Jacob & Esau: The Kabbalah Explanation

[CrusaderFrank]

I attended a lecture at the Kabbalah Center in NY where they explained the real meaning of the story of Jacob and Esau. Bible students will recognize the tale from its surface -- a mean-spirited and deceitful tale, where Jacob steals his brothers birth rite in exchange for a bowl of lentil soup, then conspires with his mother to trick his blind father Issac into conferring the blessing upon him. It's a story that seems to excuse and condone reprehensible behavior -- but it's not.

Kabbalahists understand the Bible to be allegory, to be encoded; a set of stories with hidden meaning and the more bizarre the story, the deeper the meaning.

The lecture was only an hour yet I felt I was transported back in time to "sit with elders of a gentle race, the world has seldom seen"

I always knew the Bible was allegory and it's wonderful to have finally found people who can explain it

 

[GreatestIam]

I attended a lecture at the Kabbalah Center in NY where they explained the real meaning of the story of Jacob and Esau. Bible students will recognize the tale from its surface -- a mean-spirited and deceitful tale, where Jacob steals his brothers birth rite in exchange for a bowl of lentil soup, then conspires with his mother to trick his blind father Issac into conferring the blessing upon him. It's a story that seems to excuse and condone reprehensible behavior -- but it's not.

Kabbalahists understand the Bible to be allegory, to be encoded; a set of stories with hidden meaning and the more bizarre the story, the deeper the meaning.

The lecture was only an hour yet I felt I was transported back in time to "sit with elders of a gentle race, the world has seldom seen"

I always knew the Bible was allegory and it's wonderful to have finally found people who can explain it

This will be a lonely O p my friend as few in the West are bright enough to know that all scriptures represent myths.

What was the conclusion from your Kabbalistic teacher?

Some say it is like the Cain and Abel myth and Esau and Jacob are representations of the farmer or city dweller against the shepherd way of life.

Here is another view.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz3re9EREEY]The Strange Story of Jacob and Esau - YouTube[/ame]

Regards
DL

 

[CrusaderFrank]

I attended a lecture at the Kabbalah Center in NY where they explained the real meaning of the story of Jacob and Esau. Bible students will recognize the tale from its surface -- a mean-spirited and deceitful tale, where Jacob steals his brothers birth rite in exchange for a bowl of lentil soup, then conspires with his mother to trick his blind father Issac into conferring the blessing upon him. It's a story that seems to excuse and condone reprehensible behavior -- but it's not.

Kabbalahists understand the Bible to be allegory, to be encoded; a set of stories with hidden meaning and the more bizarre the story, the deeper the meaning.

The lecture was only an hour yet I felt I was transported back in time to "sit with elders of a gentle race, the world has seldom seen"

I always knew the Bible was allegory and it's wonderful to have finally found people who can explain it

This will be a lonely O p my friend as few in the West are bright enough to know that all scriptures represent myths.

What was the conclusion from your Kabbalistic teacher?

Some say it is like the Cain and Abel myth and Esau and Jacob are representations of the farmer or city dweller against the shepherd way of life.

Here is another view.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz3re9EREEY]The Strange Story of Jacob and Esau - YouTube[/ame]

Regards
DL

To try to condense an hour journey down to a few minutes does not do it justice.

Jacob and Rebecca are derivative souls of Adam and Eve; Esau is the Snake, (I suspect Issac was derivitive form of the Creator, but I had to ask the teacher because that wasn't covered in the lecture) so "stealing" Esau birthright was merely righting the wrong done when Eve encouraged Adam to take the apple and give his life energy to the Snake. It's a blueprint for how humanity can take responsibility for our own lives

 

[GreatestIam]

I cannot follow that representation at all. A & E are a whole different myth FMPOV and have no relationship of typological resemblance to A & E.

Regards
DL