In one of the most famous ‘sitcoms” ever written, the Biblical account of the Family of Abraham and his heir, Isaac, includes dysfunction and a lot of marital problems such as empty wombs, twinning, promises and BLESSINGS.  I am the purported leader of a study group tomorrow morning which will take up this portion of the Genesis and try to elicit lessons for today from problems of the past. Just when Reform Jews thought they had straightened out the parity and equality between women and men, the Patriarchs caught our attention again.  This time it could be said that it was the women, Sarah and Rebecca, who started it by speaking out about their empty wombs.  It took God to get their men moving.

We humans love a family fight and cries of wounded egos as well as stark differences of opinion over who gets the family heirlooms and why was (he) (she) picked out over me.  This story is replete with repetitions of similar tales of family woe but there is one aspect that, apart from the involvement of “The Creator of the Universe”, has always been puzzlement to me.  This is the “Blessings” that loom importantly so early In the story of the journey taken by the Hebrew People from Ur in Babylon to where they are in the Promised Land of Israel (the name of Isaac after his encounter with an Angel) but, that is an entirely different story important in its own right as all the other stories of this significant family named in THE BOOK. It is important for people to be careful for what they ask for.

I have never seen a blessing. Do blessings have weight, size and can they be replicated?  I have seen and heard blessings said over people’s heads – given by Priests, Imams and Rabbis.  It seems that blessings in this context are simply approval of the recipients of the blessing to be worth of being singled out among all others.  I have borrowed from the practices of Protestant Ministers who bless often in their services. I bless waitresses and waiters for being on time with hot food.  There is a difference because I am just giving my approval without official sanction unlike the Priest, Imam and Rabbi who have a lot of training and experience as well as “official” acceptance by their flocks for them to engage in such an activity.  My blessing someone who does a good job (slightly different than a TIP – To Insure Promptness) is off the cuff and is meant with a full heart.

I have never seen the effect of a Blessing.  Some Blessings, say - over a new marriage- can last a long time and one may assume that there was a cause and effect involved.  But, in the story of Isaac who was a second son (the twin who came out last) tricked his father Abraham to give him his ‘BLESSING’ and the birthright – but Isaac had already acquired that because his hungry and clueless brother, Esau, sold his right to being first-born and inheritor of the title of Patriarch of the family for some savory stew that Isaac was able to provide for he was a stay-at-home kind of boy.

This complicated story needs much more time than I have given it here. Then, again, would a reality check be appropriate?  Are BLESSINGS real?  Can we apply material measurement to them?  I do not think so for we cannot measure what is in the hearts and souls of humans who suffer the agonies of being human.