Vayishlach: The Divine Spark
The book of Ovadiah consists of only one perek, a total of twenty-one pesukim. Ovadiah, a righteous convert, shares the demise of the powerful nation of Edom. He closes his prophecy with a graphic verse, describing the ultimate downfall of this once mighty nation. וְהָיָה֩ בֵית־יַעֲקֹ֨ב אֵ֜שׁ וּבֵ֧ית יוֹסֵ֣ף לֶהָבָ֗ה וּבֵ֤ית עֵשָׂו֙ לְקַ֔שׁ וְדָלְק֥וּ בָהֶ֖ם וַאֲכָל֑וּם וְלֹֽא־יִֽהְיֶ֤ה שָׂרִיד֙ לְבֵ֣ית עֵשָׂ֔ו כִּ֥י ה’ דִּבֵּֽר׃ and the House of Yaakov shall become a fire, and the House of Yosef as a flame and the House of Eisav as straw, and they will blaze up among them and consume them; and there shall be none remaining to the House of Eisav for Hashem has spoken.
What a dramatic end to the House of Eisav, consumed through flames in a Divine conflagration! And what sparks this fire? It is the House of Yosef that lights the tinder. But why is the tribe of Yosef singled out as the spark that triggers the blaze? Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch observes that in Tanach, the House of Yosef almost always refers to those among the Jewish people who have sought to estrange themselves from the Torah and be acculturated among the nations of the world. It is this group, says Rav Hirsch, who will kindle the ultimate fire of justice. How could this be, that these Jews who have distanced themselves will be the flame for the fire?
The answer can be found in the relationship between Ovadiah and Edom, descendants of Eisav. Rashi, quoting the Gemara in Sanhedrin asks how is it that this prophet merits to deliver the message of Edom’s fall? The answer is that Ovadiah lived among two evil doers, Achav and Izevel, and did not learn from their evil ways. It is he that merits to deliver the message of destruction to Eisav who lived among two righteous people, Yitzchok and Rivka, and did not learn from their positive ways.
Retaining a Jewish spark in a secular world is a remarkable accomplishment. There are many people today whose Judaism is a source of pride and strength despite the internal push and external pull to be absorbed into the surrounding culture. This genuine embrace of our heritage is inspirational, seeing how a person can retain the sense of being “pintele Yid”, holding on to the holy spark of Yiddishkeit.
All it takes is a spark to start a fire. May the holy fire continue to burn until the day when we see the fulfillment of Ovadiah’s prophecy when Hashem will light the fire of justice וְהָיְתָ֥ה לַֽה’ הַמְּלוּכָֽה, and the kingdom will be to Hashem.