From: Yeshivat Har Etzion Office <office@etzion.org.il>
To: yhe-parsha@etzion.org.il
Subject: PARSHA62 -07: Parashat Vayetze
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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Of Angels, Pillars and Brothers
By Rav Chanoch Waxman
I
Parashat Vayetze ends pretty much as it began. The
end of the parasha reports that upon parting from Lavan,
Ya'akov encountered angels:
And Ya'akov went on his way, and angels of God met
him (va-yifge'u bo malakhei E-lokim). And when
Ya'akov saw them, he said, "This is God's camp;" and
he called the name of that place (ha-makom)
Machanaim. (32:2-3)
This meeting echoes Ya'akov's dream of "angels of God" at
the opening of the parasha both linguistically and
thematically. Both appearances of the angels of God
occur at the beginning of a journey (28:10, 32:2). Both
encounters occur at locations termed "the place" (ha-
makom, 28:11, 32:3). Furthermore, both meetings are
described by a verb based upon the stem peh-gimmel-ayin,
meaning either to meet or to encounter. Finally, both
visions end with Ya'akov's proclamation regarding the
divine nature of the place and naming of the site (28:16-
17,19, 32:3).
This "angel encounter" parallel is not the only echo
of the early parts of the parasha to be found at its end.
Shortly before parting, Ya'akov and Lavan contract a
covenant (31:44-54) to serve as a witness between them.
Ya'akov promptly takes a stone and fashions a "matzeva,"
a pillar-shaped monument (31:44-45). As the story
continues, a pile of stones is assembled and termed "gal-
ed," meaning "pile of witness." While a certain amount
of ambiguity exists in the text as to whether there are
two stone monuments or one (31:48-52), most probably the
ceremony involved a "matzeva," a single stone erected by
Ya'akov, and a pile of stones heaped together by Lavan
and his clan brothers. The two monuments represent the
two sides. The story of the covenant with Lavan
concludes with the verbal contract and oath sworn by both
sides in the presence of the monument-witness (31:51-53).
All of this should remind us of the "matzeva," the
stone pillar erected by Ya'akov upon awaking from his
dream at the beginning of the parasha. In the dream, God
promises to give "the land he sleeps on" to Ya'akov and
his descendants. In addition, God issues a series of
promises regarding a multitude of descendants, the
blessing of all through these descendants, protection on
the upcoming journey and safe return (28:13-15). In
response, Ya'akov erects a pillar made from "the stone
that he had put under his head" (28:18). But of course,
Ya'akov had placed more than one stone under his head
(28:11). We have here two of the primary symbols of the
covenant of Lavan. Like the story of the covenant with
Lavan, the story of God's promise contains both the
pillar of a single stone, Ya'akov's making of a matzeva,
and the textual stone-stones ambiguity.
In addition, upon placing his pillar at the
beginning of the parasha, Ya'akov takes a vow. In
exchange for God's promise of protection and safe return,
and on the condition that God will throw in food and
clothing, Ya'akov promises to treat the matzeva as a
"house of God" and give a tenth of his wealth to God
(28:20-22). In sum, even without entering into a
detailed parsing of Ya'akov's vow, it is obvious that
Ya'akov attempts to convert God's unconditional promise
of the blessings of Avraham into a two-sided verbal
contract, a formal covenant witnessed by the matzeva he
erects. At the end of the parasha, not just the
encounter with angels resurfaces, but so do the pillar,
the stone-stones ambiguity, the contract terms and a vow.
When taken together, the two parallels outlined
above seem to form a chiastic structure, a kind of
reversing frame for the main body of Parashat Vayetze.
According to this line of thinking, we can roughly sketch
the architecture of the parasha as follows:
A (28:10-12) - the angel encounter on the way to
Charan;
B (28:13-22) - the pillar covenant with God;
C (Parashat Vayetze) - Ya'akov in Charan in the
house of Lavan;
B (31:44-54) - the pillar covenant with Lavan;
A (32:1-3) - the angel encounter upon leaving
Charan.
As mentioned above, the "frame" of the parasha reverses
itself. While on the way to Charan the angel encounter
(A) precedes the pillar covenant (B), on the way back
things are switched. The angel encounter (A) now follows
the pillar covenant (B).
We might be inclined to dismiss these two parallels
and their forming of a chiastic frame for the parasha as
no more than literary artistry. After all, Ya'akov does
dream, does need his second set of angels for dealing
with Eisav (Ramban 32:2) and probably has some sort of
propensity for setting up pillars of stone. It may just
happen to be that the Torah arranges the stories with a
stylistic flair. In my opinion, this would be an error.
This kind of paralleling and structuring should somehow
connect essentially to the content and themes of Parashat
Vayetze. But what constitutes the connection? How does
the "frame" interact with the "picture?" To put this more
pointedly: How do the parallels and structure contribute
to our understanding of Ya'akov and his time in the house
of Lavan?
II
Let us return to our point of departure, the angel-
encounter parallel. In point of fact, the two stories
might be said to differ in more ways than they resemble
each other. While in both cases Ya'akov "encounters"
angels, the quality of the meetings, or the prophetic
state in which they take place, varies greatly. At the
beginning of the parasha, the angels appear as part of a
dream: Ya'akov dreams of angels of God ascending and
descending a ladder that bridges the gap between heaven
and earth (28:12). The angels are part of a strange and
fantastic vision accompanied by the divine promise
Ya'akov has so yearned to hear. In contrast, the angels
of God at the end of the parasha appear to Ya'akov in a
waking state, normally considered a much higher level of
prophecy. Upon taking his leave from Lavan, in mid-
journey and apparently mid-day, Ya'akov is met by the
angels. The angels are a concrete reality, rather than a
dreamlike vision.
In addition, we can also note a difference in the
initiation verbs of the two encounters. In the dream
story, the initiation is described by the phrase "vayifga
ba-makom" (28:11). While this can be translated as, "And
he encountered the place," a more colloquial
interpretation would note the overtones of accident and
happenstance implicit in the text. Something along the
lines of, "And he happened upon the place," would be in
order. Almost by accident, Ya'akov stumbles upon a holy
place and dreams of angels. He seeks, but in a haphazard
and accidental fashion. In contrast, tangel encounter at
Machanaim is initiated not by Ya'akov, but by the angels,
the divine side of things. The text utilizes the phrase,
"Vayifge'u bo malakhei E-lokim," "And angels of God met
him" (32:2). The angels initiate the meeting.
Furthermore, the initiation and the meeting are
deliberate and purposeful, devoid of any accidental
quality. Ya'akov is sought out.
Moreover, the encounters seem not only different in
quality and initiation but also in their duration. In
the first encounter, the dream vision, Ya'akov awakens.
The vision evaporates and the dream dissolves, leaving
Ya'akov with no more than memory of God's promises.
However, in the second encounter, the concrete meeting,
the angels do not just fade away. As Ibn Ezra points out
(32:2), the name Machanaim means two camps, denoting the
parallel camps of Ya'akov and his family on the one hand
and the divine angels on the other. Just as Ya'akov is
encamped as part of his journey, so too the divine angels
are encamped, engaged, at least briefly, in a parallel
journey.
The beginning of parashat Vayishlach may strengthen
this point. Almost immediately after being met by the
angels of God (malakhei E-lokim) in 32:2, Ya'akov sends
messengers (malakhim) to his brother Eisav in the land of
Seir (32:4). Quite possibly, these malakhim-messengers
should be identified as stemming from the camp of
malakhim-angels accompanying Ya'akov (Ramban 32:2, Rashi
32:4). If so, the second encounter, the concrete
meeting, persists even longer.
To put all of this together, the story at the end of
the parasha, the meeting at Machanaim, depicts a concrete
meeting in time and space initiated by the divine.
Ya'akov and the angels camp and perhaps journey together.
He is someone worthy of angelic greeting and
accompaniment. The story at the beginning of the parasha
presents an altogether different picture. Ya'akov is not
greeted by angels, accompanied by angels, nor granted a
concrete vision by God. Instead, the story of Beit El is
a dream, the ephemeral vision of a running man. It is an
almost accidental and brief glimpse of a promised future,
a story in which Ya'akov stumbles upon prophecy and
destiny. In sum, it is a story of potential, portraying
Ya'akov in the process of becoming, not yet worthy of
concrete visions and persistent divine accompaniment.
If so, perhaps part of the point of the frame of the
parasha, the bracketing of the parasha with the two angel-
encounter stories, is to telegraph the change in Ya'akov.
The Ya'akov who emerges from Charan is not the same
Ya'akov who had fled to Charan.
This reading of the frame gets us a little closer to
the picture. Somehow, the years in Charan have changed
Ya'akov. But in what way has he changed? How does he
differ from the Ya'akov of twenty years past? Why is he
now deserving of concrete vision and angelic
accompaniment?
III
Let us take a look at the covenant contracted
between Lavan and Ya'akov. Normally, a covenant
comprises a relatively friendly affair, a formal
confirmation of good relations. For example, in the
covenant between Avraham and Avimelech (21:22-33),
Avimelech requests "kindness" from Avraham and his
descendents in return for the kindness he has shown to
Avraham (21:23). The covenant scene closes with the
statement that "they made a covenant" (21:32) and the
fact that Avraham remained in the land of the Philistines
"many days" (21:34).
Likewise, the covenant between Yitzchak and
Avimelech is also about the formal establishment of good
relations. While Yitzchak is at first suspicious of
Avimelech's attitude, accusing Avimelech of hating him
(26:27), he is apparently won over by Avimelech's desire
for "only good" in their relations and his desire to send
him away "in peace" (26:27). The story concludes with
each man swearing to "his brother" (26:31) and the new
brothers parting "in peace" (26:31). In sum, treaties
are about mutual kindness, good relations and peace.
Not so the "treaty" between Lavan and Ya'akov, our
second pillar covenant. An atmosphere of hostility
permeates the entire story (31:44-54). The treaty
originates in mistrust and separation. Lavan originally
requests a "witness," a guarantee, that Ya'akov will not
afflict his daughters or take additional wives when
hidden from Lavan's supervision (31:44,50). Furthermore,
throughout the conversation, numerous references are made
to the physical separation of the parties. Apparently,
neither side will cross the dividing line formed by the
pile of stones and the hill it rests upon (31:49,52,
Rashi 31:52). Moreover, in line with the disengagement
theme, Ya'akov and Lavan cannot even agree on what to
call the monuments or by what God to swear. Where as
Lavan calls the monument "Yegar Sahaduta," Ya'akov calls
it "Galed" (31:47). When Lavan swears by the "God of
Avraham, Nachor and their fathers," Ya'akov pointedly
swears by "Pahad Yitzchak" (31:53). Finally, throughout
the story there is no mention of "kindness," good
relations, peace or brotherhood between Ya'akov and
Lavan. While the text refers to Ya'akov's and Lavan's
mutual clansmen as the "brothers" of Ya'akov (31:46, 54),
neither Ya'akov nor the text ever term Ya'akov and Lavan
brothers. They are irrevocably disengaged one from
another. This is a story of separation.
The roots of this cold peace between Lavan and
Ya'akov lie buried in the history of the previous twenty
years, a history that includes Lavan's ongoing trickery
and Ya'akov's ever-burgeoning wealth. In fact, just
before the contracting of the treaty of separation, the
Torah brings these themes to the fore.
After Ya'akov consults with his wives, packs his
bags and leaves Charan (31:1-18), Lavan gives chase,
catches the fleeing Ya'akov, accuses him of theft and
ransacks his camp (31:19-36). At this point, and
immediately preceding the covenant of separation, a
crucial dialogue ensues. Ya'akov begins by rebuking
Lavan for pursuing him and accusing him of theft.
And [Ya'akov] . said to Lavan, What is my
transgression? What is my sin that you have hotly
pursued me? Although you have searched all my stuff
what have you found of your house's goods.? (31:36-
37)
He continues on to deliver his take on the last twenty
years. These were years in which Ya'akov worked hard,
animated by loyalty and honesty. They were years in
which Lavan rewarded honesty with trickery and hard work
with miserliness.
Twenty years I have been with you; your sheep and
goats have not miscarried and your rams I have not
consumed. The torn I didn't bring to you and I bore
the loss, from my hand you demanded it, whether
stolen by day or stolen by night. So it was for me:
during the day drought consumed me, and frost at
night, sleep departed from my eyes. So I have been
twenty years in your house; I served you fourteen
years for your two daughters, and six years for your
cattle: and you have changed my wages ten times.
(31:38-40)
Ya'akov concludes with a flourish and a final accusation.
Were it not for the God of my father, the God of
Avraham and Pachad Yitzchak who was with me, surely
you would have sent me away empty. (31:41)
All he has, he owes to God and His providence. How else
could he have survived Lavan's deal-making and slave-like
working conditions? How else could he have thrived
despite Lavan's trickery, abuse, cheapness and
dishonesty? It is all due to the grace of God.
Lavan is neither swayed nor impressed. He is
neither interested in history nor in responding to the
substance of Ya'akov's claims. Rather he simply states
his position.
These daughters are my daughters, and these children
are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and
all that you see is mine. (31:43)
No wonder that the "covenant" which follows (31:44-54) is
animated by distrust and disagreement. It is a treaty
between enemies and opposites.
IV
Ya'akov has not always played the role of enemy and
opposite to Lavan. Earlier on, upon arriving at the well
and meeting Rachel, Ya'akov defines himself as "the
brother of her father" (29:12). The entire plot of the
well story revolves around Ya'akov seeking out Lavan,
"the brotof his mother" (21:10). In fact, the stem for
brother or sibling, aleph-chet, appears seven times
(29:4,10,12,13,15) in the overall textual unit (29:1-17).
When Ya'akov cries (29:11), he cries tears of relief. He
has finally found his and his mother's brother, the end
of his flight and a refuge from his biological brother
Esav.
As pointed out above, the Torah never defines
Ya'akov and Lavan as "brothers" during the treaty story.
In pointed contrast to their mutual clansmen who are
termed the brothers of Ya'akov (31:46,54), Lavan is just
Lavan, not the brother of Ya'akov, not the brother of his
mother nor his clan-brother. This contrast with the well-
scene, the story of Ya'akov seeking his brother, is
further highlighted by the fact that in the larger
textual unit containing the treaty, the story of the
chase, confrontation and treaty (31:19-54), the stem for
brother, aleph-chet, appears seven times (31:23, 25, 32,
37, 46, 54) - the same seven times as in the well scene.
But once again, in contrast to the well story, it never
appears in reference to Ya'akov and Lavan.
In summary, the treaty story, i.e. the second pillar
covenant of parashat Vayetze and its larger context of
the chase and confrontation (31:19-54), constitutes a de-
brothering story. It forms the opposite of Ya'akov's
search for Lavan in the first half of the parasha.
Rather than seeking his brother Lavan, he now flees and
separates from his non-brother Lavan. The man who
treated him so is not his brother.
V
Let us try to move from the level of attitude to the
level of character. Commenting on Ya'akov's original
statement to Rachel in which he claims to be the brother
of Lavan, Rashi (29:12) cites a midrash which interprets
Ya'akov's statement in a striking fashion. As if to tell
Rachel that all will turn out all right, Ya'akov claims
to be the equal of Lavan in trickery (rama'ut). While
this may be a bit of an exaggeration, the early Ya'akov
does contain quite a bit of the character of Lavan. He
too knows how to negotiate a good deal. It is Ya'akov
the wily businessman who pulls of the purchase of the
birthright, the land and the blessings for a bowl of soup
(25:29-34). Leaving no loop open, he even extracts a
formal oath from his "dying" brother (25:32-33).
Likewise, Ya'akov the wily businessman is not deterred by
a measure of trickery and deceit in pursuit of what he
deems his right. He is willing to masquerade as his
brother and lie to his father in order to protect his
purchase (27:15-24). The only concern he expresses is
that of being caught (27:11-12).
Finally, and most strikingly, the early Ya'akov acts
the wily businessman even in his relation to God. As
pointed out previously, Ya'akov's behavior in the
aftermath of his dream, the very contracting of the first
pillar covenant, seems rather strange. To review, God
appears to Ya'akov to deliver a unilateral promise. He
promises all of the standard components of the blessings
of Avraham: land, descendants, etc. (28:13-14). In
addition, given the unique circumstance of Ya'akov's
fleeing from the land, he promises to "be with him" and
to return him to the land. Upon awakening, Ya'akov
erects a pillar, recasts God's promise as a deal, adds
conditions for both sides, and seals it all with a vow
(28:18-22). Undoubtedly there is something praiseworthy
about the promise to return to the place of God and to
tithe, to give a portion to God (28:22). Nevertheless,
at the same time, Ya'akov has effectively turned the
blessings of Avraham into a business deal including
monetary components and obligations. The transformation
by Ya'akov of God's gift into the first pillar covenant,
a two-sided conditioned and formal deal, reflects the
wily businessman inside, the element of Lavan within him.
The contrast with the later Ya'akov could not be
greater. Let us take a look at the next time the Torah
portrays Ya'akov as speaking to God, his prayer on the
night before confronting Eisav. In the core of his
prayer, Ya'akov beseeches God:
I am unworthy of the least of Your mercies, and of
the truths that You have done with Your servant; for
with my stick alone I last passed over this Jordan
and now I have become two camps. Save me please
from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Eisav,
for I fear him, lest he come and smite us, mother
and children. (32:11-12)
Here there is no deal-making, no offers of
mutuality, no wiles, and no reliance upon one's own wits.
Nothing is attributed to Ya'akov's skills, his
intelligence or his abilities. Rather, all stems from
God's mercy and justice, mercy and justice that Ya'akov
realizes he fails to deserve. Here Ya'akov displays the
character of a penitent, a true seeker of God, who
recognizes his utter dependence upon God. This character
constitutes the opposite of the wily businessman, who
relies upon his own wits, his tricks and his deal-making
to achieve his ends.
But from what does the transformation in Ya'akov
stem? When does he change? Where does the turn in his
personality occur? I believe we already know the answer.
Let us return briefly to the dialogue preceding the
second pillar covenant, the separation treaty of Ya'akov
and Lavan. As pointed out previously, Ya'akov finishes
his tirade with a passionate flourish.
Were it not for the God of my father, the God of
Avraham and Pachad Yitzchak who was with me, surely
you would have sent me away empty. (31:41)
Here we have the later Ya'akov. Ya'akov easily could
have attributed his success to his hard work; after all,
he has worked fourteen years for his wives and children.
He could have attributed his wealth to his clever
negotiating with Lavan and utilization of sophisticated
breeding techniques, his usage of striped and spotted
sticks to produce speckled and spotted sheep (30:27-43).
Instead of celebrating his own skill, Ya'akov attributes
all to the help and mercy of God.
Ya'akov sees Lavan for who he truly is. He sees the
trickiness, the theft, the lack of gratitude, the
manipulations and the possessiveness of Lavan. He sees
what it means not to act as a brother, what it is to
manipulate and exploit in order to further one's own
material interests. He sees what the character of the
wily businessman is all about. In response, he
acknowledges his own impotence to combat the external
Lavan and recognizes that all comes from God. By doing
so, Ya'akov separates not just from the external Lavan,
but also from the internal Lavan, the wily businessman
within. By recognizing the repulsiveness of Lavan and
Lavaness, and by depending on God, Ya'akov in effect
gives up part of his own character.
In sum, the story marks an important stage in
separating from the character of Lavan and establishing
the final character of Ya'akov. Quite possibly, the
change in Ya'akov, the separation from the Lavan within,
constitutes an ongoing and gradual process.
Alternatively, the process may be revolutionary,
occurring quickly in moments of crisis. Either way, our
story, the separation treaty with Lavan, the second
pillar covenant and its larger context of chase and
confrontation, constitutes a crucial moment.
The story constitutes a de-brothering story, a
separation of Ya'akov from Lavan, not just on the level
of attitude but also on the level of character.
V
To close the circle, let us return to where we
began, the chiastic framing of the parasha. Let us
briefly review the structure of the parasha.
A (28:10-12) - the angel encounter on the way to
Charan;
B (28:13-22) - the pillar covenant with God;
C (Parashat Vayetze) - Ya'akov in Charan in the
house of Lavan;
B (31:44-54) - the pillar covenant with Lavan;
A (32:1-3) - the angel encounter upon leaving
Charan.
Earlier, I argued that the outer ring of the frame,
the angel encounter parallel, serves to telegraph that
Ya'akov has changed, that by the end of the parasha he is
worthy of concrete visions and angelic accompaniment.
This left us wondering as to the nature of this change.
Our analysis above of the second pillar covenant as part
of a larger context of chase, confrontation and
separation (31:19-54), as a de-brothering st as a
separation from Lavan and Lavaness, should help complete
the picture. The purpose of the inner ring of the frame
is to signal the precise nature of the ongoing change in
Ya'akov. In the first pillar covenant, the early
Ya'akov, the brother of Lavan, acts the role of the wily
businessman even vis-a-vis God. He goes from Beit El to
seek his brother Lavan (29:1-17), his brother in the
deepest sense of the term. The second pillar covenant
turns out to be the opposite of the first. Here we have
the later Ya'akov, who truly acknowledges dependence upon
God, who separates from Lavan on the external and
internal levels.
If so, the chiastic frame of the parasha constitutes
far more than just literary artistry. Rather, it signals
contrast, change and closure. The second half of the
frame closes not just the parasha and Ya'akov's time in
the house of Lavan, but also a chapter in the character
of Ya'akov. He is no longer the brother of Lavan, the
wily deal-maker of his early days. One brother behind
him, he heads off to deal with Eisav, his other brother.
Lavan and Lavaness behind him, he is well on his way to
becoming Yisrael.
[Note: I am indebted to my teacher Rav Aharon
Lichtentsein for the interpretation of the angel
encounter parallel presented in this shiur (Part II of
the shiur). All further developments of this
interpretation are my own responsibility.]
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