In Genesis, recognition is systematically associated with deception in the sense that the former is almost always a cause of the latter. This creates several typical scenes that are most notable after the births of Jacob and Esau. In fact, deception appears to be a trait inherited from Jacob's lineage: throughout the cycles of his family, individuals take advantage of opportunities to exploit others. The characters who orchestrate the deception have very obvious and arguably crucial reasons, even if they often act purely out of self-interest. Despite this, deceivers are punished quite heavily and very ironically, regardless of their intentions. Certain physical objects that are very indicative of a certain character are used as a tool to impose recognition on someone. This moment of recognition can even serve as a punishment in itself. These typical scenes, read together, are very indicative of a karma in Genesis that exists to deeply and usually ironically punish those who have deceived their family or others using gratitude. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Rebekah's favoritism for her son Jacob is important because it is the origin of a cheating-type scene in Genesis. She seizes the opportunity to deceive Isaac when she learns of his intention to bless Esau. Rebekah uses Isaac's failing vision to make him believe that he was blessing Esau when he was actually blessing Jacob. Rebekah puts Esau's clothes on Jacob and covers his arms and neck with hair that best defines Esau's physical character. These tools of deception establish a parallel for a later type scene between Joseph and his brothers. Isaac is fooled and the key term “recognize” is used: “But he did not recognize him because his hands were, like Esau's, hairy, and he blessed him (27:23-24). » Jacob has now taken away not only Esau's birthright, but also his father's blessing, although usually the firstborn enjoys both privileges. Isaac fails to recognize that Jacob is not Esau and is therefore deceived and deceived. Shortly after Jacob steals the blessing, he is punished very ironically for his deception of his father. Jacob goes to work for his uncle Laban and falls in love with Rachel, his youngest daughter. He agrees to work for Laban for seven years in order to marry Rachel. After the seven years are up, he sleeps with Leah, thinking she is Rachel. Jacob has now wasted seven years of his life and must marry a girl who he later finds out is pregnant because of him, all because he failed to do so. recognize who he was sleeping with. This is karmic in itself because it is the same predicament he placed on his father, Isaac, who failed to recognize his son as Jacob instead of Esau. This is already a fitting punishment for cheating on his father. However, it goes even further after Jacob asks for an explanation: “And Laban said, “It is not done in our place, to give the youngest daughter before the firstborn (29:26-27). » » Laban states that it is not good etiquette to give the second born, in this case Rachel, the privilege of being chosen to marry before the first born, Leah, even though Jacob wants Rachel. This is a very just punishment for Jacob because he himself is the second born. Regardless of his technically inferior status, he still gained many benefits that the firstborn usually enjoys, such as the birthright of Esau and the blessing of Isaac. He is now told that he cannot marry the second born until the first bornbe married, because it is a special privilege which only the firstborn can benefit from. The irony is situational because readers expect to see Jacob get what he desires, regardless of his status as the second-born. It is unexpected and ironic that he is not allowed to marry anyone because he is the second born, like him. After the previous deception type scene, Jacob is punished in a very ironic and karmic way, presumably for their deception. Jacob is punished further after being deceived about the disappearance of his son Joseph, in a later sample scene. Another typical scene that closely parallels the way Jacob steals Isaac's blessing is that of Joseph and his brothers. Joseph greatly annoys his brothers, who sell him into slavery. Initially, they were going to kill him, but one brother, Judah, saw no benefit in this and convinced the others: “And Judah said to his brothers: 'What gain is there if we kill our brother and cover his blood ? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and our hand will not be against him (37.26-27)…” And his brothers agreed. The main motivation for selling Joseph into slavery is greed and self-interest. This line also makes Judah a prominent figure in Joseph's disappearance, as opposed to his ten other brothers who, for the most part, remain anonymous. After the brothers sell him into slavery, they must deceive their father in order to avoid being punished for their sin. They show their father the bloody garment that Jacob had once given to Joseph, which he wore before selling it, covered in blood and torn to shreds. He immediately concludes that Joseph was killed by an animal, because he recognizes the tunic. This is very reminiscent of Jacob and Rebekah's strategy to deceive Isaac. In both cases, a certain type of physical item, exclusively emblematic of a certain character, was used in cohesion with recognition to achieve deception. The Joseph cycle is interrupted by chapter 38, which is the equivalent of Jacob's misfortune with Laban for deceiving his father. Judah fails to marry his son Shelah to Tamar, leaving her widowed and socially shamed for an exorbitant period of time. Her retaliation plan included posing as a prostitute and having sex with him. As security until she is paid, she takes her seal, her cord, and her staff. Robert Alter, the translator of this edition of Genesis, notes that taking them "is something like taking a person's driver's license and credit cards in modern society." .” Later, she shows him the seal, the rope and the staff, and Judah's reaction is a revelation of his actions: "And Judah recognized them and he said: 'She is more right than I, for I have not failed to give it to Shelah, my son? (38.27) » Judah is forced to accept his failure, due to the now indisputable fact that he slept with Tamar. After recognizing the seal, the rope, and the staff, just like when Jacob recognized Joseph's tunic, they both have a shocking revelation about someone they care deeply about. Judah is still ironically punished for his failure to care for Tamar, just as he had deceived his father Jacob by showing him Joseph's garment. A typical final scene that combines recognition with deception also occurs in the Joseph cycle, when Joseph sees his brothers for the first time after they have sold him into slavery. Joseph, now in his thirties, “recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him (42.8-9). » He uses this to his advantage to intimidate and punish them for their former crimes against him, when he was sold into slavery. Joseph uses their inability to recognize him to deceive them by using his power to throw them into.