Seven is a significant number – in Judaism in general and in Genesis in particular. And the seventh portion proves to be both unique and holly, as its number suggests.
Jabob’s Ladder
The portion opens with a brief, though dramatic return of God - that same figure that was at the center, or was the center, of the first several portions and then withered away – through the wonderful story of Jacob's Ladder. This magical dream, where a ladder stands on the ground "and its head reaches the heavens, and there the Angels of God climb up and down on it" (Gen. 28:12), is one of the most multi-faceted apparition in a book where dreams play major role. Indeed, generations of interpreters found hidden meanings in that story and the Kaballah adopted its text as one of its earliest tenets.
To me, however, the seventh portion is unique in that it demonstrates, in astonishing detail, the next twenty years in the life of Jacob – the Third Father of our nation who gave birth to the twelve sons (and one daughter) who later became the twelve tribes of Israel.
Jabob’s Journey
A quick reminder: After being blessed (erroneously) by his father, Jaboc hears word that his brother Esau is somewhat dissatisfied. Or, as the text puts it – and I paraphrase – “as soon as the mourning days will pass on my father, I will kill my brother.” (Gen. 27:41). This murder plan is astonishing, in particular since Isaac (the father) is not even dead yet. But Esau can’t be bothered with niceties: He is so furious about the act of stealing his Birthright that he already plans ahead, beyond his father’s death. (A brownie point here to readers who identify themes from the first murder of a younger brother by his elder, several portions back.) Hearing of his plan, Rivkah, the wise mother who always supported Jacob over his brother, comes up with an ingenious solutions: Jacob would go to her brother, Laban (whom we met earlier, in the story of Isaac’s slave who came to select her as a wife), who lives far enough to escape Esau’s ire. Yet, like every smart woman, she wants to present the plan to Isaac in a way that he, Isaac, would think that it was his idea. So we find the following amusing and over-dramatized dialogue: (Gen. 27:46-28:2)
“And Rebecca said to Isaac: I have no more use of my life, all due to the daughters of Chat – if Jacob were to take a wife from the daughters of Chat, like the other daughters of this country, what point does my life have anymore? And Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and ordered him and said: You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Knaan; get up and go …. [away] and take a wife from the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.”
And so we finally come to the beginning of our portion, where Jacob begins his journey in the opposite direction of his grandfather’s – who came all the way from Aram (roughly Iraq) to Israel – in order to find a wife. Recall that Abraham, said grandfather, did not send his son there to find a wife, but used a slave to “import” Rivkah. Jacob is not that lucky, however, and he’s going there by foot, all by himself, and without any property.
Think for a moment of this “tent-dweller,” an ancient-world chef who focused until now on cooking and talking with the women in the tent. Not much navigation skills. Not many hours hiking and hunting for food. Yet he’s now bound to walk all the way through the early Middle-East to find the right woman (and escape his brother revenge).
The text tells us nothing about the journey, other than the dream about the Ladder; the next time we encounter Jacob is when he meets his future wife, Rachel. And what a meeting that is. [Thanks to Meir Shalev for introducing this idea.] Imagine that: A bunch of three lazy goat-herders are awaiting in the sun by the big well in the field. They don’t water their herds – they can’t, as the stone covering the well is too large; only when all the goat herders assemble they can move away the stone together. [An economic analysis of this arrangement led to new thinking about collective bargaining and the “tragedy of the commons”; but that’s for another time.] Jacob, gathering information, finds out that Rachel, the son of Laban (his mother’s brother), is about to appear any moment – she’s also a goat herder, and she’s coming to water her sheep. Jacob is puzzled: why are all of you sitting here doing nothing? The day is far from over, and you can go and herd your sheep. [Perhaps he wants the place for himself, to be alone with Rachel.] But the lazy herders respond: No, we’re not going anywhere; we have to wait until all the herders come along before we can water the sheep. (Gen. 29: 1-8)
The Arrival of Rachel
After setting the scene, “while he’s still talking to them” [Job, anyone?] Rachel arrives. And what an entrance it that. Recall that the biblical text loves to praise the beauty of our mothers – Sarah was so beautiful that of all the women in Egypt the King wanted her to himself; Rivkah was so beautiful that Isaac, just like his father, preferred to lie about her than to be killed by another king who wanted her (Avimelech). But Rachel is in another league: She was so beautiful, that the text gushes: “And Rachel was both beautiful (Yefat Toar) and a feast to the eyes (Yefat Mareh).” (Gen. 29:17)
So Rachel, and her sheep, moves slowly into the field. Instead of introducing himself, Jacob then performs a series of four amazing deeds, each intends to impress his future wife in a different way: (1) First, on his own, this “tent-dweller” who just finished a very difficult single traverse of the ancient Middle-East, lifts the huge stone over the well – without any help from the other herders; he then (2) waters only the herd of Rachel, lest there be doubt as for whom did he perform this Herculean task; he then (3) kisses Rachel, no doubt to her great amazement – he still didn’t utter a word, while she is still shocked by the single-handed feat she just witnessed (I doubt if anyone has ever even tried that before; the stone probably looked like no one should try to lift it on his own); and then, yet another twist: (4) Jacob begins crying and sobbing (yes; he just broke the world-record of Strong-Man, and now he’s weeping like a baby). Only then, finally, Jacob tells Rachel: I’m actually your relative, your uncle – or, more accurately, your cousin, the son of Rivkah, your father’s sister. (Gen. 29: 9-13) Can she not fall in love with this man-for-all-women?
She does, and he falls in love too. He then works seven years for her, during which he is not allowed to touch her. [All you “first-date action fans” out there, think about that for a moment: Not for a month, not for a year, not even for five years – Seven whole years and they never materialized their love.] Yet Jacobs utters one of the most romantic statements of all times when he summarizes this period: And those days were “as several days passed by as he loved her so.” (Gen. 29:20)
Laban, the sneaky Uncle, does everything is his powers to deny Jacob of his prized love. Even after the seven years are up he cheats Jabob into marrying Leah, Rachel’s elder sister. (“This shall not be done in our place,” he explains to his shocked nephew, “taking the younger sister prior to her elder.” (Gen. 29:26)). And he makes Jacob work seven more years for Rachel, and six more for some sheep. But love concurs all, and Jacob leaves Laban pretty much the opposite of how he came to him: not alone – but married to two women and having many children; not penniless – but rich and famous. Not a young man – but a grown person in his full powers.
Jabob’s Monologue
Laban, who envies the man who came to him barefoot and alone twenty years earlier, can’t bear the thought he’s leaving him with both his daughters and so much property (despite the fact he worked for them for twenty years). He chases Jaboc and accuses him of stealing his medicines (an interesting story that would repeat itself later with Tamar; but we can’t discuss it here). Then, in an astonishing turn, Jabob – who was silent all these years, never complained, never argued with his deceitful uncle – finally relents and delivers one of the most moving monologues in all of Genesis. Opening a narrow window into what he went through all those years, he says: (Gen. 31:38-42)
“For twenty years I have been servant to you . . . not once have I eaten from your herd; not once have I violated your property; I myself made good on any loss to your herd – whether stolen by day or stolen by night [an interesting comment on the different laws, perhaps, that applied to theft in different times of the day]. Often scorching heat ravaged me by day, and icy-freezing temperatures by night bearing sleep impossible. I have spent twenty years at your home, working all the while: Fourteen years working for your two daughters, and six years for your sheep, and you have earned my salary scores time over.”
Laban tries to argue – “the daughters are mine, and the sheep are mine, and everything you see here is mine” – but quickly suggests a pact. Jacob agrees and they part ways amicably. So comes to an end one of the most fascinating chapters in our history. Loves concurs all, and Jacob’s back on his way to Israel. Now he realizes that fraudulent Laban was merely a warm-up: His vengeful brother awaits him in Israel.
To be continued. Shabat Shalom.
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