More than any other Biblical figure besides Moses, Ya’akov — a.k.a. Jacob, a.k.a. Israel — gets a lot of airtime. Most of Kislev/November’s and Tevet/December’s Torah readings have Jacob as a central figure. From his twin-birth with Esau in Genesis 25 to his burial at the end of the book (Genesis 50), Jacob offers us great stories, moral complexities, and insight regarding what we should and should not do.
The Talmud says ma’aseh avot siman l’banim, "the acts of the ancestors are a sign for the children." This is usually taken to mean "the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree" — that we can find similarities across the generations, and make projections. For instance, Jacob may have been the archetypal trickster, but he didn’t invent the art: his parents and grandparents schemed to pass wives off as sisters, and his mom (Rebecca) was the one who goaded Jacob into his greatest deceit. Jacob may have played favorites among his children, but grandpa Abe had tried to kill both of his!
Of course, this cross-generational connection can also be positive. Just as Abraham and Rebecca in previous generations did what had to be done for the continuity of the Jewish people, so did Jacob. And ultimately, so did his sons, though it took them a while to find their moral compass. Just as the first ancestors opened an ongoing conversation with the Divine — or in Recon-speak, they began the process of discernment of the Divine will, residing within self, community, and Creation — so did Jacob and his wives and children carry that legacy forward.
Intergenerational connections need not be predictive, however. Sometimes we look at the acts of the ancestors, the ma’aseh avot, for signs/simanim of what we, the children/banim, should avoid. Sarah sought to exile and even kill the less-favored son, while Rebecca sought only to switch the blessings between her sons. Leah and Rachel replayed their grandmother-in-law Sarah’s dynamic with Hagar when these sisters fought bitterly over Jacob’s love, but they ended up in peace (even friendship and love, says the midrash). So it is with us: It’s in our power to stop the pain and patterns and problematics of our parents between them and us, and not pass these acts of the ancestors along to the future.
Our biblical ancestor Jacob —whose track record is decidedly mixed, but whose place in Jewish history is nonetheless central— gives his new name Israel to both our people and our homeland. Imperfect as he was, the notion of striving-with-God (a likely etymology for ‘Yisrael’) is fitting for him. May all our strivings toward ethics and truth and God be as meaningful as Jacob’s, and may we learn from him and all our ancestors both that which we can emulate, and that which we can leave behind.
On now to a current Jacob, a rabbi/doctor/professor/leader who will grace our community with his presence in two weeks. Jacob Staub, Dean of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and Director of its Medieval Civilization program, will be the "Traveling-Scholar-in-Residence" for our region of JRF on the weekend of December 13-15. It has been my pleasure to learn from and work with Jacob for many years, and it will be a privilege to introduce him to our community.
Jacob Staub may not have spoken with God like our ancestor Jacob, but he is among the most knowledgeable and eloquent spokespeople for finding a connection with the Divine in today’s world. He does this through his broad knowledge of Mordecai Kaplan and Ira Eisenstein’s thought; a careful reading of rabbinic and medieval texts; the emerging field of ‘spiritual direction’ along with meditation and other approaches; his meaningful influence on each and every Reconstructionist rabbi to have come through the RRC through most of its history; and his co-authorship of the important guide, Exploring Judaism: A Reconstructionist Approach.
Jacob will be speaking at four area communities that weekend, including Baltimore Friday night and Columbia Saturday morning. Closer to home and easier to attend will be his Saturday night (Dec. 14 at 7:30) appearance at Oseh Shalom in Laurel, with a havdallah program titled, intriguingly, "How Odd of God to Choose the Jews … It’s Not So Odd the Jews Chose God". And that Sunday morning at 10:00, here at Adat Shalom, Jacob will be speaking on the history on Reconstructionism. It’s a presentation you won’t want to miss.
Once you’re here on Sunday the 15th, you’ll want to stay for the first annual Ira and Judith Eisenstein Education Day. Reconstructionists from around the region will be joining us for a series of programs — a keynote by Jacob, workshops by rabbis and master teachers, a video presentation about Ira’s life, and musical offerings. Please bring $10 to help offset costs, and another $10 if you’d like to join us for the vegetarian lunch we’ll offer between 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm.
We hope you’ll join us in shul the next few weeks, as we finish the Jacob
cycle — and on Sunday the 15th, as we enjoy the presence of Jacob Staub.
Happy Hanukkah to all.
Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb