Parshat Vayetze; Genesis 28:10-32:3 by Rabbi Denise L. Eger
Parshat Vayetze records the comings and goings of Jacob to Haran as a single young man and back to the land of Canaan as a husband, father, and family patriarch. First he is fleeing his family and particularly the wrath of his brother Esau after receiving the blessing from their father, Isaac, in Esau’s stead. Jacob’s deception will come back to haunt him and this portion plays out that theme.
Even though Jacob is clearly the chosen one of God, and has an amazing Divine encounter during his journey eastward, Jacob can’t escape the reality that he sought the blessing of his father Isaac by dressing up and pretending to be his brother Esau.
Upon arrival in Haran, Jacob goes to work for his uncle Laban. He believes he is working for Laban’s daughter Rachel’s hand in marriage. For seven years Jacob works, and the torah says, “So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.” But on the wedding night, Laban substituted his older daughter Leah for Rachel. Jacob must not have looked at whom he was with— (and that is a whole other issue to discuss!) because in the next morning he was surprised to find out that he had been with Leah and not Rachel. Jacob asks his uncle, “ I was in your service for Rachel! Why did you deceive me?” (29:25) In fact Jacob uses the exact same word in Hebrew that Isaac used when he complained about being deceived by Jacob (Gen 27:35).
The deception has indeed come back to haunt Jacob.
A week later Jacob gets Rachel as a wife but must work an additional seven years for Laban. Thus Jacob’s family grows exponentially in Haran. He acquires wives and each brings their handmaid, Bilah and Zilpah to the household and Jacob and his wives and their handmaids (who are really third and fourth wives) bring his many children into the world. He acquires wealth when he uses his skill to manipulate the herds of sheep for his uncle and for himself.
Following the birth of son Joseph by Rachel, Jacob determines that it is clearly time for him to return to Canaan and asks Laban for permission to take his family with him. Laban’s sons also had become jealous of his abilities, skills and wealth.Jacob noticed that Laban’s own attitude toward him had changed. Jacob tries to be extremely cautious in his leave taking lest he be caught up once again in deception.
But even as Jacob has learned his lesson, the deception this time comes from none other than his beloved wife, Rachel, who unknowningly to Jacob has stolen the household idols of her father. When Laban learns that Jacob and his entourage including his daughters left while he was away shearing sheep, Laban pursues them. He catches up to them. But on his journey toward them, God comes to Laban in a dream to warn him that no harm should come to Jacob.
Laban swaggers a bit when encountering Jacob, threatening him in a way that shows Jacob he could do him harm, but the Laban’s encounter and warning from God kept him from doing so. He asks Jacob, “Why did you flee in secrecy and mislead me and not tell me? I would have sent you off with festive music, with timbrel and lyre… … But why did you steal my gods?” (Gen 31:27-30)
Jacob says, “Anyone with whom you have find your gods shall not remain alive.” Clearly, he didn’t know that his beloved Rachel, whom he worked 14 years for had stolen the household idols. Laban goes searching for them but doesn’t find them as Rachel deceives her father by hiding them.
Thus the circle of deception is complete. What Jacob started comes back around so that he almost loses that which is most precious to him. He lost Rachel once—in the deception that Laban perpetrated on him by substituting Leah as a bride, and then with his oath of death, he almost loses Rachel again.
God protects Jacob in each of the cases. As if God’s hand is molding the story from above smoothing out the rough edges of our human frailties. Certainly this is true for Jacob and Rachel and we pray it is true for us as well.
Posted by Lee at December 5, 2005 09:15 AM
