Most Christians and Muslims have never heard this sentence as the Torah intends. The third of the commandments is spoken.
“Why should I be bereaved of both of you in one day?” (Genesis 27:45)
Rivkah is not just a worried mother. She delivers the Third Commandment in Toldot, centuries before Sinai.
The Third Commandment in Toldot – Exact Parallel
| Sinai (Exodus 20:7) | Toldot (Genesis 27:45) |
|---|---|
| לֹא תִשָּׂא אֶת־שֵׁם־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לַשָּׁוְא “You shall not take the name of Hashem your God in vain” | לָמָה אֶשְׁכַּל גַּם־שְׁנֵיכֶם יוֹם אֶחָד “Why should I lose both of you in one day?” – terror of false oaths causing double death |
Rabbi David Fohrman points out: the deepest meaning of “taking God’s name in vain” is not just swearing falsely. It is invoking God’s name to justify something that will bring destruction while pretending it is holy.
Rivkah sees the future clearly: If Esau swears by God to take revenge, and Jacob is forced to defend himself, both sons could die on the same day—one by murder, one by execution. Two corpses because someone used God’s name to sanctify hatred.
That is the ultimate desecration of the Name.
Why This Destroys Replacement Theology
Every time a church taught that “God curses the Jews,” they did exactly what Esau threatened to do. When Islam claimed “the Jews corrupted the Torah,” they acted the same way. They took God’s name in vain. They used Scripture to justify hatred and dispossession.
Rivkah’s cry in Toldot is the Torah’s eternal protest. It stands against every false oath sworn “in the name of God.” These oaths aim to harm Jacob.
As Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz teaches: “The Jewish people remain alive for a specific reason. Every attempt to destroy us in God’s name violates the Third Commandment in Toldot.”
Internal Links – Keep Reading the Series
- Essay 1: The Ten Commandments in Toldot – They Began with Rivkah, Not Sinai
- Essay 2: The Second Commandment in Toldot – Esau’s Rage and “No Other Gods”
- Why Does God Play Favorites? The Silence Cain Heard Wrong
- From Crypto-Jewish Mexico to the Torah of My Fathers
Next in this 10-part series: Essay 4 – The Fourth Commandment in Toldot: “Stay a Few Days” – The First Shabbat in Exile
Shabbat Shalom from a Kohen. His mothers never stopped crying this cry. [Chazzan Gavriel ben David] Beit HaShoavah – Return, Repent, Rejoice https://beithashoavah.org