Vayetze
Encyclopedia
Vayetze, Vayeitzei, or Vayetzei ( — Hebrew
for “and he left,” the first word
in the parshah) is the seventh weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual Jewish
cycle of Torah reading
. It constitutes Genesis . Jews in the Diaspora
read it the seventh Sabbath
after Simchat Torah
, generally in November or December.
The parshah tells of Jacob
’s travels to, life in, and return from Haran
. The parshah recounts Jacob’s dream of a ladder to heaven
, Jacob’s meeting of Rachel
at the well, Jacob’s time working for Laban
and living with Rachel and Leah
, the birth of Jacob’s children, and the departure of Jacob’s family from Laban.
for Haran, he stopped at a place for the night, using a stone for a pillow. He dreamed that he saw a ladder to heaven on which God’s
angel
s ascended and descended. And God stood beside him and promised to give him and his numerous descendants the land
on which he lay, said that through his descendants all the earth would be blessed, and promised to stay with him wherever he went and bring him back to the land. Jacob awoke afraid, remarked that surely the place was the house of God, the gate of heaven, and called the place Bethel
(although the Canaan
ites had called the city Luz
). Jacob took the stone from under his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on it. And Jacob vowed that if God would stay with him, give him bread and clothing, and return him to his father's house in peace, then God would be his god, the stone pillar would be God's house, and he would give God a tenth
of what he received.
to be her handmaid. In the morning, Jacob discovered that it was Leah, and he complained to Laban that he had served for Rachel. Laban replied that in that place, they did not give the younger before the firstborn, but if Jacob fulfilled Leah’s week, he would give Jacob both daughters in exchange for another seven years of service. Jacob did so, and Laban gave him Rachel to wife, and gave Rachel Bilhah
to be her handmaid.
, but Rachel was barren
. Leah bore a son, and called him Reuben
, saying that God had looked upon her affliction. She bore a second son, and called him Simeon
, saying that God had heard that she was hated. She bore a third son, and called him Levi
, saying that this time her husband would be joined to her. She bore a fourth son, and called him Judah
, saying that this time, she would praise God.
Rachel envied her sister, and demanded that Jacob give her children, but Jacob grew angry and asked her whether he was in God's stead, who had withheld children from her. Rachel told Jacob to sleep with her maid Bilhah, so that Bilhah might bear children upon Rachel’s knees who might be credited to Rachel, and he did. Bilhah bore Jacob a son, and Rachel called him Dan
, saying that God had judged her and also heard her voice. And Bilhah bore Jacob a second son, and Rachel called him Naphtali
, saying that she had wrestled with her sister and prevailed.
When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she gave Jacob her maid Zilpah to wife. Zilpah bore Jacob a son, and Leah called him Gad, saying that fortune had come. And Zilpah bore Jacob a second son, and Leah called him Asher
, saying that she was happy, for the daughters would call her happy.
Reuben found some mandrakes
and brought them to Leah. Rachel asked Leah for the mandrakes, and when Leah resisted, Rachel agreed that Jacob would sleep with Leah that night in exchange for the mandrakes. When Jacob came home that evening, Leah told him that he had to sleep with her because she had hired him with the mandrakes, and he did. God heeded Leah and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son, and called him Issachar
, saying that God had given her a reward. Leah bore Jacob a sixth son and called him Zebulun
, saying that God had endowed her with a good dowry. And afterwards Leah bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah
.
God heeded Rachel and she conceived and bore a son and called him Joseph
, invoking God to add another son.
Jacob peeled white streaks in fresh rods of poplar
, almond
, and plane
trees and set the rods where the flocks would see them when they mated, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted young. Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the stronger sheep, but not before the feeble, so the feebler sheep became Laban's and the stronger Jacob's. Jacob’s flocks and wealth thus increased.
So Jacob set his sons and his wives on camels and headed out toward Isaac
and Canaan with all the animals and wealth that he had collected in Padan-aram. Jacob tricked Laban by fleeing secretly while Laban was out shearing his sheep, and Rachel stole her father’s idols
. On the third day, Laban heard that Jacob had fled and he and his kin pursued after Jacob seven days, overtaking him in the mountain of Gilead
. God came to Laban in a dream and told him not to speak to Jacob either good or bad. But when Laban caught up with Jacob, he asked Jacob what he meant by carrying away his daughters secretly, like captives, without letting him kiss his daughters and grandchildren goodbye. Laban said that while he had the power to harm Jacob, God had told him the previous night not to speak to Jacob either good or bad, and now Laban wanted to know why Jacob had stolen his gods. Jacob answered that he fled secretly out of fear that Laban might take his daughters by force, and not knowing Rachel stole the gods, he told Laban that whoever had his gods would die. Laban searched Jacob's tent, Leah's tent, and the two maid-servants’ tent, finding nothing, and then he entered Rachel's tent. Rachel had hidden the idols in the camel’s saddle and sat upon them, apologizing to her father for not rising, as she was having her period. Laban searched and felt about the tent, but did not find the idols. Angered, Jacob questioned Laban what he had done to deserve this hot pursuit and this searching. Jacob protested that he had worked for Laban for 20 years, through drought and frost, bearing the loss of animals torn by predators, and not eating Laban’s rams, only to have his wages changed 10 times. Had not the God of Isaac been on Jacob’s side, surely Laban would have sent Jacob away empty, Jacob said, and God had seen his affliction and awarded him what he deserved. Laban answered Jacob that they were his daughters, his children, and his flocks, but asked what he could do about it now.
Instead, Laban proposed that they make a covenant, and Jacob set up a stone pillar and with his kin heaped stones, and they ate a meal by the heap. Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. Laban called the heap as a witness between him and Jacob, and invoked God to watch, when they were apart, if Jacob would afflict Laban’s daughters and take other wives. And Laban designated the heap and the pillar as a boundary between him and Jacob; Laban would not pass over it to Jacob, and Jacob would not pass over it to Laban, to do harm. Laban invoked the God of Abraham
, the God of Nahor
, and the God of Terah
, and Jacob swore by the Fear of Isaac and offered a sacrifice
.
Early in the morning, Laban kissed his sons and his daughters, blessed them, and departed for his home. And when Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him, and Jacob told them that this was God's camp, and he called the place Mahanaim
.
in (2) by Isaac when Jacob is departing for Haran in and (3) by God in Jacob’s dream at Bethel in Whereas the first blessing is one of material wellbeing and dominance, only the second and third blessings convey fertility and the Land of Israel. The first and the third blessings explicitly designate Jacob as the conveyer of blessing, although arguably the second blessing does that as well by giving Jacob “the blessing of Abraham.” (See ) Only the third blessing vouchsafes God’s Presence with Jacob.
In Jacob took the stone on which he had slept, set it up as a pillar , and poured oil on the top of it. Exodus would later direct the Israelites to break in pieces the Canaanites' pillars . Leviticus would direct the Israelites not to rear up a pillar . And Deuteronomy would prohibit them to set up a pillar , “which the Lord your God hates.”
’s servant’s meeting (on behalf of Isaac
) of Rebekah at the well in and Moses
’ meeting of Zipporah
at the well in Each involves (1) a trip to a distant land, (2) a stop at a well, (3) a young woman coming to the well to draw water, (4) a heroic drawing of water, (5) the young woman going home to report to her family, (6) the visiting man brought to the family, and (7) a subsequent marriage. (See Victor P. Hamilton. The Book of Genesis: Chapters 18–50, 254–55. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995. ISBN 0-8028-2309-2.)
allude to Jacob, as reports, “And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba” (and away from Esau, who sought to kill him). (Genesis Rabba
h 67:13.)
A Midrash
noted that reports that Abraham sent Eliezer to woo Rebekah with ten camels and “having all goodly things of his master's in his hand,” but Jacob traveled to Haran without a single ring or bracelet. Rabbi Haninah taught that Isaac sent Jacob away empty-handed. Rabbi Joshua
, however, taught that Isaac sent Jacob well provided, but Esau arose and stripped him of all he had. The Midrash taught that Jacob then thought to himself that he would not lose confidence in God, for as Psalm
teaches, his help would come from God. As teaches, God would not suffer his foot to be moved , and the Midrash taught that this meant that God would not allow Jacob to die (la-mayt). As teaches, God would keep him from all evil, and thus from the evil Esau and Laban. And teaches, God would guard his going out, and thus as reports, “Jacob went out from Beer-sheba.” (Genesis Rabbah 68:2.)
Hezekiah taught that Jacob was 63 years old when Isaac blessed him (as a Baraita
taught in Babylonian Talmud Megillah 17a), and Jacob spent another 14 years secluded in the Land of Israel studying under Eber
and a further 7 years working for the Matriarchs. Thus he married at the age of 84, whereas Esau married at the age of 40 (as reports). Thus we learn that God hastens the happiness of the wicked and delays that of the righteous. (Genesis Rabbah 68:5.)
Rabbi Hoshaya noted that already stated, "And Jacob hearkened to his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan-aram," and thus Rabbi Hoshaya asked why says, "and Jacob went out from Beer-sheba." Rabbi Hoshaya taught that Jacob reasoned that when his father desired to emigrate from the Land of Israel, he first sought permission at Beer-sheba, so Jacob too went to Beer-sheba to seek God's permission. (Genesis Rabbah 68:5.)
Rabbi Judan and Rav Huna
commented on why says, "and Jacob went out from Beer-sheba." Rabbi Judan taught that it means that Jacob sought to leave "out of the well of the oath." (Be'er, , means "well." And Rabbi Judan connected Sheba, , with shevuah, , which means "oath," as in the oath that reports Abraham and Abimelech swore to each other.) Rabbi Judan taught that Jacob reasoned that he did not want Abimelech to demand that Jacob swear to Abimelech (a commitment of nonaggression) as Jacob's grandfather Abraham swore to him, and so delay Jacob's descendants from entering the Land of Israel for seven generations. (As a result of Abraham's oath to Abimelech, seven generations — from Abraham to Joshua — passed before the Israelites entered the Land of Israel. Thus to avoid another seven generations of delay, Jacob went "out of the well of the oath" to evade a further commitment of nonaggression.) Rav Huna taught that the words of mean "out of the well of the birthright." Rav Huna taught that Jacob reasoned that he did not wish to allow Esau to rise up against him and assert that Jacob had cheated him by taking his birthright, and thus lose the advantage of Esau's oath (when Esau conveyed his birthright in ). Rabbi Berekiah
taught that the words of mean "out of the well of the blessings." Rabbi Berekiah taught that Jacob reasoned that he did not want Esau to rise up against him and assert that Jacob had cheated Jacob by taking Esau's blessings, and so frustrate his mother Rebekah's labors on his behalf. (Genesis Rabbah 68:7.)
Our Rabbis taught that Jacob reached Haran on that same day as reports that he "went toward Haran." Rabbi Berekiah said in Rabbi Isaac's name, however, that merely speaks as people do colloquially when they say, "So-and-so has gone to Caesarea," when in fact So-and-so has not actually arrived in Caesarea. (Similarly, here does not mean that Jacob reached Haran on the same day that he set out.) (Genesis Rabbah 68:8.)
Once in the meat market of Emmaus
, Rabbi Akiba asked Rabban Gamaliel
and Rabbi Joshua about the words of “And the sun rose on him,” inquiring whether the sun rose on only him and not on everyone. Rabbi Isaac said that it meant that the sun which had set early for his sake now rose early for him. Rabbi Isaac noted that reports that Jacob left Beersheba in the south of the Land of Israel and went toward Haran north of the Land, and reports that “he lighted upon the place” identified (in ) as Bethel in the center of the Land. Rabbi Isaac explained that when he reached Haran, he asked himself how he could have passed through the place where his fathers had prayed and not have prayed there too. So Rabbi Isaac deduced that he immediately resolved to turn back, and as soon he did, the earth contracted and he immediately “lighted upon the place.” After he prayed, he sought to return to Haran, but God chose to give this righteous man a night’s rest and immediately (as reports) “the sun was set.” (Babylonian Talmud
Chullin 91b.)
Reading the words, “And he lighted upon the place,” in to mean, “And he met the Divine Presence (Shechinah
),” Rav Huna asked in Rabbi Ammi
's name why assigns to God the name “the Place.” Rav Huna explained that it is because God is the Place of the world (the world is contained in God, and not God in the world). Rabbi Jose ben Halafta
taught that we do not know whether God is the place of God’s world or whether God’s world is God’s place, but from which says, “Behold, there is a place with Me,” it follows that God is the place of God’s world, but God’s world is not God’s place. Rabbi Isaac taught that reading “The eternal God is a dwelling place,” one cannot know whether God is the dwelling-place of God’s world or whether God’s world is God’s dwelling-place. But reading “Lord, You have been our dwelling-place,” it follows that God is the dwelling-place of God’s world, but God’s world is not God’s dwelling-place. And Rabbi Abba ben Judan taught that God is like a warrior riding a horse with the warrior’s robes flowing over on both sides of the horse. The horse is subsidiary to the rider, but the rider is not subsidiary to the horse. Thus Habakkuk
says, “You ride upon Your horses, upon Your chariots of victory.” (Genesis Rabbah 68:9.)
The Gemara
noted that reports that “he took of the stones of the place” (in the plural), but reports that “he took the stone” (in the singular). Rabbi Isaac deduced that all the stones gathered themselves together into the same place so as to be the stone upon which this righteous man would rest his head, and as a Tanna
taught in a Baraita, all the stones merged into one. (Babylonian Talmud Chullin 91b.)
Rabbi Joshua ben Levi
(according to the Jerusalem Talmud
and Genesis Rabbah) or a Baraita in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yose the son of Rabbi Haninah (according to the Babylonian Talmud) said that the three daily prayers
derived from the Patriarchs
, and cited for the proposition that Jews derived the evening prayer from Jacob, arguing that within the meaning of “came upon” meant “pray,” just as a similar word did in Jeremiah
(according to the Jerusalem Talmud) or another similar word did in (according to the Babylonian Talmud and Genesis Rabbah). (Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 43a; Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 26b; Genesis Rabbah 68:9.)
Bar Kappara
taught that every dream has its interpretation. The “ladder” in symbolizes the stairway leading up to the altar in the Temple in Jerusalem
. “Set upon the earth” implies the altar, as (20:21 in NJPS) says, “An altar of earth you shall make for Me.” “And the top of it reached to heaven” implies the sacrifices, the odor of which ascended to heaven. “The angels of God” symbolize the High Priests. “Ascending and descending on it” describes the priests ascending and descending the stairway of the altar. And the words “and, behold, the Lord stood beside him” in once again invoke the altar, as in Amos
the prophet reports, “I saw the Lord standing beside the altar.” (Genesis Rabbah 68:12.)
The Rabbis related Jacob’s dream in to Sinai. The “ladder” symbolizes Mount Sinai
. That the ladder is “set upon the earth” recalls which says, “And they stood at the nether part of the mount.” The words of “and the top of it reached to heaven,” echo those of “And the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven.” “And behold the angels of God” alludes to Moses and Aaron
. “Ascending” parallels “And Moses went up to God.” “And descending” parallels “And Moses went down from the mount.” And the words “and, behold, the Lord stood beside him” in parallel the words of “And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai.” (Genesis Rabbah 68:12.)
Interpreting Jacob’s dream of a ladder in a Tanna taught that the width of the ladder was 8,000 parasang
s (perhaps 24,000 miles). The Tanna noted that reports “the angels of God ascending and descending on it,” and thus deduced from the plural that at least two angels were ascending and two descending, and when they came to the same place on the ladder, there were four angels abreast. And Daniel
reports of an angel that “His body was like the Tarshish,” and by tradition the sea of Tarshish is 2,000 parasangs long. (Babylonian Talmud Chullin 91b.)
A Midrash taught that those angels who escort a person in the Land of Israel do not escort that person outside of the Land. Thus “the angels of God ascending” in refers to those who had escorted Jacob in the Land of Israel (who were then returning to heaven), while “descending” refers to those who were to escort him outside of the Land. (Genesis Rabbah 68:12.)
A Tanna taught that the angels ascended to look at the sight of Jacob above and descended to look at the sight below, and they wished to hurt him, and thus immediately (as reports) “the Lord stood beside him.” Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish said that were it not expressly stated in the Scripture, we would not dare to say it, but God is made to appear like a man who fans his son to protect him from the heat. (Babylonian Talmud Chullin 91b.)
Rabbi Johanan
taught that the wicked stand over their gods, as says, “And Pharaoh dreamed, and, behold, he stood over the river.” (The Egyptians worshiped the Nile as a god.) But God stands over them, as says, “and, behold, the Lord stood over him.” (Thus, idolaters must stand over and protect their idols, but God protects God’s people.) (Genesis Rabbah 69:3.)
The Gemara asked what the significance was of God’s promise in to give Jacob “the land on which you lie,” which would have been about 6 feet of land. Rabbi Isaac deduced that God rolled up the whole Land of Israel and put it under Jacob, thus indicating that his descendants would easily conquer it. (Babylonian Talmud Chullin 91b.)
The Rabbis taught that God’s promise in “and, behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go,” answered all of Jacob’s requests, except that for sustenance. Jacob prayed in “If God will be with me,” and God assured Jacob, “Behold, I am with you.” Jacob prayed, “And will keep me,” and God assured Jacob, “And I will keep you.” Jacob prayed, “In this way that I go,” and God assured Jacob, “wherever you go.” Jacob prayed in “So that I come back to my father's house in peace,” and God assured Jacob, “and will bring you back.” But the Rabbis taught that God did not answer Jacob’s request for sustenance. Rabbi Assi
, however, taught that God answered Jacob’s request for sustenance, too, for in God says, “for I will not forsake you,” and forsaking applies to sustenance, as in , “Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” (Genesis Rabbah 69:6.)
Rabbi Jacob bar Idi pointed out a contradiction between God’s promise to protect Jacob in and Jacob’s fear in ; Rabbi Jacob explained that Jacob feared that some sin might cause him to lose the protection of God's promise. (Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 4a, Sanhedrin 98b.)
Reading the words “and Jacob vowed a vow” in a Midrash taught that of four who made vows, two vowed and profited, and two vowed and lost. The Israelites vowed and profited in Numbers
and Hannah
vowed and profited in 1 Samuel
Jephthah vowed and lost in Judges
and Jacob vowed in and lost (some say in the loss of Rachel in and some say in the disgrace of Dinah in for Jacob’s vow in was superfluous, as Jacob had already received God's promise, and therefore Jacob lost because of it). (Genesis Rabbah 70:3.)
Reading the words, “love the stranger, in giving him food and clothing,” in Akilas the proselyte asked Rabbi Eliezer
whether food and clothing constituted all the benefit of conversion to Judaism
. Rabbi Eliezer replied that food and clothing are no small things, for in Jacob prayed to God for “bread to eat, and clothing to put on,” while God comes and offers it to the convert on a platter. Akilas then visited Rabbi Joshua
, who taught that “bread” refers to the Torah (as in Wisdom — the Torah — says, “Come, eat of my bread”), while “clothing” means the Torah scholar’s cloak. A person privileged to study the Torah is thus privileged to perform God's precepts. Moreover, converts’ daughters could marry into the priesthood, so that their descendants could offer burnt-offerings on the altar. The Midrash offered another interpretation: “Bread” refers to the showbread
, while “clothing” refers to the priestly vestments. The Midrash offered yet another interpretation: “Bread” refers to challah
, while “clothing” refers to the first shearings of the sheep, both of which belong to the priests. (Genesis Rabbah 70:5.)
The Tosefta
deduced from that Jacob spoke as if God was not Jacob’s God when Jacob was not in the land of Canaan. (Tosefta Avodah Zarah 4:5.)
Rabbi Ilai taught that the Sages ordained at Usha that if a person wishes to give charity liberally, the person should not give away more than a fifth of the person’s wealth. Rav Nahman
(or some say Rav Aha bar Jacob) cited as proof for the proposition, as in the words “And of all that You shall give me, I will surely give a tenth to You,” repetition of the verb “to give a tenth” or “tithe” implies two tenths or one fifth. The Gemara did the math and questioned whether the second tenth would not be less than the first tenth, as it would be taken from the nine-tenths that remained after the first tenth had been given away and thereby represented only 1/10 x 9/10 = 9/100 of the original capital. Rav Ashi replied that the words “I will . . . give a tenth of it” in implied that he would make the second like the first. (Babylonian Talmud Ketubot 50a.)
Rabbi Berekiah and Rabbi Ahi taught in the name of Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani
that Jacob would not have told God, “of all that You shall give me, I will surely give a tenth to You,” in unless God had already offered Jacob, “Ask what I shall give you,” as God offered Solomon
in 1 Kings
Rabbi Jonathan
taught that God invited three people to ask what God could give them: Solomon in Ahaz
in Isaiah
, and the Messiah
in Rabbi Berekiah and Rabbi Ahi in the name of Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani cited two more: Abraham in and Jacob in teaching that neither Patriarch would have asked God unless God had first offered to give them what they asked. (Genesis Rabbah 44:8.)
, that wherever the Bible employs the term “and it was” or “and it came to pass” , it indicates misfortune, as one can read wa-yehi as wai, hi, “woe, sorrow.” Thus the words, “And it came to pass when man began to multiply,” in are followed by the words, “God Saw that the wickedness of man was great,” in And the Gemara also cited the instances of followed by followed by Joshua
followed by the rest of followed by followed by followed by close after followed by Ruth
followed by the rest of and Esther
followed by Haman
. But the Gemara also cited as counterexamples the words, “And there was evening and there was morning one day,” in as well as and So Rav Ashi replied that wa-yehi sometimes presages misfortune, and sometimes it does not, but the expression “and it came to pass in the days of” always presages misfortune. And for that proposition, the Gemara cited and (Babylonian Talmud Megillah 10b.)
The Gemara read to employ the euphemistic expression “not clean,” instead of the brief, but disparaging expression “unclean,” so as not to speak disparagingly of unclean animals. The Gemara reasoned that it was thus likely that Scripture would use euphemisms when speaking of the faults of righteous people, as with the words, “And the eyes of Leah were weak,” in (Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 123a.)
Rabbi Eleazar interpreted the words “He withdraws not his eyes from the righteous” in Job
to teach that God rewards righteousness, even generations later. The Gemara taught that in reward for Rachel’s modesty as shown in her dealings with Jacob, God rewarded her with King Saul
as a descendant. The Gemara taught that Jacob asked Rachel, “Will you marry me?” She replied, “Yes, but my father is a trickster, and he will outwit you.” Jacob replied, “I am his brother in trickery.” She said to him, “Is it permitted to the righteous to indulge in trickery?” He replied, “Yes, with the pure you show yourself pure, and with the crooked you show yourself subtle.” He asked her, “What is his trickery?” She replied: “I have a sister older than I am, and he will not let me marry before her.” So Jacob gave her certain tokens through which he could identify her. When night came, she said to herself, “Now my sister will be put to shame,” so she gave Leah the tokens. Thus when reports, “And it came to pass in the morning that, behold, it was Leah,” we are not to infer that up until then she had not been Leah, but rather that on account of the tokens that Rachel had given Leah, Jacob did not know until then that it was Leah. Therefore God rewarded Rachel with having Saul among her descendants. (Babylonian Talmud Megillah 13a–b, Bava Batra 123a.)
Rabbi Helbo
quoted Rabbi Jonathan
to teach that the firstborn should have come from Rachel, as says, “These are the generations of Jacob, Joseph,” but Leah prayed for mercy before Rachel did. On account of Rachel’s modesty, however, God restored the rights of the firstborn to Rachel’s son Joseph from Leah’s son Reuben. To teach what caused Leah to anticipate Rachel with her prayer for mercy, Rav
taught that Leah’s eyes were sore (as reports) from her crying about what she heard at the crossroads. There she heard people saying: “Rebecca has two sons, and Laban has two daughters; the elder daughter should marry the elder son, and the younger daughter should marry the younger son.” Leah inquired about the elder son, and the people said that he was a wicked man, a highway robber. And Leah asked about the younger son, and the people said that he was “a quiet man dwelling in tents.” So she cried about her fate until her eyelashes fell out. This accounts for the words of “And the Lord saw that Leah was hated, and He opened her womb,” which mean not that Leah was actually hated, but rather that God saw that Esau’s conduct was hateful to Leah, so he rewarded her prayer for mercy by opening her womb first. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 123a.)
The seven days of Jacob’s wedding feast in are reflected in the Sages’ ruling that if a groom developed symptoms of skin disease (tzaraat
), they granted him a delay of inspection to the end of the seven days of his marriage feast. (Babylonian Talmud Moed Katan 7b.)
Rabbi Johanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai
that showed that from the day that God created the world, no man praised God until Leah did upon the birth of Judah. (Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 7b.)
Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani citing Rabbi Johanan taught that a woman who solicits her husband to have marital relations will bear children who have understanding. In support of that proposition, the Gemara noted that reports that Leah told Jacob, “You must come to me, for I have hired you,” leading to the conception and birth of Issachar, and 1 Chronicles
reports that “of the children of Issachar [were] men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.” (Babylonian Talmud Eruvin 100b, Nedarim 20b.)
Rabbi Johanan taught that the words “and he lay with her that night” in in which the word , hu (“He”) appears in an unusual locution, indicate that God assisted in causing Issachar’s conception. Rabbi Johanan found in the words “Issachar is a large-boned donkey” in an indication that Jacob’s donkey detoured to Leah’s tent, helping to cause Issachar’s birth. (Babylonian Talmud Niddah 31a.)
Rebbi
(or some say Rabbi Judah ben Pazi) said in the name of the academy of Yannai that Dinah was originally conceived as a boy, but when Rachel prayed for another son in God transformed Dinah’s fetus into a girl, and that is why the description of Dinah’s birth in uses the word “afterward,” showing that this happened after Rachel prayed. (Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 92a.) And Rab
taught that the word “afterward” in signified that Leah bore Dinah “after” she passed judgment on herself, reasoning that twelve tribes were destined to issue from Jacob and six had already issued from her and four from the handmaids, and if the child of the current pregnancy were to be a boy, then Rachel would not have as many sons as one of the handmaids. Thereupon the child was turned into a girl, and Dinah was born. (Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 60a.)
A Baraita taught that on Rosh Hashanah
God remembered each of Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah and decreed that they would bear children. Rabbi Eliezer found support for the Baraita from the parallel use of the word “remember” in which says about Rachel, “And God remembered Rachel,” and in which calls Rosh Hashanah “a remembrance of the blast of the trumpet.” (Babylonian Talmud Rosh Hashanah 11a.)
Rabbi Johanan taught that God holds three keys that God does not entrust to any messenger: the key of rain, the key of childbirth, and the key of the revival of the dead. The Gemara cited to support the proposition that God holds the key of childbirth, as the verse says, “And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.” (Babylonian Talmud Taanit 2a–b.) And the Gemara noted that Scripture uses the verb “bear” with regard to both childbirth, in “she conceived, and bore a son,” and rain, in “the rain comes down and the snow from heaven, and returns not there, but waters the earth, and makes it bear and bud.” (Babylonian Talmud Taanit 8b.) Rabbi Akiba read the words “God . . . opened her womb” in to support the proposition that just as there is key to a house, there is a key to a woman’s fertility. (Babylonian Talmud Bekhorot 45a.)
Rabbi Judah ben Pazi said in the name of the academy of Rabbi Yannai that Rachel showed that she was a prophetess when in she prophesied that she would bear another son, and by using the singular “son” she foretold that Jacob would have just one more son. (Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 92a.)
The Tosefta deduced from that before Jacob arrived, Laban’s house had not received a blessing, and deduced from that it was because of Jacob’s arrival that Laban was blessed thereafter. (Tosefta Sotah 10:7.)
was that when they held counsel, they did so only in the field. Rav Adda bar Ahabah said that where Jacob called Rachel and Leah to the field, could be cited in support of the practice. (Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 8b.)
In the heart can be stolen. A Midrash catalogued the wide range of additional capabilities of the heart reported in the Hebrew Bible. The heart speaks (Ecclesiastes
), sees , hears (1 Kings
), walks , falls , stands (Ezekiel
), rejoices , cries (Lamentations
), is comforted , is troubled , becomes hardened , grows faint , grieves , fears , can be broken , becomes proud , rebels (Jeremiah
), invents , cavils , overflows , devises , desires , goes astray , lusts , is refreshed , is humbled , is enticed , errs , trembles , is awakened (Song of Songs
), loves , hates , envies , is searched , is rent (Joel
), meditates , is like a fire , is like a stone , turns in repentance , becomes hot , dies , melts (Joshua
), takes in words , is susceptible to fear , gives thanks , covets , becomes hard , makes merry , acts deceitfully , speaks from out of itself , loves bribes , writes words , plans , receives commandments , acts with pride (Obadiah
), makes arrangements , and aggrandizes itself . (Ecclesiastes Rabbah
1:36.)
The Rabbis taught that God appears to non-Jews only in dreams, as God appeared to Laban the “in a dream of the night” in God appeared to Abimelech
“in a dream of the night” in and God appeared to Balaam
“at night” in The Rabbis taught that God thus appeared more openly to the prophets of Israel than to those of other nations. The Rabbis compared God’s action to those of a king who has both a wife and a concubine
; to his wife he goes openly, but to his concubine he goes stealthily. (Genesis Rabbah 52:5.) And a Midrash taught that God’s appearance to Laban in and God’s appearance to Abimelech in were the two instances where the Pure and Holy One allowed God’s self to be associated with impure (idolatrous) people, on behalf of righteous ones. (Midrash Tanhuma
Vayeitzei 12.)
A Midrash taught that the words of “And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night,” indicated God’s distance from Laban. Rabbi Leazar taught that the words of “The Lord is far from the wicked,” refer to the prophets of other nations. But the continuation of “He hears the prayer of the righteous,” refers to the prophets of Israel. God appears to nations other that Israel only as one who comes from a distance, as says, “They came from a far country to me.” But in connection with the prophets of Israel, says, “And the Lord appeared,” and says, “And the Lord called,” implying from the immediate vicinity. Rabbi Haninah compared the difference between the prophets of Israel and the prophets of other nations to a king who was with his friend in a chamber (separated by a curtain). Whenever the king desired to speak to his friend, he folded up the curtain and spoke to him. (But God speaks to the prophets of other nations without folding back the curtain.) The Rabbis compared it to a king who has a wife and a concubine; to his wife he goes openly, but to his concubine he repairs with stealth. Similarly, God appears to non-Jews only at night, as says, “And God came to Balaam at night,” and says, “And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night.” (Genesis Rabbah 52:5.)
Rabbi Aibu taught that when Laban’s grandchildren heard Laban ask in “Why have you stolen my gods?” they exclaimed that they were ashamed that in his old age their grandfather could say that these idols were his gods. (Genesis Rabbah 74:8.)
A Midrash taught that Rachel’s death ensued because Jacob told Laban in “With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live.” The Midrash thus taught that Jacob’s words were (in the words of Ecclesiastes
) “like an error that proceeds from a ruler.” (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 10:6.)
The Gemara interpreted the words, “If you shall afflict my daughters, and if you shall take wives beside my daughters,” in to mean that Jacob forswore two kinds of affliction. The Gemara read “if you shall afflict” to mean by denying conjugal duty, and the Gemara read “if you shall take” to refer to marrying rival wives. Thus the Gemara deduced that abstention from marital intercourse is considered an affliction. (Babylonian Talmud Yoma 77a–b.)
and Sefer ha-Chinuch
, there are no commandments
in the parshah. (Maimonides. Mishneh Torah
. Cairo
, Egypt, 1170–1180. Reprinted in Maimonides. The Commandments: Sefer Ha-Mitzvoth of Maimonides. Translated by Charles B. Chavel, 2 vols. London: Soncino Press, 1967. ISBN 0-900689-71-4. Sefer HaHinnuch: The Book of [Mitzvah] Education. Translated by Charles Wengrov, 1:87. Jerusalem: Feldheim Pub., 1991. ISBN 0-87306-179-9.)
for the parshah is:
Haggadah
, in the concluding nirtzah section of the Seder
, in a reference to recounts how God frightened the Aramean Laban in the night. (Menachem Davis. The Interlinear Haggadah: The Passover Haggadah, with an Interlinear Translation, Instructions and Comments, 108. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2005. ISBN 1-57819-064-9. Joseph Tabory. JPS Commentary on the Haggadah: Historical Introduction, Translation, and Commentary, 123. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8276-0858-0.)
The doubling of the Hebrew word nikhsof to express intense longing in also appears in the 16th Century Safed
Rabbi Eliezer Azikri’s kabbalistic
poem Yedid Nefesh (“Soul’s Beloved”), which many congregations chant just before the Kabbalat Shabbat prayer service
. (Reuven Hammer. Or Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom
for Shabbat and Festivals, 14. New York: The Rabbinical Assembly, 2003. ISBN 0916219208.)
Many Jews recite three times as part of the Tefilat HaDerech
(Wayfarer’s Prayer), said on setting out on a journey. (Menachem Davis. The Schottenstein Edition Siddur for Weekdays with an Interlinear Translation, 311–12. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2002. ISBN 1-57819-686-8.)
, Sephardi Jews
each week base the songs of the services on the content of that week's parshah. For Parshah Vayetze, Sephardi Jews apply Maqam Ajam, the maqam that expresses happiness, commemorating the joy and happiness of the weddings of Jacob to Leah and Rachel.
.jpg)
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
for “and he left,” the first word
Incipit
Incipit is a Latin word meaning "it begins". The incipit of a text, such as a poem, song, or book, is the first few words of its opening line. In music, it can also refer to the opening notes of a composition. Before the development of titles, texts were often referred to by their incipits...
in the parshah) is the seventh weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
cycle of Torah reading
Torah reading
Torah reading is a Jewish religious ritual that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a Torah scroll. The term often refers to the entire ceremony of removing the Torah scroll from the ark, chanting the appropriate excerpt with special cantillation, and returning the scroll to...
. It constitutes Genesis . Jews in the Diaspora
Jewish diaspora
The Jewish diaspora is the English term used to describe the Galut גלות , or 'exile', of the Jews from the region of the Kingdom of Judah and Roman Iudaea and later emigration from wider Eretz Israel....
read it the seventh Sabbath
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
after Simchat Torah
Simchat Torah
Simchat Torah or Simḥath Torah is a celebration marking the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle...
, generally in November or December.
The parshah tells of Jacob
Jacob
Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
’s travels to, life in, and return from Haran
Haran
Haran or Aran is a figure in Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. Haran was born in Ur Kaśdim , the son of Terah and thus a descendant of Shem. Haran's brothers were Abram/Abraham and Nahor...
. The parshah recounts Jacob’s dream of a ladder to heaven
Jacob's Ladder (Bible)
Jacob's Ladder is a ladder to heaven, described in the Book of Genesis, that the biblical patriarch Jacob dreams about during his flight from his brother Esau.-Source:...
, Jacob’s meeting of Rachel
Rachel
Rachel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, is a prophet and the favorite wife of Jacob, one of the three Biblical Patriarchs, and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. She was the daughter of Laban and the younger sister of Leah, Jacob's first wife...
at the well, Jacob’s time working for Laban
Laban (Bible)
Laban is the son of Bethuel, brother of Rebekah and the father of Leah and Rachel and Bilhah and Zilpah as described in the Book of Genesis. As such he is brother-in-law to Isaac and both father-in-law and uncle to Jacob...
and living with Rachel and Leah
Leah
Leah , as described in the Hebrew Bible, is the first of the two concurrent wives of the Hebrew patriarch Jacob and mother of six of sons whose descendants became the Twelve Tribes of Israel, along with at least one daughter, Dinah. She is the daughter of Laban and the older sister of Rachel, whom...
, the birth of Jacob’s children, and the departure of Jacob’s family from Laban.
Summary
A ladder to heaven
When Jacob left BeershebaBeersheba
Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
for Haran, he stopped at a place for the night, using a stone for a pillow. He dreamed that he saw a ladder to heaven on which God’s
Names of God in Judaism
In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title; it represents the Jewish conception of the divine nature, and of the relationship of God to the Jewish people and to the world. To demonstrate the sacredness of the names of God, and as a means of showing respect and reverence for...
angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s ascended and descended. And God stood beside him and promised to give him and his numerous descendants the land
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
on which he lay, said that through his descendants all the earth would be blessed, and promised to stay with him wherever he went and bring him back to the land. Jacob awoke afraid, remarked that surely the place was the house of God, the gate of heaven, and called the place Bethel
Bethel
Bethel was a border city described in the Hebrew Bible as being located between Benjamin and Ephraim...
(although the Canaan
Canaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
ites had called the city Luz
Luz
Luz is the name of two places in the Bible.Luz is the ancient name of a royal Canaanite city, connected with Bethel . It is debated among scholars whether Luz and Bethel represent one and the same town - the former the Canaanite name, and the latter the Hebrew name - or whether they were distinct...
). Jacob took the stone from under his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on it. And Jacob vowed that if God would stay with him, give him bread and clothing, and return him to his father's house in peace, then God would be his god, the stone pillar would be God's house, and he would give God a tenth
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
of what he received.
Rachel at the well
Jacob came to an eastern land where he saw a well with a great stone rolled upon it and three flocks of sheep lying by it. Jacob asked the men where they were from, and they said Haran. Jacob asked them if they knew Laban, and they said that they did. Jacob asked if Laban was well, and they said that it was, and that his daughter Rachel was coming with his sheep. Jacob told the men to water and feed the sheep, but they replied that they could not do so until all the flocks had arrived. When Jacob saw Rachel arrive with her father's sheep, he rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered Laban’s sheep. Jacob kissed Rachel, wept, and told her that he was her kinsman, and she ran and told her father.Jacob and Laban
When Laban heard of Jacob’s arrival, he ran to meet him, embraced and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all that had happened, and Laban welcomed Jacob as family. After Jacob had lived with Laban for a month, Laban asked Jacob what wages he wanted for his work. Laban had two daughters: The elder, Leah, had weak eyes, while the younger, Rachel, was beautiful. Jacob loved Rachel, and offered to serve Laban seven years for Rachel’s hand, and Laban agreed. Jacob served the years, but his love for Rachel made them seem like just a few days. Jacob asked Laban for his wife, and Laban made a feast and invited all the men of the place. In the evening, Laban brought Leah to Jacob, and Jacob slept with her. Laban gave Leah ZilpahZilpah
In the Book of Genesis, Zilpah is Leah's handmaid who becomes a wife of Jacob and bears him two sons Gad and Asher....
to be her handmaid. In the morning, Jacob discovered that it was Leah, and he complained to Laban that he had served for Rachel. Laban replied that in that place, they did not give the younger before the firstborn, but if Jacob fulfilled Leah’s week, he would give Jacob both daughters in exchange for another seven years of service. Jacob did so, and Laban gave him Rachel to wife, and gave Rachel Bilhah
Bilhah
In the Book of Genesis, Bilhah is Rachel's handmaid who becomes a wife of Jacob and bears him two sons, Dan and Naphtali....
to be her handmaid.
Jacob’s children
Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, so God allowed Leah to conceiveFertilisation
Fertilisation is the fusion of gametes to produce a new organism. In animals, the process involves the fusion of an ovum with a sperm, which eventually leads to the development of an embryo...
, but Rachel was barren
Infertility
Infertility primarily refers to the biological inability of a person to contribute to conception. Infertility may also refer to the state of a woman who is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term...
. Leah bore a son, and called him Reuben
Reuben (Bible)
According to the Book of Genesis, Reuben or Re'uven was the first and eldest son of Jacob with Leah. He was the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Reuben.-Etymology:...
, saying that God had looked upon her affliction. She bore a second son, and called him Simeon
Simeon (Hebrew Bible)
According to the Book of Genesis, Simeon was, the second son of Jacob and Leah, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Simeon. However, some Biblical scholars view this as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an etiology of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite...
, saying that God had heard that she was hated. She bore a third son, and called him Levi
Levi
Levi/Levy was, according to the Book of Genesis, the third son of Jacob and Leah, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Levi ; however Peake's commentary suggests this as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an aetiology of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite...
, saying that this time her husband would be joined to her. She bore a fourth son, and called him Judah
Judah (Biblical figure)
Judah was, according to the Book of Genesis, the fourth son of Jacob and Leah, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Judah. Biblical scholars, such as J. A...
, saying that this time, she would praise God.
Rachel envied her sister, and demanded that Jacob give her children, but Jacob grew angry and asked her whether he was in God's stead, who had withheld children from her. Rachel told Jacob to sleep with her maid Bilhah, so that Bilhah might bear children upon Rachel’s knees who might be credited to Rachel, and he did. Bilhah bore Jacob a son, and Rachel called him Dan
Dan (Biblical figure)
According to the Book of Genesis, Dan was the fifth son of Jacob with Bilhah. He was Bilhah's first son. He was the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Dan. In the biblical account, Dan's mother is described as Rachel's handmaid, who becomes one of Jacob's wives...
, saying that God had judged her and also heard her voice. And Bilhah bore Jacob a second son, and Rachel called him Naphtali
Naphtali
According to the Book of Genesis, Naphtali was the second son of Jacob with Bilhah. He was the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Naphtali. However, some Biblical scholars view this as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an aetiology of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the...
, saying that she had wrestled with her sister and prevailed.
Asher
Asher , in the Book of Genesis, is the second son of Jacob and Zilpah, and the founder of the Tribe of Asher.-Name:The text of the Torah argues that the name of Asher means happy/blessing, implying a derivation from the Hebrew term osher ; the Torah actually presents this in two variations—beoshri...
, saying that she was happy, for the daughters would call her happy.
Reuben found some mandrakes
Mandrake (plant)
Mandrake is the common name for members of the plant genus Mandragora, particularly the species Mandragora officinarum, belonging to the nightshades family...
and brought them to Leah. Rachel asked Leah for the mandrakes, and when Leah resisted, Rachel agreed that Jacob would sleep with Leah that night in exchange for the mandrakes. When Jacob came home that evening, Leah told him that he had to sleep with her because she had hired him with the mandrakes, and he did. God heeded Leah and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son, and called him Issachar
Issachar
Issachar/Yissachar was, according to the Book of Genesis, a son of Jacob and Leah , and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Issachar; however some Biblical scholars view this as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an aetiology of the connectedness of the tribe to others in the Israelite...
, saying that God had given her a reward. Leah bore Jacob a sixth son and called him Zebulun
Zebulun
Zebulun was, according to the Books of Genesis and Numbers, the sixth son of Jacob and Leah, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Zebulun...
, saying that God had endowed her with a good dowry. And afterwards Leah bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah
Dinah
According to the Hebrew Bible, Dinah was the daughter of Jacob, one of the patriarchs of the Israelites and Leah, his first wife. The episode of her abduction and violation by a Canaanite prince, and the subsequent vengeance of her brothers Simeon and Levi, commonly referred to as "The Rape of...
.
God heeded Rachel and she conceived and bore a son and called him Joseph
Joseph (Hebrew Bible)
Joseph is an important character in the Hebrew bible, where he connects the story of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Canaan to the subsequent story of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt....
, invoking God to add another son.
The speckled and spotted sheep
Then Jacob asked Laban to allow him, his wives, and his children to return to his own country. Laban conceded that God had blessed him for Jacob’s sake, and asked Jacob to name how much he wanted to stay. Jacob recounted how he had served Laban and how Laban had benefited, and asked when he could provide for his own family. Laban pressed him again, so Jacob offered to keep Laban’s flock in exchange for the speckled, spotted, and dark sheep and goats, and thus Laban could clearly tell Jacob’s flock from his. Laban agreed, but that day he removed the speckled and spotted goats and dark sheep from his flock and gave them to his sons and put three day’s distance between Jacob and himself.Jacob peeled white streaks in fresh rods of poplar
Poplar
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
, almond
Almond
The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...
, and plane
Platanus
Platanus is a small genus of trees native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae....
trees and set the rods where the flocks would see them when they mated, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted young. Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the stronger sheep, but not before the feeble, so the feebler sheep became Laban's and the stronger Jacob's. Jacob’s flocks and wealth thus increased.
Jacob’s departure
Jacob heard that Laban's sons thought that he had become wealthy at Laban’s expense, and Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him as before. God told Jacob to return to the land of his fathers, and that God would be with him. Jacob called Rachel and Leah to the field and told them that Laban had changed his opinion of Jacob, but Jacob had served Laban wholeheartedly and God had remained with Jacob. Jacob noted that Laban had mocked him and changed his wages ten times, but God would not allow him to harm Jacob, but had rewarded Jacob, giving Laban’s animals to Jacob. Jacob said that in a dream God told him to return to the land of his birth. Rachel and Leah answered that they no longer had any portion in Laban’s house and all the riches that God had taken from Laban were theirs and their children's, so Jacob should do whatever God had told him to do.So Jacob set his sons and his wives on camels and headed out toward Isaac
Isaac
Isaac as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites...
and Canaan with all the animals and wealth that he had collected in Padan-aram. Jacob tricked Laban by fleeing secretly while Laban was out shearing his sheep, and Rachel stole her father’s idols
Idolatry
Idolatry is a pejorative term for the worship of an idol, a physical object such as a cult image, as a god, or practices believed to verge on worship, such as giving undue honour and regard to created forms other than God. In all the Abrahamic religions idolatry is strongly forbidden, although...
. On the third day, Laban heard that Jacob had fled and he and his kin pursued after Jacob seven days, overtaking him in the mountain of Gilead
Gilead
In the Bible "Gilead" means hill of testimony or mound of witness, , a mountainous region east of the Jordan River, situated in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It is also referred to by the Aramaic name Yegar-Sahadutha, which carries the same meaning as the Hebrew . From its mountainous character...
. God came to Laban in a dream and told him not to speak to Jacob either good or bad. But when Laban caught up with Jacob, he asked Jacob what he meant by carrying away his daughters secretly, like captives, without letting him kiss his daughters and grandchildren goodbye. Laban said that while he had the power to harm Jacob, God had told him the previous night not to speak to Jacob either good or bad, and now Laban wanted to know why Jacob had stolen his gods. Jacob answered that he fled secretly out of fear that Laban might take his daughters by force, and not knowing Rachel stole the gods, he told Laban that whoever had his gods would die. Laban searched Jacob's tent, Leah's tent, and the two maid-servants’ tent, finding nothing, and then he entered Rachel's tent. Rachel had hidden the idols in the camel’s saddle and sat upon them, apologizing to her father for not rising, as she was having her period. Laban searched and felt about the tent, but did not find the idols. Angered, Jacob questioned Laban what he had done to deserve this hot pursuit and this searching. Jacob protested that he had worked for Laban for 20 years, through drought and frost, bearing the loss of animals torn by predators, and not eating Laban’s rams, only to have his wages changed 10 times. Had not the God of Isaac been on Jacob’s side, surely Laban would have sent Jacob away empty, Jacob said, and God had seen his affliction and awarded him what he deserved. Laban answered Jacob that they were his daughters, his children, and his flocks, but asked what he could do about it now.
Instead, Laban proposed that they make a covenant, and Jacob set up a stone pillar and with his kin heaped stones, and they ate a meal by the heap. Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed. Laban called the heap as a witness between him and Jacob, and invoked God to watch, when they were apart, if Jacob would afflict Laban’s daughters and take other wives. And Laban designated the heap and the pillar as a boundary between him and Jacob; Laban would not pass over it to Jacob, and Jacob would not pass over it to Laban, to do harm. Laban invoked the God of Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
, the God of Nahor
Nahor
Nahor, Nachor, or Naghor may refer to three different names in the Hebrew bible: two biblical people, who were both descendants of Shem, and one biblical place named after one of these descendants....
, and the God of Terah
Terah
Terah or Térach is a biblical figure in the book of Genesis, son of Nahor, son of Serug and father of the Patriarch Abraham, all descendants of Shem. He is mentioned in the Hebrew bible and the New Testament.-Genesis narrative:...
, and Jacob swore by the Fear of Isaac and offered a sacrifice
Korban
The term offering as found in the Hebrew Bible in relation to the worship of Ancient Israel is mainly represented by the Hebrew noun korban whether for an animal or other offering...
.
Early in the morning, Laban kissed his sons and his daughters, blessed them, and departed for his home. And when Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him, and Jacob told them that this was God's camp, and he called the place Mahanaim
Mahanaim
Mahanaim is a place near Jabbok, beyond the Jordan River, mentioned a number of times by the Bible. The precise location of Mahanaim is very uncertain, the Biblical data being inconclusive. Although two possible sites have been identified, the one most widely accepted lies about ten miles east of...
.
Genesis chapter 28
In Jacob receives three blessings: (1) by Isaac when Jacob is disguised as EsauEsau
Esau , in the Hebrew Bible, is the oldest son of Isaac. He is mentioned in the Book of Genesis, and by the minor prophets, Obadiah and Malachi. The New Testament later references him in the Book of Romans and the Book of Hebrews....
in (2) by Isaac when Jacob is departing for Haran in and (3) by God in Jacob’s dream at Bethel in Whereas the first blessing is one of material wellbeing and dominance, only the second and third blessings convey fertility and the Land of Israel. The first and the third blessings explicitly designate Jacob as the conveyer of blessing, although arguably the second blessing does that as well by giving Jacob “the blessing of Abraham.” (See ) Only the third blessing vouchsafes God’s Presence with Jacob.
Isaac Blessing the Disguised Jacob | Isaac Blessing Jacob on Departure | God Blessing Jacob at Bethel |
|---|---|---|
| 28 God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fat places of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine. 29 Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brethren, and let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you. | 3 God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a congregation of peoples; 4 and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you, and to your seed with you; that you may inherit the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham. | 13 I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed. 14 And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in you and in your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back into this land; for I will not leave you, until I have done that of which I have spoken to you. |
In Jacob took the stone on which he had slept, set it up as a pillar , and poured oil on the top of it. Exodus would later direct the Israelites to break in pieces the Canaanites' pillars . Leviticus would direct the Israelites not to rear up a pillar . And Deuteronomy would prohibit them to set up a pillar , “which the Lord your God hates.”
Genesis chapter 29
Jacob’s meeting of Rachel at the well in is the Torah’s second of several meetings at watering holes that lead to marriage. Also of the same type scene are AbrahamAbraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
’s servant’s meeting (on behalf of Isaac
Isaac
Isaac as described in the Hebrew Bible, was the only son Abraham had with his wife Sarah, and was the father of Jacob and Esau. Isaac was one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites...
) of Rebekah at the well in and Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
’ meeting of Zipporah
Zipporah
Zipporah or Tzipora is mentioned in the Book of Exodus as the wife of Moses, and the daughter of Reuel/Jethro, the priest or prince of Midian...
at the well in Each involves (1) a trip to a distant land, (2) a stop at a well, (3) a young woman coming to the well to draw water, (4) a heroic drawing of water, (5) the young woman going home to report to her family, (6) the visiting man brought to the family, and (7) a subsequent marriage. (See Victor P. Hamilton. The Book of Genesis: Chapters 18–50, 254–55. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995. ISBN 0-8028-2309-2.)
Genesis chapter 28
Rabbi Judan taught in Rabbi Aibu's name that the words, “the righteous comes out of trouble,” in ProverbsBook of Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs , commonly referred to simply as Proverbs, is a book of the Hebrew Bible.The original Hebrew title of the book of Proverbs is "Míshlê Shlomoh" . When translated into Greek and Latin, the title took on different forms. In the Greek Septuagint the title became "paroimai paroimiae"...
allude to Jacob, as reports, “And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba” (and away from Esau, who sought to kill him). (Genesis Rabba
Genesis Rabba
Genesis Rabba is a religious text from Judaism's classical period. It is a midrash comprising a collection of ancient rabbinical homiletical interpretations of the Book of Genesis ....
h 67:13.)
A Midrash
Midrash
The Hebrew term Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....
noted that reports that Abraham sent Eliezer to woo Rebekah with ten camels and “having all goodly things of his master's in his hand,” but Jacob traveled to Haran without a single ring or bracelet. Rabbi Haninah taught that Isaac sent Jacob away empty-handed. Rabbi Joshua
Joshua ben Hananiah
Joshua ben Hananiah was a leading tanna of the first half-century following the destruction of the Temple. He was of Levitical descent , and served in the sanctuary as a member of the class of singers . His mother intended him for a life of study, and, as an older contemporary, Dosa b. Harkinas,...
, however, taught that Isaac sent Jacob well provided, but Esau arose and stripped him of all he had. The Midrash taught that Jacob then thought to himself that he would not lose confidence in God, for as Psalm
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
teaches, his help would come from God. As teaches, God would not suffer his foot to be moved , and the Midrash taught that this meant that God would not allow Jacob to die (la-mayt). As teaches, God would keep him from all evil, and thus from the evil Esau and Laban. And teaches, God would guard his going out, and thus as reports, “Jacob went out from Beer-sheba.” (Genesis Rabbah 68:2.)
Hezekiah taught that Jacob was 63 years old when Isaac blessed him (as a Baraita
Baraita
Baraita designates a tradition in the Jewish oral law not incorporated in the Mishnah. "Baraita" thus refers to teachings "outside" of the six orders of the Mishnah...
taught in Babylonian Talmud Megillah 17a), and Jacob spent another 14 years secluded in the Land of Israel studying under Eber
Eber
Eber is an ancestor of the Israelites, according to the "Table of Nations" in and . He was a great-grandson of Noah's son Shem and the father of Peleg born when Eber was 34 years old, and of Joktan. He was the son of Shelah a distant ancestor of Abraham...
and a further 7 years working for the Matriarchs. Thus he married at the age of 84, whereas Esau married at the age of 40 (as reports). Thus we learn that God hastens the happiness of the wicked and delays that of the righteous. (Genesis Rabbah 68:5.)
Rabbi Hoshaya noted that already stated, "And Jacob hearkened to his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan-aram," and thus Rabbi Hoshaya asked why says, "and Jacob went out from Beer-sheba." Rabbi Hoshaya taught that Jacob reasoned that when his father desired to emigrate from the Land of Israel, he first sought permission at Beer-sheba, so Jacob too went to Beer-sheba to seek God's permission. (Genesis Rabbah 68:5.)
Rabbi Judan and Rav Huna
Rav Huna
Rav Huna , a Kohen, was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora of the second generation and head of the Academy of Sura; He was born about 216, died in 296-297 ).-Youth:...
commented on why says, "and Jacob went out from Beer-sheba." Rabbi Judan taught that it means that Jacob sought to leave "out of the well of the oath." (Be'er, , means "well." And Rabbi Judan connected Sheba, , with shevuah, , which means "oath," as in the oath that reports Abraham and Abimelech swore to each other.) Rabbi Judan taught that Jacob reasoned that he did not want Abimelech to demand that Jacob swear to Abimelech (a commitment of nonaggression) as Jacob's grandfather Abraham swore to him, and so delay Jacob's descendants from entering the Land of Israel for seven generations. (As a result of Abraham's oath to Abimelech, seven generations — from Abraham to Joshua — passed before the Israelites entered the Land of Israel. Thus to avoid another seven generations of delay, Jacob went "out of the well of the oath" to evade a further commitment of nonaggression.) Rav Huna taught that the words of mean "out of the well of the birthright." Rav Huna taught that Jacob reasoned that he did not wish to allow Esau to rise up against him and assert that Jacob had cheated him by taking his birthright, and thus lose the advantage of Esau's oath (when Esau conveyed his birthright in ). Rabbi Berekiah
Rabbi Berekiah
R. Berekiah was a Jewish Amora sage of the Land of Israel, of the fourth generation of the Amora era. He is known for his work on the Aggadah, and there are many of his statements there, and many statements he delivered in the authority of other sages....
taught that the words of mean "out of the well of the blessings." Rabbi Berekiah taught that Jacob reasoned that he did not want Esau to rise up against him and assert that Jacob had cheated Jacob by taking Esau's blessings, and so frustrate his mother Rebekah's labors on his behalf. (Genesis Rabbah 68:7.)
Our Rabbis taught that Jacob reached Haran on that same day as reports that he "went toward Haran." Rabbi Berekiah said in Rabbi Isaac's name, however, that merely speaks as people do colloquially when they say, "So-and-so has gone to Caesarea," when in fact So-and-so has not actually arrived in Caesarea. (Similarly, here does not mean that Jacob reached Haran on the same day that he set out.) (Genesis Rabbah 68:8.)
Once in the meat market of Emmaus
Emmaus
Emmaus was an ancient town located approximately northwest of present day Jerusalem...
, Rabbi Akiba asked Rabban Gamaliel
Gamaliel II
Rabban Gamaliel II was the first person to lead the Sanhedrin as Nasi after the fall of the second temple, which occurred in 70 CE. Gamliel was appointed nasi approximately 10 years later. Gamaliel II was the son of Shimon ben Gamaliel, one of Jerusalem's foremost men in the war against the...
and Rabbi Joshua about the words of “And the sun rose on him,” inquiring whether the sun rose on only him and not on everyone. Rabbi Isaac said that it meant that the sun which had set early for his sake now rose early for him. Rabbi Isaac noted that reports that Jacob left Beersheba in the south of the Land of Israel and went toward Haran north of the Land, and reports that “he lighted upon the place” identified (in ) as Bethel in the center of the Land. Rabbi Isaac explained that when he reached Haran, he asked himself how he could have passed through the place where his fathers had prayed and not have prayed there too. So Rabbi Isaac deduced that he immediately resolved to turn back, and as soon he did, the earth contracted and he immediately “lighted upon the place.” After he prayed, he sought to return to Haran, but God chose to give this righteous man a night’s rest and immediately (as reports) “the sun was set.” (Babylonian Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
Chullin 91b.)
Reading the words, “And he lighted upon the place,” in to mean, “And he met the Divine Presence (Shechinah
Shekhinah
Shekinah is the English spelling of a grammatically feminine Hebrew word that means the dwelling or settling, and is used to denote the dwelling or settling divine presence of God, especially in the Temple in Jerusalem.-Etymology:Shekinah is derived...
),” Rav Huna asked in Rabbi Ammi
Rabbi Ammi
Ammi, Aimi, Immi is the name of several Jewish Talmudists, known as amoraim, who lived in the Land of Israel and Babylonia. In the Babylonian Talmud the first form only is used; in the Jerusalem Talmud all three forms appear, Immi predominating, and sometimes R. Ammi is contracted into "Rabmi" or...
's name why assigns to God the name “the Place.” Rav Huna explained that it is because God is the Place of the world (the world is contained in God, and not God in the world). Rabbi Jose ben Halafta
Jose ben Halafta
Rabbi Jose ben Halafta or Yose ben Halafta was a Tanna of the fourth generation . Jose was a student of Rabbi Akiba and was regarded as one of the foremost scholars of halakha and aggadah of his day...
taught that we do not know whether God is the place of God’s world or whether God’s world is God’s place, but from which says, “Behold, there is a place with Me,” it follows that God is the place of God’s world, but God’s world is not God’s place. Rabbi Isaac taught that reading “The eternal God is a dwelling place,” one cannot know whether God is the dwelling-place of God’s world or whether God’s world is God’s dwelling-place. But reading “Lord, You have been our dwelling-place,” it follows that God is the dwelling-place of God’s world, but God’s world is not God’s dwelling-place. And Rabbi Abba ben Judan taught that God is like a warrior riding a horse with the warrior’s robes flowing over on both sides of the horse. The horse is subsidiary to the rider, but the rider is not subsidiary to the horse. Thus Habakkuk
Book of Habakkuk
The Book of Habakkuk is the eighth book of the 12 minor prophets of the Hebrew Bible. It is attributed to the prophet Habakkuk, and was probably composed in the late 7th century BC. A copy of chapters 1 and 2 is included in the Habakkuk Commentary, found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.Chapters 1-2...
says, “You ride upon Your horses, upon Your chariots of victory.” (Genesis Rabbah 68:9.)
The Gemara
Gemara
The Gemara is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah. After the Mishnah was published by Rabbi Judah the Prince The Gemara (also transliterated Gemora or, less commonly, Gemorra; from Aramaic גמרא gamar; literally, "[to] study" or "learning by...
noted that reports that “he took of the stones of the place” (in the plural), but reports that “he took the stone” (in the singular). Rabbi Isaac deduced that all the stones gathered themselves together into the same place so as to be the stone upon which this righteous man would rest his head, and as a Tanna
Tannaim
The Tannaim were the Rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 70-200 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also referred to as the Mishnaic period, lasted about 130 years...
taught in a Baraita, all the stones merged into one. (Babylonian Talmud Chullin 91b.)
Rabbi Joshua ben Levi
Joshua ben Levi
Joshua ben Levi or Yehoshua ben Levi was an amora who lived in the land of Israel of the first half of the third century. He headed the school of Lydda in the southern Land of Israel. He was an elder contemporary of Johanan bar Nappaha and Resh Lakish, who presided over the school in Tiberias...
(according to the Jerusalem Talmud
Jerusalem Talmud
The Jerusalem Talmud, talmud meaning "instruction", "learning", , is a collection of Rabbinic notes on the 2nd-century Mishnah which was compiled in the Land of Israel during the 4th-5th century. The voluminous text is also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud de-Eretz Yisrael...
and Genesis Rabbah) or a Baraita in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yose the son of Rabbi Haninah (according to the Babylonian Talmud) said that the three daily prayers
Jewish services
Jewish prayer are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book....
derived from the Patriarchs
Patriarchs (Bible)
The Patriarchs of the Bible, when narrowly defined, are Abraham, the ancestor of all the Abrahamic nations; his son Isaac, the ancestor of the nations surrounding Israel/Judah; and Isaac's son Jacob, also named Israel, the ancestor of the Israelites...
, and cited for the proposition that Jews derived the evening prayer from Jacob, arguing that within the meaning of “came upon” meant “pray,” just as a similar word did in Jeremiah
Book of Jeremiah
The Book of Jeremiah is the second of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the book of Isaiah and preceding Ezekiel and the Book of the Twelve....
(according to the Jerusalem Talmud) or another similar word did in (according to the Babylonian Talmud and Genesis Rabbah). (Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 43a; Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 26b; Genesis Rabbah 68:9.)
Bar Kappara
Bar Kappara
Shimon Bar Kappara was a Jewish rabbi of the late 2nd and early 3rd century CE, during the period between the tannaim and amoraim. He was active in Caesarea in the Land of Israel, from around 180 to 220 CE. His name, meaning “Son of Kapparah”, was taken from his father, Eleazar ha-Kappar...
taught that every dream has its interpretation. The “ladder” in symbolizes the stairway leading up to the altar in the Temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
. “Set upon the earth” implies the altar, as (20:21 in NJPS) says, “An altar of earth you shall make for Me.” “And the top of it reached to heaven” implies the sacrifices, the odor of which ascended to heaven. “The angels of God” symbolize the High Priests. “Ascending and descending on it” describes the priests ascending and descending the stairway of the altar. And the words “and, behold, the Lord stood beside him” in once again invoke the altar, as in Amos
Book of Amos
The Book of Amos is a prophetic book of the Hebrew Bible, one of the Twelve Minor Prophets. Amos, an older contemporary of Hosea and Isaiah, was active c. 750 BCE during the reign of Jeroboam II, making the Book of Amos the first biblical prophetic book written. Amos lived in the kingdom of Judah...
the prophet reports, “I saw the Lord standing beside the altar.” (Genesis Rabbah 68:12.)
The Rabbis related Jacob’s dream in to Sinai. The “ladder” symbolizes Mount Sinai
Biblical Mount Sinai
The Biblical Mount Sinai is the mountain at which the Book of Exodus states that the Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God...
. That the ladder is “set upon the earth” recalls which says, “And they stood at the nether part of the mount.” The words of “and the top of it reached to heaven,” echo those of “And the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven.” “And behold the angels of God” alludes to Moses and Aaron
Aaron
In the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, Aaron : Ααρών ), who is often called "'Aaron the Priest"' and once Aaron the Levite , was the older brother of Moses, and a prophet of God. He represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Israelites...
. “Ascending” parallels “And Moses went up to God.” “And descending” parallels “And Moses went down from the mount.” And the words “and, behold, the Lord stood beside him” in parallel the words of “And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai.” (Genesis Rabbah 68:12.)
Interpreting Jacob’s dream of a ladder in a Tanna taught that the width of the ladder was 8,000 parasang
Parasang
The parasang is a historical Iranian unit of itinerant distance comparable to the European league.In antiquity, the term was used throughout much of the Middle East, and the Old Iranian language from which it derives can no longer be determined...
s (perhaps 24,000 miles). The Tanna noted that reports “the angels of God ascending and descending on it,” and thus deduced from the plural that at least two angels were ascending and two descending, and when they came to the same place on the ladder, there were four angels abreast. And Daniel
Book of Daniel
The Book of Daniel is a book in the Hebrew Bible. The book tells of how Daniel, and his Judean companions, were inducted into Babylon during Jewish exile, and how their positions elevated in the court of Nebuchadnezzar. The court tales span events that occur during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar,...
reports of an angel that “His body was like the Tarshish,” and by tradition the sea of Tarshish is 2,000 parasangs long. (Babylonian Talmud Chullin 91b.)
A Midrash taught that those angels who escort a person in the Land of Israel do not escort that person outside of the Land. Thus “the angels of God ascending” in refers to those who had escorted Jacob in the Land of Israel (who were then returning to heaven), while “descending” refers to those who were to escort him outside of the Land. (Genesis Rabbah 68:12.)
A Tanna taught that the angels ascended to look at the sight of Jacob above and descended to look at the sight below, and they wished to hurt him, and thus immediately (as reports) “the Lord stood beside him.” Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish said that were it not expressly stated in the Scripture, we would not dare to say it, but God is made to appear like a man who fans his son to protect him from the heat. (Babylonian Talmud Chullin 91b.)
Rabbi Johanan
Yochanan bar Nafcha
Rabbi Yochanan ;...
taught that the wicked stand over their gods, as says, “And Pharaoh dreamed, and, behold, he stood over the river.” (The Egyptians worshiped the Nile as a god.) But God stands over them, as says, “and, behold, the Lord stood over him.” (Thus, idolaters must stand over and protect their idols, but God protects God’s people.) (Genesis Rabbah 69:3.)
The Gemara asked what the significance was of God’s promise in to give Jacob “the land on which you lie,” which would have been about 6 feet of land. Rabbi Isaac deduced that God rolled up the whole Land of Israel and put it under Jacob, thus indicating that his descendants would easily conquer it. (Babylonian Talmud Chullin 91b.)
The Rabbis taught that God’s promise in “and, behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go,” answered all of Jacob’s requests, except that for sustenance. Jacob prayed in “If God will be with me,” and God assured Jacob, “Behold, I am with you.” Jacob prayed, “And will keep me,” and God assured Jacob, “And I will keep you.” Jacob prayed, “In this way that I go,” and God assured Jacob, “wherever you go.” Jacob prayed in “So that I come back to my father's house in peace,” and God assured Jacob, “and will bring you back.” But the Rabbis taught that God did not answer Jacob’s request for sustenance. Rabbi Assi
Rabbi Assi
Assi II was a Jewish Talmudist, known as an amora, who lived in the Land of Israel, of the third generation, 3rd and 4th centuries, one of the two Palestinian scholars known among their contemporary Jewish Talmudical scholars of Babylonian as "the judges of the Land of Israel" and as "the...
, however, taught that God answered Jacob’s request for sustenance, too, for in God says, “for I will not forsake you,” and forsaking applies to sustenance, as in , “Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” (Genesis Rabbah 69:6.)
Rabbi Jacob bar Idi pointed out a contradiction between God’s promise to protect Jacob in and Jacob’s fear in ; Rabbi Jacob explained that Jacob feared that some sin might cause him to lose the protection of God's promise. (Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 4a, Sanhedrin 98b.)
Reading the words “and Jacob vowed a vow” in a Midrash taught that of four who made vows, two vowed and profited, and two vowed and lost. The Israelites vowed and profited in Numbers
Book of Numbers
The Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch....
and Hannah
Hannah (Bible)
Hannah is the wife of Elkanah mentioned in the Books of Samuel. According to the Hebrew Bible she was the mother of Samuel...
vowed and profited in 1 Samuel
Books of Samuel
The Books of Samuel in the Jewish bible are part of the Former Prophets, , a theological history of the Israelites affirming and explaining the Torah under the guidance of the prophets.Samuel begins by telling how the prophet Samuel is chosen by...
Jephthah vowed and lost in Judges
Book of Judges
The Book of Judges is the seventh book of the Hebrew bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its title describes its contents: it contains the history of Biblical judges, divinely inspired prophets whose direct knowledge of Yahweh allows them to act as decision-makers for the Israelites, as...
and Jacob vowed in and lost (some say in the loss of Rachel in and some say in the disgrace of Dinah in for Jacob’s vow in was superfluous, as Jacob had already received God's promise, and therefore Jacob lost because of it). (Genesis Rabbah 70:3.)
Reading the words, “love the stranger, in giving him food and clothing,” in Akilas the proselyte asked Rabbi Eliezer
Eliezer ben Hurcanus
Eliezer ben Hurcanus or Eliezer ben Hyrcanus , a Kohen, was one of the most prominent tannaim of the 1st and 2nd centuries, disciple of R. Johanan ben Zakkai and colleague of Gamaliel II, whose sister he married , and of Joshua ben Hananiah...
whether food and clothing constituted all the benefit of conversion to Judaism
Conversion to Judaism
Conversion to Judaism is a formal act undertaken by a non-Jewish person who wishes to be recognised as a full member of the Jewish community. A Jewish conversion is both a religious act and an expression of association with the Jewish people...
. Rabbi Eliezer replied that food and clothing are no small things, for in Jacob prayed to God for “bread to eat, and clothing to put on,” while God comes and offers it to the convert on a platter. Akilas then visited Rabbi Joshua
Joshua ben Hananiah
Joshua ben Hananiah was a leading tanna of the first half-century following the destruction of the Temple. He was of Levitical descent , and served in the sanctuary as a member of the class of singers . His mother intended him for a life of study, and, as an older contemporary, Dosa b. Harkinas,...
, who taught that “bread” refers to the Torah (as in Wisdom — the Torah — says, “Come, eat of my bread”), while “clothing” means the Torah scholar’s cloak. A person privileged to study the Torah is thus privileged to perform God's precepts. Moreover, converts’ daughters could marry into the priesthood, so that their descendants could offer burnt-offerings on the altar. The Midrash offered another interpretation: “Bread” refers to the showbread
Showbread
Showbread , in the King James Version: shewbread, in a biblical or Jewish context, refers to the cakes or loaves of bread which were always present on a specially dedicated table, in the Temple in Jerusalem as an offering to God...
, while “clothing” refers to the priestly vestments. The Midrash offered yet another interpretation: “Bread” refers to challah
Challah
Challah also khale ,, berches , barkis , bergis , chałka , vánočka , zopf and kitke , is a special braided bread eaten on...
, while “clothing” refers to the first shearings of the sheep, both of which belong to the priests. (Genesis Rabbah 70:5.)
The Tosefta
Tosefta
The Tosefta is a compilation of the Jewish oral law from the period of the Mishnah.-Overview:...
deduced from that Jacob spoke as if God was not Jacob’s God when Jacob was not in the land of Canaan. (Tosefta Avodah Zarah 4:5.)
Rabbi Ilai taught that the Sages ordained at Usha that if a person wishes to give charity liberally, the person should not give away more than a fifth of the person’s wealth. Rav Nahman
Rav Nachman
Rav Nachman bar Yaakov was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an Amora of the third generation, and pupil of Samuel of Nehardea. He was chief justice of the Jews who were subject to the exilarch , and was also head of the school of Nehardea...
(or some say Rav Aha bar Jacob) cited as proof for the proposition, as in the words “And of all that You shall give me, I will surely give a tenth to You,” repetition of the verb “to give a tenth” or “tithe” implies two tenths or one fifth. The Gemara did the math and questioned whether the second tenth would not be less than the first tenth, as it would be taken from the nine-tenths that remained after the first tenth had been given away and thereby represented only 1/10 x 9/10 = 9/100 of the original capital. Rav Ashi replied that the words “I will . . . give a tenth of it” in implied that he would make the second like the first. (Babylonian Talmud Ketubot 50a.)
Rabbi Berekiah and Rabbi Ahi taught in the name of Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani
Samuel ben Nahman
Samuel ben Nahman or Samuel Nahmani was a rabbi of the Talmud, known as an amora, who lived in the Land of Israel from the beginning of the 3rd century until the beginning of the 4th century. He was a pupil of R. Jonathan ben Eleazar and one of the most famous haggadists of his time...
that Jacob would not have told God, “of all that You shall give me, I will surely give a tenth to You,” in unless God had already offered Jacob, “Ask what I shall give you,” as God offered Solomon
Solomon
Solomon , according to the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, a King of Israel and according to the Talmud one of the 48 prophets, is identified as the son of David, also called Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:25, and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before...
in 1 Kings
Books of Kings
The Book of Kings presents a narrative history of ancient Israel and Judah from the death of David to the release of his successor Jehoiachin from imprisonment in Babylon, a period of some 400 years...
Rabbi Jonathan
Rabbi Jonathan
Rabbi Jonathan was a Palestinian tanna of the 2nd century and schoolfellow of R. Josiah, apart from whom he is rarely quoted. Jonathan is generally so cited without further designation; but there is ample reason for identifying him with the less frequently occurring Jonathan b. Joseph Rabbi...
taught that God invited three people to ask what God could give them: Solomon in Ahaz
Ahaz
Ahaz was king of Judah, and the son and successor of Jotham. He is one of the kings mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew....
in Isaiah
Book of Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah is the first of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, preceding the books of Ezekiel, Jeremiah and the Book of the Twelve...
, and the Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
in Rabbi Berekiah and Rabbi Ahi in the name of Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani cited two more: Abraham in and Jacob in teaching that neither Patriarch would have asked God unless God had first offered to give them what they asked. (Genesis Rabbah 44:8.)
Genesis chapter 29
The Gemara cited the words “And it came to pass” in as an exception to the general rule taught by Rabbi Levi, or some say Rabbi Jonathan, in a tradition handed down from the Men of the Great AssemblyGreat Assembly
The Great Assembly or Anshei Knesset HaGedolah , also known as the Great Synagogue, was, according to Jewish tradition, an assembly of 120 scribes, sages, and prophets, in the period from the end of the Biblical prophets to the time of the development of Rabbinic Judaism, marking a transition from...
, that wherever the Bible employs the term “and it was” or “and it came to pass” , it indicates misfortune, as one can read wa-yehi as wai, hi, “woe, sorrow.” Thus the words, “And it came to pass when man began to multiply,” in are followed by the words, “God Saw that the wickedness of man was great,” in And the Gemara also cited the instances of followed by followed by Joshua
Book of Joshua
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament. Its 24 chapters tell of the entry of the Israelites into Canaan, their conquest and division of the land under the leadership of Joshua, and of serving God in the land....
followed by the rest of followed by followed by followed by close after followed by Ruth
Book of Ruth
The Book of Ruth is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh, or Old Testament. In the Jewish canon the Book of Ruth is included in the third division, or the Writings . In the Christian canon the Book of Ruth is placed between Judges and 1 Samuel...
followed by the rest of and Esther
Book of Esther
The Book of Esther is a book in the Ketuvim , the third section of the Jewish Tanakh and is part of the Christian Old Testament. The Book of Esther or the Megillah is the basis for the Jewish celebration of Purim...
followed by Haman
Haman (Bible)
Haman is the main antagonist in the Book of Esther, who, according to Old Testament tradition, was a 5th Century BC noble and vizier of the Persian empire under King Ahasuerus, traditionally identified as Artaxerxes II...
. But the Gemara also cited as counterexamples the words, “And there was evening and there was morning one day,” in as well as and So Rav Ashi replied that wa-yehi sometimes presages misfortune, and sometimes it does not, but the expression “and it came to pass in the days of” always presages misfortune. And for that proposition, the Gemara cited and (Babylonian Talmud Megillah 10b.)
The Gemara read to employ the euphemistic expression “not clean,” instead of the brief, but disparaging expression “unclean,” so as not to speak disparagingly of unclean animals. The Gemara reasoned that it was thus likely that Scripture would use euphemisms when speaking of the faults of righteous people, as with the words, “And the eyes of Leah were weak,” in (Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 123a.)
Book of Job
The Book of Job , commonly referred to simply as Job, is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. It relates the story of Job, his trials at the hands of Satan, his discussions with friends on the origins and nature of his suffering, his challenge to God, and finally a response from God. The book is a...
to teach that God rewards righteousness, even generations later. The Gemara taught that in reward for Rachel’s modesty as shown in her dealings with Jacob, God rewarded her with King Saul
Saul
-People:Saul is a given/first name in English, the Anglicized form of the Hebrew name Shaul from the Hebrew Bible:* Saul , including people with this given namein the Bible:* Saul , a king of Edom...
as a descendant. The Gemara taught that Jacob asked Rachel, “Will you marry me?” She replied, “Yes, but my father is a trickster, and he will outwit you.” Jacob replied, “I am his brother in trickery.” She said to him, “Is it permitted to the righteous to indulge in trickery?” He replied, “Yes, with the pure you show yourself pure, and with the crooked you show yourself subtle.” He asked her, “What is his trickery?” She replied: “I have a sister older than I am, and he will not let me marry before her.” So Jacob gave her certain tokens through which he could identify her. When night came, she said to herself, “Now my sister will be put to shame,” so she gave Leah the tokens. Thus when reports, “And it came to pass in the morning that, behold, it was Leah,” we are not to infer that up until then she had not been Leah, but rather that on account of the tokens that Rachel had given Leah, Jacob did not know until then that it was Leah. Therefore God rewarded Rachel with having Saul among her descendants. (Babylonian Talmud Megillah 13a–b, Bava Batra 123a.)
Rabbi Helbo
Rabbi Helbo was an amora who flourished about the end of the 3rd century, and who is frequently mentioned in both Talmuds. It seems that Ḥelbo was at first in Babylon, where he studied under Rav Huna, the head of the Academy of Sura, and that, like the other Babylonian amoraim, he was called "Rab"...
quoted Rabbi Jonathan
Rabbi Jonathan
Rabbi Jonathan was a Palestinian tanna of the 2nd century and schoolfellow of R. Josiah, apart from whom he is rarely quoted. Jonathan is generally so cited without further designation; but there is ample reason for identifying him with the less frequently occurring Jonathan b. Joseph Rabbi...
to teach that the firstborn should have come from Rachel, as says, “These are the generations of Jacob, Joseph,” but Leah prayed for mercy before Rachel did. On account of Rachel’s modesty, however, God restored the rights of the firstborn to Rachel’s son Joseph from Leah’s son Reuben. To teach what caused Leah to anticipate Rachel with her prayer for mercy, Rav
Abba Arika
Abba Arika was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora of the 3rd century who established at Sura the systematic study of the rabbinic traditions, which, using the Mishnah as text, led to the compilation of the Talmud...
taught that Leah’s eyes were sore (as reports) from her crying about what she heard at the crossroads. There she heard people saying: “Rebecca has two sons, and Laban has two daughters; the elder daughter should marry the elder son, and the younger daughter should marry the younger son.” Leah inquired about the elder son, and the people said that he was a wicked man, a highway robber. And Leah asked about the younger son, and the people said that he was “a quiet man dwelling in tents.” So she cried about her fate until her eyelashes fell out. This accounts for the words of “And the Lord saw that Leah was hated, and He opened her womb,” which mean not that Leah was actually hated, but rather that God saw that Esau’s conduct was hateful to Leah, so he rewarded her prayer for mercy by opening her womb first. (Babylonian Talmud Bava Batra 123a.)
The seven days of Jacob’s wedding feast in are reflected in the Sages’ ruling that if a groom developed symptoms of skin disease (tzaraat
Tzaraath
The Hebrew noun tzaraath describes a disfigurative condition mainly referred to in chapters 13-14 of Leviticus, as well as conditions equivalent to be "mildew" on clothes and houses.Tzaraath affects both animate...
), they granted him a delay of inspection to the end of the seven days of his marriage feast. (Babylonian Talmud Moed Katan 7b.)
Rabbi Johanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai
Simeon bar Yohai
Simeon bar Yochai, , also known by his acronym Rashbi, was a famous 1st-century tannaic sage in ancient Israel, active after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE...
that showed that from the day that God created the world, no man praised God until Leah did upon the birth of Judah. (Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 7b.)
Genesis chapter 30
Rabbi Simeon taught that because Rachel treated the righteous Jacob so slightingly (as to trade away sleeping with him for some mandrakes, as reported in ), she was not buried with him. Thus in Rachel said (in unwitting prophecy), “Therefore he [Jacob] shall lie with you [Leah],” hinting that Jacob would lie with Leah in death, and not with Rachel. Rabbi Berekiah taught that Rabbi Eleazar and Rabbi Samuel ben Nahman commented on this. Rabbi Eleazar said that each wife lost (by the transaction), and each gained. Leah lost the mandrakes and gained the tribes (of Issachar and Zebulun), while Rachel gained the mandrakes and lost the tribes (of Issachar and Zebulun). (And some say, Leah lost the birthright and Rachel gained the birthright. The birthright belonged to Reuben, but as a punishment for Reuben’s causing this transaction, the birthright was taken from him and given to Joseph.) Rabbi Samuel ben Nahman said that Leah lost mandrakes and gained (two) tribes and the privilege of burial with Jacob, while Rachel gained mandrakes and lost the tribes and burial with Jacob. (Genesis Rabbah 72:3.)Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani citing Rabbi Johanan taught that a woman who solicits her husband to have marital relations will bear children who have understanding. In support of that proposition, the Gemara noted that reports that Leah told Jacob, “You must come to me, for I have hired you,” leading to the conception and birth of Issachar, and 1 Chronicles
Books of Chronicles
The Books of Chronicles are part of the Hebrew Bible. In the Masoretic Text, it appears as the first or last book of the Ketuvim . Chronicles largely parallels the Davidic narratives in the Books of Samuel and the Books of Kings...
reports that “of the children of Issachar [were] men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.” (Babylonian Talmud Eruvin 100b, Nedarim 20b.)
Rabbi Johanan taught that the words “and he lay with her that night” in in which the word , hu (“He”) appears in an unusual locution, indicate that God assisted in causing Issachar’s conception. Rabbi Johanan found in the words “Issachar is a large-boned donkey” in an indication that Jacob’s donkey detoured to Leah’s tent, helping to cause Issachar’s birth. (Babylonian Talmud Niddah 31a.)
Rebbi
Judah haNasi
Judah the Prince, or Judah I, also known as Rebbi or Rabbeinu HaKadosh , was a 2nd-century CE rabbi and chief redactor and editor of the Mishnah. He was a key leader of the Jewish community during the Roman occupation of Judea . He was of the Davidic line, the royal line of King David, hence the...
(or some say Rabbi Judah ben Pazi) said in the name of the academy of Yannai that Dinah was originally conceived as a boy, but when Rachel prayed for another son in God transformed Dinah’s fetus into a girl, and that is why the description of Dinah’s birth in uses the word “afterward,” showing that this happened after Rachel prayed. (Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 92a.) And Rab
Abba Arika
Abba Arika was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora of the 3rd century who established at Sura the systematic study of the rabbinic traditions, which, using the Mishnah as text, led to the compilation of the Talmud...
taught that the word “afterward” in signified that Leah bore Dinah “after” she passed judgment on herself, reasoning that twelve tribes were destined to issue from Jacob and six had already issued from her and four from the handmaids, and if the child of the current pregnancy were to be a boy, then Rachel would not have as many sons as one of the handmaids. Thereupon the child was turned into a girl, and Dinah was born. (Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 60a.)
A Baraita taught that on Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn...
God remembered each of Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah and decreed that they would bear children. Rabbi Eliezer found support for the Baraita from the parallel use of the word “remember” in which says about Rachel, “And God remembered Rachel,” and in which calls Rosh Hashanah “a remembrance of the blast of the trumpet.” (Babylonian Talmud Rosh Hashanah 11a.)
Rabbi Johanan taught that God holds three keys that God does not entrust to any messenger: the key of rain, the key of childbirth, and the key of the revival of the dead. The Gemara cited to support the proposition that God holds the key of childbirth, as the verse says, “And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.” (Babylonian Talmud Taanit 2a–b.) And the Gemara noted that Scripture uses the verb “bear” with regard to both childbirth, in “she conceived, and bore a son,” and rain, in “the rain comes down and the snow from heaven, and returns not there, but waters the earth, and makes it bear and bud.” (Babylonian Talmud Taanit 8b.) Rabbi Akiba read the words “God . . . opened her womb” in to support the proposition that just as there is key to a house, there is a key to a woman’s fertility. (Babylonian Talmud Bekhorot 45a.)
Rabbi Judah ben Pazi said in the name of the academy of Rabbi Yannai that Rachel showed that she was a prophetess when in she prophesied that she would bear another son, and by using the singular “son” she foretold that Jacob would have just one more son. (Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 92a.)
The Tosefta deduced from that before Jacob arrived, Laban’s house had not received a blessing, and deduced from that it was because of Jacob’s arrival that Laban was blessed thereafter. (Tosefta Sotah 10:7.)
Genesis chapter 31
It was taught in a Baraita that Rabbi Akiva said that one of three things that he liked about the MedesMedes
The MedesThe Medes...
was that when they held counsel, they did so only in the field. Rav Adda bar Ahabah said that where Jacob called Rachel and Leah to the field, could be cited in support of the practice. (Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 8b.)
Ecclesiastes
The Book of Ecclesiastes, called , is a book of the Hebrew Bible. The English name derives from the Greek translation of the Hebrew title.The main speaker in the book, identified by the name or title Qoheleth , introduces himself as "son of David, king in Jerusalem." The work consists of personal...
), sees , hears (1 Kings
Books of Kings
The Book of Kings presents a narrative history of ancient Israel and Judah from the death of David to the release of his successor Jehoiachin from imprisonment in Babylon, a period of some 400 years...
), walks , falls , stands (Ezekiel
Book of Ezekiel
The Book of Ezekiel is the third of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah and preceding the Book of the Twelve....
), rejoices , cries (Lamentations
Book of Lamentations
The Book of Lamentations ) is a poetic book of the Hebrew Bible composed by the Jewish prophet Jeremiah. It mourns the destruction of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple in the 6th Century BCE....
), is comforted , is troubled , becomes hardened , grows faint , grieves , fears , can be broken , becomes proud , rebels (Jeremiah
Book of Jeremiah
The Book of Jeremiah is the second of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the book of Isaiah and preceding Ezekiel and the Book of the Twelve....
), invents , cavils , overflows , devises , desires , goes astray , lusts , is refreshed , is humbled , is enticed , errs , trembles , is awakened (Song of Songs
Song of songs
Song of Songs, also known as the Song of Solomon, is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. It may also refer to:In music:* Song of songs , the debut album by David and the Giants* A generic term for medleysPlays...
), loves , hates , envies , is searched , is rent (Joel
Book of Joel
The Book of Joel is part of the Hebrew Bible. Joel is part of a group of twelve prophetic books known as the Minor Prophets or simply as The Twelve; the distinction 'minor' indicates the short length of the text in relation to the larger prophetic texts known as the "Major Prophets".-Content:After...
), meditates , is like a fire , is like a stone , turns in repentance , becomes hot , dies , melts (Joshua
Book of Joshua
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament. Its 24 chapters tell of the entry of the Israelites into Canaan, their conquest and division of the land under the leadership of Joshua, and of serving God in the land....
), takes in words , is susceptible to fear , gives thanks , covets , becomes hard , makes merry , acts deceitfully , speaks from out of itself , loves bribes , writes words , plans , receives commandments , acts with pride (Obadiah
Book of Obadiah
The canonical Book of Obadiah is an oracle concerning the divine judgment of Edom and the restoration of Israel. The text consists of a single chapter, divided into 21 verses, making it the shortest book in the Hebrew Bible....
), makes arrangements , and aggrandizes itself . (Ecclesiastes Rabbah
Ecclesiastes Rabbah
Ecclesiastes Rabbah or Kohelet Rabbah is an haggadic commentary on Ecclesiastes, included in the collection of the Midrash Rabbot. It follows the Biblical book verse by verse, only a few verses remaining without comment. In the list of the old sedarim for the Bible four sedarim are assigned to...
1:36.)
The Rabbis taught that God appears to non-Jews only in dreams, as God appeared to Laban the “in a dream of the night” in God appeared to Abimelech
Abimelech
Abimelech was a common name of the Philistine kings.Abimelech was most prominently the name of a king of Gerar who is mentioned in two of the three wife-sister narratives in Genesis...
“in a dream of the night” in and God appeared to Balaam
Balaam
Balaam is a diviner in the Torah, his story occurring towards the end of the Book of Numbers. The etymology of his name is uncertain, and discussed below. Every ancient reference to Balaam considers him a non-Israelite, a prophet, and the son of Beor, though Beor is not so clearly identified...
“at night” in The Rabbis taught that God thus appeared more openly to the prophets of Israel than to those of other nations. The Rabbis compared God’s action to those of a king who has both a wife and a concubine
Concubinage
Concubinage is the state of a woman or man in an ongoing, usually matrimonially oriented, relationship with somebody to whom they cannot be married, often because of a difference in social status or economic condition.-Concubinage:...
; to his wife he goes openly, but to his concubine he goes stealthily. (Genesis Rabbah 52:5.) And a Midrash taught that God’s appearance to Laban in and God’s appearance to Abimelech in were the two instances where the Pure and Holy One allowed God’s self to be associated with impure (idolatrous) people, on behalf of righteous ones. (Midrash Tanhuma
Tanhuma
Midrash Tanhuma is the name given to three different collections of Pentateuch haggadot; two are extant, while the third is known only through citations. These midrashim, although bearing the name of R. Tanḥuma, must not be regarded as having been written or edited by him...
Vayeitzei 12.)
A Midrash taught that the words of “And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night,” indicated God’s distance from Laban. Rabbi Leazar taught that the words of “The Lord is far from the wicked,” refer to the prophets of other nations. But the continuation of “He hears the prayer of the righteous,” refers to the prophets of Israel. God appears to nations other that Israel only as one who comes from a distance, as says, “They came from a far country to me.” But in connection with the prophets of Israel, says, “And the Lord appeared,” and says, “And the Lord called,” implying from the immediate vicinity. Rabbi Haninah compared the difference between the prophets of Israel and the prophets of other nations to a king who was with his friend in a chamber (separated by a curtain). Whenever the king desired to speak to his friend, he folded up the curtain and spoke to him. (But God speaks to the prophets of other nations without folding back the curtain.) The Rabbis compared it to a king who has a wife and a concubine; to his wife he goes openly, but to his concubine he repairs with stealth. Similarly, God appears to non-Jews only at night, as says, “And God came to Balaam at night,” and says, “And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night.” (Genesis Rabbah 52:5.)
Rabbi Aibu taught that when Laban’s grandchildren heard Laban ask in “Why have you stolen my gods?” they exclaimed that they were ashamed that in his old age their grandfather could say that these idols were his gods. (Genesis Rabbah 74:8.)
A Midrash taught that Rachel’s death ensued because Jacob told Laban in “With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live.” The Midrash thus taught that Jacob’s words were (in the words of Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes
The Book of Ecclesiastes, called , is a book of the Hebrew Bible. The English name derives from the Greek translation of the Hebrew title.The main speaker in the book, identified by the name or title Qoheleth , introduces himself as "son of David, king in Jerusalem." The work consists of personal...
) “like an error that proceeds from a ruler.” (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 10:6.)
The Gemara interpreted the words, “If you shall afflict my daughters, and if you shall take wives beside my daughters,” in to mean that Jacob forswore two kinds of affliction. The Gemara read “if you shall afflict” to mean by denying conjugal duty, and the Gemara read “if you shall take” to refer to marrying rival wives. Thus the Gemara deduced that abstention from marital intercourse is considered an affliction. (Babylonian Talmud Yoma 77a–b.)
Commandments
According to MaimonidesMaimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
and Sefer ha-Chinuch
Sefer ha-Chinuch
The Sefer ha-Chinuch , often simply "the Chinuch" is a work which systematically discusses the 613 commandments of the Torah. It was published anonymously in 13th century Spain...
, there are no commandments
Mitzvah
The primary meaning of the Hebrew word refers to precepts and commandments as commanded by God...
in the parshah. (Maimonides. Mishneh Torah
Mishneh Torah
The Mishneh Torah subtitled Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka is a code of Jewish religious law authored by Maimonides , one of history's foremost rabbis...
. Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt, 1170–1180. Reprinted in Maimonides. The Commandments: Sefer Ha-Mitzvoth of Maimonides. Translated by Charles B. Chavel, 2 vols. London: Soncino Press, 1967. ISBN 0-900689-71-4. Sefer HaHinnuch: The Book of [Mitzvah] Education. Translated by Charles Wengrov, 1:87. Jerusalem: Feldheim Pub., 1991. ISBN 0-87306-179-9.)
Haftarah
The haftarahHaftarah
The haftarah or haftoroh is a series of selections from the books of Nevi'im of the Hebrew Bible that is publicly read in synagogue as part of Jewish religious practice...
for the parshah is:
- for Ashkenazi JewsAshkenazi JewsAshkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
: HoseaBook of HoseaThe Book of Hosea is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. It stands first in order among what are known as the twelve Minor Prophets.-Background and Content:...
- for Sephardi JewsSephardi JewsSephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
: - for Karaite JewsKaraite JudaismKaraite Judaism or Karaism is a Jewish movement characterized by the recognition of the Tanakh alone as its supreme legal authority in Halakhah, as well as in theology...
:
In the liturgy
The PassoverPassover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
Haggadah
Haggadah of Pesach
The Haggadah is a Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder. Reading the Haggadah at the Seder table is a fulfillment of the Scriptural commandment to each Jew to "tell your son" of the Jewish liberation from slavery in Egypt as described in the Book of Exodus in the Torah...
, in the concluding nirtzah section of the Seder
Passover Seder
The Passover Seder is a Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted on the evenings of the 14th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, and on the 15th by traditionally observant Jews living outside Israel. This corresponds to late March or April in...
, in a reference to recounts how God frightened the Aramean Laban in the night. (Menachem Davis. The Interlinear Haggadah: The Passover Haggadah, with an Interlinear Translation, Instructions and Comments, 108. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2005. ISBN 1-57819-064-9. Joseph Tabory. JPS Commentary on the Haggadah: Historical Introduction, Translation, and Commentary, 123. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8276-0858-0.)
The doubling of the Hebrew word nikhsof to express intense longing in also appears in the 16th Century Safed
Safed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
Rabbi Eliezer Azikri’s kabbalistic
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
poem Yedid Nefesh (“Soul’s Beloved”), which many congregations chant just before the Kabbalat Shabbat prayer service
Jewish services
Jewish prayer are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book....
. (Reuven Hammer. Or Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom
Siddur Sim Shalom
Siddur Sim Shalom may refer to any siddur in a family of siddurim, Jewish prayerbooks, and related commentaries on these siddurim, published by the Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism....
for Shabbat and Festivals, 14. New York: The Rabbinical Assembly, 2003. ISBN 0916219208.)
Many Jews recite three times as part of the Tefilat HaDerech
Tefilat HaDerech
Tefilat HaDerech or the Traveler's Prayer or Wayfarer's Prayer in English, is a prayer for a safe journey recited by Jews, when they travel, by air, sea, and even on long car trips. It is recited at the onset of every journey, and preferably done standing but this is not necessary...
(Wayfarer’s Prayer), said on setting out on a journey. (Menachem Davis. The Schottenstein Edition Siddur for Weekdays with an Interlinear Translation, 311–12. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 2002. ISBN 1-57819-686-8.)
The Weekly Maqam
In the Weekly MaqamThe Weekly Maqam
In Mizrahi and Sephardic Middle Eastern Jewish prayer services, each Shabbat the congregation conducts services using a different maqam. A maqam , which in Arabic literally means 'place', is a standard melody type and set of related tunes. The melodies used in a given maqam aims effectively to...
, Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
each week base the songs of the services on the content of that week's parshah. For Parshah Vayetze, Sephardi Jews apply Maqam Ajam, the maqam that expresses happiness, commemorating the joy and happiness of the weddings of Jacob to Leah and Rachel.
Biblical
(courtship at the well); (improvident oath). (courtship at the well); (domestic animals lost to wild animals). (improvident oath).Classical rabbinic
- ToseftaToseftaThe Tosefta is a compilation of the Jewish oral law from the period of the Mishnah.-Overview:...
: Sotah 10:7–8; Avodah Zarah 4:5. Land of Israel, circa 300 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew, with a New Introduction. Translated by Jacob Neusner, 1:877; 2:1275. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 2002. ISBN 1-56563-642-2. - Jerusalem TalmudJerusalem TalmudThe Jerusalem Talmud, talmud meaning "instruction", "learning", , is a collection of Rabbinic notes on the 2nd-century Mishnah which was compiled in the Land of Israel during the 4th-5th century. The voluminous text is also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud de-Eretz Yisrael...
Berakhot 43a, 92a. Land of Israel, circa 400 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., Talmud Yerushalmi. Edited by Chaim Malinowitz, Yisroel Simcha Schorr, and Mordechai Marcus, vols. 1–2. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2005–2006. - Genesis RabbaGenesis RabbaGenesis Rabba is a religious text from Judaism's classical period. It is a midrash comprising a collection of ancient rabbinical homiletical interpretations of the Book of Genesis ....
h 68:1–74:17. Land of Israel, 5th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Genesis. Translated by H. Freedman and Maurice Simon. London: Soncino Press, 1939. ISBN 0-900689-38-2.
- Babylonian TalmudTalmudThe Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
: Berakhot 4a, 7b, 8b, 26b, 42a, 60a, 62b; Shabbat 80b, 115b; Eruvin 100b; Yoma 38b, 74b, 77a; Sukkah 53a; Rosh Hashanah 11a; Taanit 2b; Megillah 9a, 10b, 13b, 17a; Moed Katan 7b, 15a, 21b; Yevamot 26b–27a, 28b, 62b, 97b, 103b; Ketubot 7b, 47b, 50a, 91b; Nedarim 20b, 64b; Nazir 23b, 50a; Bava Kamma 65b; Bava Metzia 93b; Bava Batra 123a–b; Sanhedrin 29a, 39b, 98b; Makkot 19b; Avodah Zarah 3a, 5a, 9a, 24b; Menachot 63a; Chullin 18b, 91b; Bekhorot 45a; Niddah 31a–b. Babylonia, 6th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Talmud Bavli. Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 vols. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006.
Medieval
- RashiRashiShlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
. Commentary. Genesis 28–32. TroyesTroyesTroyes is a commune and the capital of the Aube department in north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about southeast of Paris. Many half-timbered houses survive in the old town...
, France, late 11th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Rashi. The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated. Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, 1:309–57. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1995. ISBN 0-89906-026-9. - Judah HaleviYehuda HaleviJudah Halevi was a Spanish Jewish physician, poet and philosopher. He was born in Spain, either in Toledo or Tudela, in 1075 or 1086, and died shortly after arriving in Palestine in 1141...
. KuzariKuzariThe Kitab al Khazari, commonly called the Kuzari, is one of most famous works of the medieval Spanish Jewish philosopher and poet Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, completed around 1140. Its title is an Arabic phrase meaning Book of the Khazars...
. 2:14, 50, 80. ToledoToledo, SpainToledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
, Spain, 1130–1140. Reprinted in, e.g., Jehuda Halevi. Kuzari: An Argument for the Faith of Israel. Intro. by Henry Slonimsky, 91, 114, 133. New York: Schocken, 1964. ISBN 0-8052-0075-4.
- ZoharZoharThe Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology...
1:146b–65b. Spain, late 13th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., The Zohar. Translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon. 5 vols. London: Soncino Press, 1934.
Modern
- Thomas HobbesThomas HobbesThomas Hobbes of Malmesbury , in some older texts Thomas Hobbs of Malmsbury, was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy...
. LeviathanLeviathan (book)Leviathan or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Common Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil — commonly called simply Leviathan — is a book written by Thomas Hobbes and published in 1651. Its name derives from the biblical Leviathan...
, 3:34, 36; 4:45. England, 1651. Reprint edited by C. B. MacphersonC. B. MacphersonCrawford Brough Macpherson O.C. M.Sc. D. Sc. was an influential Canadian political scientist who taught political theory at the University of Toronto.-Life:...
, 437, 460, 676–77. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Classics, 1982. ISBN 0140431950. - Moshe Chaim LuzzattoMoshe Chaim LuzzattoMoshe Chaim Luzzatto , also known by the Hebrew acronym RaMCHaL , was a prominent Italian Jewish rabbi, kabbalist, and philosopher.-Padua:Born in Padua at night, he received classical Jewish and Italian educations, showing a...
Mesillat YesharimMesillat YesharimThe Mesillat Yesharim is an ethical text composed by the influential Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto . It is quite different from Luzzato's other writings, which are more philosophical....
, ch. 4. Amsterdam, 1740. Reprinted in Mesillat Yesharim: The Path of the Just, 53. Jerusalem: Feldheim, 1966. ISBN 0-87306-114-4. - Abraham Isaac KookAbraham Isaac KookAbraham Isaac Kook was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandate for Palestine, the founder of the Religious Zionist Yeshiva Merkaz HaRav, Jewish thinker, Halachist, Kabbalist and a renowned Torah scholar...
. The Moral Principles. Early 20th Century. Reprinted in Abraham Isaac Kook: the Lights of Penitence, the Moral Principles, Lights of Holiness, Essays, Letters, and Poems. Translated by Ben Zion BokserBen Zion Bokser-Biography:Bokser was born in Lubomi, Poland, and emigrated to the United States at the age of 13 in 1920. He attended City College of New York and Rabbi Isaac Elhanan Theological Seminary, followed by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and Columbia University...
, 162. Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist Press 1978. ISBN 0-8091-2159-X.
- Irving Fineman. Jacob, An Autobiograhical Novel. New York: Random House, 1941.
- Thomas MannThomas MannThomas Mann was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and 1929 Nobel Prize laureate, known for his series of highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novellas, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual...
. Joseph and His BrothersJoseph and His BrothersJoseph and His Brothers is a four-part novel by Thomas Mann, written over the course of 16 years. Mann retells the familiar stories of Genesis, from Jacob to Joseph , setting it in the historical context of the Amarna Period...
. Translated by John E. WoodsJohn E. WoodsJohn E. Woods is a translator who specializes in translating German literature, since about 1978. His work includes much of the fictional prose of Arno Schmidt and the works of contemporary authors such as Ingo Schulze and Christoph Ransmayr...
, 24–25, 37, 47, 51, 87, 103–12, 119–20, 124–25, 135, 138, 142, 173–305, 307, 313, 323, 334, 337, 384–86, 388–92, 425, 460, 474, 488, 491–93, 502–03, 511, 515, 517, 519, 524, 530, 669–70, 676–77, 690–91, 693, 715–16, 729–30, 778, 805, 814, 883, 915. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. ISBN 1-4000-4001-9. Originally published as Joseph und seine Brüder. Stockholm: Bermann-Fischer Verlag, 1943. - Charles ReznikoffCharles ReznikoffCharles Reznikoff was the poet for whom the term Objectivist was first coined. When asked by Harriet Munroe to provide an introduction to what became known as the Objectivist issue of Poetry, Louis Zukofsky provided his essay Sincerity and Objectification: With Special Reference to the Work of...
. Luzzato: Padua 1727. Mid 20th Century. In Harold BloomHarold BloomHarold Bloom is an American writer and literary critic, and is Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. He is known for his defense of 19th-century Romantic poets, his unique and controversial theories of poetic influence, and his prodigious literary output, particularly for a literary...
. American Religious Poems, 247. Library of America, 2006. ISBN 978-1-931082-74-7. - Margaret AtwoodMargaret AtwoodMargaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...
. The Handmaid's TaleThe Handmaid's TaleThe Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel, a work of science fiction or speculative fiction, written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and first published by McClelland and Stewart in 1985...
. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1986. ISBN 0-395-40425-8. - Lawrence Kushner. God Was in This Place and I, I Did Not Know: Finding Self, Spirituality and Ultimate Meaning. Jewish Lights Publishing, 1993. ISBN 1879045338.
- Pat SchneiderPat SchneiderPat Schneider is an American writer, poet and editor.-Biography:Schneider was educated at Central College in Missouri, and earned her MA from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. In 1979 she became a graduate of the MFA Program for Poets & Writers at the University of...
Welcoming Angels. In Long Way Home: Poems, 90. Amherst, Mass.: Amherst Writers and Artists Press, 1993. ISBN 0-941895-11-4. - Aaron WildavskyAaron WildavskyAaron Wildavsky was an American political scientist known for his pioneering work in public policy, government budgeting, and risk management....
. Assimilation versus Separation: Joseph the Administrator and the Politics of Religion in Biblical Israel, 5–6, 8. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 1993. ISBN 1-56000-081-3. - Adin SteinsaltzAdin SteinsaltzRabbi Adin Steinsaltz or Adin Even Yisrael is a teacher, philosopher, social critic, and spiritual mentor, who has been hailed by Time magazine as a "once-in-a-millennium scholar". He has devoted his life to making the Talmud accessible to all Jews...
. Simple Words: Thinking About What Really Matters in Life, 199. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999. ISBN 068484642X. - Alan Lew. This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation, 154–55. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 2003. ISBN 0-316-73908-1.
- Denise LevertovDenise Levertov-Early life and influences:Levertov was born and grew up in Ilford, Essex.Couzyn, Jeni Contemporary Women Poets. Bloodaxe, p74 Her mother, Beatrice Spooner-Jones Levertoff, came from a small mining village in North Wales...
. “The Jacob’s Ladder” in Harold Bloom, American Religious Poems, 379. Library of America, 2006. ISBN 978-1-931082-74-7. - Suzanne A. Brody. “Leah’s Lesson.” In Dancing in the White Spaces: The Yearly Torah Cycle and More Poems, 68. Shelbyville, Kentucky: Wasteland Press, 2007. ISBN 1-60047-112-9.
- Esther JungreisEsther JungreisEsther Jungreis is the founder of the international Hineni movement in America. A Holocaust survivor, she has made it her life's mission to bring back Jews to Orthodox Judaism.-Biography:...
. Life Is a Test, 77–78, 130, 134, 163. Brooklyn: Shaar Press, 2007. ISBN 1-4226-0609-0.
- Jonathan GoldsteinJonathan Goldstein (author)Jonathan Stuart Goldstein is an American-Canadian author, humourist and radio producer. Goldstein is known for his work on the radio programs This American Life and WireTap.-Biography:...
. “Jacob and Esau.” In Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bible!Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bible!Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bible! is a book written by author and radio presenter Jonathan Goldstein. The book is a comedic retelling of the Old Testament stories such as Adam and Eve, Samson, Noah, and David and Goliath. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bible! also includes a story narrated by Joseph,...
105–14. New York: Riverhead Books, 2009. ISBN 978-1-59448-367-7. - Raymond Westbrook. “Good as His Word: Jacob Manipulates Justice.” Biblical Archaeology Review. 35 (3) (May/June 2009): 50–55, 64.
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