Seven is a significant number, both in Judaism generally and in
the Five Books of Moshe in particular. It is a holy number, which carries many
a connotation. The seventh portion of the week – Va’yai’tzai (literally, “when
he left” as in “When Ya’akov left Be’er She’va in order to go ….”) – proves to
be apt for the task its number suggests: It is holy, unique, and very
significant. Today I would like to make four short comments on this seventh
portion of the week, which continues to tell the story of Ya’akov.
I. Ya’akov’s Ladder: An Introductory Note
The portion begins with a brief, though dramatic and very
powerful, return of the image of God - the same God that was at the epicenter,
if not constituted the center, of
the first several portions, only to then wither away at the last two – through
the wonderful story of Ya’akov'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 apparitions in all of Genesis – a book where dreams play a major
role. Indeed, generations of interpreters found hidden meanings in that
story, and the Kaballah itself – a tradition much more complex and ambiguous
than portrayed by some of today’s Hollywood celebs – has adopted its text and
symbolism as one of its earliest tenets.
Indeed, the actual meaning of the “Angels of God” who appear in the
dream (as climbing up and down the ladder, without a discernable function), as
well as that of the image of God himself – who is positioned atop of the
ladder, the first time He is visible to Ya’akov (recall what is the punishment
for seeing God in other places in the bible) – have provided many a commentator
much food for thought. Another interesting
point of reference is Ya’akov’s first comment once awakened from the dream:
“Indeed God exists in this place, and I did not know.” (Gen. 28:16). Is it possible that our own Ya’akov was not
aware of God’s omnipresence?
Much like with the story of the Akeda (sacrifice of Yitzchak), I
would not be able to even begin to explore the complexity of the story of
Ya’akov’s ladder in this post. Luckily,
the seventh portion is not unique only in its description celestial dreams; it
is also unique in its exceptionally detailed description of the next twenty
years in the life of Ya’akov. It describes how this Third Father of our nation
who gave birth to the twelve sons (and one daughter) who later became the
twelve tribes of Israel, became the mythic figure we came to adore. To that I
would like to dedicate my next few comments.
II. Ya’akov’s
Journey
To recap where we are in Ya’akov story: After being blessed
(erroneously, apparently) by his aging father Yitzchak as the elder son,
Ya’akov hears word that his brother Esav is somewhat dissatisfied. Or, to use Esav’s own words– and I only
somewhat paraphrasing here: “As soon as the mourning period over my father is
over, I shall kill my brother.” (Gen. 27:41).
This murder plan is astonishing, in particular considering the fact that it was announced at a time when Yitzchak (the father) was not even dead
yet. But Esav 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. (Could identify some themes in this story that resemble the first murder
of a younger brother by his elder, several portions back?) Hearing of his plan, Rivkah, the wise mother
who always supported Ya’akov over his brother, comes up with an ingenious solutions:
Ya’akov would go to her brother, Lavan (who we met earlier in the story, when
Abraham’s slave who came to select Rivkah as a wife to Yitzchak). Lavan resides
far enough from the family, back in Aram Na’ha’rayim (where Avraham is from
originally), such that Ya’akov would be able to escape Esav’s ire. Yet, like every smart woman, she wants to
present the plan to Yitzchak, her husband, in a way that he would think that
this plan was his own. (For a modern incarnation of this MO, see My Big Fat
Greek Wedding.) And thus we find the following amusing, though slightly
over-dramatized, dialogue between Rivkah and her husband: (Gen. 27:46-28:2)
“And Rivkah said to Yitzchak:
I had enough of my life, all due to the daughters of Chat – if Ya’akov
were to take a wife from the daughters of Chat, like the other daughters of
this country, what point is there for me to live anymore? And Yitzchak called
Ya’akov and blessed him and ordered him and said to him: You shall not take a
wife from the daughters of Cna’an; [but rather] get up and go to Padan, at Aram
[Na’ha’rayim] to the house of your mother’s father…. and take a wife from the
daughters of Lavan, your mother’s brother.”
And so we finally come to
the beginning of our portion, where Ya’akov begins his journey in the opposite
direction of his grandfather’s Avraham – who came all the way from Aram
Na’ha’rayim (roughly Iraq) to Israel – but this time not to find a land, but
rather to find a suitable wife and to run away from his brother. Recall that
Avraham preferred to send a slave, rather than his own son, to bring Rivkah
over. Ya’akov is not that lucky, however, and he is forced to make this entire
journey – much like his grandfather before him – by foot; unlike Avraham,
however, Ya’akov is doing this entire way all by himself, without any property,
and with the fear of a murderous brother. Perhaps not the best starting point for
a journey.
Indeed, think for a moment of this “tent-dweller,” an
ancient-world chef who focused until now mostly on cooking and talking with the
women staying behind in the tent. He is
probably yet to acquire even basic navigation skills. He probably has very few
hours of hiking and hunting experience. Yet he’s now bound to walk, by foot,
hundreds of miles across the early Middle-Eastern deserts to find the right
woman (and escape his brother’s revenge).
III. When Ya’akov Met Rachel …
The text tells us very little about the journey itself (other than
the famous dream that took place at the very beginning of the trip). Instead,
the next time we meet Ya’akov is when he meets his future wife, Rachel. And what a meeting that was. [Thanks to Meir Shalev for introducing this
idea.] Just take a moment to appreciate
the scene as vividly described by the text: A number of lazy (male) goat-herders
await in hot mid-day sun by the big well in the barren field. They are not providing any water to their
herds – they can’t, as the stone covering the well is too large and heavy; only
when all the goat herders assemble can they move 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 other bloggers to
pursue.] Ya’akov, meanwhile, is trying
to gather information about his whereabouts, only to find out that Rachel, the
daughter of Lavan (his uncle from his mother’s side) is about to appear any
moment; she, too, as it happens, is a goat herder and she is about to water her
sheep together with all the others.
Ya’akov is puzzled: Why are all
you herders just sit here doing nothing? The day is far from over, and you can
go and herd your sheep. [Perhaps he
wanted the place for himself once he heard the Rachel is approaching…] But the
lazy herders have no intentions to leave: “No, we cannot (do so) until all the
herders would arrive and [together we] have moved the stone from the face of
the well and we shall water our sheep.” (Gen. 29: 7-8)
And now, following this introduction, Rachel finally enters the
scene. “While he is still talking to them,” the text tells us (Gen. 28:9),
Rachel suddenly appears. Now recall that the biblical text loves to praise the
beauty of our mothers – for example, Sarah was so beautiful that of all the
women in Egypt the King wanted her to himself; Rivkah was so beautiful that
Yitzchak, much like his father before
him, preferred to introduce her as his sister rather than to be killed by a
king who wanted her (in this case, Avimelech).
But Rachel was (apparently) in another league altogether: 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, with her sheep, finally enters the field (and our
“view”). Instead of introducing himself, Ya’akov then performs a series of four
amazing actions, each intending on impressing 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 from over the well without any help
from the other herders – a physical feat of epic proportions; he then (2)
waters only Rachel’s herd, lest there can be any doubt as for whom did he
perform this Herculean task; then (3) he kisses Rachel, no doubt to her great
amazement – he still didn’t utter a word, mind you, while she is still shocked
by the single-handed feat she just witnessed (I doubt if anyone has ever even
tried to do that before; the stone probably looked like no one should
try to lift it on his own); and then, yet another twist: (4) Ya’akov begins
crying, instead of saying anything. Only then, finally, after doing all that
Ya’akov finally speaks to Rachel: “I am actually your relative,” he says, “your
cousin, the son of Rivkah, your father’s sister.” (Gen. 29: 9-13) Could she not
fall in love with this man-of-all-seasons? (For a short thought-experiment, try
to compare this first date with any of the ones you have recently heard of (or
even experienced); are we really that much better than our ancestors in this
field of romancing?)
Rachel, of course, could not resist; this completely unprepared
maiden falls in love immediately with this mysterious and fascinating foreign
man who came all the way from (today’s) Israel to kiss her.
But Ya’akov would have to work another seven years to actually
become her husband, and seven more as he was tricked by her deceitful brother
Lavan. Throughout this entire period, it is important to note, not once was he
allowed to express his love to her other than in words. Yet Ya’akov then utters
one of the most romantic statements of all time, when he summarizes this period
as follows:
[And those seven years of working for Rachel were] “in his eyes as
several days passed in his love to her.” (Gen. 29:20)
Lavan, the sneaky Uncle, who quickly realizes that Ya’akov would
do anything to have his beautiful sister, does everything in his powers to
delay Ya’akov's marriage of his prized love. Thus, even after the seven years of work are
up he tricks Ya’akov into marrying Leah, Rachel’s elder sister. (“This shall not be done in our place,” he
explains to his shocked new relative, “taking the younger sister prior to her
elder.” (Gen. 29:26)). And he makes
Ya’akov work seven additional years for Rachel, and six more for some of the
property he took care of so beautifully.
But love conquers all, and Ya’akov leaves Lavan in quite the opposite
manner from the way he had arrived: not alone
– but married to two women and the proud father of several children; not
penniless – but rich and famous; not a young person – but a grown man at the
peak of his powers; and finally, not a tent-dweller attached to his mother but a
property owner with many practical and professional skills.
IV. Ya’akov’s Monologue
Lavan, who envies the man who came to him barefoot and alone
twenty years earlier, cannot bear the thought he is about to leave him with
both his daughters and that much property (despite the fact Ya’akov worked so
hard for all of these for over twenty years, and that it was Lavan who came up
with the deal’s terms, twice). Lavan thus chases Ya’akov and accuses him of
stealing his medicines (an important personal item; this interesting point
repeats itself later with the story of Tamar and Judah; I will not discuss it
here). Then, in an astonishing turn,
Ya’akov – who was silent all these years, never complained, and never argued
with his deceitful uncle-turned-boss –
finally opens his mouth and delivers one of the most moving monologues. Opening a narrow window into what he went
through all those years, he says: (Gen. 31:38-42)
“For twenty years I
have dwelled with 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 – making 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.”
Lavan tries to argue: “the daughters are mine, and the sheep are
mine, and everything you see here is mine”; but moves back to offer an amicable
agreement. Ya’akov agrees and they part
ways. So comes to an end one of the most fascinating chapters in the biblical
story: Loves concurs all, and Ya’akov is back on his way to Israel. Now he realizes that fraudulent Lavan was
merely a warm-up: His vengeful brother awaits him in Israel.
To be continued. Shabbat
Shalom.
Doron
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