“Behold, given the tumult of her [Rebbeca’s] pregnancy: she thought to herself, “Why is this happening to me? Consequently she went to seek out the Lord.” Bereshit 25:22
The Divine’s response to our beloved Matriarch, Rivka, simultaneously resolves her dilemma and sparks a fresh set of unresolved questions — especially for the close, attentive reader. The exact language of Hashem’s response to Rivka reads as follows (Ber. 25:23):
“Hashem said to her [Rebekah], “There are two nations in your womb and one nation will indeed gain fleeting political success, yet [ultimately] the head will be led by the [seemingly] novice.”
Unlike the lengthy, detailed & magnetic account provided by the Sedra regarding Jacob’s beautiful family life and ultimate political success, the Parsha wastes no time in clarifying to its readers the ambiguity surrounding what nation Esav & his descendants will evolve into — bookkeeping of sorts that it must get out of the way (spoiler alert). As it states at the onset of the Sedra (Bereshit 25:30): “Esav said to Jacob, ‘Give me some of that red stuff to gulp down, for I am famished’—which is why he was named Edom.”
‘Edom’ literally translates to “red,” a direct reference to the red lentil stew Esav was so impetuously craving; yet it also gestures toward the iconic biblical nation of ‘Edom’, whose territory throughout the Biblical period lay just southeast of, and juxtaposed to, the land of Israel. Rashi offers timely and significant historical context by noting that the nation of ‘Edom’ became the biological predecessors of the Roman Empire, where Christianity later flourished — hence the familiar association between the two.
Yaakov’s character evolution to the paradigmatic name Israel is significantly more complex and is not fully developed until the entire Book of Bereshit is completed, albeit that we are only precisely at the midway point of the Book with the onset of our Parsha — Toledot. There is no other Patriarch or Prophet in all twenty-four books of the Bible that receives this much real estate — in terms of chapters and verses in the Torah — unpacking such a detailed account of his family life & how it led to his unique and long-lasting political success.
Therefore, in order to properly understand why Jacob was chosen for the grandest of Flagship Titles: “Israel” — over the rest of the Patriarchs — requires us, the readers, to take a zoomed-out approach; and take into consideration a broader perspective of the Book of Genesis as a whole. When taking that zoomed-out perspective, one quickly notes that the Book of Bereshit provides a history of the first Jewish families: Avraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rivka, and Jacob & Rachel and Le’ah. Bene Yisrael — as a national entity — do not step onto the stage until the Book of Exodus. Consequently, it is fair to say that Sefer Bereshit is written through a familial lens or prism, charting the intimate world of the earliest Jewish households — their complex dynamics, defining challenges, and the shared victories that shaped the earliest contours of Jewish identity. While Sefer Shemot, on the other hand, unfolds through a distinctly national lens or prism.
Perhaps the most poignant point of Genesis as a whole — and one that both recaps and carefully considers the entire Historical Narrative therein — is that Jacob was the only Patriarch who succeeded in assuring that all of his ancestry accepted the Abrahamic Covenant, albeit all the drama that unfolded with the selling of Yosef by his own brothers, and ultimately made amends. There were no outsiders in this family — no Esav or Yishmael, as mentioned above, pitching their own independent political tent. What created this spirit of inclusivity amidst the Children of Jacob (beney Yaakov) was that the demarcations of the tent of Jacob were defined by Education. [It was this intangible yet remarkably solid idea that stimulated ethical behavior and brotherhood — between the sons of Jacob —]
Our sages explain that it is indeed education that builds and refines character. And because Jacob is defined as an “Ish Tam Yoshev Ohalim,” an honest, transparent man who dwells in the Tent of wisdom — who spent his days developing his intellect and infusing his family with those very values — it became the glue that held them together. It was this shared commitment to intellectual and ethical refinement that gave each of them the character to make amends, to heal, and to ultimately become the socio-political backbone of Am Yisrael — the twelve tribes of Israel — for eternity. Nobody was kept on the outside. Everyone was welcomed.
This is bolstered — even persuaded — by the response of the twelve brothers surrounding their father’s deathbed at the very end of the book of Bereshit, declaring in unison:
“Listen, our father Israel: Hashem is our God, Hashem is One.” — “Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad.”
It becomes unmistakably clear that it was the acceptance of the Abrahamic Covenant — of ethical monotheism, and the educational platform upon which it stands — that defines, unifies, and eternally binds this family, and earned them the Divine privilege to serve as the sociopolitical backbone (the shevatim / tribes — akin to a community in contemporary terms) that comprise the nation Israel. The message is clear: a sincere, loving, and values-centered family environment is the indispensable seedbed of strong communities, and Education/Torah remains the exclusive pathway to genuine ethical character.