This past week, when we had to read a handout in class with a partner, I read with Sharon. The article we all had to read was about Yaakov, Esav, Yitzchak, and Rivka. Something that we read really interested me- we read that they did not do a good job parenting Yaakov and Esev! Instead of looking at both of the boys and deciding what their temperaments were and what type of education would be best suited for them, they just had both of them sitting in a classroom learning (or whatever the equivalent of that was in those days). I found this interesting because in psychology class we talked about different parenting styles, and how every child has a different temperament. Not everyone is the same, and not all students should be given the same type of education/ not all kids should be raised in the same exact manner. Perhaps Yitzchak and Rivka should have realized that Esav was the type of kid who needed to be able to run around outside, and then his skills would have been developed in a healthy manner. Not that he was bad. Esev was a man of the field, and the commentary we read seemed to say that he spent his days in the field as a direct result of being cooped up inside all day.
What I really found interesting though is that this seems to imply that Rivka and Yitzchak were lacking as parents and did not communicate with one another well enough.
My question to you is: Do you think they had a good relationship? Do you think they did a good job raising Yaakov and Esev? Why do you think, in the end, Esev and Yaakov had a bad relationship? Did they?
(also something interesting that we read- Yaakov and Esev were apparently identical twins)
All of this interested me too! I think that Yitchak and Rivka's relationship is definitely something that we can learn from. It was not perfect, and that could also be a reason why their son was not raised properly. Maybe their lack of communication caused Esav to end up this way. I think this is a good lesson for today as well because a lot of times parents try to force their children into one type on environment that might work for other chidren, but they need to recognize the specific needs of their children in order for them to succeed. Also, this is important for teachers to recognize in a class!
ReplyDeleteHello! I just want to say that i was going to blog about that exact same thing and relate it to psychology(since everything applies to psychology =)I do agree with Aviva that we cab learn a lesson from this about how Yitzchak and Rivkah's relationship was not perfect and the way they raised their children.
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