Ovadia and the Fall of Syria

The Haftara for Yayishlach is one of two that consists of an entire book in Tanach, in the case, Ovadia. The other is Sefer Yona on Yom Kippur. While the precise timing of the book is unclear, ranging from the period of Melachim to that of Shivat Tzion, the general contours of the prophecy is clear. It describes the sins and punishment of Edom, the nation that emerges from Esav. Towards the end of the book, the Navi describes the trigger for their destruction:

וְהָיָה֩ בֵית⁠־יַעֲקֹ֨ב אֵ֜שׁ וּבֵ֧ית יוֹסֵ֣ף לֶהָבָ֗ה וּבֵ֤ית עֵשָׂו֙ לְקַ֔שׁ וְדָלְק֥וּ בָהֶ֖ם וַאֲכָל֑וּם וְלֹֽא⁠־יִֽהְיֶ֤ה שָׂרִיד֙ לְבֵ֣ית עֵשָׂ֔ו כִּ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה דִּבֵּֽר׃

The house of Jacob will be a fire, the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble. They will burn among them, and devour them. There will not be any remaining to the house of Esau." Indeed, Hashem has spoken. (Ovadia 1:18, alhatorah.org)

The Midrash carefully notes the imagery. Straw is light and thus a large volume of straw can fill much space. However, it is also flammable, and the smallest spark can make it all go up in smoke. The Midrash notes that Yaakov saw the power of the descendants of Esav and feared them, seeing how numerous they were. However, in truth their power is illusory.

אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי מָשָׁל לְנַפָּח שֶׁהָיָה פָּתוּחַ בְּאֶמְצַע פְּלַטְיָא, וּפֶתַח בְּנוֹ זֶהָבִי פָּתוּחַ כְּנֶגְדוֹ, וְרָאָה חֲבִילוֹת חֲבִילוֹת שֶׁל קוֹצִים וְנִכְנְסוּ לַמְּדִינָה, אָמַר, אָנָה יִכָּנְסוּ כָּל הַחֲבִילוֹת הַלָּלוּ, וְהָיָה שָׁם פִּקֵּחַ אֶחָד, אָמַר לוֹ מֵאֵלּוּ אַתָּה מִתְיָרֵא גֵּץ אֶחָד יוֹצֵא מִשֶּׁלְּךָ וְגֵץ אֶחָד מִשֶּׁל בִּנְךָ וְאַתָּה שׂוֹרְפָן. כָּךְ כֵּיוָן שֶׁרָאָה אָבִינוּ יַעֲקֹב עֵשָׂו וְאַלּוּפָיו נִתְיָירֵא, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מֵאֵלּוּ אַתָּה מִתְיָרֵא גֵּץ אֶחָד מִשֶּׁלְּךָ וְגֵץ אֶחָד מִשֶּׁל בִּנְךָ וְאַתֶּם שׂוֹרְפִים אוֹתָם כֻּלָּם, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (עובדיה א, יח): וְהָיָה בֵית יַעֲקֹב אֵשׁ וּבֵית יוֹסֵף לֶהָבָה, וַיֵּשֶׁב יַעֲקֹב.

What is written prior to this matter? “These are the kings [who reigned in the land of Edom before the reign of a king for the children of Israel]” (Genesis 36:31). And here it is written: “Jacob settled” – Rabbi Ḥunya said: This is analogous to one who was walking on the way and saw a pack of dogs. He was afraid of them and he sat in their midst. So, when our patriarch Jacob saw Esau and his chieftains, he feared them and settled in their midst.

Rabbi Levi said: This is analogous to a blacksmith whose [forge] was open to a plaza, and his son, a goldsmith, opened opposite him. He saw many bundles of thorns being brought into the city. He said: ‘Where will all these bundles be stored?’ There was a certain clever man there. He said to him: ‘Are you afraid of these? One spark will emerge from your [forge] and one spark from your son’s, and you will burn them.’ So, when Jacob saw Esau and his chieftains, he was afraid. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Are you afraid of these? One spark from you and one spark from your son will burn all of them. That is what is written: “The house of Jacob will be fire, and the house of Joseph a flame” (Obadiah 1:18) – “Jacob settled.” (Bereishit Rabbah 84, Sefaria translation)

Much of prophecy demands that we look differently at the world. When we see power, we realize that it is often not real, especially when contrasted with God’s infinite power. Hence, Chizkiyahu is saved from the superpower of Ashur in a night, as 185,000 soldiers are killed, bringing the king to his knees. As Lord Byron captured it poetically in his “Destruction of Sennacherib”,

And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail,

And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal;

And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,

Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!

Huge mounds of snow melt when the sun comes out. Its staying power is a mirage.

Last Motzash, I went to sleep reading about different assessments of the situation in Syria. When I woke up in the morning, the Syria of Bashar al-Assad had fallen. After years of being artificially propped up by Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah, it collapsed, with all of its patrons and supporters weakened and otherwise occupied. What seemed invincible, fell like a pile of straw lit on fire. While Syria is not Edom in any tradition, the phenomenon brought to mind this verse and Midrash. Much of Tanach is about putting things in perspective, realizing that all is not as it seems. When current events illustrate how much that is true, it is worth taking a moment to reflect on what that tells us more broadly. How many things in our lives do we assume cannot be overcome, but only because we are not thinking clearly? How often do we not see the bigger picture? How often do we not factor God into the equation? Do we realize that often we are myopic and that reality is more complex that we entertain? The prophetic words of Ovadia, and shocking changes in the world around us, remind us to open ourselves up to the possibilities inherent in the world.