<HTML>Just a few words to respond to Jeremia Unterman.
I come from an Orthodox background and obviously will the side will the
"Holy" approach of the Avot.
Jeremia mentions the following:
> 3.
we have no problem casting every infamy upon Yishmael and Eisav because
they are not the chosen ones, despite the lack of evidence of their
negative behaviors in the text. Any yet Yishmael was the son of Avraham,
and Eisav the son of both Yitzchak and Rivka! No one says, "Can we imagine
how great these children were who were children of the Avot and grew up in
their homes?" If only these great spiritual guides of our own day would
show the same consideration for the other children of the Avot as they
show for Yaakov!
>
Well as a matter of fact many texts do describe the greatness of these
sons. May I respectfully suggest that you look up, for instance, in Torah
Or of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi on the parsha of Vayishlach and in
many other places concerning many (if not all) so called Reshoim. You will
be impressed by the amount of knowledge you will discover in these
chassidic texts. Since these "wicked" people are, indeed, holy beyond our
understanding there is no question that the holy ones are truly holy
beyond our understanding.
At a more simple level of interpretation of the text - most people in our
generation cannot understand the way A. Einstein for instance would look
at the universe. What makes you think that we can understand a giant of
the stature of Avraham?
Yisroel Frankforter</HTML>
