rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Esau comes from the root ash meaning "to hurry" while Ya 'akov comes from the root akav which means "to delay" or "restrain." [228-Norman J. Cohen's Self.. Struggle & Changer Family Conflict Stories in Genesis and Their Healing Insights for Our Lives (Woodstock, Vermont: Jewish Lights Publishing, 1995), p. 98.] (i.e. Esau entered the world first; Jacob last.) But Esau is also connected to asah meaning "to cover" while Jacob derives from aqab meaning "heel" (i.e. Esau was covered in hair; Jacob born clutching Esau's heel, restraining him. [229-Robert Davidson's Genesis 12-50 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979), p.
122.]).
At least Freed Kashon convincingly objects to Ruccalla's comparison when he points out how really Holloway, not Tom, is the hairy one: "His beard, surly appearance, and even his profession as a hunter make Holloway the perfect Esau. The tension between Navidson and Holloway is also more on par with the tension between Jacob and his brother." [230-Freed Kashon's Esau (Birmingham, Alabama: Maavar Yabbok Press, 1996), p. 159.]
rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz The degree of Esau and Jacob's struggle is emphasized by the word Vayitrozzu which comes from the root rzz meaning "to tear apart, to shatter." The comparison falters, however, when one realizes Will and Tom never indulged in such a violent struggle.
rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz During their childhood, Tom and Will were seldom apart. They gave each other support, encouragement, and the strength to persevere in the face of parental indifference. [231-Terry Borowska interview.] Of course their intertwining adolescent years eventually unraveled as they reached adulthood, Will pursuing photography and fame in an attempt to fill the emotional void. Tom drifting into an unremarkable and for the most part internal existence.
rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Tom, however, never hid behind the adjunct meaning of a career. He never acquired the rhetoric of achievement. In fact his life never moved much beyond the here and now.
Nevertheless, in spite of a brutal struggle with alcoholism, Tom did manage to preserve his sense of humor, and in his twelve-step program, inspired many admirers who to this day speak highly of him.
Of the hard times that came his way, he experienced the greatest grief during those eight years when he was estranged from his brother or in his words "when the old rug was pulled out from under old Tom." It is hardly a coincidence that during this period he succumbed to chemical dependencies, went on unemployment, and prematurely ended a budding relationship with a young schoolteacher. The Navidson Record never explains what came between Tom and Will, though it implies Tom envied Navy's success and was increasingly dissatisfied with his own accomplishments. [232-Personal interviews with Damion Searle, Annabelle Whitten and Isaac Hodge. February 5-23, 1995.]
rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz In his article "Brothers In Arms No More" published in The Village Voice, Carlos Brillant observes that Tom and Will's estrangement began with the birth of Chad: "While it's complete speculation on my part, I wonder if the large amount of energy required to raise a family pulled Will's attention away from his brother. Suddenly Tom discovered his brother-his only supporter and sympathizer-was devoting more and more time to his son. Tom may have felt abandoned." [233-Lost.]
Annabelle Whitten echoes these sentiments when she points out how Tom occasionally referred to himself as "orphaned at the age of forty." [234-Lost.] The year Tom (and Will for that matter) turned forty was the year Chad was born.
rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Ironically enough, Tom's presence in the house on Ash Tree Lane only served to help Will and Karen get along. As Whitten states: "Tom's desire to reacquire his lost parental figures transmuted Navidson into father and Karen into mother, thus offering one explanation why Tom frequently sought to reduce tension between both." [235-Ibid., 112.]
Of course as Nam Eurtton argued, "Why? Because Tom's a nice guy." [236-Nam Eurtton's "All Accurate" p. 176.]
rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Esau's blessing was stolen with a mask. Tom wears no mask, Will wears a camera. But as Nietzsche wite, "Every profound spirit needs a mask." [237-Of some note is the strange typo which appears in the Aaron Stem text: "But the blind Isaac repeated his question, 'Are you really my son Esau?' to which the chosen one replied 'Annie' meaning 'I am.'"
Aaron Stem's All God's Children: Genesis (New York: Hesed Press, I 964), p. 62.]
rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz And yet, despite the triumph of Jacob's ruse, he should have heeded this admonition: "Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way" (Deuteronomy 27:18). And Jacob was indeed cursed, forced to wrestle for the rest of his life with this question of self-worth.[238-From the Robert Davidson commentary: "Jacob wrestled with an unidentified 'man' who turned Out to be God, wrestled and lived to tell the tale. Gathered into the story are so many curious elements that we can only assume that here is a story which has taken many centuries to reach its present form, arid which has assimilated material, some of it very primitive, which goes back long before the time of Jacob. It is like an old house which has had additions built on to it, and has been restored and renovated more than once during the passing years." p 184.]
Navidson was no different. [239-Lost.]
rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz "To me, Tom seemed an incredibly peaceful man. Plain, decent but most of all peaceful." [240-Ibid.]
rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Here Ruccalla's analysis unexpectedly rereads the meaning of Esau's lost inheritance, sublimely uncovering an unspoken history, veiled in irony and blankness, yet still describing how one brother could not have succeeded without the other. Cain may not have been his brother's keeper but Esau certainly was [241-Ibid.]
rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ". . . a cunning hunter"
"of the field"
"plain man, dwelling in tents."
[242-See Genesis 27:24] [243-Wrong. See Genesis 27:29.] [244-Mr. Truant also appears to be In error. The correct reference is Genesis 25:27. - Ed.]
rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz This then is the meaning of Esau rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz As Scholem writes: "Frank's ultimate vision of the future was based upon the still unrevealed laws of the Torah of atzilut which he promised his disciples would take effect once they had 'come to Esau,' that is, when the passage through the 'abyss' with its unmitigated destruction and negation was fmally accomplished." [245-Gershom Scholem' s The Messianic Idea in Judaism (New York: Schocken Books, 1971), p. 133. In taking the time to consider Frank's work, Scholem does not fail to also point out Frank's questionable character: "Jacob Frank (1726-9 1) will always be remembered as one of the most frightening phenomena in the whole Jewish history: a religious leader who, whether for purely self-interested motives or otherwise, was in all his actions a truly corrupt and degenerate individual." p. 126.]
rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz But as a great Hasidic maxim reminds us: "The Messiah will not come until the tears of Esau have ceased." [246-Lost.]
rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz and so returns to Tom and Will Navidson, divided by experience, endowed with different talents and dispositions, yet still brothers and "naught without the other."
As Ruccalla states in her concluding chapter: "While the differences are there, like the serpents of the Caduceus, these two brothers have always been and always will be inextricably intertwined; and just like the Caduceus, their shared history creates a meaning and that meaning is health." [247-Eta Ruccalla, p. 897. But it also means [Rest missing].]
rzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz By the end of the first night, Tom has begun to feel the terrible strain of that place. At one point he even threatens to abandon his post. He does not. His devotion to his brother triumphs over his own fears. Remaining by the radio, "[Tom] gnaws on boredom like a dog gnawing on a bone while all the time eyeing fear like a mongoose. [248-Ibid., p. 249.]
Fortunately for us, some trace of this struggle survives on his Hi 8 where Tom recorded an eclectic, sometimes funny, sometimes bizarre history of thoughts passing away in the atrocity of that darkness.
Tom's Story [Transcript]
Day 1: 10:38 [Outside Tom's tent; breath frosting in the air]
Who am I kidding? A place like this has to be haunted. That's what happened to Holloway and his team-the ghosts got 'em. That's what will happen to Navy and me. The ghosts will get us. Except he's with Reston. He's not alone. I'm alone. That Just figures. Ghosts always go first for the one who's alone. In fact, I bet they're here right now. Lurking.
Day 1: 12:06 [In order to maintain contact, it was necessary to set up the radio outside of the tent) Radio (Navidson): Tom, we found another neon marker. Most of it's gone. Just a shred. We're laying down line and proceeding.
Tom into radio: Okay Navy. See any ghosts?
Radio (Navidson): Nothing. You a little spooked?
Tom: Lighting up a fat one.
Radio (Navidson): If it gets too much for you, go back. We'll be airight.
Tom: Fuck yourself Navy.
Radio (Navidson): What?
Tom: Doesn't he go around autographing lightbulbs?
Radio (Navidson): Who?
Tom: Watt.
Radio (Navidson): What?
Tom: Nevermind. Over. Out. Whatever.
[Changing channels]
Toni: Karen, this is Tom.
Radio (Karen): I would hope so. How's Navy'?
Tom: He's fine. Found another marker.
Radio (Karen): And Billy?
Tom: Fine too.
Radio (Karen): How are you managing?
Tom: Me? I'm cold, I'm scared shitless, and I feel like I'm about to be eaten alive at any moment.
Otherwise, I'd say I'm fine.
Day 1: 15:46 [Inside tent]
Okay, Mr. Monster. I know you're there and you're planning to eat me and there's nothing I can do about that, but I should warn you I've lived for years on fast food, greasy fries, more than a few polyurethane shakes. I smoke a lot of weed too. Got a pair of lungs blacker than road tar. My point being, Mr. Monster, I don't taste so good.
Day 1: 18:38 [Outside tent]
This is ridiculous. I don't belong here. No one belongs here. Fuok you Navy for bringing me here. I'm a slob. I like lots of food. These things I consider accomplishments. I am not a hero. I am not an adventurer. I am Tom the slow, Tom the chunicy, Tom the stoned, Tom about to be eaten by Mr. Monster. Where are you Mr. Monster, you stinking bastard? Sleeping on the job?
Day 1: 21:09 [Outside tent]
I'm sick. I'm freezing to death. I'm going. [He throws up]
This is not fun. This isn't fair.
[Pause]
I think there's a game on tonight.
Day 1: 23:41 [Outside tent]
Tom: What kind of voices?
Radio (Karen): Daisy doesn't know. Chad said they sounded like a few people, but he couldn't understand what they were saying.
Tom: Book me a flight to the Bahamas.
Radio (Karen): Are you kidding, book a flight for the whole family. This is absurd.
Tom: Where's that bottle of bourbon when you need it? [Pause] Hey, I better sign off. Don't want a bunch of dead batteries on my hands.
Radio (Karen): Tell him I love him, Tom.
Tom: I already did.
Day 2: 00:11 [Outside tent; smoking a joint]
I call this "A Little Bedtime Story For Tom."
A long time ago, there was this captain and he was out sailing the high seas when one of his crew spotted a pirate ship on the horizon. Right before the battle began, the captain cried out, "Bring me my red shirt!" It was a long fight but in the end the Captain and his crew were victorious. The next day three pirate ships appeareth Once again the captain cried out, "Bring me my red shirt!" and once again the captain and his men defeated the pirates. That evening everyone was sitting around, resting, and taking care of their wounds, when an ensign asked the captain why he always put on his red shirt before battle. The captain calmly replied, "I wear the red shirt so that If I'm wounded, no one will see the blood. That way everyone will continue to fight on unafraid." All the men were moved by this great display of courage.
Well the next day, ten pirate ships were spotted. The men turned to their captain and waited for him to give his usual command. Cairn as ever, the Captain cried out, "Bring me my brown pants."
Day 2: 10:57 [Inside tent]
Radio (Navidson): Tom? [Static] Tom, you read me?
Tom: (Going outside to the radio) What time is it? (Looking at his watch) 11 AM! Jesus, did I sleep well.
Radio (Navidson): Still no sign, except for [Static] markers [Static] over.
Tom: Say again Navy. You're fading.
Day 2: 12:03 [Outside tent]
This punker gets on a bus and takes a seat. His hair's all green, he's got brigh.tly colored tattoos covering his arms and piercings all over his face. Feathers hang from each earlobe. Across the aisle sits an old man who proceeds to stare at him for the next fifteen miles. Eventually the pumker gets pretty unnerved and blurts out: "Hey man, didn't you do anything crazy when you were young?"
Without missing a beat, the old man replies: "Yeah when I was In the Navy, I got drunk one night in Singapore and had sex with a Bird of Paradise. I was just wondering if you were my son."
Day 2: 13:27 [Outside tent]
I feel like I'm in a goddamned refrigerator, that's what. So what I want to know is, where's all the goddamn food? God knows I could use a drink.
Day 2: 14:11 [Inside tent]
A monk joins an abbey ready to dedicate his life to copying ancient books by hand. After the first day though, he reports to the head priest. He's concerned that all the monks have been copying from copies made from still more copies.
"If someone makes a mistake," he points out. "It would be impossible to detect. Even worse the error would continue to be made."
A bit startled, the priest decides that he better check their latest effort against the original which is kept in a vault beneath the abbey. A place only he has access to.
Well two days, then three days pass without the priest resurfacing. Finally the new monk decides to see if the old guy's alright. When he gets down there though, he discovers the priest hunched over both a newly copied book and the ancient original text. He is sobbing and by the look of things has been sobbing for a long time.
"Father?" the monk whispers.
"Oh Lord Jesus," the priest wails. "The word is 'celebrate'."
Day 2: 15:29 [Outside tent; smoking a joint; coughing; coughing again]
Did you expect oration Mr. Monster? Or maybe just a little expectoration?
[Coughs and spits]
Navy taught me that one.
Day 2: 15:49 [Outside tent]
Tom: Hey, uh, Karen, I've got a bit of the munchies going on here. Do you think you could order me a Pizza.
Radio (Karen): What?!
Tom: When the delivery boy comes to the door just tell him to take it to the fat guy at the end of the hail. Two miles down on the left.
Radio (Karen): [Pause] Tom, maybe you should come back.
Tom: No maybe about it. Is there any lemon meringue left?