Torah Portion

Webs Of Deceit
And Character Building

the wedding, the midrash in Bereshit
Rabba emphasizes the oral, voices speak-
ing, hinting at deception, playing with
words to reveal or veil the truth. Laban,
not wishing to marry off his younger
daughter before the older one, substi-
tutes Leah for Rachel. Jacob is tricked,
and only in the morning discovers the
t is written in the Torah in Exodus
substitution. Is this payback for substi-
20:5, that the sins and iniquities
tuting himself for his brother? The tradi-
of the father will be visited on the
tion
of badekn, the groom coming
children unto the third and fourth
before
the ceremony to put down the
generations.
veil
over
the face of his bride, originated
Rashi explains that this assumes that
as
a
way
of
preventing future deceptions.
they carry on their sinful heritage. The
Jacob is, in a sense, the first
Torah, in its wisdom, is
lover
in the Torah narrative.
describing a truth that is
He
works
seven more years to
known in psychotherapeutic
obtain
Rachel's
hand in mar-
terms as "patterns repeat." This
riage.
Jacob
aspires
to an
sedra (portion) deals with the
ideal,
all-consuming
love.
theme of the repeating pat-
Jacob
loves
Rachel
from
the
terns of deception in the fami-
moment
he
sees
her.
His
pref-
lies of our forefathers.
erence
for
Rachel
sets
up
a
In the previous Torah por-
storm
of
jealousy
and
hatred.
tion, we learn of Jacob deceiv-
A profound sense of frustra-
ing his father and receiving the
tion underlies the relationship
JANICE
blessing of the first born
between Jacob and his two
GOLDFEIN
intended for his brother Esau.
wives.
Leah loves Jacob and
Special
to
the
It was with his mother
names
her children as a
Jewish
News
Rebecca's encouragement and
record
of
her changing rela-
with the help of her strategy
tion
to
her
husband. Jacob
that Jacob tricked his father.
loves
Rachel.
But
Rachel
is barren, and
When Jacob goes off in search of a
is
consumed
with
wanting
to conceive.
wife, he goes to his mother's family.
It
appears
that
each
of
the
characters
When he arrives in Haran, he encoun-
want most what cannot be had. Finally,
ters a group of shepherds. He asks them
Rachel conceives and Jacob decides to
whether they know his uncle Laban.
return to his family.
He is told that it is Rachel, Laban's
Deception continues. On her way
daughter, who is approaching with her
out
of her father's house, Rachel steals
sheep. Jacob helps them roll the heavy
her
father's idols. When her father
stone from the mouth of the well, which
comes
after his family and searches for
reveals something of his good character.
Rachel hides them in her
teraphim,
these
We must wonder if it is his generosity,
saddlebag.
She
claims
her menstrual
friendliness and family feeling that ulti-
state
prevents
her
from
rising up for
mately make him easy prey to Laban's
him,
and
her
theft
is
successful.
shrewdness.
Sadly, her theft is a symbol of her
When Laban asks Jacob what wages
future.
For Jacob, unaware of the theft,
he would like for his work, Jacob makes
makes
a
vow to his father-in-law that
a deal to work seven years for the privi-
"anyone
with whom you find your idols
lege of marrying Laban's younger daugh-
shall not remain alive." Tragically, his
ter, Rachel.
curse is fulfilled, as Rachel dies giving
The Torah explicitly states that Jacob
birth to her son Binyamin. The decep-
loved Rachel, who is described as beauti-
tion continues, as that son is eventually
ful of form and lovely to behold. Laban's
entrapped by a mock theft, when Joseph
older daughter, Leah, is described as
plants his own goblet in his brother's
having "weak" eyes, and apparently was
sack.FI
much less lovely than her sister.
Interesting that it was the weakness of
Isaac's eyes that allowed Jacob to trick
his father.
Jacob fulfills his part of the bargain,
Can you give some examples of
and a feast is prepared in honor of the
deception from the Bible other than
forthcoming marriage of Jacob and
those cited here? Why doesn't Laban
Rachel. Describing the preparations for
tell Jacob the truth before he mar-
ries Leah? How is Rachel's theft of
Janice Starkman Goldfein is a clinical
her
father's idols a symbol?
social worker in private practice in

Shabbat Vayetze:
Genesis 28:10-32:3;
Hosea 12:13-14: 10.

1

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