Translation: Me’orot ha’Reiah (Vol. 4, Pg. 187)
The struggle between good and evil traces its origins to the conflict between Ya’akov and Esav, a conflict with cosmic spiritual significance. For this was not merely a squabble between two brothers, but a fundamental disagreement regarding God’s relationship with the world and humankind.
Esav resolved to follow his desires wherever they led him. He repudiated any notion of Divine providence, believing the world to be governed by an immutable and impersonal system of natural laws (lit. tevah). Within this system, it made no difference how a person behaved or conducted himself. There were rare exceptions, of course – an overt Divine miracle or perhaps a subversion of the system on behalf of an extraordinary individual. But the notion that Divine providence could override the world of tevah – that was anathema to Esav.
Ya’akov, who was deeply attached to the service of God, stood against this worldview. He could not countenance that humanity would forget God’s name and deny Divine providence. And so he taught that there is a spiritual reality which supersedes the laws and limitations of tevah.[1] As Ramban writes,[2] the Torah’s promises of collective reward and punishment are rooted in this very premise. As Ya’akov descendants and inheritors of his mission, the Jewish people are subject to special Divine providence. We are not subject to the same laws of nature as other nations.[3]
This helps us understand the symbolism of Ya’akov emerging from the womb grabbing onto Esav’s heel. The heel is the perfect symbol of Esav’s worldview because of the intrinsic connection between motion and the natural world, as is known.
Translator’s Note: Rav Kook does not elaborate on what sources he has in mind here. After some digging, I found that Maharal writes that (i) motion is associated with change, (ii) change is a property of the physical world, and (iii) the physical world changes because it is imperfect and transitory. It follows that motion is inimical to the spiritual world, where everything exists in a state of perfection. See Gur Aryeh (Bereishit 17:5, s.v. שאף יו׳ד של שרה, with sources cited there in the Machon Yerushalayim edition) and the introduction to Derech haChayim. Rav Kook may be referring to sources in medieval Jewish philosophy, but I know even less about that than I know about Rav Kook, so I will defer.
Ya’akov grabbing onto Esav’s heel thus symbolizes his attempt to block the proliferation of Esav’s poisonous ‘heel-philosophy.’
This also clarifies why Ya’akov is referred as an איש תם, lit. “wholesome” or “complete.” [4] Man is a dual being, with a physical body subject to the laws of nature and a soul that operates as part of a higher, Divine order. It follows that a person who lives according to a deterministic worldview (i.e. the worldview of Esav) is a fragmented and fractured personality. His body and soul are in irreconcilable disharmony, quite literally living in different worlds.
Contrast that with Ya’akov, whose soul was rooted in the realm of Torah and prophecy. In the way of life that Ya’akov modeled, one’s worldly conduct is not dictated by the laws of nature, but by the higher realm of Divine will and wisdom.[5] The body operates on the same wavelength as the soul and is guided by it. It becomes a partner to the soul and its spiritual aspirations. This is a life of harmony and integration – of being תם, ‘wholesome’ and ‘complete’, in the truest sense of the word.[6]
Commentary
Rav Kook teaches us that the conflict between Ya’akov and Esav is more than just a historical curiosity or a episode of sibling rivalry. It represents a fundamental conflict between two worldviews. Esav’s world is one of fragmentation and disharmony. The body follows its desires and ignores the spiritual aspirations of the soul. Divine providence is an illusion, and so is our freedom of choice. Like all other components of the physical world, our actions are determined by a blind and immutable system of cause and effect. In contrast, Ya’akov strives to integrates the spiritual and the physical. He teaches that the limitations of tevah are subservient to and supplanted by Divine providence. God’s universe is not indifferent to how we relate to Him or how we treat each other.
Rav Kook also asserts that Divine providence is not merely an important aspect of the Torah, but its defining feature. The battleline in the struggle between good and evil runs through Divine providence. Anything that strengthens humanity’s belief in Divine providence and the integrated worldview of Ya’akov contributes to good. In contrast, determinism, blindly following one’s desires and belief in Divine indifference magnify the strength of evil.
As an aside, Rav Kook’s understanding of Esav’s worldview is a strikingly accurate encapsulation of Christianity, which many sources understand as the spiritual successor to Esav.[7] Christianity teaches that this world is fallen and irredeemably sinful. Salvation cannot be attained by law/mitzvot, which Jesus abrogated, but only through Divine grace. The natural consequence – borne out by centuries of bloodshed, persecution and pogroms (and contemporary scandals, והמבין יבין) – is that Christianity summons the spirit to soar upwards, but abandons the body to unbridled license, violence and sensuality.[8] The inner world created by Christianity is fragmented and schizophrenic – the opposite of the harmony of integration modeled by Ya’akov.
[1] Rav Kook is not asserting that tevah is an illusion (like Rav Dessler and other thinkers maintain), only that there is a higher level of Divine providence that supersedes it.
[2] Shemot 13:16. See here for further discussion of Ramban’s comments.
[3] If this sounds overly abstract, consider the fact that the Jewish people have survived despite the efforts of the world’s most powerful empires to subjugate or destroy us. Clearly the laws of history that govern other nations do not apply to the Jewish people.
Consider also that:
a) the Hebrew word for habit (lit. הרגל) has the same root as the word for foot (lit. רגל); and
b) the heel is the part of the body that is furthest away from the head and closest to the earth.
[4] Bereishit 25:27.
[5] Rav Kook uses this to explain why Ya’akov is described as “dwelling in tents” (lit. יושב אהלים). A tent is a temporary dwelling, and so it embodies the transitory nature of the physical world. In order for there to be a partnership between body and spirit, one must be reminded that the physical is transitory. Ya’akov was naturally drawn to the world of the אוהל.
[6] In kabbalah (yet another subject I know very little about), Ya’akov is associated with the trait of תפארת, i.e. the harmonious integration of opposing traits and energies. Avraham embodied חסד and Yitzchak embodied גבורה, but Ya’akov was the synthesis of those two opposites.
[7] How this came about is beyond the scope of this piece, but a brief summary goes like this – (i) Esav/Edom became associated with Rome, (ii) the Roman empire adopted Christianity, and (iii) therefore the Church is considered the heir to Rome.
[8] See Rav Hirsch on Bereishit 1:27, s.v. ויברא אלוקים את האדם בצלמו.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
- How does an ‘איש תם’ (as interpreted by Rav Kook) live differently than someone who lives by Esav’s deterministic mindset? And how is his/her relationship with God different?
- Does the Torah tell us anything about Ya’akov or Esav that supports Rav Kook’s assertion about different philosophies regarding Divine providence? (I don’t have a good answer to this yet, but see Bereishit 25:32 as a starting point regarding Esav.)
- What is a time when you experienced Divine providence in your life? How did it affect you?
- Based on what you read and hear, do you think contemporary science supports the philosophy of Ya’akov? Or has it been co-opted by the philosophy of Esav?
- What could you do to be more mindful of Divine providence in your life?
About this Piece
Me’orot ha’Reiah is a multi-volume anthology of Rav Kook’s writings on various Jewish holidays. The volumes are published by Machon Rav Tzvi Yehuda ha’Kohen, and began to come out in the late 1990s.
If you are interested in more English sources about Divine providence in Jewish thought, you may like Hashgachah Pratis by Rav Aryeh Leibowitz (available as an e-book that costs less than a macchiatto at Starbucks!) and the audio shiurim of my teacher Rav Netanel Weiderblank on YUTorah.org.
