Jacob leaves home in flight from Esau who had sworn to kill him, only to find himself in a fraught relationship with Laban, his uncle, with whom he takes refuge, after a prophetic dream of angels on a ladder from the heavens to the ground. Jacob meets and falls in love with Laban’s younger daughter Rachel, and agrees to work…
Why Jacob? That is the question we find ourselves asking repeatedly as we read the narratives of Genesis. Jacob is not what Noah was: righteous, perfect in his generations, one who walked with God. He did not, like Abraham, leave his land, his birthplace and his father’s house in response to a Divine call. He did not, like Isaac, offer…
…Jerusalem. A Closer Look Delving deeper into the thoughts shared by Rabbi Sacks on Vayetse, Rabbi Dr. Daniel Rose now shares his own reflections on the main piece. What influence did Rabbi Sacks have on your Jewish identity? Throughout my personal Jewish journey, the ideas and writings of Rabbi Sacks have become increasingly central to my Jewish identity, and to…
The Summary This is an abridged version of the essay The Birth of the World’s Oldest Hate, written by Rabbi Sacks in 2011. In the Pesach Haggadah there is a verse which states that Lavan was even worse to Bnei Yisrael than Paroh. This is extraordinarily difficult to understand. In Vayetse, Lavan deceived Yaakov, tried to exploit him, and chased…
…in parshat Vayetse, let’s play “The Detective Game”. First choose one player to be the Detective. This player leaves the room. Another player changes something minor about their appearance. When the Detective returns, they must try to spot what has changed. Switch and repeat. Try to get more and more subtle with your changes, to the point that even Yaakov…
What kind of man was Jacob? This is the question that cries out to us in episode after episode of his life. The first time we hear a description of him he is called ish tam: a simple, quiet, plain, straightforward man. But that is exactly what he seems not to be. We see him taking Esau’s birthright in exchange for a…
…Binding. He did not lead the people out of Egypt or bring them the Torah. To be sure, all his children stayed within the faith, unlike Abraham or Isaac. But that simply pushes the question back one level. Why did he succeed where Abraham and Isaac failed? It seems that the answer lies in parshat Vayetse and parshat Vayishlach. Jacob…
“Go and learn what Laban the Aramean sought to do to our father Jacob. Pharaoh made his decree only about the males whereas Laban sought to destroy everything.” This passage from the Haggadah on Pesach – evidently based on this week’s Parsha – is extraordinarily difficult to understand. First, it is a commentary on the phrase in Deuteronomy, Arami oved…
Judaism is supremely a religion of love: three loves. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.” Deut. 6:5 “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Lev. 19:18 “You shall love the stranger, for you were once strangers in a strange land.”[1] Deut. 10:19 Not only is Judaism…
The events narrated in this week’s parsha – Jacob’s flight to Laban, his stay there, and his escape, pursued by his father-in-law – gave rise to the strangest passage in the Haggadah. Commenting on Deuteronomy 26:5, the passage we expound on Seder night, it says as follows: Arami oved avi. Go and learn what Laban the Aramean sought to do…