Esau Hates Jacob: The Source of Antisemitism According to Jewish Theology

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    Traditional Judaism teaches that non-Jews inherently hate and want to kill Jews.

    This is known as the doctrine of “Esau hates Jacob.”
    In the modern period, this doctrine has been secularized, and it underlies Jewish ideas about “antisemitism” as a dangerous immutable characteristic of non-Jews.
    Traditional Jewish texts offer three key explanations for why non-Jews inherently hate Jews. All presume that such hatred has nothing to do with Jewish behavior that harms non-Jews.
    The first explanation is that the hatred is purely irrational.
    The second explanation is that non-Jews are jealous of Jewish superiority as a higher race of divinely chosen people who occupy the status of “sons of God.”
    The third explanation is that God created non-Jews to be the slaves and servants of Jews, and non-Jews resent that this is their rightful place.
    Many of these ideas are reflected in the following insightful article from a Chabad website. It explains how Esau (who represents non-Jews) is an evil being whose existence revolves around hating Jacob (who represents Jews). Esau’s rage comes from both his evil nature, and the fact that he was created to be a servant of Jacob.
    The article reads:

    In Genesis 33:4, the Torah tells us about a kiss: after thirty-four years in which Jacob had fled his brother’s wrath, and in which Esau had never ceased plotting to kill him, Esau has a change of heart. Seeing Jacob approach, Esau runs to him, embraces him, and kisses him.

     

    But the word vayishakeihu, “and he kissed him,” has a line of dots above it, which is the Torah’s way of telling us that this was not a normal kiss. What was abnormal about this kiss? The Midrash cites two interpretations. One is that the Torah is telling us that it was not a true kiss — Esau was really trying to kill Jacob by biting his throat. The other interpretation is that Esau kissed Jacob with all his heart — that’s what was abnormal about the kiss, since “we know that it is a cardinal law of reality that Esau hates Jacob.”

     

    Either way you look at it, the bottom line is that Esau hates Jacob. No matter what Jacob does, Esau hates him. If Jacob appeases him, gives him gifts, acts towards him like the brother he is, Esau hates him even more. But why?

    Why does Esau hate Jacob? But first we should ask: Why does Esau exist at all? Why is there evil in our world? Why is there hatred and darkness? What would be wrong with a world consisting only of goodness, love and light?

     

    Evil exists because it is so much more powerful than good. Is there a lover in the world who loves with the intensity that a hater hates? Is there a light as bright as darkness is black? Has there ever been an act of kindness unleashed with the force and vigor contained in an act of cruelty?

     

    That is why, say the Kabbalists, G‑d created evil. Darkness exists so that it should be transformed into light, resulting in a luminance infinitely greater than light itself could ever yield. Cruelty is implanted in the heart of man so that we should tap its intensity to fuel acts of kindness infinitely more potent than kindness itself could ever produce. Evil exists to be exploited by goodness.

     

    The soul of Esau knows this — that he exists solely to serve his younger brother. That no matter how ferociously he resists this truth, that ferociousness itself will ultimately be Jacob’s.

     

    That’s why Esau hates Jacob so much: because he knows that his hate is not his own.

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    Daniel Haqiqatjou
    Daniel Haqiqatjou
    Daniel Haqiqatjou (pronounced: Ha-qee-qat-joo) was born in Houston, Texas. He attended Harvard University where he majored in Physics and minored in Philosophy. He completed a Masters degree in Philosophy at Tufts University.

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    Judensau
    Judensau
    8 months ago

    These Jews be crazy and obtuse af

    No mention of the fact that in the jewbible Jacob literally steals Esau (the first born of Isaac) birthright by swindling it from him for a bowl of soup and then tricking his blind father into thinking he is Esau. Typical Jew

    are roster
    are roster
    Reply to  Judensau
    7 months ago

    Jesus pbuh believed in the story of Jacob pbuh “stealing” the birthright from Esau, and yet referred to Allah swt as “the God of Jacob,” so apparently Jacob is a saintly person.

    Nafis
    Nafis
    Reply to  are roster
    7 months ago

    There is a high possibility that the story of Jacob(pbuh) stealing the birthright of Esau is completely fabricated stuff.

    Mohammed Yahia
    Mohammed Yahia
    Reply to  Nafis
    7 months ago

    Is Esau even real?

    Nafis
    Nafis
    Reply to  Mohammed Yahia
    7 months ago

    Given that there is no contradictory account in the Qur’an and Sunnah, I think it’s a 50-50 thing.

    Sly
    Sly
    Reply to  Mohammed Yahia
    7 months ago

    Yes, he was. In arabic, his name is el-‘is. Characters in Hebrew Bible are reals but not often truly depicted. Up to me, the only one fake character in Hebrew Bible would be Esther from the “Book of Esther” which tells an unbelievable and unrealistic tale.

    Abdoking
    7 months ago

    “The second explanation is that non-Jews are jealous of Jewish superiority as a higher race of divinely chosen people who occupy the status of “sons of God.” ”

    I wonder where I heard that one before…

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