Torah...for the Nations? Part 7

The next stage of Torah for the Nations came from a very unlikely place. Throughout Jewish history, there have always been those who envisioned the Torah as applying Universally; if not in observance, then certainly in its belief system. On the other hand, there have been others who see G-d's relationship with the Jewish People as a sort of marriage, with sharing with others almost a sort of adultery. Of course, the bleak history of Israel in exile has pushed many into the latter camp. It is difficult to share Torah with those who rape your women, kidnap your children, and rob your possessions. The Chabad movement in particular, has emphasized the glory of Israel, while demeaning the outside world. But it is not as simple as it sounds. The encounter between Jacob, and his brother Esau, described in Genesis 32, is understood in Kabbalah as masking a far higher story. Jewish tradition sees Esau as the embodiment of all evil, as well as being the ancestor of Rome, and hence of European civilization. Jacob is the embodiment of all good. But Kabbalah indicates that it it goes much further. Esau represents the world of Tohu (Chaos); the uber powerful world that existed before the creation of the world of Tikkun (Repair, Order) represented by Jacob. Tohu is far more powerful than Tikkun, but it is an unbridled power. (Think an atomic bomb, as opposed to a nuclear power plant). Jacob tells Esau that he has "fixed" his portion of Creation, and hopes that Esau has done the same. But Esau is still the wild man. The Mashiach can only come when both parts of the puzzle fit together. The Lubavitcher Rebbe dreamed of a world with a rectified Esau. He petitioned President Jimmy Carter to separate Education from the Department of Health and Welfare, forming a new Department and Cabinet post. Since 1978, the Rebbe's birthday has been commemorated as Education and Sharing Day by the Federal government.. Few understood that what lay behind this idea was the education of the American People, in preparation for the harnessing the great potential among the nations, and thus preparing the way for Mashiach. At the same time, he instructed his followers that whenever they had any interaction with non Jews, they should tell them of the Seven Noachide laws. This formed the impetus for the Noachide movement, although the actual implementation would await others. (Next post). He instructed his followers to set up drug rehab programs, and to freely include non Jews in these. Still, for him, the great Evil of Esau was the Soviet Union. He totally rejected pleas by other Jewish leaders in the 1980s that Communism was "softening". He saw all such signs as a trick to fool the West. When the Iron Curtain finally fell in 1990, he was taken by surprise, and declared Esau to have come to his rectification. Now it was up to Jacob, and all would be in place. Sadly, he died without seeing his dream fulfilled. We do not know who, what, when or how. But are eyes are constantly peeled. Both Jacob and Esau must be ready.