Parshas Vayishlach: The Birth of Nations

This week’s Torah portion, Vayishlach: Bereshit (Genesis) 32:4 - 36:43, describes Jacob’s return from Charan to his home of Hebron in the Holy Land. Many consequential events in Jewish history happen on the journey. 

The Brothers Reconcile

Early in the trip, Jacob fears Esau will retaliate for his stolen birthright by attacking him on his way home. Angels confirm his worst fears and he takes precautions to protect his family and possessions. 

Rather than the battle being waged as he anticipates, Jacob wrestles overnight with Esau’s guardian angel and prevails. The brothers reconcile the next day. Jacob settles in Shechem with his vast herds, his two wives and their maidservants, his eleven sons, and his daughter, Dina. Esau goes home to Seir in the region of Edom.

The Rape of Dina

Family disaster strikes when a local Hivite prince rapes and kidnaps Dina. Hoping to marry her, the prince pleads with his father to talk to Jacob about an arranged marriage. Jacob’s sons conspire to avenge the rape by agreeing to the marriage only if all the Hivite men are circumcised. During their convalescence, Jacob’s sons kill them all and rescue Dina.  

Jacob Becomes Israel

Soon after this human devastation, God appears to Jacob to rename him, Israel, and promises to give his offspring the ‘Land of Israel.’ “Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a multitude of nations shall come into existence from you, and kings shall come forth from your loins. And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, to you I will give it, and to your seed after you will I give the land.

Rachel DIes

As the family passes Bethlehem on their way to Hebron, Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin, her second son. Rather than take her body home for burial, Jacob buries her near the road according to guidance from the Almighty.

Arriving home, Jacob and Esau meet again to bury Isaac. The portion ends with an account of Esau’s genealogy and the tribe of Edomites he will establish.

The Edomites Put on Notice

Our Haftarah portion this week, Ovadiah (Obadiah) 1:1-21, features a convert to Judaism. Originally an Edomite, Obadiah knows first hand of his nation’s animus towards Israel. He warns his people that God will send armies to annihilate them because they colluded with the Babylonians rather than stand with their Israelite brothers.

Pro-Life Lessons for Jews Today

This week’s biblical account has profound implications for Jews today. God repeats His promise to give the Holy Land of Israel to the offspring of our holy biblical leaders. Jews around the world and especially in Israel can truly fulfill this promise in it’s entirely and for eternity. To do so we must safeguard our unborn children and welcome each and every one into God’s Promise.

Even the ones conceived in rape. Rabbinic tradition holds that Dina’s rape produced a daughter, Aseneth, the adopted daughter of Potiphera who married Joseph. Nowhere in Torah are we told to murder children born of rape, which would prosecute the baby for the father’s crime. Rather, as stated in Deuteronomy 24:16, Fathers shall not be put to death because of sons, nor shall sons be put to death because of fathers; each man shall be put to death for his own transgression.

Rachel suffers the guilt and shame of infertility over many years. Eventually, she conceives and bears first Joseph and then Benjamin, both of whom play a very important role in the history of the Jewish people.

We can be thankful that she lived in a time before attempts were made to dismember fully grown breech birth infants to save a mother's life. This was a brutal, primitive procedure sure to kill both mother and baby. We can be sure that having suffered infertility for so long,  Rachel would not have agreed to kill her precious son to save her own life.

Abortion homicide is never necessary to save a mother’s life. Dismemberment murder of pre-born babies is very profitable. It happens often despite life saving interventions for viable babies and gentle comfort care for babies too young to survive separation due to medical emergencies. Alternatively, as more late term abortion centers open, delivering live intact infants for body part sales gets more popular.

Rachel’s love for her own children as well as for the Jewish people lasts over the centuries. 1100 years after her burial on the side of the road to Bethlehem, Rachel’s spirit prays for the exiled Jews as they pass her tomb on their way to Babylon.

Jeremiah 31:14–16 attests: “A cry is heard in Ramah—wailing, bitter weeping—Rachel weeping for her children, she refuses to be comforted for her children, who are gone. Thus said the Lord: Restrain your voice from weeping, your eyes from shedding tears; for there is a reward for your labor—declares the Lord: They shall return from the enemy’s land. And there is hope for your future—declares the Lord: Your children shall return to their country”

We model our post abortion healing program on Rachel’s great love for Jewish children and their future. Tikvat Rachel, Rachel’s Hope For All Of Her Children Both Born And Unborn, addresses the spiritual and emotional wounds of the Jewish abortion experience. It returns the spiritually exiled Jew who suffers after abortion to their covenant with Hashem, It consoles grief stricken Jewish mothers and fathers, alleviating the pain and regret of abortion and the loss of their children.

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Cecily Routman

May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and good life upon us and upon all Israel. Amen.

Cecily Routman is the founder and president of the Jewish Pro-Life Foundation. She opposes abortion homicide in general and among Jews in particular and laments secular policy making in Israel that results in loss of Jewish life and delays the messianic redemption. Cecily envisions a Torah based holy Land of Israel and a world that respects the life of every human being from conception.

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