S4 Ep. 5 Rest & Honor: The Hidden Backstory of the Ten Commandments Continues

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May 13, 2025

Explore the intriguing connection between the Ten Commandments and the story of Jacob. Discover how Jacob's grueling labor under Laban reframes our understanding of Shabbat as a true source of rest. Delve into the deeper meaning of honoring one's parents, illustrated through Esau's choices, revealing a model for maintaining harmony in family relationships. The hosts also discuss how these principles align our responsibilities to the land we inhabit, urging us to see it as a partner in our lives.

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INSIGHT

Rebecca's Threefold Shav Mirrors Sabbath

Rebecca uses three forms of the root Shav in Genesis 27, mirroring the three mentions of Sabbath in Exodus 20.
This linguistic echo links Rebecca's plea for refuge to the Torah's teaching about rest and dwelling.

INSIGHT

Seven Years Replace 'A Few Days' Of Rest

Jacob's seven-year labors for Lavan invert Rebecca's promise of 'a few days' and transform expected rest into repeated work.
The seven-year pattern resonates with Sabbath's seven-day cycle and reframes Shabbat as intentional interruption of endless labor.

INSIGHT

Shabbat Sprinkles The End Into The Middle

Shabbat offers recurring taste of the tranquility that makes long stretches of work bearable by sprinkling the end into the middle.
This structure prevents life from becoming an endless, deferred pursuit of rest or security.

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Continuing their analysis of the Ten Commandments through Genesis 27, Rabbi Fohrman and Imu focus on two pivotal commands: Shabbat and honoring one's parents. They begin by uncovering surprising connections between Rebecca's plea for Jacob's safety and the concept of divine rest. How does Jacob's exhausting fourteen-year labor under Lavan transform our understanding of Shabbat? And what can this teach us about finding true rest in our own lives?

The discussion then turns to the command of Kibbud Av v'Em - honoring both father and mother. Through a close reading of Esav's response to his parents' values, even after feeling betrayed, they reveal how this command speaks to something far deeper than mere obedience. It points to the delicate art of maintaining wholeness in relationships, ultimately connecting to our relationship with the land itself.

Join Rabbi Fohrman and Imu as they demonstrate how these two commands emerge not as arbitrary rules, but as profound wisdom about maintaining balance in our most fundamental relationships - with time, with family, and with the earth that sustains us.

Intrigued by our discussion of land as our grandparents? Explore this idea further in our Shavuot episode of Into the Verse. For a deeper dive, we recommend Rabbi Fohrman's courses A Tale of Two Names: Elokim and YHVH and The Meaning of Life, as well as his analysis of the deception story in this essay from his book Genesis: A Parsha Companion, as well as this video Why Did Rebecca Trick Her Husband Isaac.

Click here for a free copy of Rabbi Fohrman's e-book, "Serpents of Desire: Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden".

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