>Parashat Vayetzei
>From the book ‘Me’ever Lamefursam’:
>In this Parasha, we find once again that Jacob acted wisely, it was when Laban came to him and accused him of serious charges: ‘You stole my heart, you took my daughters as captives by the sword, you were not honest with me, you stole my gods...’
>And this is a wonder: ‘Excuse me?! Who's the cheater here?’ Laban cheated Jacob for twenty years while he worked for him, he replaced this bride, and instead of giving him Rachel, he gave him Leah, he [Laban] changed and switched the conditions that were between them [him and Jacob], and now he even claims that Jacob cheated him? And he also dares to go into Jacob's tent and the women's tent - to search the whole tent and look for the stolen things??? Is Jacob a man suspected of cheating?! ‘Excuse me, sir, That’s it!’
>And here comes Jacob's response: “Now Jacob was annoyed, and he quarreled with Laban!” [Genesis 31:36]
> Targum Onkelos: “Yaakov was angry, and he argued with Laban.” Jacob is finally angry and attacks him! [verbally]
>Well, let's hear how Yaakov attacks - surely Jacob would say something like: "Don’t you have any shame?! How dare you accuse me of this?! It's time for us to put all the cards on the table!..."
>But does Jacob do so? No! Jacob says to Laban: "What is my transgression? What is my sin, that you have pursued me?”
>Wait, where's the attack here?! Jacob does not throw accusations, nor does he claim against Laban the things Laban did to him. Instead, Jacob says, "What is my transgression? What is my sin?” This means: if you act like that, I've probably done something to you that made you act like this. Please come and tell me what I did to you, what did I do wrong that made you behave like that?
>What a response! What humility!
>[Here are some questions about this Parasha:]
>What was Laban's financial situation before Jacob's arrival?
>Before Jacob Avinu [=our father] came to Haran, Laban was so poor that he had no one to graze his flock except his little daughter.
>“Laban had given his maidservant Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maid.” [Genesis 29:24]
>Why was she called Zilpah?
>Our Sages said that “Leah’s eyes were tender” because she cried so much, as she was supposed to be with Esau the wicked. So was Zilpah, her eyes shed tears, for her mistress Leah, as she was to be given to Esau!
>“She [Rachel] conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away>my disgrace.” [Genesis 30:23]
>What disgrace was Rachel talking about?
>That the common [ignorant] people were talking about her and saying that if she was a Kosher woman [=righteous], she too would conceive and bear a child for Jacob!
>“It came to pass when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, and I will go to my place and to my land.” [Genesis 30:25]
>Why didn’t Jacob ask to return to his father's house as long as Rachel did not give birth?
>Because he was afraid that Laban would tell him: ‘Since Rachel has not given birth for you all these years, leave her here and go away.’
>Copyrights Approval
>The book: Me’ever Lamefursam
> Author: Rabbi Yaakov Maavri
> Number to purchase the book [in Hebrew]: +97250-7523086
Email: >meeverlamefursam@gmail.com
Translated with the approval of the book’s author.
Translator: Dor Graydi