It was not a negotiating tactic I would have chosen. It was certainly not the approach that the King of Edom expected from Moses and Israel. The king knew that the Children of Israel were approaching his territory and prepared for a confrontation. The Jews had been wandering the desert for almost forty years. The sense of inevitable victory that shook the area when they left Egypt had dissipated over the years. There had been two minor skirmishes with the Amalekites, the Edomites' cousins; the first a decisive victory for Israel, the second a humiliating defeat (Numbers 14:45). It certainly seemed that God's people had not matured into a significant military force, just as the vision of a holy and mighty nation had dissolved in the smoke of the pipe dream it clearly was. The King received Moses' messengers and laughed at his cousin Moses' attempt to recreate a scene from four centuries earlier, the final interaction between their ancient ancestors Jacob and Esau. Moses tries the same "angel" trick as did Jacob, and even uses the "we're brothers" approach. After referencing the relationship that has been ignored for centuries, Moses wants compassion; "Oy vey! You know all the hardship that has befallen us," another Jacob strategy, as in, "Don't hate me for stealing your blessings because I'm pitiful!"
Did Moses expect the Edomites to greet Israel with open and loving arms, brokenhearted over all the suffering since Jacob and Esau last parted? His strategy didn't even succeed in persuading Edom to do business with Israel; Jacob and Esau didn't have a good history with transactions. Would we send Moses to the UN to speak to our cousins, the descendants of Ishmael, laying claim to their mercy because we have suffered so much since the last meeting between Isaac and Ishmael?
Moses' tactic didn't work. Edom shrugged him off, "You shall not pass through me, lest I come against you with the sword!" In the final scene of the generation that left Egypt, Moses steps back to allow the people to speak, "The Children of Israel said to Edom, I'll pay you for water and supplies! Then Edom went out against him with a massive force and a strong hand...and Israel turned away."
A few weeks later, the new generation asks permission of the most powerful military force in the area, Sichon, to travel through his land. When he refuses and threatens war, the Children of Israel fight and win.
The earlier generation, looking back over their failure, lacks the courage to believe in themselves and fight. The new generation that looks forward to a great future has the confidence to fight and win. There's no more "poor me," there's no, "please let us pass through your land," but a straightforward, "I will pass through your land," whether you like it or not!
When I hear teachers and rabbis complain how difficult is our battle to live a Torah life, I hear the words of the failed generation, the people who cry, "I'm a nebuch! Poor me!" I hear the same words as did the Edomites. When I hear teachers, rabbis and parents describe their aspirations to build the best generation yet, I hear the same confident words uttered by the new generation to Sichon just before crushing their enemies and problems.
Which generation is it that speaks of our fear of the internet? Which generation is it that aspires to approach the challenges of this world as opportunities to become the nation that dreams of achievement and greatness as they did when they left Egypt, crossed the Sea, and stood at Sinai? Which generation is it that believes that we can issue absolute rulings with assumed authority insisting that the community connect to what we once were rather than what is possible for us? Do we stand with the people who stood before Edom or those who confronted Sichon?
I cannot stand with those who compare our generation to the great Jewish communities of pre-Holocaust Europe and bemoan how low we have fallen. I refuse to stand as they did before Edom. I stand with those who view our generation and see an opportunity for unprecedented greatness. I want to stand as they stood before Sichon, looking forward to what we can become.
Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi Simcha L. Weinberg
President
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