The Promise:Yaakov and Avraham

I would like to compare the responses of both Avraham and Yaakov to G-d's promise to give their descendants the land of Israel. In our class we learned about Avraham and though he at times, seems to doubt the authenticity of the promise, he never 'talks back' to G-d or demanded an explanation or a written agreement. He always accepted what G-d said and does as He told him to. Yaakov, on the other hand whose response we learned with Rabbi Dr. Perl (who did a spectacular job teaching us, by the way) had a different approach when faced with G-d's promise. Though the commentators explain his responce in different perspectives, the basic problem here is unlike Avraham he didn't immediately trust in G-d and in the hopes that G-d would take care of everything for him. It should have been easier for Yaakov to accept G-d's words, after all Yaakov was raised being taught about G-d.

So why the different responses? I can't tell you what the correct answer is, but I will give my own answer.

First, Avraham spent most of his life as the only person who believed in G-d and didn't worship idols. He believed in one omnipotent G-d, but he never had any solid proof so that he could tell himself, even if others didn't believe him, that his beliefs were true. When G-d first spoke to him, the last thing he would want to do is do anything that could "offend" G-d or show any lack of trust in Him. Yaakov, though, wanted more than just a promise for the future, he wanted a promise that would ensure his safety now. (Although that might seem selfish, it is a part of human nature to want that kind of security and protection.) Avraham had had a pretty awful childhood (his father let the king throw him into a furnace), so you could imagine he was hoping his descendants wouldn't have to endure the same things he did. Yaakov, who was raised while learning about G-d and dealing with the unpredictable Eisav, he was worried about the future and the Now. Therefore, he had to confirm that G-d was going to protect him the whole way, and not just his descendants.