There are so many fascinating texts just lurking on the fringes, offering alternative perspectives and filling in the gaps in ways you wouldn't expect. Today, we're diving into one of those: a chapter from the Book of Jasher.
The Book of Jasher, also called Sefer haYashar (ספר הישר), isn't part of the Hebrew Bible, but it's an ancient Jewish text referenced in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18). The version we're exploring today is a medieval Hebrew work that claims to be that lost book. Now, whether it truly is...well, that's a debate for another day. But regardless, it offers some incredible stories that add layers to the familiar biblical tales.
Our story today focuses on Isaac, Jacob, and Esau. Remember them? Isaac, now old and with failing eyesight, asks Esau to hunt game and prepare a meal so he can give him his final blessing. As the Book of Jasher tells it, Isaac says, "Get I pray thee thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, rise up and go forth into the field and get me some venison, and make me savory meat and bring it to me, that I may eat in order that I may bless thee before my death, as I have now become old and gray-headed."
But Rebekah overhears. And, as we know, she favors Jacob. She instructs Jacob to deceive his father and receive the blessing instead. She tells him, "Rise up and go, I pray thee, to the flock and fetch me two fine kids of the goats, and I will get the savory meat for thy father, and thou shalt bring the savory meat that he may eat before thy brother shall have come from the chase, in order that thy father may bless thee." Jacob obeys, tricks Isaac, and gets the blessing intended for Esau.
When Esau returns, he's understandably furious. "Is he not rightly called Jacob?" Esau cries, according to the Book of Jasher, "for he has supplanted me twice, he took away my birthright and now he has taken away my blessing." The animosity is palpable.
Jacob, fearing Esau's wrath, flees to the house of Eber, the son of Shem. According to the Book of Jasher, he remains there for fourteen years, learning the ways of the Lord. Think of it as a spiritual retreat, a time for Jacob to grow and reflect. We find that "Jacob was concealed in Eber's house fourteen years on account of his brother Esau, and he there continued to learn the ways of the Lord and his commandments."
Esau, meanwhile, is also not doing so well. He's angry at his parents and takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, adding to his existing marital woes, and moves away. The text tells us, "Esau grieved exceedingly, and he was also vexed at his father and mother; and he also rose up and took his wife and went away from his father and mother to the land of Seir, and he dwelt there." His wives vex Isaac and Rebekah, because "they walked not in the ways of the Lord, but served their father's gods of wood and stone as their father had taught them, and they were more wicked than their father." Ouch!
Later, Jacob returns home, and Esau's anger reignites. He plots to kill Jacob after Isaac's death. Rebekah, ever vigilant, sends Jacob away again, this time to her brother Laban in Haran.
Before Jacob leaves, Isaac gives him a blessing and instructions: "Take not a wife from the daughters of Canaan, for thus did our father Abraham command us according to the word of the Lord...arise, go to Haran to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father, and take unto thee a wife from there from the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother." He’s essentially telling Jacob to keep the faith within the family.
Here’s where the story takes a really interesting turn. As Jacob journeys to Haran, Esau sends his son, Eliphaz, to kill him and take all his possessions. Talk about family drama! The Book of Jasher paints a vivid picture of Esau's rage, "Now hasten, take thy sword in thy hand and pursue Jacob and pass before him in the road, and lurk for him, and slay him with thy sword in one of the mountains, and take all belonging to him and come back."
Eliphaz catches up to Jacob, but Jacob pleads for his life, offering all his possessions in exchange. Surprisingly, Eliphaz relents! The text explains that "the Lord caused Jacob to find favor in the sight of Eliphaz the son of Esau, and his men, and they hearkened to the voice of Jacob, and they did not put him to death, and Eliphaz and his men took all belonging to Jacob together with the silver and gold that he had brought with him from Beersheba; they left him nothing."
Eliphaz returns to Esau, who is furious that he didn’t kill Jacob. Eliphaz explains that he was moved by Jacob's plea, and Esau keeps the stolen goods anyway.
Finally, realizing the daughters of Canaan are a problem, Esau tries to rectify his marital situation. "Then he went to the house of Ishmael his uncle, and in addition to his older wives he took Machlath the daughter of Ishmael, the sister of Nebayoth, for a wife." It's a complicated family, to say the least!
So, what are we to make of this chapter from the Book of Jasher? It highlights the themes of deception, sibling rivalry, and the consequences of choices. It reminds us that even within families chosen for greatness, there can be deep-seated conflict and moral failings. It also reveals that sometimes, even in the midst of anger and vengeance, compassion can prevail.
And perhaps most importantly, it invites us to consider the stories that shape our understanding of faith and tradition. Are there other perspectives, other narratives that could enrich our understanding? What happens when we look beyond the well-trodden paths and explore the hidden corners of our heritage? Just something to think about.