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PARASHAT VAYISHLACH
Rav David Silverberg
Parashat Vayishlach tells of Yaakov's return to Canaan after twenty years
in the service of his uncle and father-in-law, Lavan, in the distant region of
Padan
Surprisingly, however, Yaakov first settles outside the city of
The question thus arises, why did Yaakov settle in Shekhem, before going to Beit-El to fulfill his vow and to Chevron to reunite with his father?
Rabbi Menachem Leibtag (http://tanach.org/breishit/vayish3.htm)
suggests resolving this question by boldly postulating that the Torah's
narrative in this parasha does not follow chronological
sequence. The events recorded after
the Shekhem narrative, namely, God's prophecy to Yaakov at Bet-El, the birth of
Binyamin and Rachel's death, and Yaakov's arrival in Chevron, occurred before
the story of Shekhem. In truth,
Yaakov, as we would have expected, proceeded directly to Beit-El, where he
erected a monument, and thereafter he journeyed to Chevron, during which time
Rachel died. After reuniting with
his father, Yaakov settled with his family outside Shekhem, until God instructed
Yaakov to move away from Shekhem and erect an altar in Beit-El. (Essentially, this theory claims that
the section of 35:9-29 belongs chronologically before chapter
34.)
Rabbi Leibtag draws support for his theory from the opening verse of the
section that tells of the prophecy at Beit-El and Rachel's death: "God appeared
to Yaakov once again, when he arrived from Padan
In the coming days we will be"H discuss this theory
further.
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Yesterday, we discussed the question as to why Yaakov, upon returning to
Among the advantages of this bold theory is that it results in Shimon and
Levi being at an older age at the time when they took up arms against the male
population of Shekhem. Let us try
calculating how old Shimon and Levi were upon Yaakov's return to
It seems difficult to imagine, Rabbi Leibtag contended, that two boys of this age would be capable of waging the kind of battle in Shekhem that Shimon and Levi waged to avenge their sister's rape. If, however, we claim that the incident of Shekhem occurred several years later, after Yaakov journeyed to Beit-El and then to Chevron, Shimon and Levi are in their late teens or so at the time of their assault on Shekhem, an age that far better suits such a bold and violent measure.
What more,
this theory also helps explain Shekhem's attraction to Dina. Dina was Leah's seventh child (see
30:21), and the Torah records a gap between the births of Leah's fourth and
subsequent children (see 29:35).
Thus, Dina could have been born no earlier than the eighth year or so of
Leah's marriage to Yaakov, or five years before Yaakov's return to
Of course,
this theory must provide some explanation for why the Torah would arrange the
events out of chronological sequence.
Rabbi Leibtag suggests a number of possible reasons, the simplest of
which being that the Torah sought to combine Yaakov's experiences in Shekhem
into a single narrative. Before the
story of Dina's capture by Shekhem, the Torah tells of Yaakov's purchase of a
plot of land outside the city, where he also erected an altar to God
(33:19). Rabbi Leibtag suggested
that Yaakov made Shekhem his first stop in Canaan to follow in the footsteps of
his grandfather, Avraham, who first stopped in Shekhem when he arrived in
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In our previous two editions of S.A.L.T., we have discussed the theory
posited by Rabbi Menachem Leibtag (http://tanach.org/breishit/vayish3.htm)
concerning the sequence of events recorded in Parashat Vayishlach. Rabbi Leibtag contended that although
the Torah records Yaakov's experiences in Shekhem before his journey to Beit-El,
the death of Rachel, and Yaakov's reunion with his father in Chevron, in truth,
the story of Shekhem occurred later.
Yaakov first traveled to Beit-El, in fulfillment of the vow he had
declared when he left
At least one Midrashic tradition, which is recorded in a number of
sources, appears to lend support to Rabbi Leibtag's contention. Targum Yonatan Ben Uziel (to
32:25) and Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer (chapter 37) tell that the angel, who
assaulted Yaakov before he crossed the
Oddly enough, these Midrashim include Binyamin among the sons of Yaakov,
despite the fact that Binyamin is born only later, along Yaakov's route to
Chevron. Pirkei De-Rabbi
Eliezer mentions that Rachel was pregnant at the time with Binyamin, and he
was therefore included with his brothers for the purpose of "tithing" Yaakov's
sons. Of course, if Rachel had
already conceived with Binyamin as Yaakov and his family made their way back to
Furthermore, the Zohar (vol. 1, p.158b) comments that Yaakov fled
from Lavan's home when Rachel conceived with Binyamin. This, too, seemingly compels us to
conclude that Binyamin's birth occurred within the first nine months of Yaakov's
return to
******
This week we have been discussing the possibility suggested by Rabbi
Menachem Leibtag, in his internet shiurim (http://tanach.org/breishit/vayish3.htm),
that the narrative in Parashat Vayishlach is presented out of chronological
sequence. Rabbi Leibtag suggested
that the events recorded in the section 35:9-35:29, namely, Yaakov's prophecy at
Beit-El, the birth of Binyamin/death of Rachel, and Yaakov's long-awaited return
to his parents in Chevron, occurred before the story of Dina and Shekhem, which
the Torah records earlier (chapter 34).
If we accept the sequence of events as they are told in the Torah, we
must struggle to explain why Yaakov did not immediately proceed to Beit-El to
fulfill his vow, and then to Chevron to reunite with his parents, upon returning
from Padan
Yesterday, we mentioned a number of sources indicating that Rachel was
pregnant with Binyamin already as Yaakov made his way from Padan
The Gemara in Masekhet Megila (17a) asserts that Yaakov reunited with his
father in Chevron two years after his departure from Lavan. Along his return from Padan
Elsewhere,
however, Rashi writes that Yaakov lived for a period in Beit-El before the
incident of Shekhem. In his
commentary to Avot (5:21), Rashi cites the Midrashic tradition that Levi was
thirteen years of age when he and his brother Shimon killed the male population
of Shekhem. To support this
tradition, Rashi comments that "when you take into account the two years Yaakov
spent in Beit-El," it indeed emerges that Levi was thirteen years old at the
time of his attack on Shekhem.
Yaakov left Padan
Rashi thus clearly held that Yaakov spent time in Beit-El before settling near Shekhem, as Rabbi Leibtag contended.
The Midrash Lekach Tov, commenting on the story of Shekhem (34:25),
likewise calculates the age of Shimon and Levi at the time of their assault on
Shekhem, and claims that Levi was eleven when the family left the home of
Lavan. The story of Shekhem, the
Midrash claims, occurred after the period of "two years when he [Yaakov] was
offering sacrifices in Beit-El."
Like Rashi, the Midrash Lekach Tov held that Yaakov first proceeded to
Beit-El upon returning from
We should note, however, one important difference between the position reflected in these sources and Rabbi Leibtag's theory. According to Rashi in Avot and the Midrash Lekach Tov, Yaakov spent two years in Beit-El and then settled near Shekhem before reuniting with his father in Chevron. Rabbi Leibtag suggested that Yaakov proceeded to Beit-El to fulfill his vow, and then continued southward to Chevron to see his parents. He remained there for several years, and then moved with his family to Shekhem, at which point Shimon and Levi were in their late teens. These sources provide a basis for the contention that Yaakov first visited Beit-El before settling near Shekhem, but not for the theory that he reunited with his parents before moving to Shekhem.
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We read in Parashat Vayishlach of the warm reunion between Yaakov and Esav, during which Esav declines the lavish gifts that Yaakov had previously sent him. Yaakov, however, insistently asks that Esav accept his gift. He implores, "Please take my blessing that has been brought to you, for God has been gracious to me, and I have everything" (33:11).
Why does Yaakov refer to his gift as birkhati, "my blessing"? In what sense does the term berakha denote a gift?
Rashi explains that the word berakha often refers to a greeting that people extend upon meeting one another. For example, a bit later in Sefer Bereishit (47:10) we read in the context of Yaakov's meeting with Pharaoh, "Va-yevarekh Yaakov et Pharaoh." By extension, the term berakha is occasionally used in reference to a gift presented on the occasion of meeting another person. Such was the gift that Yaakov presented to his brother, on the occasion of their reunion after so many years, and hence he refers to this gift with the term birkhati.
The Ramban explains differently, claiming that gifts are referred to as berakha because "he sends from that with which God has blessed him." Since a person gives as a gift that which he has received as a "blessing" from the Almighty, the term berakha is occasionally used to denote a gift.
Rav Simcha Bunim Sofer (son of the Ketav Sofer), in his Sha'arei Simcha, suggests a slightly different approach (though which clearly has roots in the Ramban's explanation), associating Yaakov's use of the term berakha with his subsequent remark: "for God has been gracious to me, and I have everything." Yaakov seeks to persuade Esav to accept his gift on the basis of his having "everything," the fact that he has been given far more than his basic necessities. The righteous look upon their wealth as a berakha, a blessing from God, who has granted them more than what they require for their basic sustenance. Yaakov intentionally refers to his gift as berakha so as to emphasize the point that he has already been given more than he needs, that the cattle and sheep he sent Esav were but a berakha, luxury items that Yaakov possessed beyond his basic needs of life.
People by nature tend to never feel content with what they possess. Few people are capable of honestly declaring, as Yaakov did, "yesh li kol" – "I have everything" – or of acknowledging that everything they have is a berakha – a "blessing" beyond what they need. In fact, in this very exchange, Esav declines Yaakov's gift by claiming, "Yesh li rav" – "I have much." Esav acknowledges that he has "much," whereas Yaakov recognizes that he possesses "everything." We are to train ourselves to look upon what we have with the perspective of Yaakov, and feel grateful for the "blessings" that God has bestowed upon us, and acknowledge the fact that He has truly given us "everything."
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The Torah tells in Parashat Vayishlach of Yaakov's settlement outside the
city of
It is not entirely clear from where in this verse the Midrash inferred that Yaakov made this declaration. Perhaps, Chazal reached this conclusion on the basis of the expression Elokei Yisrael, "God of Israel." Elsewhere the Sages establish the rule that "The Almighty does not designate His Name upon the righteous while they are still alive." Meaning, God does not refer to himself as "the God of so-and-so" unless that righteous individual has passed on. Yaakov here refers to God as "God of Israel," viewing himself as deserving of this designation even during his lifetime, an honor that no tzadikim have ever earned. Chazal thus detected within this reference a presumption of power and authority on earth, paralleled only by God's authority in the heavens. Dina's abduction served as a stark reminder to Yaakov that he does not exert control and authority over his surroundings, as even his own daughter was not safe strolling about in the streets of Shekhem.
Rav Eliezer David Greenwald, in his work Keren Le-David (Romania,
5690), adds that Yaakov's presumptuousness perhaps involved what he perceived as
his family's state of spiritual perfection. That Yaakov felt deserving of having his
name associated with God perhaps reflected a sense of spiritual confidence to
which he was not yet entitled. God
therefore responds, "Tomorrow your daughter will go out and be defiled…" The Midrash here perhaps refers to
another, more famous Midrashic passage, cited by Rashi (34:1), where the Sages
cast a degree of blame upon Dina for this incident., describing her as a yetzi'anit, a reference to an inappropriate degree of
social involvement in Shekhem.
Dina's abduction, for which she was partially to blame, served as a
reminder to Yaakov that his family has yet to reach the point where he is worthy
of being associated with the Name of God.
Despite the fact that, as the Torah testifies (33:18), Yaakov arrived in
Shekhem "shalem," an adjective which Rashi interprets as
referring in part to perfection, there was still more for him to achieve. Until his children reached a similar
degree of sheleimut, he has not reached the point where he
deserved to have God be referred to as Elokei Yisrael.
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Towards the end of Parashat Vayishlach (36:20-30), the Torah presents a brief list of the families of Se'ir, who lived in the region that was ultimately captured and settled by Esav, where he established the kingdom of Edom. Today we will look at several approaches that have been taken in explaining the purpose behind this section.
Rashi (36:24) explains that this record is presented for the purpose of identifying Timna, a member of the ruling family of Se'ir (36:22), who was earlier introduced as the pilegesh (concubine) of Esav's son Elifaz. Despite Timna's royal stature, she was given as a pilegesh to Elifaz. This demonstrates how highly the people Se'ir valued the family of Avraham, as a family from the ruling class was prepared to have their daughter become a pilegesh to Avraham's great-grandson, rather than become a noblewoman among the people of Se'ir. The Torah presented this genealogy for the purpose of demonstrating the respect and fame Avraham had earned in this region even several generations after his death.
Ibn Ezra (36:20) suggests that since the Torah would later forbid
instigating hostilities against the nation of
In a slightly different vein, the Rambam (Guide for the Perplexed 3:50) explained the purpose of this section in light of the command to annihilate the nation of Amalek (Devarim 25:19), which was founded by a grandson of Esav (36:12). Esav became connected with the people of Se'ir through marriage, and Esav's children became the dominant influence in the area to the point where the entire population assumed the title "Amalekites." The Torah therefore made a point of presenting the genealogy of Esav and Se'ir, so that Se'irites who were not members of the Amalekite clan would be spared Benei Yisrael's vengeance against the Amalekites.