Ten Tribes Studies. (12 December, 2012. 28 Kislev, 5773)
Contents:
1. Question about Esau Repenting.
2. Amnon Golberg: Letter about Esau
3. Alistair Williams:Â Esau and Pilgrims in Mecca shouting: "Death to America, Death to Israel"
1. Question about Esau Repenting.
Re Brit-Am Now no. 1973
#3. Question on Esau and the End Times.
Fredrick Murphy ...about Esav repenting....where is that to be found in the Scriptures?
It is an opinion. I do not think it is in the Bible. It is also not widely spread. It has been attributed Rabbi Yaacov Ben Asher ("Baal HaTurim", Germany, 1307-1348).
Usually when we adopt such views we only quote them when some type of Biblical sources can be found for them.
In this case we have not got much. Rabbinical Legend says that Eliphaz the son of Esau was brought up by his uncle Jacob. Eliphaz was later sent by his father, Esau, to chase Jacob when he fled to Aram and the house of Laban. Eliphaz had been ordered to kill Jacob but when he caught up with him he refrained from doing so. On the other hand he did not want to disobey the command of his father Jacob advised Eliphaz to take all his money from him. Jacob would then be penniless and someone without any money is like a dead man. Eliphaz did as advised and that is why when Jacob reached Laban he had no money on him (Rashi to Genesis 29:11).
This was in contrast to Eliezer, the servant of Abraham (grandfather of Jacob), who had come to that same place laden with rich gifts.
This is only a legend but perhaps we have here an indication that humane sentiments and acts of relative kindness could also be found in the family of Esau.
Esau
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In the Book of Jubilees, Esau's father, Isaac, compels Esau to swear not to attack or kill Jacob after Isaac has died. However, after the death of Isaac, the sons of Esau convince their father to lead them, and hired mercenaries, against Jacob in order to kill Jacob and his family and seize their wealth (especially the portion of Isaac's wealth that Isaac had left to Jacob upon his death). In the ensuing battle, then the brothers come and make peace.
According to Babylonian Talmud 'Sotah' folio 13b Esau was killed by Hushim son of Dan son of Jacob Israel, because Esau obstructed a burial of mummified Jacob Israel into cave of Machpelah.
Rabbinical Tradition gives the impression that Esau was a wicked man until the day of his death.
Esau is Edom.
Most of the descendants of Edom may well be destroyed. The Book of Obadiah and other series contains Prophecies against Edom.
We however are of the opinion that some will remain.
In addition to the above quoted opinion of Rabbi Yaacov ben Asher (Baal-HaTurim) there are a few other sources along the same lines but I cannot track them down at present.
The Bible leaves this possibility open:
Deuteronomy 23:
7 You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were an alien in his land. 8 The children of the third generation born to them may enter the assembly of the Lord.
The life of Ishmael foreshadowed that of his descendants.
Ishmael was driven out by Abrahm following the importunities of Sarah. The Arab descendants of Ishmael shall also be transferred out of the Holy Land.
Concerning Ishmael we are told:
And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of 12 rulers, and I will make them into a great nation (Genesis 17:20).
Ishmael and Isaac together buried their father Abraham in Hebrew.
Genesis 25:
9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite,
The Sages had the tradition that Ishmael would repent.
Ishmael
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
# The name of an important 2nd century CE sage, "Ishmael ben Elisha, known as "Rabbi Ishmael" ( ), one of the Tannaim, indicates that the Biblical Ishmael enjoyed a positive image among Jews of the time. #
See:
Judaism: Chayei Sarah: Ishmael Repents
by Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Riskin
Despite the above we should remember that both Ishmael and Esau had aspects of the Canaanite nations about them.
Genesis 36:
36 Now this is the genealogy of Esau, who is Edom. 2 Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; 3 and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth.
RAMADO (Rabbi Moshe David Wali, 1697-1777 Padua, Italy)Â points out that it is here implied the daughter of Ishmael who married Esau belonged to the "daughters of Canaan". He explains that Ishmael at his root source was corrupt just like the Canaanites.
He see Ishmael intermarrying with Esau and both of them associated with the Canaanites.
The Sages foresaw an attempt by Edom (non-Israelite Central Europe etc) and Ishmael (Islam) to unite in the End Times.
This is now happening.
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2. Amnon Golberg: Letter about Esau [Brit-Am Editing and Commentary in square [x] brackets.] as originally send to a Jewish Publication.
Eisav [Esau] wasn't such a bad fellow . He's only considered a rosho [rasha, i.e. evil man] because his brother was such a tzaddik [righteous one, saint] in comparison!
Eisav slew the world dictator Nimrod ([Talmud] Bava Basra 16) who had tried to kill his grandfather Avraham Avinu [our father]. "If someone had killed Hitler he'd be a hero and we wouldn't examine his past misdeeds too closely!" (R. Avigdor Miller).
"Eisav had the potential to have been one thousand times greater than Yaakov, and if he had been worthy he would have risen higher even than Moshe Rabbenu [our teacher] and Dovid HaMelech [David the King] and have merited to have been the Moshiach!" (Heichal Habrachah, Toldos 145 [a Hassidic Commentary by Rebbe Rabbi Yitzchak Yehudah Safrin ca. 1860s]).
One of the great 'Ifs' of history is what would have happened if Eisav had remained a Yisroel instead of becoming a Yisroel Mumar [Apostate Jew]. The departure of Eisav from the Jewish camp is considered to have been even a greater loss than that of the 10 Tribes. The mystical significance of Eisav and the potential of the sparks of the eight Edomite kings "who reigned in the land of Edom before there reigned any king over the Children of Yisroel" (Breishis [Genesis] 36) is foundational in Lurianic Kabbalah to the concepts of the Sheviras Hakeilim, the Olam HaTohu, and of the existence of evil in the universe.
[It could be that the early Edomite Kings listed in Genesis 36 were responsible for a breakdown in the World Order which could have been reconstituted in reformed fashion but was not and that consequently our world is still struggling with. Jewish Mystics later took this as a pattern for our imperfect world today that we all have the task of attempting to rectify.]
Had Eisav accepted Yaakov's leadership, very great achievements would have been possible and the history of the world would have been entirely different. Yitzchok blessed Eisav that "your abode shall enjoy the fat of the earth" (Breishis 27) - "this is Italy" (Rashi), and that "you shall live by the sword": the military prowess of his descendants Eliphaz, Tzepho, Amolek, Lotan, Teman, Yisran, Eshban, Shoval and the other Edomites who went on to rule Rome, Carthage, Botzrah [possibly Byzantium], Mocha, Thrace, Tyre, Sparta, Anatolia, Seville and Germania is renowned.
"You shall serve your brother": the Roman Emperor Antoninus [one of the Roman Emperors or Proconsuls who was a friend of Rabbi Yerhudah, possibly the Emperor Antoninus Pius. As Ruler of Rome he was considered the head of Edom] came under the enlightened influence of Yehudah Hanasi [Yehudah the Prince ca. 135-217 CE, spiritual leader and de facto governor of the Jews under Roman hegemony], and had the Roman legions become the fighting arm of the Am Yisroel [the People of Israel] instead of its sworn enemy, the descendants of Yaakov and Eisav could yet have fulfilled Hashem's original plan of together conquering and Judaising the entire world [ This is not the case. The world was never intended to become Jewish BUT it should be made more humane and basic Noachide-type Laws should be kept.]
yours truly
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3. Alistair Williams:Â Esau and Pilgrims in Mecca shouting: Â "Death to America, Death to Israel"
Re: Brit-Am Now no. 1973: Ten Tribes Studies.
Dear Yair.
In response to questions on Esau and end times, this link may be of interest to you.
http://ivarfjeld.wordpress.com/2012/12/10/pilgrims-in-mecca-death-to-america-death-to-israel/
We are closer to the end than the beginning.
G-d bless and keep you.
Alistair
Pilgrims in Mecca: "Death to America, Death to Israel"
Thousands of Iranians chanted, "Death to America, death to Israel!" inside a huge tent on Thursday during the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.