If Esav hadn't sold the bechora to Yaakov what, if anything, would have been different?
In other words, what consequence was there to the sale? What did it change, how did it make anything different?
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Sign up to join this communityIf Esav hadn't sold the bechora to Yaakov what, if anything, would have been different?
In other words, what consequence was there to the sale? What did it change, how did it make anything different?
I've read an article (in Russian) that says that according to misrash (not cited which) if Eisav was making all right then 12 tribes were born from both brothers, 6 from Eisav and 6 from Yaakov.
Translation of the relevant part:
And if Eisav did his job properly, he would retain its status as a descendant of Yitzchak, and the Jewish people, says the Midrash, would occur by two brothers: each of them - Eisav and Yaakoyv - would be the ancestor of the six tribes.
Two separate things happened:
However, it is wrong to approach the text of Genesis from the point of view of (alternative) history. The function of Genesis is to establish the position of man in this world, knowing of god (as in הכרה or ידיעה).
A few implications though are coming to mind:
But I personally prefer:
"What have happened, happened, and couldn't have happened otherwise." -- Morpheus, The Matrix Reloaded