11.28.25 ~ Life's Repeatable Cycles
Good morning!
In this week's Torah portion, Vayeitze, Jacob wept when he met Rachel for the first time (Gen. 29:11). This moment in time is connected to Hagar’s weeping at Ishmael’s potential death (Gen. 21:16) and Esau’s weeping over the birthright and blessing (Gen. 27:38). It's seen again when Esau and Jacob met (Gen. 33:4) and we’ll see it again at least 9 more times in the book of Genesis. What’s all the crying about? It’s about the potential of losing something. Whether it was a child, a blessing, or a concern for Rachel there’s a thread that connects them all.
Now onto some more threads to consider: The Teraphim story (Gen. 31): As Jacob is leaving the house of Laban, Rachel takes these Teraphim. Now what are Teraphim? We don't really know, they might have been idols, they might have been divination instruments, where Laban's going to be able to tell the future, but she takes them for some unknown reason. Laban pursues Jacob convinced that someone in his camp has taken these Teraphim of his and he's very intent on getting them back. Jacob does not know that Rachel has taken the Teraphim, and because he does not know he makes a fateful promise that he shouldn't have. What he says is ‘I thought you were the thief.’ ‘I thought you were going to steal my daughters from me. Jacob responds, ' I'm not a thief, I didn't steal anything. You can search anywhere, you can find the thief, and if you find the thief, the one with whom you find your gods; will not live, they will die (Gen. 31:29-32)'. Jacob himself, inadvertently, declares death upon Rachel with these words. Did Rachel die because of these words? Some say yes, I don’t think so though. However.. (Prov. 18:21)!
One thing we will find when Laban catches up to Jacob, Laban walks into this tent and he's looking for his Teraphim. He is searching around, feeling around in the tent and he can't really see and he's feeling around trying to find his Teraphim, but he can't find it. So here's a father trying to find stuff that his daughter has hidden and he can't see and he's feeling around. What does that kind of remind you of? It sort of reminds you of Isaac. Now that by the way is the exact same language in the Isaac story. In the Isaac story, Isaac says to Jacob I can't see you, come close, let me feel you, so I can identify you by touch (Gen. 27:21). The same identification by touch that father told son in the story of goats and coats, father is now attempting to do with daughter, which is trying to find his idols by touch.
Let’s talk about Laban's motivation for a moment. Laban comes and says ‘why have you run away? You didn't even give me a chance to kiss my children good-bye. Okay, now let's talk about kissing children. When was the last time we had a father kissing a child? It was in the story of Jacob and Isaac with the two goats and Esau’s coat. One of the things that father told Jacob was come close and let me kiss you, come close and kiss me, my son. Here you have another father who wants to kiss him (Gen. 27:26). What's all this kissing about?
But here is the final kicker. The final kicker is if you look at the very end of the story of the Teraphim, the very end of the story you have these words. Laban leaves and looks at what he does: he kisses his children and he blesses them. Now think about what's happening here, there's a father kissing children, a father bestowing blessings upon children and one of those children is actually deceiving him, because you have Rachel who is holding on to this Teraphim. When else have you had a father kiss a child, and blessed a child who is actually deceiving him? Do you see what's happening here? It turns out that this story too, the Teraphim story, is also a replay of the goats and coats story. The only problem is, tragically, it is not Jacob who is doing it, it's his beloved, Rachel who is doing it without Jacob's knowledge, and somehow there's this great cataclysmic event that comes from it.
This is a tragic story! Prior to this moment, Jacob was leaving the house of Laban, with what goal? Why was he leaving the house of Laban (Gen. 31)? He was coming back to the Land of Israel, but he knew that he couldn't really come back to the Land and set up a new life until he did something first. He knew that he was going to meet his brother Esau, he sought out that meeting; Jacob was the one who sought out that meeting, not Esau. We see this when he sent messengers to Esau (Gen. 32:3). Why was he doing that? Because he was trying to put the past goats and coats scenario to bed, he was trying to once and for all finish up that unfinished business with his brother to be able to put it all to rest. Had he put that all to bed, and then the story of the Teraphim had happened, you wonder what would have happened, would the story of the Teraphim had the same potency as it ultimately had? Tragically though, when does the story of the Teraphim take place? It takes place on his way out, before he meets Esau. Which means that the phantom of Esau and Esau's ability to, so to speak, interfere in Jacob's relationship with Rachel, is still a threat, it still exists, it's there, it's still a dangerous force.
Then at that moment here's Rachel. What's Rachel doing? Here you get to the question: why did Rachel steal the Teraphim? They could have been idols, that's one possibility. But almost every single argument from other sources teaches that the reason why she stole the Teraphim was because the Teraphim were divination instruments, (similar to the cup of Joseph) they were 'crystal balls', they were things that Laban could use to locate Jacob and interfere with his ability to go. What she's trying to do is trying to take away his crystal balls, trying to take away his GPS device, so that he won't be able to locate them, so that they will be able to leave in peace and that my husband Jacob will be able to do what he wants. What does he want? He wants to reconcile with his brother, that's where he's going, and she's trying to facilitate that. The tragedy is, is that in order to facilitate that what does she unwittingly get mixed up in doing? She unwittingly carries out her own version of a goats and coats story; stealing something from father, having father feel around, try to bless her, and then deceive and in so doing, she sort of brings back the ghosts of goats and coats. And, it doesn't help anyway, because even without his GPS Laban is able to catch up to her.
Oh what a web we weave!
On this preparation day, the day after Thanksgiving, 2025, what life lessons can you take away from these stories? The life lessons are many! The question I must ask myself is, "which ones will I conform my life to"?
I'll tie up the loose threads tomorrow.
Happy preparation day and Shabbat shalom!
Alan
Now onto some more threads to consider: The Teraphim story (Gen. 31): As Jacob is leaving the house of Laban, Rachel takes these Teraphim. Now what are Teraphim? We don't really know, they might have been idols, they might have been divination instruments, where Laban's going to be able to tell the future, but she takes them for some unknown reason. Laban pursues Jacob convinced that someone in his camp has taken these Teraphim of his and he's very intent on getting them back. Jacob does not know that Rachel has taken the Teraphim, and because he does not know he makes a fateful promise that he shouldn't have. What he says is ‘I thought you were the thief.’ ‘I thought you were going to steal my daughters from me. Jacob responds, ' I'm not a thief, I didn't steal anything. You can search anywhere, you can find the thief, and if you find the thief, the one with whom you find your gods; will not live, they will die (Gen. 31:29-32)'. Jacob himself, inadvertently, declares death upon Rachel with these words. Did Rachel die because of these words? Some say yes, I don’t think so though. However.. (Prov. 18:21)!
One thing we will find when Laban catches up to Jacob, Laban walks into this tent and he's looking for his Teraphim. He is searching around, feeling around in the tent and he can't really see and he's feeling around trying to find his Teraphim, but he can't find it. So here's a father trying to find stuff that his daughter has hidden and he can't see and he's feeling around. What does that kind of remind you of? It sort of reminds you of Isaac. Now that by the way is the exact same language in the Isaac story. In the Isaac story, Isaac says to Jacob I can't see you, come close, let me feel you, so I can identify you by touch (Gen. 27:21). The same identification by touch that father told son in the story of goats and coats, father is now attempting to do with daughter, which is trying to find his idols by touch.
Let’s talk about Laban's motivation for a moment. Laban comes and says ‘why have you run away? You didn't even give me a chance to kiss my children good-bye. Okay, now let's talk about kissing children. When was the last time we had a father kissing a child? It was in the story of Jacob and Isaac with the two goats and Esau’s coat. One of the things that father told Jacob was come close and let me kiss you, come close and kiss me, my son. Here you have another father who wants to kiss him (Gen. 27:26). What's all this kissing about?
But here is the final kicker. The final kicker is if you look at the very end of the story of the Teraphim, the very end of the story you have these words. Laban leaves and looks at what he does: he kisses his children and he blesses them. Now think about what's happening here, there's a father kissing children, a father bestowing blessings upon children and one of those children is actually deceiving him, because you have Rachel who is holding on to this Teraphim. When else have you had a father kiss a child, and blessed a child who is actually deceiving him? Do you see what's happening here? It turns out that this story too, the Teraphim story, is also a replay of the goats and coats story. The only problem is, tragically, it is not Jacob who is doing it, it's his beloved, Rachel who is doing it without Jacob's knowledge, and somehow there's this great cataclysmic event that comes from it.
This is a tragic story! Prior to this moment, Jacob was leaving the house of Laban, with what goal? Why was he leaving the house of Laban (Gen. 31)? He was coming back to the Land of Israel, but he knew that he couldn't really come back to the Land and set up a new life until he did something first. He knew that he was going to meet his brother Esau, he sought out that meeting; Jacob was the one who sought out that meeting, not Esau. We see this when he sent messengers to Esau (Gen. 32:3). Why was he doing that? Because he was trying to put the past goats and coats scenario to bed, he was trying to once and for all finish up that unfinished business with his brother to be able to put it all to rest. Had he put that all to bed, and then the story of the Teraphim had happened, you wonder what would have happened, would the story of the Teraphim had the same potency as it ultimately had? Tragically though, when does the story of the Teraphim take place? It takes place on his way out, before he meets Esau. Which means that the phantom of Esau and Esau's ability to, so to speak, interfere in Jacob's relationship with Rachel, is still a threat, it still exists, it's there, it's still a dangerous force.
Then at that moment here's Rachel. What's Rachel doing? Here you get to the question: why did Rachel steal the Teraphim? They could have been idols, that's one possibility. But almost every single argument from other sources teaches that the reason why she stole the Teraphim was because the Teraphim were divination instruments, (similar to the cup of Joseph) they were 'crystal balls', they were things that Laban could use to locate Jacob and interfere with his ability to go. What she's trying to do is trying to take away his crystal balls, trying to take away his GPS device, so that he won't be able to locate them, so that they will be able to leave in peace and that my husband Jacob will be able to do what he wants. What does he want? He wants to reconcile with his brother, that's where he's going, and she's trying to facilitate that. The tragedy is, is that in order to facilitate that what does she unwittingly get mixed up in doing? She unwittingly carries out her own version of a goats and coats story; stealing something from father, having father feel around, try to bless her, and then deceive and in so doing, she sort of brings back the ghosts of goats and coats. And, it doesn't help anyway, because even without his GPS Laban is able to catch up to her.
Oh what a web we weave!
On this preparation day, the day after Thanksgiving, 2025, what life lessons can you take away from these stories? The life lessons are many! The question I must ask myself is, "which ones will I conform my life to"?
I'll tie up the loose threads tomorrow.
Happy preparation day and Shabbat shalom!
Alan
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