History of Esau and Israel – Part 2
Characteristics of Esau’s Descendants
Before proceeding to the history of Esau, the author would like to present a means of identifying Esau and his descendants to interpret world history especially in the messianic era of 2,000 years. The application of these characteristics is explained in the section “Messianic Era – 20th Century”. To determine a successor to Esau one has to examine the many statements which are found in the oral Torah (e.g. Talmud and Midrash). The author has selected the following sources to specify the essential characteristics of Esau and his descendants:
- Military power (Gittin 57b).
- Economic power (Avodah Zara 2b).
- Political power (ibid.).
- Cultural leader (Ibid.).
- Theological leader (Lamentations Rabbah 2:6).
- Hatred of Jews (Sifrei Beha’Alotcha 69).
At the zenith of the Roman Empire the sages of the Talmud recognized that Rome represented the role of biblical Esau based upon the above 6 factors. At other times the successors of Esau may not possess all of these characteristics.
Military Power
The Talmud Gittin 57b identifies Rome as the prime descendant of Esau based upon the verse (Genesis 27:22), “The voice is the voice of Jacob and the hands are the hands of Esau.” The Talmud (ibid.) explains that these hands represent “The wicked kingdom of Rome that destroyed the temple complex (in Jerusalem), burned the Sanctuary, and exiled the Israelites from their land.” In addition the Talmud comments (ibid.) Jacob’s strength is in his voice (i.e. prayer) and Esau’s strength is in his hands (i.e. war). The Talmud (ibid.) recognizes that the extraordinary victories in war, especially against the Israelites, were a result of this prophecy. Hence Esau represents the country which is the military power of the world based upon the blessing Isaac inferred on Esau (Genesis 27:40), “By your sword you shall live.”
Economic Power
The Talmud Avodah Zara 2b identifies Rome (Esau) as the economic power of the world using an expression which literally means that its currency circulates around the world (Maharsha). Therefore Esau represents the country which is an economic power and whose currency is accepted worldwide.
Political Power
The word טבעה also means influence indicating that the country which represents Esau has political influence across the world as a result of its military and economic might or in the vernacular “gunboat diplomacy”.
Cultural Power
The author would like to add that the word טבעה also means nature or culture indicating that the country which represents Esau has cultural influence across the world. In the time of the Talmud this meant language, entertainment, and sports.
Theological Leader
The Midrash Lamentations Rabbah 2:6 identifies 10 theological distinctions, granted by Hashem, that originally belonged to the Israelites, then transferred to Rome (based upon Lamentations 2:3), but will return to the Israelites at the time of the messiah. This will be discussed in detail in the section “Messianic Era – European Rule”.
Hatred of Jews
The Sifre (Beha’Alotcha 69) and quoted by Rashi in Genesis 33:4 states that is a given fact (הלכה) that Esau hates Jacob which is a source of anti-Semitism. The Midrash (Genesis Rabbah 67:8) accepts that this hatred transferred to Rome and led to decrees against the Israelites as mentioned in verse 6. However as discussed in verse 7 – the encounter sometimes Esau will approach with genuine brotherly love but at other times with indifference or even hate hence this factor can vary between different countries that represent Esau through history.
