Weekly Bible Study~Vayishlach ~Genesis 32:4 to 36:43

This weeks reading is Vayishlach (Hebrew for "he sent") and is found in Genesis 32:4 to 36:43.

After being away for twenty years, Jacob begins his journey home to see his father Isaac. Still fearing the anger of his brother (Esau), he decides to send messengers ahead with a message of greeting. When they return and report that Esau is coming to "meet" him--with a troop of 400 men--Jacob starts to worry. He decides to split his family and possessions into two groups, so that one would engage in a battle so the rest could flee. Jacob then prays,  "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac"...and asks to be delivered from the wrath of Esau.

Jacob decides to "soften" Esau with a lavish gift of hundreds of heads of  goats, ewes, nursing camels and their young, cows, bulls, and male and female donkeys. He spaces them out, sending one herd at a time. Each herder is given instructions that when he encounters Esau to tell him; "[I belong] to your servant Jacob; it is a gift sent to my master, to Esau, and behold, he himself is behind us." Jacob then takes his family accross the Jabbok River ("luxuriant river"). When he is the last one left  Jacob again encounters an angel--this time it is Esau's archangel. 




They wrestle until dawn, but the angel is unable to overpower Jacob, so instead he damages Jacob's sciatic nerve, leaving him with a permanent limp.  When the angel tries to leave Jacob refuses to release him until he gives him a blessing. This the angel does, then tells him that his name will be changed to Israel. Jacob names the place Peniel (face of Gd), for as he said, "I saw an angel face to face, and my soul was saved." According to the Torah, Jews to this day may not eat the sciatic nerve--even of kosher animals--because of this.

 
Esau arrives on the scene and the brothers embrace each other and weep. Jacob's family meets Esau and Jacob forces Esau to accept the gifts he had sent. Although Esau wants to accompany Jacob home, Jacob declines so Esau returns alone to his home in Se'ir. Jacob carries on to (Sukkot) where  he builds himself a house, and makes booths for his cattle.  Jacob eventually reaches the outskirts of Shechem and purchases a plot of land where he erects an alter to Gd.

 

Dina, Jacobs daughter wanders into the city of Shechem where the crown prince (Shechem) abducts and violates her and keeps her hostage. Shechem's father, the governor goes to Jacob to ask for Dina's hand in marriage to his son. Jacob is clever, and says that if all the men of the city agree to circumcise themselves he will give Dina to Shechem. The men agree, but while they are recovering Dina's brothers, Simon and Levi enter the city, kill all the males and free Dina. Jacob is not pleased and is afraid of reprisals from the neighboring Canaanites. Nonetheless, Jacob continues on his way. The "fear of Gd" comes over the surrounding cities and Jacob and his family are able to travel through unhindered. They arrive in Canaan, in Beth-El, where Gd blesses Jacob saying "And the land that I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, I will give to you and to your seed after you will I give the land." He is re-named Israel.

Jacob and his family continue on to Hebron. On the roadside leading to Bethlehem, his beloved wife Rachel gives birth to her second son, Benjamin (the twelfth of the tribes of Israel.) Rachel dies and Jacob buries her there in what is now known as Rachel's Tomb. They continue on to Eder and while they are there, Israel's eldest son, Reuben lays with his concubine Bilhah. Jacob is aware of this.

Finally Jacob and his family arrive in Hebron. Isaac dies soon after at the age of 180 and is buried by his sons in the Cave of Machpelah alongside his wife and parents. 

The Torah lists the wives and decendents of Esau who had left Canaan and settled in Se'ir.

The last section gives an enumeration of the princes of the original Se'irite natives, as well as the monarchs of that land that descended from Esau. These "lists" may seem boring, but they are vital in establishing historical ancestry. Remember, there is nothing extra in the Torah and we must strive to understand the deeper meanings as we learn.

Next week Jacob and his twelve sons settle in Hebron and we learn of the jealousy Joseph's brothers feel and their vengeful actions. Judah is outsmarted by his daughter-in-law Tamar, while poor Joseph ends up in an Egyptian jail with Pharaoh's butler and baker.

Weekly Bible Study~Vayeitzei~Genesis 28:10 to 32:3

This week's reading is Vayeitzei, "go out" and is from the book of Genesis, Chapters 28:10 to 32:3. Jacob leaves his hometown Be'er Sheva  and journeys to Charan to the home of his uncle Laban. He stops for the night at a place that traditionally is considered to be Har Moriah, the site of the Akeida, (the binding of Isaac)  and the location of the future Beit Ha Mikdash. We know it as the Temple Mount. Jacob dreams of a ladder. It was pointed out by one of the great sages that the ladder was described as having its "feet" planted in the ground (representing worldliness and basic decency) and that its "head" reached the heavens (representing spiritual pursuits). In his dream Jacob sees angels going up and down the ladder. Some say that this is a message telling us that wealth is temporary and can go "up" and "down", therefore if we are blessed with wealth we should use it wisely, constructively and charitably. Gd appears to Jacob and tells him that He will bequeath the entire land to Jacob's descendants, and that He would safeguard him (Jacob) until his return to Canaan. When Jacob wakes up, he recognizes the holiness of the location and erects a monument to Gd. He names the location Beth El (House of Gd) and makes a vow to tithe all his belongings when Gd's promise of a safe return would be fulfilled.

The next day he arrives at a well on the outskirts of Charan where he spots Rachel, Laban's youngest daughter, arriving with her father's sheep. When she is unable to remove the cover of the well, Jacob single-handedly rolls away the heavy stone and gives water to the flock. Rachel tells her father about Jacob, and Laban rushes out to greet him. Jacob goes to Laban's home, and after a month, Laban offers Jacob the job of tending to his herds, and asks Jacob what he wants in terms of wages.

Laban had two daughters--Rachel, and her older sister Leah. Jacob falls in love with Rachel and offers to serve Laban for seven years in exchange for her hand in marriage. Laban accepted the deal and after the seven years pass, Jacob tells Laban he wants to marry Rachel. Laban arranges a wedding feast, but when it is time to go to their tent for the night, Laban switches the girls, giving Leah instead of Rachel. Some sages say that Rachel cooperated in this ruse by giving Leah her "private signals" to Jacob. They say she did this to save Leah from a probable marriage to Esau, Jacobs elder brother. When Jacob realizes the deceipt he protests, so Laban offers to give Rachel to him as well--in exchange for another seven years service. Jacob marries Rachel, and begins another seven years of working for Laban. Leah gives birth to four children, Reuben, Simon, Levi, and Judah--but Rachel remains barren. Rachel and Leah both give their handmaids to Jacob as concubines. Rachel's maid, Bilhah, bears two children, Dan and Naftali, and Leah's maid gives birth to Gad and Asher.

Leah's son Reuben picked dudaim (fertility) plants for his mother. Rachel asks Leah for some of them, and Leah agrees, provided that Rachel relinquishes her turn with Jacob that night. As a result Leah gives birth to another two sons--Issachar and Zebulun--and one daughter--Dinah. Eventually, Rachel, too, gives birth to a son, whom she names Joseph. At that point, Jacob asks Laban for permission to take his wives and children and return to Canaan. Laban, not wanting Jacob to leave, points out that his divining reveals that his wealth and blessings are due to Jacob's presence in his home.

Laban wants Jacob to stay so he tells him to name his wages "And I will give it!" Jacob asks that all the streaked and spotted sheep born  be given to him and in return, he would continue caring for Laban's flocks. Laban, in a sly move takes all the existing spotted and streaked sheep from the herd and gives them to his son. Jacob makes striped poles for the strong and robust sheep to view while they are mating. As a result, the sheep give birth to striped lambs. Despite Laban's sneaky ways, and continual changing of the terms of Jacob's wages, Jacob soon becomes very wealthy and after six years, Gd commands Jacob to return to Canaan. Jacob talks to his wives, and they agree that it is time to leave.

Jacob waits until Laban is away, then takes his family and belongings and slips away. Rachel takes one of Laban's idols. Some say she did this in order to save her father from the sin of idolatry. When Laban discovers they have left he goes after them. The night before he reaches them, Gd warns Laban in a dream not to harm Jacob or his family. When Laban finally catches up to Jacob on Mount Gilead, he complains that Jacob didn't allow him to say goodby to his daughters, and he also says that one of his idols is missing. Jacob allows Laban to search for his idol in their belongings. Laban searches everything (except Rachel's personal belongings), and finds nothing.

Laban and Jacob made a peace treaty and erecte a stone monument to seal the pact. Laban  kisses his family good bye and returns to his home in Charan, while Jacob continues on his way. When he entered Canaan, he is greeted by welcoming angels.

Next week, as Jacob returns to the Holy Land, he once again has a dream--this time he will struggle with an angel. Jacob will get a new name, finally meets his brother Esau, then loses his wife.