Parashat Va'ye'tze (“and he departed”) starts out
with Ya'acov the fugitive making his way from the land of Yisrael to
Cha'ran (Haran
Thus, although
the opening verse of the Parasha seems to indicate that Ya'acov had in mind a
set destiny, his path took him to a less defined and (quite likely) less
desired place. We just noted that "he came upon a place…” and that “he
stopped over for the night, because the sun had set…" (28:11). The
circumstances were imposed upon Ya’acov, and so he stopped at what was a mere
"place" (only later, in verse 19, do we find out that there was a
town there). As Ya'acov lay down, using a stone for a pillow, he had the
aforementioned dream, during which Elohim promised to give him the “a’retz”
(“ground, land”)
that he was lying upon (v. 13), and to bring him back to this very “adama” (soil). But as if to suggest that there was a
greater dimension (a ‘heavenly’ one) attached to this plot of land, the promise
was given in a most awesome manner, with YHVH being described as standing above
a ladder that connected heaven and earth (with angels ascending and
descending). Ya'acov therefore deemed this place to be the "house of
Elohim and the gate of heaven" (28:17).
Yaacov not only
"happened" by this "place," he also used one of the stones
of the "place" for a pillow. He lay down in this "place"
and discovered that YHVH was in the "place," and that this
"place" was truly awesome! Finally, he named the "place"
Bet-El - the "house of Elohim". The Hebrew word for "place"
is “ma'kom”, of the root k.o.m (kof, vav, mem), meaning to "rise up". This particular
“makom” was indeed the location where Ya'acov's call to rise up was starting to
resound! We cannot leave Yaacov and “makom” without mentioning “y’kum”, which is
translated “all living things”, and is found in B’resheet (Genesis) 7:4, 23, in reference to that which YHVH created
(but which in that particular incident He had also destroyed). Toward the end
of Yaacov’s sojourn in Charan, once the decision to leave is made with his
wives’ consent, the text stresses that he “rose – va’yakam - and set his
sons and his wives on camels…” (31:17).
Back to the
present. Needing something tangible to mark his experience, Ya’acov picked up
the stone on which he had rested his head, lifted it up as a column and poured
oil on top of it (28:18). After
naming the place, he made an oath promising to make YHVH his Elohim (providing his conditions are met), adding,
"This stone… shall become Elohim's house" (v. 22). Next, we meet the
Patriarch-to-be at his desired destination. Upon seeing his beautiful cousin,
he mustered up an inordinate amount of vigor, which enabled him to roll a large
stone off the "mouth of the well", a feat that ordinarily required
several people to accomplish (ref. 29:8-10). Toward the end of the Parasha (in
31:45-47), the covenant made between Ya'acov and his father-in-law, Lah'van
(Laban), was also marked by a stone, which he again placed uprightly, as well
as by a heap of stones which he named "gal'ed" "a witness heap". Apparently during
that season in Ya’acov’s life the "e'vehn" (“stone”)
became a marker (‘milestone’) of significant events and experiences.
Many years
later, when the elderly Ya'acov will pronounce blessings upon his sons on his
deathbed, he will give his favorite one, Yosef (Joseph), the longest and most
complex of the blessings. In the course of his pronouncement Ya'acov will make
mention of the Mighty One of Ya'acov, the Shepherd and Stone of Israel -E'vehn Yisrael, all these being titles
of YHVH (Gen. 49:24 emphasis and italics added). This is the only time
that the "Stone of Israel" is mentioned in the entire Holy Writ, and
not surprisingly it was uttered by the mouth of the one who walked a path made
up of many stepping-stones. Later on in the Word, more stones are being
uncovered: "the stone which the builders rejected, [and which] has become
the chief corner stone" (Ps. 118:22), as well as the "stone to strike
and a rock [tzur] to stumble over" for "the two houses of Israel
Being a member
of the family of Be'tu'el (Bethuel) and Lah'van, Ra’chel's name, not unlike
that of her aunt Rivka, is associated with the family business, as “Ra’chel”
means a "ewe". Ya’acov mentioned Lah'van's ewes and female
goats in 31:38, when he lodged his complaint about the life style and
conditions that were imposed on him by his father-in-law during their
twenty-year association. Ewes as “ra'chel” (plural “r'che'lim”) are mentioned
rather rarely in the Tanach, one of those few instances being Yishayahu 53:7,
where the Messiah is described as "an ewe - 'ra'chel' - before its
shearers".
Whereas
Ya’acov’s mother Rivka watered the entourage of Avraham’s servants and
livestock, in the present episode by the well, her son is the one watering the
flocks of his uncle (ref. 29:10). Next Ya’acov proceeds to kiss his cousin. In
Hebrew these two actions are described thus: “va’yashk et hatzon” (and he watered the flocks); “va’yishak…
le’Rachel” (“and he kissed…
Rachel”). Noticed the alliteration employed here, hinting at what will soon
transpire in Ya’acov’s life – “watering” (work) in exchange for “kissing”
(marrying the one he loved).
Eleven of
Ya'acov's twelve sons were born in Cha'ran. Leh'ah gave birth to the first
four, whose names express her attempts at appeasing her husband. The firstborn
was therefore named - Re’u’ven - meaning, "behold, a son". Next is Shim'on, whose name stems from
the verb "to hear"
(indicating that her plea for another son has been heard). Following him is Leh'vi, of the root "to accompany", (being sure
that now, upon his birth her husband will ‘accompany’ her). Leh'ah's fourth son
was Yehuda, whose name is
related to "giving thanks" or to "praise".
Ra’chel's maid, Bil’ha, whom the former gave to her husband so that she could
be (literally) built through her, is next in line.
Rachel used the same words as Sarah did in relationship to Hagar (ref.
Gen. 16:2. As we saw there in “being built” – ebaneh – are also imbedded the
letters for “ben” - son). Her anguish about being barren came to the fore in
the names that she gave the sons that her maid bore to Ya’acov. The meaning of
the name of the first, Dan,
is "judgment". or "dispensing justice/vindication".
Bilha's second son was Naphtali,
meaning "writhing" or "twisting", and by
implication "struggle" (denoting Ra’chel's struggle with her
sister). However, Leh'ah was not going to stand by and allow her sister to be
"built up" through her maid (30:3). Thus she too gave her maid,
Zilpah, to her husband, hoping to have more sons through her. Zilpah birthed Gad, meaning "fortune"
(as in "luck"). However, the pronouncement made there by Leah –
“ba-gad” – as she named this one, may also mean “he betrayed” (perhaps in
reference to Ya’acov’s relationship with her). Zilpa’s next pregnancy yielded Asher, whose name is of the
root "happiness" (or being “confirmed”).
Leh'ah's words, "I am blessed [or happy], for the daughters shall call me
blessed" (30:13), recall the words of Miriam, Yeshua's mother, upon the
birth of her Son (ref. Luke 1:48). Leh’ah herself
birthed the next one, and named him Yisas'char,
from the root to "hire", since she became pregnant with him
upon "hiring" Ya'acov from Ra’chel for a 'fee', in the form of a
mandrake plant that was picked by Re'uven. But once the baby was born, Leh'ah
recalled the other meaning of the name, which is "wages",
saying: "Elohim has given me my wages, because I gave my maid to my
husband" (30:18). Leh'ah's sixth son was Z'vulun,
whose name stems from the rare “zeved”, which means "endowment or gift”. But Leah did not stop there,
she said, “now will my husband dwell with me” (30:20). “Dwell” here is “yizbeleni”,
which can also mean “honor me”.
Thus this son’s name, as is the case with some of his siblings’ names, has a
twofold meaning, in spite of the root of the words not being identical. Thus,
it is not always the grammatical accuracy which is prominent, as is evident in
this narrative, but rather associative thinking, being prevalent in the
Biblical text (and the Hebraic mindset).
After Leh’ah
gave birth to Dinah (whose name, like Dan’s, means "judgment" or
"justice"), Ra’chel's desire was granted her and she too bore a son.
"Elohim has taken away (a'saf) my reproach, [and] she
named him Yosef, saying,
'may YHVH add (yosef) to me another
son'" (v. 23, 24 emphasis added). While Ra’chel was contemplating how her
shame and disgrace were being removed by giving birth, she was also expressing
hope that this one, who opened up her womb, will serve as a signal for more
sons to follow. The two words, “asaf” (a.s.f., alef, samech, fey), here
"take away" while literally "to gather", and “yasaf”
(y.s.f., yod, samech, fey) "to add" and "to repeat", are
related both in sound and meaning. When looking down the road of history these
two words become prophetically significant. Yosef certainly was "added
to" by his brother Binyamin (Benjamin), and also by receiving a double
portion among the tribes of Yisrael when each of his sons became a tribe in his
own right. Prophecy predicts the ingathering of the House of Yosef (and
"his companions") at a future day, thus fulfilling the second meaning
of his name.
The two 'camps'
of Ya'acov's descendants are alluded to at the end of the Parasha. In 32:1-2
Ya'acov, as we pointed out before, meets the angels or messengers of YHVH, upon
whose sight he exclaims: "This is the camp [or encampment] of Elohim’, and
he named the place Ma'cha'na'yim". “Ma'cha'na'yim” is a plural form
of “ma'cha'neh”, meaning “camp”. The particular ending, as attached here
to the noun, renders the camp a "multiple" one, or a "double
camp". What did Ya'acov see when he looked at this ‘band of
angels’? What was it about them that caused him to refer to a "camp"
or to an "encampment", and why a double, or a multiple, one?
In next week's
Parasha we will see how, for strategic reasons, Ya'acov will divide up his
family into two companies (literally “camps”), before going to meet his brother
Esav. Was the idea already brewing in his mind when he saw the
angels/messengers, and thus he projected duality to their "camp"? Or was it the
messengers from YHVH who advised him to so divide up his family before the
crucial meeting? Perhaps through something they said or did he learned that in
the future his family would divide up into two camps. Is there a direct
connection between the angels who were ascending and descending the ladder,
when he first departed from the land of Yisrael
We cannot leave
our Parasha without examining the verb “to steal” – which recurs eight times in
chapter 31, and is used (in Hebrew) in a number of ways. In verse 19 we learn
that Ra’chel stole the household idols, and immediately following that it says:
“and Jacob stole away”, literally “stole the heart” (of Laban). The latter
accused his nephew of “stealing away”, with once again the literal rendering
being “stealing my heart”, then of “stealing away” – literally “stealing me”,
and what’s more, of “stealing the household idols” (vs. 26, 27, 30). In
Ya’acov’s retort against those accusations, he said, among other things: “These
twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not
miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. That
which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it. You
required it from my hand, whether
stolen by day or stolen by night” (vs. 38-39 italics added). However, the
Hebrew rendering of the last expression is: “I was stolen by day and stolen by night” – “ganov
gunavti” (g.n.v, gimmel, noon, bet/vet), describing Ya’acov’s state of
vulnerability while with his employer. Many years later, his favorite son,
Yosef, will repeat these very words in the Egyptian jail: "For indeed I was
stolen away – ganov gunavti - from the land of the Hebrews” (Gen. 40:15).
Theft, the potential for
such and the fear of being dispossessed of one’s property are usually connected
to its accumulation. Verse 18 of chapter 31 indeed sheds light on the great
value that the protagonists of this Parasha placed upon their property (as if
it wasn’t self-evident already…). The words “livestock”, “possessions”,
“gained” and “acquired” appear 6 times in this verse. “Livestock” is “mikneh”,
with its root being k.n.h (kof, noon, hey) – “purchase”. “Possessions” and
“gained” are both couched in r.ch.sh (resh, kaf/chaf, shin) – acquire. Thus, in
Hebrew the six references are divided equally between “purchase” and “acquire” in
their different forms. It is as if these terms are ‘stockpiled’ in one verse in
order to illustrate the verse’s content. Yaacov’s fear (here of losing what he
has accumulated) is being echoed even when invokes the “Elohim of Avraham”, to
which appends the “fear of Itzhak”. “Fear of Yitzhak” is rendered
as “pachad Itzhak” (31:42). “Pachad” is not awe or reverence, but rather fear
in its raw form. When calling upon Elohim, Ya’acov evidently appeals to Him
only ‘on the merit’ of his ancestors, and at the same time his inner heart
condition is being revealed as he associates his immediate forebear (i.e.
his father) with… fear.
*Parashot, plural of “Parasha”
Hebrew Tools for Everyday Use
In this week’s Parasha we encounter
some very basic and ‘earthy’ terms (although not without being reminded that
the earth is connected to the heavens via a…. ladder). Let us learn how to use
some of these words:
I am rising up from the place
(masculine)
Ani kam min ha’makom
I am rising from the place (feminine)
Ani kama min
ha’makom
Yaacov rises up (or rose up) from the
place
Ya’acov kam min ha’makom
The stone is on the ground
Ha’eh’ven al ha’aretz
Ya’acove kissed Rachel
Ya’acov nishek et Rachel
No Stealing!
Lo lignov!
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