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Models For Modernity- Builders and Keepers

by Rabbi Joel M. Finkelstein, Anshei Sphard-Beth El Emeth Cong., Memphis, TN

The purpose of life as articulated both in the first days of creation and in the Garden of Eden is twofold. In chapter I, it is described as 1) Be fruitful and multiply, ie. preserve and perpetuate the species, and 2) conquer or subdue the earth, mold it, shape it, explore it, change it. In the story of the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve are given similar charge- 1) to work it and 2) to guard it. The purpose of life then is to be a keeper and a builder. In this way, we mimic G-d who creates and rests.

A keeper is one who tends to, oversees the functioning of the world as it is, without attempting to change it. A builder attacks, conquers, builds, expands, innovates, and changes.

The first conflict in the Torah is actually between a builder and a keeper. Hevel (Abel) is a shepherd, like so many characters in the Torah. Cain is a "worker" of the land, a farmer. After Cain's sin and repentance, Cain builds a city (4, 17). Other early builders are mentioned, such as Jubal and Tubal-cain, who innovated musical instruments and metal tools (4, 21-22), while one master shepherd, Jabal, is also mentioned (4, 20). In this way, the world begins to develop its share of both builders and keepers.

What ruined this arrangement? The Bnei Ha-Elokim who are perhaps the giants (R. Hananel), who somehow took the wrong spouses, and this somehow led to "destruction." These people continued to menace the world for centuries. They could be called "destroyers," the opposite of "keepers," as the Torah says, "all flesh desptroyed its way on the earth."

Noah seems like the obvious keeper, for he preserved the world. However, the Torah goes out of its way to say that he was a builder. Five times it repeats that Noah should or did "do" or build the ark. It is G-d who keeps or preserves the world. When he exits the ark, he "built" an altar (8, 20), and plants a vineyard (9, 20). Planting a vineyard is probably under the rubric of "worker" or builder. After the ugly incident of his son Cham, Noah blesses Shem that he be master over Cham, thus "subduing or working" others. (This is not a mandate to subjugate others, G-d forbid, but a prediction). Yefet and Shem are referred to as being masters of Cham and also dwelling in tents. The tent is usually the sign of a shepherd, as in (4, 20). Thus the world is now controlled by Shem and Yefet, keepers of livestock and workers of others.

The "generation of the Tower" of Babel, could be seen as builders gone awry. Part of building, it turns out, is to "fill the earth." (Travel beyond a certain point is a forbidden activity on Shabbat. Perhaps it is a form of building.) They built with bad intentions and did not travel and spread out. They are builder-destroyers.

Abraham is the first perfect combination of keeper and builder after Shem and Yefet. Avraham builds an altar 4 times. He plants a tree (21, 33) like Noah who planted. He conquers others in battle (14, 14). He is blessed that kings will come from him (17, 6), and is called a prince of G-d (23, 6), indicating his subjugation of others. He tells Sarah to "make" cakes for the strangers. HE "made" the calf for the guests.:However, he is also a shepherd, or at least he has plenty of sheep and many shepherds (13, 7). He is told to "keep" the covenant at least twice (17, 9-10), and he is said to be one who would "keep and do" the covenant (18, 19). The conflict between Abraham and Lot could be seen as one between a builder and keeper (Abraham) vs. a (not so wonderful) keeper (Lot).

The next conflict, between Isaac and Ishamael, is more complex. Ishamael is a combination builder-destroyer. "His hand is against everyone" for he is a conqueror (although he may at times be more of a raider than settler), and he lives among all his brethren (16, 12). He spreads out like a good conqueror. He dwells in the desert, thus taking on the ultimate challenge to spread to the recesses of the earth, and he hunts, like a good conqueror. In (9, 1) we learn that after the flood, part of conquering is instilling fear in the eyes of the animal kingdom. Note that all the builder detroyers such as Isahmael and Esav, do spread out as a builder is wont to do.

Isaac, however, is more difficult to define. He might be called a builder because he plants as do Noah and Abraham. However, he doesn't plant anything in particular. Why does this matter? If you look at a modern farm, it is blocked into plots of land. This is "vayita", planting with purpose and forethought. Isaac just threw some seeds in the ground. Note that a field planted with mixed seeds uses the word, "to seed" and not to "plant." And far from describing Isaac's creative abilities, the Torah (26, 12) simply says that after planting, he "found that year one hundredfold." He had no idea what his farming would accomplish. He just threw the seeds in the ground. (See Lev. 26, 16.) He did dig new wells, and G-d expanded his land (26, 21-22). But primarily, he simply re-dug or preserved the wells his father had dug. Obviously, conceptually, Abraham was a builder and Isaac a preserver of the continuity of Abraham's covenant, but textually we must turn to the image of the wells to make this point, and they are both builders and keepers.

Isaac then has elements of a preserver, shepherd, as he does have sheep (26, 14), and a tent (26, 25 & 24, 67), but he also builds one altar (ibid.), plants, and digs.He advises Esav, that if he is to recieve blessing, he must "make" goodies for his father the way he likes them, perhaps instead of going out and killing for sport. It could be that he, like all major heroes in Genesis is a builder and keeper, but he is primarily a keeper, which puts him in great conflict with Ishmael the builder- destroyer. It could also be that Isaac is mostly spiritual and not primarily concerned with building or keeping the world. He is other-worldly. However, he nonetheless has elements of a keeper and a builder.

Yaakov is clearly a man of tents, a master shepherd. His first adversary, Esav, is a man who hunts, like Ishmael, and he is of the chiefs (alufim- 36, 18). He is a builder-destroyer, who lives on his sword (27, 40). Jacob's second adversary is Laban, who is also a shepherd (or has shepherds). He is a Keeper-destroyer, like Lot. He rules over Jacob like a slave. Thus he has elements of a builder, but in a negative way. He says that had G-d not stopped him, he would have done "bad" to Jacob.

Jacob is also a builder. Other nations will work for him (27, 29). After his encounter with Esav, he is able to beat the angel (like the giant). He builds a house, and affixes altars and monuments(ch. 33, 35). He and Abraham both acquire land (23, 18 & 33, 19).

Jacob's sons break down as well by this system. All the brothers are shepherds, except Joseph, who is also a builder. Not only is Joseph a second to the king, giving him dominion over others, but he "does" a lot (the word "did" is mentioned 3 times) while in jail (as Noah "does"), but he also acquires the land of Egypt for Pharaoh (47, 20). The conflict of Joseph and his brothers is a conflict of keepers vs. a keeper- worker. Simon and Levi, and all the brothers in the attempted murder, showed some signs of destroyer-keepers. All the brothers except Reuven, Shimon and Levi were given builder blessings of leadership, planting or working (ch. 49).

Finally, Moshe and David are the ultimate keepers in that they are ideal shepherds. David, in slaying Goliath has won the victory for the keepers and builders over the destroyers. According to the Midrash, Moshe, too, became a victor over the giants in that he beat Og. However, perhaps David is remembered as the ultimate Messiah in that in face of the great national fear of giants at the time of Moshe's attempted entry to Israel and at the time of David's victory, David succeeds in allaying the fear of giants, while Moshe failed to do so. The ability to conquer the giants is ultimately the test of the builder-redeemer to wrest the world away from the Giant Builder-destroyers and give it over to the ultimate keepers-builders, the Jewish people.

So too, today, our charge in the physical realm, is to build and improve the world, to shape it and expand it, while preserving its beauty and maintaining humility and equality of humanity. Our role in the spiritual realm is to preserve the heritage which was given to us and to continue to expand and develop novel interpretations of the Torah, chidushei Torah, which build on the spiritual achievements of those who came before, while preserving their legacy as well.

The message of the builders is that if we are given the gift of building, it should be for the good. We should not exploit our success for oppression of others, as was the case with the generation of the Tower, Cain and later, Laban. We must use our strength and capacity to build altars, arks, and to "make" food to give honor to the stranger and to our parents.