Beth Elohim Messianic Synagogue
Parasha #7: Vayetze (He went out) B’resheet (Genesis) 28:10:32:33
Halftarah: Hoshea (Hosea) 12: 13-14:10
B’rit Hadashah: Yochanan 1:43-51
Parasha:
This week in the middle of our Parsha the Torah inserts a seemingly unimportant story about Rachel convincing Leah to give her the flowers that her son, Reuven had picked in the fields.
What is so important about these flowers? Why does Rachel go to such lengths allowing Yaacov to spend an extra night with her sister for these flowers? Why didn't she go out and pick them herself?
The answer is part of the fabric of motherhood. Leah's son Reuven doesn't want to go home empty handed to his mother. Rachel has no child and it makes her feel sad. She needs to have a part in bringing Reuven up. Leah understands this and agrees but this act of hessed doesn't go unnoticed. She receives a great reward, two more sons, bringing her total to 6, exactly half of the 12 tribes.
Al this helps us to see more clearly that an act of kindness never goes unnoticed by G-d.
Halftarah Relevance to Parasha: (Hoshea 12:13)
In our Halftarah, the prophet Hoshea uses the constant obstacles that Yaacov fasces as a starting point for admonishing the Jewish people, who have begun to forget G-d. The people are worshiping idols and believe that their own ability has brought them wealth and power. They must learn from Yaacov of our Parsha that all wealth, power, and success from G-d. Yaacov was able to succeed only because of G-d's help.
Sayings of the Sages:
“I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter.” (29:18)
Why did Yaacov go into such detail? Why didn't he just say, "I will serve for Rachel" or I will serve for your daughter Rachel"?
Lavan was a trickster. Yaacov was afraid that if he just said "Rachel," Lavan would give him any girl named Rachel. He was afraid to say, "your daughter Rachel," because then Lavan would have changed Leah's name to Rachel. But even with all these precautions, Lavan still managed to trick Yaacov.
The phrase, "Rachel, your younger daughter, " is used in Hebrew today when someone wants to be picky or specify something in minute detail.
“And in the morning she was Leah.” (29:25)
Yaacov woke up in the morning after his wedding to find that he had married Leah. How could Yaacov not have known whom he married?
It seems that Yaacov suspected Lavan might try to trick him. So, he and Rachel agreed on a secret sign that would assure him that the woman under the canopy was Rachel. But when Rachel sat that here father was determined to marry Leah to Yaacov, Rachel realized that her sister would be embarrassed in front of everyone when she failed to know the sign. Rachel revealed the secret sign to her sister, and Leah repeated the sign to Yaacov. It was only the following morning that Yaacov realized that he had been tricked.
Some things to think about:
1. In Yaacov's dream he sees angels climbing up the ladder and coming back down. But isn’t that reversed? Shouldn't he have seen angels coming down from heaven and then going back up?
2. Rachel the last of the four matriarchs had a great deal of trouble having children. It seems that all our matriarchs could not conceive until G-d directly intervened to help them. Why is it that these unique women all started out childless?
Gematria:
What did G-d show Yaacov, ask the Sages, when he dreamed of the ladder and the angels?
It seems he saw a bit of the future., The word ladder, in Hebrew, sulam, has a numeric value of 130. The Midrash says that G-d showed Yaacov the mountain of Sinai, where his descendants would one day receive the Torah. The numeric value of Sinai is 130.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Davis