pretending to be righteous, but not from his keen mother Rebecca’s eyes. As a trained daughter of Betual, a man who molested virgins, and the sister of Lavan, whose nickname was the Master Cheater, she could detect the truth in Esau. No one could cheat her.
Jacob, in contrast, grew up to be intellectual, who set for years in the tent of Shem, the son of Noah, and studying the Seven Commandments in depth. The verse describes him as TAAM, innocent, the opposite of Esau the Lier.
You know the story. Esau despised the firstborn status so much, that he sold it to Jacob for a red lentils soup. Hence his name Edom, red. Yet in his pride, he would not yield his claim for getting Abraham’s blessing.
Such a case could have been decided in a decent Civil Justice Court, had there been around. But in the absence of such court, Rebbeca had to take justice into her hands.
She instigated Jacob to disguise himself as Esau and receive the blessing, which in her mind belonged to him.
. When the innocent Jacob objected, fearing his father’s curse rather than blessing, his mother said: Upon me is your father’s curse. She knew that the stakes are high, and that the truth was that Esau was not fit to serve as the source for spiritual blessing for all Mankind.
On the other hand,
Was it OK for her to instigate the cheating?
The Halacha is that it is forbidden. One should not disguise himself as someone else for any reason. Yet when it comes to implement important Justice, one can follow the rule of measure for measure. One may cheat the cheater.
For instance in King Solomon famous case when two women came before him, each claiming to be the mother, the King ordered to split the baby by the sword and give each woman a part. When one woman burst in crying saying give it to her, but do not kill him, the king said Give the child to this woman, for she is the true mother. The Rabbis commented that such cheating of the contesting women is against the Halacha, but when it comes to profound case of justice, one may do what King Solomon did, and one may also do what Rebecca and Jacob did.
As the story continues to unfold, Jacob received the coveted blessing of Abraham, but with a terrible cost. He received Justice and truth, but had to flee asway from home for his life. He learned that where you seek to implement Justice, expect War.
The second in the chain of Jacob stories tells us what happened to Jacob at his uncle Laban’s home. Laban cheats him bluntly, giving his daughter Lea instead of Jacob’s beloved Rachel. That was despite their open agreement before the wedding. In his defense, Laban claims that it was unheard of to marry the younger daughter before the older one. Again, in the absence of a civil justice court, Jacob had to swallow the injustice done to him, and work hard 14 years as a shepherd for Laban, for both girls.
The third story focuses on Jacob working as Laban’s shepherd. Years passed by and Laban continues to employ Jacob as a shepherd, without paying him his due compensation. When Jacob confronts him, he simply evades the claim. In his thinking of fairness and justice, his son-in-law Jacob had to work for him free.
In the absence of a Court of Justice, Jacob decides to follow his mother Rebecca’s teaching and take justice in his hands. He cheats Laban back by manipulating the sheep’s reproduction. His claim for justice is thus satisfied, and he becomes exceedingly wealthy, yet with a terrible cost. And as it happened before with Esau, it comes with a terrible cost. He has to fee for his life, this time back to the Holy Land, learning his lesson that wherever you seek Justice there is no peace.
The fourth and last story in the chain, shows Jacob and his family settling in the city of Shalem. The verse hints to the fact that he and his sons do their best to find face in the eyes of the local people. The Midrash speaks about markets and workshops that he and his sons erected for the people, attempting to improve their economy. He even teaches them the Seven Commandments of Noah, including the importance of Abraham’s Circumcision, which is Commandment number eight, one above Noah’s Laws.
Everything goes on well for a while until busted by human lust.
One day, Jacob Daughter Dinah goes out with her friends to have fun in the city, when prince She-h-em, the mayor’s son, abducts, rapes and tortures her. Moreover, he keeps her abducted in his palace. That constitutes a sheer violation of civil Justice, that could be decided by a decent Civil Justice Court, if there is one around.
You know the rest of the story. Dinah’s two brothers, Simeon and Levi, take justice in their hands. They cheat the Mayor, his son and their people, pledging to forego their pride if the people of Sh-hem would circumcise themselves. When the people comply and get sick, the two brothers attack and kill them all. They achieve their justice, release their sister free, yet with the same terrible price – the family runs away for their lives, fearing retributions from the surrounding communities.
We can write now the common thread that runs through the chain of stories- which is seeking to implement Justice, which is Noah’s Commandment number Five, called Dinim, Justice. The chain covers seeking justice in every aspects of life – within the close family, at work, and in society as citizen.
What exactly does the Fifth Commandment of Noah say?
According to Maimonides, it commands all the Children of Noah to set up Courts of Justice in every district and large town. The citizen of Shalem, he says, failed to do so hence they desefrve dearth.
Nachmanides, the RMBN, argues with Maimonides and says that although they sinned, yet violating Dinim does not incur the death penalty.
Moreover, he argues, the Dinim Commandment demands more than just erection Court Houses and Judged. It obliges the Noahite Judges to follow all the Laws between Man and his Fellowman given in the Talmud. That comprises, in fact, most of the body of the Talmud.
Rabbi Kook, the revered late chief Rabbi of Israel, writes that every Nation is expected to erect is own judiciary system according to its history, customs and values. Yet they are expected to follow the Torah’s Laws of Justice Torah Laws as a model and source of inspiration. Abrahm’s blessing would thus be implemented.
Based on that section of the Torah, the late Lubavich Rabbi aspired, to open a Yeshiva for Noahites where the Seven Laws are taught, plus the storyt of Bilaam who was the first to prophecies about the Messiah.
Indeed, according to Isaiah chapter 2, the task of the Messiah would be to teach the nations the Seven Commandments, in particular to teach Justice and Truth.
Now we understand the prayer of the prophet Micha – Give Gace to Abraham, Truth for Jacob. Truth here stands for a truthful justice.
We note here that the prophet places Abraham seeking Grace before Jacob seeking Justice. Indeed, in the Book of Genesis, the stories about Abraham fighting THREFT, Commandment Four, com before Jacob struggle for Justice and Cicil Order, Commandment number Five.
In the same token, the Book of Genesis precedes Abrahm’s stories of THEFT, with a chain of stories about Noah’s generations engaging all sorts f BLOODSHED, whch is Nah’s Commandment number Three,
And prior to Noah’, the Torah presents the Garden oof Eden with Commandment number 2, ADULTERY.
And before the Graden of Eden, the Torah presents Genesis hapter One where E-LoHeeM speaks in the plural saying Let Us Make Adm, thereby opening the door for IDOLATRY to exist, as Rashi says.
Hence, Moses constructed the Book of Genesis with the Six Commandments of Adam on his mind.
One can learn from here about each Commandment more than from any other place in the Bible.
In the list of the commandments,
Dinim, or Justice, is the only one positive, commanding us not only to refrain from Injustice, but rathe rto stand up and seek Justice.
It is the only Commandment by which Mankind emulates the CREATOR, ELoHeeM. As Chapter One says, it was ELoHeeM the Judge who created the Heavens and the Earth. And He created it bty Absolute Jutice and Truth. No wonder that in the Torah eyes, Seweking Justice is paramount. ?
The prophet Mich says Give Truth to Jacob. Is the Torah true? Has it come to us by a true revelation?
For years we could not tell, But we, by our Science, have recognized how miracoulous Chapter One is, and how accurately it counts to us the true history of our Planet. And if Chapter Oneis true, the rest of the Toerah isa true. Yes, Jacob has received his quest for Justice and Truth by receiving the Torah.
which states that Mankind should seek Jutice and Cicil Order.
Now we can see what the prophet Micha asked Hashem – Give Grace to Abraham, Truth to Jacob. While all the stories about Abraham revolve around Noah’s Commandment number Four, THEFT, the stories about his grandson Jacob revolved around Noah’s Commandment number Five.it describes Jacob seeking Justice within his close family, then at work, then as a citizen, meaning the entire realm of our life.
What does the Commandment say?
It obliges Mankind to erect Courts of Justice inevery district and large own, to elect qualified judges, and establish loyal police corp. Had there been such courts in Jacob’s society, he wouldn’t have to seek and inplement his justice by his own hands, with bad consequences.
The question wich many commentaries raise is why did DFinah’s brothers ki9ll all the by standers in the city of Shalem? Why no just release her sister and go?
Hence the BookThe of Genesis iis structured along the Six Commandments of Adam. The book begins