The commentator says,
When Esau is down, Jacob is up
and when Esau is up, Jacob is down;
Like some kind of divine barometer
where our enemy (who used to be our brother)’s fate
is reflective of God’s will
somehow
As if God would want our enemy, our brother,
to suffer
just to prove that
we’re okay.
Not my God, thank you very much.
What if
instead
we viewed the world so that Esau’s success
is Jacob’s success,
and Jacob’s success is Esau’s?
What if our enemy/our brother,
had to thrive in order for us
to thrive?
What if our survival
and theirs
were
linked?
Don’t we say it each year:
None are free until all are free?
Do we mean it?
Or have we said it for so many years that we’ve
forgotten
What the words mean?
Are we numbly mumbling outdated values
or do we just need a
reminder?
Remember!
Esau is your brother, not your enemy!
Yes, he hurt us and we hurt him and it’s all
twisted
over centuries and millennia but forget all that
and remember
THIS
Esau is your brother. Not your enemy.
Born of one womb
if we cannot figure out how to live
together
we will die, side by side.
