Parashat D’varim
My Killer, My
Brother
The instruction
not to provoke the descendants of Esav reminds us that despite strife, there is
always potential for family members to reconcile.
By Rabbi Avi Weinstein
The following article is reprinted with permission from Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.
Moshe Rabbenu (our teacher) begins his valedictory
address with the first parasha of D'varim. He's giving the final instructions
before the reins of leadership are transferred to Yehoshua [Joshua]. In the
course of describing the history of the land to which they are about to return,
Moshe warns them in the following verses that they are not to provoke the
descendents of Esav [Esau].
Devarim 2:2-5
Then the Lord said to me: You have been skirting this hill
country long enough now turn north. And charge the people as follows: You will
be passing through the territory of your kinsmen, the descendants of Esav,
who live in Seir. Though they will be afraid of you, be very careful not to
provoke them. For I will not give you of their land so much as a foot can tread
on...
Your Torah Navigator
1. Why are the children of Esav referred to as kinsman?
2. How is the word provoke defined here?
The Midrash in D'varim Rabba, sees the fact that the descendents of Esav are
called kinsmen as significant. Esav's descendents have no spiritual connection
with the Jewish people. They are pagans, and they are not privy to any
revelation, but God has promised them a parcel of land and it is important that
the descendents of Jacob honor that promise.
Subsequent verses permit our forebears to buy food, drink and supplies from
them, but not engage in provocative behavior--even though they must have been
seen as an army marching on a mission of conquest.
The Midrash also states that origins are important, because origins often
create the potential for deep connection as well as deep enmity. It says:
D'varim Rabba (Lieberman) Parshat Devarim 22
Your kinsmen, the descendants of Esav, even though
they are the descendents of Esav, they are still your kinsmen. Another verse
echoes this sentiment by saying, "Your kinsmen who hate you..."
(Isaiah 66:5). Even though they hate you, they are your kinsmen... And this
sentiment is also echoed in the verse, "...and the outrage that will be
done to your brother Jacob... (Obadiah 1:10). Even though he may kill you and
plunder you, he is still your brother...
Your Midrash Navigator
1. What's the difference between fraternal hatred and hatred
of one who is not related to you?
2. Which hatred has the greatest potential to be transformed
into love?
3. Does the adage "You can choose your friends, but you
cannot choose your family" resonate with this midrash? How?
A Word
In times of great strife, when kinsmen become brothers in
name only, origins of relationships offer the potential for a way back, when
they once shared something in common. The Midrash is teaching that these
origins were given, by God and cannot be removed by human design. No matter
what outrage people perpetrate, they cannot abrogate the potential for reconciliation,
because they were not the ones who created the relationship. It is this fact
that humbles us and makes us see the world as a place that existed before us
and will exist after us, and the darkest moments between peoples will give way
to the memory of being kinsmen once upon a time.
As we explore the three weeks and the nine days that recall the destructions of
the Jewish people, we are reminded that someday these will be days of
rejoicing. And brothers who have become enemies will be brothers once again.
Prepared by Rabbi Avi
Weinstein, Director, Hillel’s Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Learning.
Provided by Hillel’s
Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Learning, which creates innovative
educational resources based on Jewish texts and trains Hillel students,
professionals, and lay leaders to infuse Jewish content throughout their
activities. © 2002 Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.
