Devar/5771/Vayishlach
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< Devar | 5771
עברית
English
And God said unto him: 'I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins (Gen 35:11)
The expression "be fruitful and multiply" has already appeared twice in the Torah regarding humans. First with Adam and Eve, as it says And God blessed them; and God said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth. (Gen 1:28). Secondly regarding Noah, as it says And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them: 'Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth… (Gen 9:1,2).
There is a common denominator between them, that the three verses speak of God using the term "Elohim" rather than the explicit Name. The name "Elohim" connotes an approach of justice and judgment (often, the term "elohim" in the Torah refers to judges and not to the Creator of the world). What is the connection between these situations in which the Torah uses the term "Elohim", and "justice and judgement"?
There is another common denominator here. Adam receives responsibility and control over the entire world. "and subdue it" is a term of subjugation and control. "have dominion over the fish of the sea etc." implies you are responsible for those over whom you have power. Regarding Noah it states "the fear of you and the dread of you etc." -- you will rule over the earth, which is entirely placed in your hands. And regarding Jacob it states "kings shall come out of thy loins", that is that you also will rule. Certainly it is true that having lots of offspring makes it easier to rule over others and inherit.
But the prophet Hosea shows us something more: And I will betroth thee unto Me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto Me in righteousness, and in justice, and in loving kindness, and in compassion (Hosea 2:21). There is no justice and judgment where loving kindness and compassion are missing. And one who raises children also raises his own level of loving kindness and compassion. Therefore God says to these rulers, may you hold power, but with loving-kindness and compassion.
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