TORAH SPARKS
Parashat Vayetse
December 9-10, 2016 10
Kislev 5777
Annual (Genesis 28:10-32:3): Etz Hayim p.
166-187; Hertz p. 106-117
Triennial (Genesis 28:10-30:13): Etz Hayim p.
166-176; Hertz p. 106-111
Haftarah (Hosea 12:13-14:10): Etz Hayim p. 188-193;
Hertz p. 118-121
The Shirley & Jacob Fuchsberg Center
8 Agron Street, P.O. Box
7456, Jerusalem, Israel 94265
Tel:
972-2-625-6386 Fax: 972-2-623-4127
Jacob: A Story of Self
Transformation
Yardén Raber, CY Talmud Faculty
Our forefathers are not
necessarily depicted by the Torah as flawless heroes, but rather as
flesh-and-blood creatures with human faults and natural inclinations. Jacob is
perhaps the clearest example of this phenomenon: his life is marked by enmity
towards his brother, and his behavior toward others has serious implications in
his life s journey. It is in fact this behavior that ultimately leads Jacob to
flee his own land after having deceived Esau. However, as we might see in this
week s Parashah, this forced exile is what opens the possibility for
Jacob s personal journey toward repentance.
Apparently the exile from the
Land of Israel has not only personal implications for Jacob but also theological
ones. The S fat Emet (Rabbi Yehudah Arieh Alter, Poland, 19th-20th Cent.) asserts that by fleeing
the Land, Jacob is also taking a step back from God. Nevertheless, this is not
necessarily a bad thing; on the contrary, being away from God is what awakens
in Jacob a greater desire to reveal the godly essence that dwells in his inner
being. In other words, while in exile Jacob engages in a
thorough search for God
through tikun atzmi, a process of self transformation. Throughout this
whole process he faces situations that force him to put himself in the place of
the victim and the oppressed. Just as Jacob deceived his brother Esau by
stealing from him the first- born s blessing, he is now deceived by Laban. It
seems that Jacob s own deception tactics are now directed against himself:
while Rachel, Laban s younger daughter, has apparently been allotted to Jacob,
it is indeed Leah, the eldest daughter, who is given to him first. The
situation which had forced him to flee in the first place has been reversed;
Jacob now learns what it is to be on the receiving end.
Jacob s relationship with Leah
is depicted as a very problematic one. In fact, Jacob loves Rachel, but hates
Leah (Gen. 29:31-33), thus leading to an enduring confrontation between the two
sisters. However, according to Rabbi Isaac Abarbanel (Portugal-Spain-Italy,
15th-16th Cent.) it is precisely this
relationship what leads Jacob into a new stage of self- awareness and personal
transformation. Abarbanel argues that every child that Jacob and Leah bore
together helped him clear the hatred from his heart, until it was wholly
eradicated. That is to say, parenthood made of Jacob a completely new man.
Our patriarch has now
undergone two fundamental changes: on the one hand, he has been in the place of
the oppressed and is therefore aware of his own mistakes; on the other, he has
now completely cleared up his heart from any sort of resentment toward
others. Only after this process of tikun atzmi is he able to
re-encounter God, who is reflected in every single human being. Jacob has
now returned to his true self; therefore, he is now ready to go back to his
own land and to look at his brother s face again.
A Vort
for Parashat Vayetse
Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb, CY Faculty
Jacob leaves for Haran, where
his mother Rivka s family still lives, with a problematic vow – he
promises loyalty to God if God protects and provides for him, and if I return
[v shavti b shalom] safely/in peace to my father s house
(Gen 28:21). Rashi departs from the simple meaning of b shalom and says
it means shalem min ha chet free from sin, that I not learn the ways of Lavan.
The Vaiyichtov Moshe says that had the
Torah wanted to say, and if (God) return me in peace, it would have used the hiphil,
causal form, v heshevani. God watches over our physical wholeness,
he explains; but protection from sin is our responsibility All
is in God s control, except the fear of God (Talmud Brachot 33b).
Table
Talk
Vered
Hollander-Goldfarb, CY Faculty
In this Parasha Yaakov (Jacob) becomes a
patriarch. As he leaves the country (he will return at the end of the
Parasha), he is promised by God to receive the land of Israel. He arrives at
his uncle Laban, marries Laban s 2 daughters and their 2 handmaids, and sires
12 children. He also proves to be a very knowledgeable and hard working
shepherd.
1) On his way from his home in Be er Sheva
towards Aram (in Syria) Yaakov stops to spend the night. 28:11 puts great
stress on the location (makom) that Jacob is in, a stress that continues
in vv.16-19. Why do you think that Jacob is so aware of his location at this
point in his life? What is the name of the location (v.19)? Many years later,
the kingdom of Israel will have one of its main shrines in that place (I Kings
12:26-29). How might our story be related to that?
2) Upon arriving, Yaakov goes to the well
(29:2-9). Why do you think that this is his destination of choice? Who else
went to the well as he arrived in a place where he knew no one (look at
24:10-14)? What other point(s) of similarity can you find between the 2
stories?
3) Yaakov, wishing to marry Rachel, Laban s
daughter, makes an agreement with Laban regarding the bride s price that he
will pay (29:18-21). How much will he pay? Look at the contract that they
agree on: How specific was Yaakov regarding who he is intending to marry
(v.18)?
4) Leah, who finds herself as the unloved wife
of Yaakov, does provide him with
7 children (29:32-30:21). How many boys and
how many girls does she have? Note their names. Based on that, when did
Leah s relationship with Yaakov change? Who is the first child with a positive
reason behind his name?
5) Rachel also has children, but only after
many years. Read 30:22-24 carefully. How did Rachel feel during all the years
that she could not bear children? How many reasons are given for the name that
she gives her first son? What is his name? What are the reasons?