Are We Returning to the Jacob Covenant?

Parshas Toldos — Reflections on a World Growing Darker

I have been thinking lately about something I wrote ten years ago, and returned to just last year. It concerns what I called the Isaac Covenant, based on a remarkable insight of Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch. I was quite convinced that it described the extraordinary period of Jewish history in which we were privileged to live. Recent developments, however, have left me wondering whether I was too optimistic.

In a series of essays beginning in 2016, I explored Rav Hirsch's interpretation of the verse in the Tochachah (Vayikra 26:42),

וְזָכַרְתִּי אֶת־בְּרִיתִי יַעֲקוֹב וְאַף אֶת־בְּרִיתִי יִצְחָק וְאַף אֶת־בְּרִיתִי אַבְרָהָם אֶזְכֹּר וְהָאָרֶץ אֶזְכֹּר׃

Two questions present themselves:  Why three covenants? Why are the Avos mentioned in reverse order? Rav Hirsch explains that they represent three successive stages through which the Jewish people will pass as we approach the time of Mashiach.

Yaakov represents the long centuries of Galus, when Jews were despised, persecuted, and forced to struggle for survival. Yitzchak represents a more advanced stage. Although his neighbors envied and resented him, he was enormously successful and independent. They could not deny Hashem's blessings and ultimately were compelled to acknowledge his position. Avraham represents the final stage, when the nations will recognize the greatness of the Jewish people and look up to them, as Avraham's neighbors regarded him as a Nesi Elokim.

Rav Hirsch hoped that the emancipation of European Jewry, with the opening of the ghettos and the acceptance of Jews into the highest levels of German society, culture, and academia, might herald the beginning of the Isaac Covenant. Tragically, Hitler demonstrated how premature that hope had been.

My feeling, however, was that perhaps we had finally reached that stage. With the establishment of Medinat Yisrael, the extraordinary prominence of Jews in science, business, culture, and public life, and Jewish influence and prosperity vastly disproportionate to our numbers, we had become remarkably like Yitzchak. Not universally loved, certainly, but powerful, independent, and impossible to ignore. As recently as last December in these pages, I reaffirmed that conviction.

But lately I have begun to wonder.

The World Closing In

Antisemitism, far from receding, is increasingly becoming respectable on both political extremes. In America, the election of Abdul El-Sayed to the Senate from Michigan reflects the growing influence of movements deeply hostile to Israel. The relentless accusations of genocide in Gaza have become a powerful instrument for portraying Israel as uniquely evil, often extending well beyond criticism of its government's policies.

On the right, the change has been equally disturbing. Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes, and numerous other conservative voices have become fiercely hostile to Israel, and in some cases openly trafficked in antisemitic ideas. What is particularly striking is how dramatically parts of the conservative movement have shifted in just five years.

Donald Trump has been extraordinarily supportive of Israel, despite the intense opposition he has encountered from so many American Jews. Yet his own vice president, JD Vance, a close political ally of Carlson, responded to the recent Republican electoral defeats by citing the Iran war and calls to change America's relationship with Israel among the reasons voters had abandoned the party.

For decades, we took comfort in broad bipartisan support for Israel in Congress. I fear that confidence is no longer justified. Nor do I accept the fashionable argument that Netanyahu has single-handedly destroyed Israel's relationship with America. Eisenkot may enjoy a honeymoon reception if he becomes the PM, but he and Netanyahu do not fundamentally disagree about what Israel requires for its security. The growing hostility is not merely toward Netanyahu. Increasingly, it is directed at Israel itself.

What troubles me is not simply that the world dislikes us. That was always part of the Isaac Covenant. It is that growing forces seem determined to undermine the very legitimacy and independence that distinguish it from the Jacob Covenant

Europe is hardly more reassuring. Antisemitism remains at historically elevated levels, and recent developments in France have again demonstrated the vulnerability of Jewish communities. Jewish institutions require extraordinary protection, while Jews find themselves caught between the hostility of the radical left and elements of the nationalist right. The accusations surrounding Gaza have further poisoned the atmosphere.

What troubles me is not simply that the world dislikes us. That was always part of the Isaac Covenant. It is that growing forces seem determined to undermine the very legitimacy and independence that distinguish it from the Jacob Covenant.

And Here at Home?

Of course, we have Israel. Thank Hashem for Israel! But even here, there is much to disturb us.

One might have expected, after everything we have endured, that the recent elections would lead to a broad national unity government. The major Zionist parties agree on far more than their leaders acknowledge. Instead, personal rivalries and political calculations continue to dominate. Politicians who insisted that nothing short of full Chareidi conscription was acceptable suddenly discover room for compromise when coalition opportunities arise. Netanyahu, for his part, reportedly explored governing with Ra'am's support in 2021, although he now rejects such an arrangement. Principles appear remarkably flexible when power is at stake.

Meanwhile, the problems of Chareidi poverty, educational and employment opportunities, military service, and growing estrangement between communities remain unresolved. I had hoped our religious leadership would offer wisdom and direction, but too often we have witnessed intimidation and demands for unquestioning obedience instead of meaningful engagement.

More troubling still is the persistence of what I can only describe as Jacob Covenant thinking among much of the Chareidi leadership: an inability to recognize that the circumstances of Jewish existence have fundamentally changed.

Consider remarks by Rav Dov Landau, publicized recently, suggesting that we would have been better off under United Nations administration, or even Arab rule, rather than with a sovereign Jewish state.

I find this almost incomprehensible. Where would the desperate survivors of the Holocaust have gone without Israel to welcome them? Would the British, the UN, or Arab rulers have facilitated the ingathering of millions of Jews, or enabled the stupendous and unprecedented flourishing of Torah scholarship and institutions we witness today?

The extraordinary growth of Torah in Eretz Yisrael is itself among the greatest blessings made possible by Jewish sovereignty. One need not endorse secular Zionism or every policy of the government to recognize that. Surely hakaras hatov demands at least that much. We cannot continue thinking like the frightened Jews of Galus when Hashem has placed such extraordinary opportunities and responsibilities before us.

Yitzchak's Unrealized Dream

Which brings us to Parshas Toldos.

The Shem MiShmuel explains that Yitzchak's desire to bless Esav was not based on any misconception about Yaakov's spiritual superiority. Rather, Yitzchak envisioned a partnership: Esav, blessed with material abundance and worldly strength, would provide the means for Yaakov to devote himself to his spiritual mission. Together, they would accomplish what neither could achieve alone.

Rivkah understood that Esav had no intention of supporting Yaakov. He wanted everything for himself. Consequently, Yaakov would have to receive the material blessings as well, accepting responsibilities that would inevitably distract him from his spiritual pursuits.

As Rav Gedalia Schorr and others explain, this partnership would eventually find expression among Yaakov's descendants in the relationship between Yissachar and Zevulun.

Surely there is an important lesson here for us. We have a sovereign Jewish state, a powerful army, a remarkable economy, and a flourishing Torah world. These blessings ought to complement one another rather than become sources of division.

I am certainly not suggesting that Chareidim represent Yaakov and secular Israelis represent Esav. That would be fundamentally untrue. The secular Jew defending our country is every bit as much a descendant of Yaakov Avinu as the scholar in the Beis Medrash. Nor does the Yissachar-Zevulun model mean that all religious Jews should learn while everyone else supports them. Klal Yisrael requires people with different talents and responsibilities, all contributing to our common destiny. What matters is that we recognize our mutual dependence and genuinely care about one another's welfare.

Our prophets never promised that the road to Geulah would be smooth. For example, Yoel predicted terrible decimation of world Jewry, while assuring us that Behar Tzion uviYerushalayim tihyeh pleitah — on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance (Yoel 3:5). Zechariah similarly describes terrible upheavals before Hashem's sovereignty is ultimately recognized.

I do not pretend to know how these prophecies will unfold. Perhaps the transition from the Jacob Covenant to the Isaac Covenant, and ultimately to the Abraham Covenant, is not going to be as straightforward as I once imagined. Perhaps there will be times when we seem to slip backward, when the world grows darker before the dawn.

But we must neither retreat into the helpless mentality of Galus nor squander the extraordinary blessings Hashem has granted us through our internal divisions. We have much to correct, and much to be grateful for. Above all, we must learn to appreciate one another and work together toward the destiny Hashem has promised us.

The Bris Avos remains His covenant with His people. May we soon merit its ultimate fulfillment.