In reading the Torah this weekend with my family, we were reading in Genesis where Rebecca helps Jacob get the blessing from his father Issac, instead of Esau getting the blessing. Now obviously something had to happen so that Jacob would get the blessing, to make everything come together like it was supposed to. But, the question arises, was Rebecca supposed to get her nose in there?
My family and I were talking, and we were wondering about this. Was it Rebecca's place to interfere like that? In my opinion, no, she shouldn't have. God would have figured something out (obviously) to make Jacob get the blessing instead of Esau. Because of her doing what she did, she forced her son Jacob to sin! He lied to his father (three times I think), pretending to be Esau just to A. obey his mother, and B. get the blessing. After it happened, it just caused so much tension! Jacob had to leave because Esau would have killed him, Issac was upset about it ... I mean no good really came out of it except for the fact that Jacob got the blessing which had to happen.
Which brings another topic up ... how much should the wife ''stick her nose in?'' I think that marriage should be a partnership, but I don't think that the wife should be in control and making decisions like that. Rebecca just took the bull by the horns to get done what was on her agenda. My Mom made the argument ''well, if we didn't step in then nothing would get done!'' I don't know about that. Yes, I think that the woman has lots of good ideas about how to do things - but I think that the she should talk about it with her husband first, instead of just ''going and doing''.
Wouldn't it have been better for Rebecca to talk to Issac about this first? ''Issac, honey, remember when Jacob sold his birthright to Esau that one day? I'm just reminding you because I think Jacob needs to get the blessing instead of Esau.'' Of course, Issac could have told her she was insane and that she had been doing laundry in the hot sun for way too long that day. Or, Issac could have seen the wisdom in that and decided to rightly bless Jacob instead. Oh that would have been so much better, wouldn't it have? Then there would have been no hatred, no lying, no pretending etc.
What do you think? Did Rebecca overstep? How much ''power'' (so to speak) should the woman in a marriage have anyways? It's just something I've been thinking about lately, and trying to figure out. I really don't know because I'm not married, but I think that these things are important to think about. :)
