Alan Dershowitz The Genesis of Justice (Warner Books, 2000)
1. Genesis reflects a world 'with few rules and many inconsistent precedents regarding deception'.
2. God (of Genesis) 'is inconsistent in carrying out threats and promises' resulting in a 'violent and lawless world'
3. No 'hereafter in which virtue on earth is rewarded in heaven and vice on earth punished in hell'.
4. In a 'state of nature' (without organized legal system) 'guile and deception are valuable traits, especially as alternatives to violence.'
ר' יונתן מניין שכל מדותיו של הקב"ה מדה כנגד מדה שנאמר (מלכים ב ז, א) ויאמר אלישע שמעו דבר יי [וגו'] כעת מחר סאה סלת בשקל וסאתים שעורים בשקל בשער שומרון וכתיב (מלכים ב ז, ב) ויען השליש אשר (המלך) נשען על ידו את איש האלקים ויאמר הנה יי עושה ארובות בשמים היהיה הדבר הזה ויאמר הנך רואה בעיניך ומשם לא תאכל
Rabbi Yonatan says: From where is it derived that all measures dispensed by the Holy One, Blessed be He, are dispensed measure for measure? It is derived from a verse, as it is stated concerning the siege of Jerusalem: “And Elisha said: Hear the word of the Lord; so said the Lord: Tomorrow at this time one se’a of fine flour will be sold for one shekel and two se’a of barley for one shekel in the gate of Samaria” (II Kings 7:1). And it is written: “And the officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said: Will the Lord make windows in heaven? Might this thing be? And he said: You shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat from there” (II Kings 7:2).
(יא) אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בַּר אַבָּא, הִנֵּה טוֹב מְאֹד, זוֹ מִדַּת הַטּוֹב. וְהִנֵּה טוֹב מְאֹד, זוֹ מִדַּת הַפֻּרְעָנוּת. וְכִי מִדַּת הַפֻּרְעָנוּת טוֹבָה הִיא מְאֹד, אֶלָּא שׁוֹקֵד עַל הַפֻּרְעָנוּת הֵיאַךְ לַהֲבִיאָהּ. אָמַר רַבִּי סִימוֹן בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בַּר אַבָּא, כָּל הַמִּדּוֹת בָּטְלוּ, מִדָּה כְּנֶגֶד מִדָּה לֹא בָּטְלָה. רַב הוּנָא בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אָמַר, מִתְּחִלַּת בְּרִיָּתוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם צָפָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁבְּמִדָּה שֶׁאָדָם מוֹדֵד בָּהּ מוֹדְדִין לוֹ, לְפִיכָךְ אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים וְהִנֵּה טוֹב מְאֹד, זוֹ מִדָּה טוֹבָה.
Rabbi Shimon bar Abba said: 'Behold, it is very good.'(Gen. 1:31) -- This is the quality of 'goodness'. 'And it is very good', this is the quality of punishment. Is the quality of punishment 'very good', rather God considered carefully how to bring it. Rabbi Simon
(ו) אַף הוּא רָאָה גֻלְגֹּלֶת אַחַת שֶׁצָּפָה עַל פְּנֵי הַמַּיִם. אָמַר לָהּ, עַל דַּאֲטֵפְתְּ, אַטְפוּךְ. וְסוֹף מְטִיפַיִךְ יְטוּפוּן:
(6) He also saw a skull that was floating on top of the water. He said (to it): "Since you drowned [others, others] drowned you. And in the end, those that drowned you will be drowned.
(ח) שִׁבְעָה מִינֵי פֻרְעָנֻיּוֹת בָּאִין לָעוֹלָם עַל שִׁבְעָה גוּפֵי עֲבֵרָה. מִקְצָתָן מְעַשְּׂרִין וּמִקְצָתָן אֵינָן מְעַשְּׂרִין, רָעָב שֶׁל בַּצֹּרֶת בָּאָה, מִקְצָתָן רְעֵבִים וּמִקְצָתָן שְׂבֵעִים. גָּמְרוּ שֶׁלֹּא לְעַשֵּׂר, רָעָב שֶׁל מְהוּמָה וְשֶׁל בַּצֹּרֶת בָּאָה. וְשֶׁלֹּא לִטֹּל אֶת הַחַלָּה, רָעָב שֶׁל כְּלָיָה בָאָה. דֶּבֶר בָּא לָעוֹלָם עַל מִיתוֹת הָאֲמוּרוֹת בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁלֹּא נִמְסְרוּ לְבֵית דִּין, וְעַל פֵּרוֹת שְׁבִיעִית. חֶרֶב בָּאָה לָעוֹלָם עַל עִנּוּי הַדִּין, וְעַל עִוּוּת הַדִּין, וְעַל הַמּוֹרִים בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁלֹּא כַהֲלָכָה:
(8) Seven kinds of punishment come to the world for seven categories of sin: [When] some of [the people] give tithes, and others do not give tithes, a famine from drought comes; and some go hungry, and others have plenty. [When] they all decide not to give tithes, a famine from tumult and drought comes. [And when they decide, in addition,] not to set apart the dough [offering], a famine of annihilation comes. Pestilence comes to the world for the death penalties set forth in the Torah that are not given over to the court [to carry out]; and for [violation of the laws governing] the produce of the Sabbatical year. [The] sword comes to the world for the delay of justice, and for the perversion of justice, and because of those who interpret the Torah counter to the accepted law.
Does Jacob really live in a state of nature?
(1) ויגדלו… ויהי עשו AND THEY GREW … AND ESAU WAS — So long as they were young they could not be distinguished by what they did and no one paid much attention to their characters, but when they reached the age of thirteen, one went his way to the houses of learning and the other went his way to the idolatrous temples (Genesis Rabbah 63:10). (2) יודע ציד A CUNNING HUNTER literally, understanding hunting — understanding how to entrap and deceive his father with his mouth. He would ask him, “Father how should salt and straw be tithed”? (Genesis Rabbah 63:10) (although he knew full well that these are not subject to the law of tithe). Consequently his father believed him to be very punctilious in observing the divine ordinances. (3) איש שדה A MAN OF THE FIELD — Explain it literally (i.e., not in a Midrashic manner): a man without regular occupation, hunting beasts and birds with his bow. (4) תם A PLAIN MAN — not expert in all these things: as his heart was his mouth (his thoughts and his words tallied). One who is not ingenious in deceiving people is called תם plain, simple. (5) יושב אהלים DWELLING IN TENTS — the tent of Shem and the tent of Eber (Genesis Rabbah 63:10).