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From: Ephraim Frank To: Shevet Achim Subject: Parashat Va'yishlach
Hebrew Insights into Parashat Va'yishlach - Genesis: 32:3 - 36:43
"Then Ya'acov sent [va'yishlach] messengers - "mala'chim" before him to his brother Esav..." (32:3). These are the opening words of our Parasha. "Mal'achim" are angels, messengers or emissaries. Ya'acov had seen them in dreams (aside from the famous ladder scene in 28:12, an angel also addressed him in a dream in 31:11 ff.). He had also run into YHVH's messengers when he departed from Lah'van (31:1,2), and now he sends messengers, human "mal'achim", to his brother Esav. The root of "mal'ach" (singular form) is "la'a'ch" (lamed, alef, chaf), meaning "to send". It is from this verb (which is not in use) that we get the noun: "mla'cha", occupation, work, workmanship (such as the kind that was preformed in the Tabernacle), possession and more. Later on, when Esav proposes that Ya'acov come along with him with his entire entourage, the latter refuses, saying that he will move "according to the pace of the cattle that are before him..." (33:14). "Cattle" here is also "m'lacha", as the herds were going out ahead, or being sent forth in front of the retinue. When "YHVH rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done" (Gen. 2:2), it was His "m'lacha" that He ceased from. This is one example of how the Hebrew language is able to accommodate, as it were, in one word or term, cattle, angels, occupation, the holy service rendered unto YHVH in the Tabernacle, His work of creation etc.
Such diverse juxtapositions are not uncommon in Hebrew, and provide a window
into understanding the thought pattern or mentality of the society which
gave birth to them. What does it indicate when the root word for "work", for
example, is "to send forth"? What does it say about the basic understanding
of the concept of "work" or "occupation"? It certainly speaks of a type of
accomplishment or product which does not remain in confinement, or within
one's immediate vicinity. Rather, it is something which is rendered or
performed for the community. A work looked upon as a mission (by its very
definition) cannot be considered incidental or self-serving only, but has a
certain goal in mind. The word "m'lacha" also speaks or refers to the one
performing it; again, denoting a very socially oriented community. The
content of the one and only proverb containing the word "m'lacha" validates
what the etymology of the word itself reveals. Thus, Proverbs 24:27 reads,
"prepare your work ("m'lacha") outside, and make it ready for yourself in
the field; afterwards, then, build your [own] house".
Just before Ya'acov and company venture to cross the Yarden (Jordan), in anticipation of the unknown, the much concerned Ya'acov prays for safety and deliverance. He also expresses gratitude to the God of His fathers, acknowledging his own unworthiness "of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies (camps - "ma'cha'not")" (32:10). At the end of last week's Parasha we noted the word usage of the "double camp". Here, Ya'acov is actually dividing up his family (out of concern for their safety, employing a strategy typical of his cunning disposition) into "two companies" (again, "camps", 33:1ff.), which hints yet again of the future division of his house. We must note, however, that this division does not conform to the way the 'nation of Ya'acov' eventually splits up.
In verses 22 and 23 we read: "Now he arose that same night and took his two wives and his two maids and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. Then Ya'acov was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak". Wrestle here, "(va)ye'a'vek", is remarkably similar to the proper name "Yabbok" - "Jabbok" (remember, that in Hebrew b and v sounds are designated by the same letter), the root of both being a.v.k (alef, vet, kof), forming the word "ah'vak". What is "ah'vak"? Avak is "dust", and naturally, an 'engagement' such as the one Ya'acov and the "man" were involved in would raise no small amount of dust, especially considering the location of the scene. "Ah'vak" speaks of very fine dust, not the kind that is translated "dust of the earth", which is "ah'far" (such as we saw in Parashat Chayey Sarah), referring to grains of sand. The dust contained in the river's name, as well as in the verb chosen to describe Ya'acov's struggle with the unnamed person in the dark, both seem to contribute to the obscurity and mystery shrouding the event itself. Even Ya'acov's name-change into "Yisra'el" is not quite clear. The reason for the change is given as, "For you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed" (ve. 28). The name was bestowed in response to Ya'acov's demand to be blessed by the "man", whom he was not willing to release until and unless his request was granted. "Yisra'el" is formed from the verb "sara", to "persist, persevere, strive", and "el", which is "strong or mighty one", from which we get the word Elohim. What was meant by this statement, and in what way did Ya'acov's life, at least up to that point, conform to this definition? Were his 'dusty' struggles on 'behalf of self' taken into account in this lofty definition? Or was this definition simply a statement of facts, devoid of any moral evaluations? Was the name Yisra'el and its definition simply the Almighty's way of bestowing pure and unadulterated grace upon him - the name possessing more of a prophetic significance for a future day when Ya'acov would be empowered by his God - rather than a description of hard-core present day facts? Still, the persistence that Ya'acov demonstrated that night did, to some degree, validate the meaning of the new name.
When it was Ya'acov's turn to ask the 'mystery man' for his name, the
response came in the form of a question: "Why is it that you ask my name?"
(ve. 29). When Mano'ach (Manoah), Shimshon's (Samson) father, asked the very
same question of the messenger ("mal'ach") who came to him, the response was
"for it is wonderful" (Judges 13:18). In the case before us, the response is
followed by the words, "and he blessed him there" (ve. 29). What was the
blessing? Did it simply constitute the name change?
When Ya'acov first departed from the land and had this first heavenly
encounter, his experience was marked by a 'God of a place'. He had literally
been in what he termed the "house of God"! However, upon his return it is
the "face of God" that he encounters - "P'ni'el" (ref. ve. 31). An echo of
his P'ni'el experience may be detected in what he says to his brother Esav
in 33:10, "for I see your face ("pane'cha") as one sees the face of God
("p'ney Elohim")". Ya'acov's perspective certainly seems to have changed.
Having seen "God face to face" (v. 31), he is now able to view Esav
differently.
Upon re-entering the land of his fathers, Ya'acov walks in the footsteps of
his grandfather Avraham and comes to Sh'chem (Shechem). His coming to that
town after the encounter with his brother does not pass by unnoticed, "and
Ya'acov came safely to the city of Shechem" (33:18). Ya'acov came "shalem" -
that is, whole, in one piece and in peace to Sh'chem ("shalem" of course
being of the same root as "shalom"). Perhaps this is also an ironic preamble
to the rest of the story, where "peace" did not last for long, as the next
chapter introduces us to the conflict between Ya'acov's family and the
locals. In 34:21 the root sh.l.m comes up again, when Cha'mor (Hamor) and
his son Sh'chem attempt to talk the town folk into being circumcised. Among
some of the things that they say about Ya'acov and his family here, they
also mention that "these people are peaceful toward us..." - "sh'lemim",
"whole hearted, with good intentions, undivided". We soon learn that nothing
could be further from the truth.
In chapter 35:1, Elohim charges Ya'acov to "rise ("kum") - and go to
Bet-El...and to make an altar there to God, who appeared before you....".
Last week we noted that Ya'acov's call to "rise up" started sounding when he
first found himself in the "makom" (place) which he named Bet-El. Now,
having completed a full circle or cycle, Ya'acov is to go back there and
continue to "rise up". Truly, Ya'acov's continual growth from that point is
evident. First, he charges his family to "put away the foreign gods which
are among you..." (ve. 2). In last week's Parasha (chapter 31), we saw that
Ya'acov's household was not free of idolatry, indeed the 'man about the
house' seemed to tolerate that state of affairs - but not so now! After all
the foreign idols and the earrings are gathered, Ya'acov buries them under
the "ela", the terebinth tree. This small tree, along with the "alon"
("oak") share the root "el", speaking of strength, and hence "El", "god",
which has been surfacing often in these narratives about Ya'acov, along with
his new name, Yisra'el. In fact, in these Parashot (plural for Parasha), the
title "Elohim" (plural of "el"), rather then YVHV, is the one which is used
more often. In verse 8 of our passage, Rivka's nurse, D'vora, dies and is
buried under the "alon", and thus the place was named Alon Ba'chut ("oak of
weeping"). Many other place names bear titles connected to the oak tree
(Elon Moreh, Eloney - "oaks of..." - Mamreh etc.), which is indigenous to
the land of Israel, and known for its strength and rejuvenation ability. The
oak and the teberinth have both remained symbols of strength and
durability, and as such, the remnant of the Nation is compared to them in
Yishayahu (Isaiah) 6:13, "Yet there will be a tenth portion... and it will
again burn, like a terebinth or an oak whose stump remains when it is
felled....".
In verse 3, Ya'acov calls his God "the El who answered me in the day of my
distress..." ("tzarati"). Before that, in 32:7 we read that he "was greatly
afraid and distressed". The word for "distressed" there is "(va)ye'tzar".
The root of both these words is tz.r. (tzadi, resh). These two consonants
happen to be used in numerous other words, such as "adversity, affliction,
anguish, distress, tribulation or trouble", and in several more such as
tza'ar - sorrow; tzar - enemy, adversary; tzarar - bind, tie up, restrict,
narrow, scant, cramped, a show of hostility, vexing; tzaraf - smelt, refine,
test; matzref - a crucible or instrument of refining; tzir'ah - hornet;
tzorev - burn, scorch; tzara'at - leprosy; batzoret - drought; matzor -
siege; mitzrayim - Egypt, and more. Finally, Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 30:7
contains a reference to "tzarat Ya'acov", Ya'acov's trouble: "Alas! For that
day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Ya'acov's
trouble, but he shall be saved out of it".
In 35:9, Elohim appears before Ya'acov once again, blessing and reminding him that his name is no longer Ya'acov, but Yisrael, repeating the promises He had given to his fathers. In commemoration of the event, Ya'acov-cum-Yisrael sets up a pillar over which he pours oil (ref. ve. 14). Thus, these first 15 verses of chapter 35 seem to sum up, bring to a conclusion, resolve, relate to redemptive principles, and recall past events, also containing reminders of blessings and future promises, as well as a hint of other events to come. Looking at this rather short power-packed passage from our (time) perspective, it appears that the past and the future met in what was then a dynamic, present day situation!
Next comes the birth of Binyamin, whom his mother names Ben-Oni, "son of my strength", and whose father calls "Ben-Yamin", meaning "son of the right hand" (ref. ve.18). Perhaps Ya'acov does not want to perpetuate the sad memory of his beloved wife's waning strength, all of which was invested in giving birth to her son. Naming him as he does, Ya'acov is actually conferring upon him a firstborn position, perhaps also because he was the first and only one to be born in the land. Upon Ra'chel's death Ya'acov sets up a pillar upon her grave (35:20). Doing this he is actually repeating what he had done in verse 14 above, after YHVH had talked to him. In both cases it says, "va'yatzev ma'tzeva", that is "and he placed a pillar". Both the placing and the pillar are of the root y.tz.v. (yod, tzadi, bet/vet), meaning to "station, or take a stand". Just as he did in last week's Parasha, Ya'acov again commemorates the events in his life in this way.
In chapter 36, the Parasha's last, interposed in the record of Esav's progeny there is a short episode (verses 6 and 7) which explains the physical separation of the brothers Ya'acov and Esav: "For their property had become too great for them to live together, and the land where they sojourned could not sustain them because of their livestock". This is a clear echo from the past, reminding us of Avraham and Lot's separation (ref. Gen. 13;1-12).
Let us also take note of verse 12, which tells us that Esav's first born, Elifaz, had a firstborn, by his concubine Timnah, whom he named Amalek. The latter was to become Israel's fiercest enemy. Being a firstborn (and a son of a firstborn), Amalek must have been the direct recepient of his grandfather Esav's hatred for and murderous impulse against Ya'acov, and therefore has always trageted the latter's progeny (ref. Gen. 27:41; Ex. 17:14, 16; Deut. 25:17, 19 etc.).
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From: Ephraim Frank To: Shevet Achim Subject: Parashat Va'yeshev
Hebrew Insights into Parashat Va'yeshev - Genesis: 37 - 41
"Now Ya'acov dwelt ("va'ye'shev") in the land where his father had
sojourned, in the land of Cna'an (Canaan). These are the generations
of Ya'acov: Yoseph was seventeen years of age...." (Gen. 37:1). The
root for the verb "to dwell" is y.sh.v. (yod, shin, vet) and means to
"dwell, reside, sit, remain". According to the scripture just quoted,
Ya'acov lived in his father's land, but the "account of his
generations" ("toldot") is related through the life of his son Yoseph.
Incidentally, Esav's chronicles (in chapter 36), as well as
Yishma'el's (25:12-18) are simply lists of names, whereas the
Patriarchs' chronicles are narratives presenting increasing
revelations of Elohim and His involvement in the lives of those who
bear His name.1 Additionally, identifying Ya'acov's dwelling place
with "the land where his father had sojourned", and tying up his
annals with the name of his son (Yoseph) serve to illustrate the
typical Hebraic approach to the continuum of the seed. Those living in
the present do not identify solely with their contemporaries; they are
no less connected to their ancestors and to their progeny.
In telling the story of Ya'acov, the narrative highlights the story of
Yoseph who was favored by his father. As a mark of his affections
Ya'acov made his son a special tunic: "k'tonet passim", a tunic of
"passim". Unlike the commonly held view that this robe, or tunic, was
multi-colored, the word "passim" tells us that the robe was extra
long; covering the feet and especially the flat of the hands ("pas" is
the palm of the hand or sole). It was of a style "such as the
daughters of the king dressed themselves" (in 2nd Sam. 13:18 David's
daughter, Tamar is recorded as wearing such a robe). By clothing
Yoseph in a prince's garb, Ya'acov gives a message to the rest of his
sons, denoting that the youngest is the one destined to inherit the
birthright. It is no wonder then that Ya'acov's favored son incurs the
wrath of his brothers, even before he shares his dreams with them.
When Ya'acov hears Yoseph's second dream, he too becomes somewhat
exasperated with him. However, the text goes on to tell us that "his
father kept the saying in his heart" (37:11). Another parent, who on
one occasion "treasured all these things, pondering them in her
heart", and who on another "hid [the words] in her heart," was Miriam,
Yeshua's mother (Luke 2:18, 51). In her case too, "the things" were
connected prophetically to the future and the destiny of a young boy.
Ya'acov proceeds to send Yoseph on a mission to Sh'chem, where his brothers had taken the flocks. The father may have been concerned for his sons' safety in Sh'chem, as that town's residents most likely remembered them only too well.2 In verses 13 and 14 we read: "And Israel said to Yoseph, '... Come and I will send you.... So he sent him from the valley of Chevron (Hebron)...". "The story of Yoseph, in Gen. 45:8, ends with the following words of Yoseph to his brothers, who had been likewise sent after him to Egypt: "So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God...".3 The commentator goes on to say that "this verse supplies the key to the understanding of the whole story, which unfolds a dual level of the mission. There is the obvious mission which Ya'acov sends his son on, but underlying this mission lies the hidden (deep) workings of Providence Who is sending the descendants of Avraham to Egypt." It is this connection to Avraham which brings the "vale of Chevron" (ve. 14) into the picture, even though Chevron was in a mountain and not in the valley.
Our commentator continues: "Emek ("valley" of) Chevron is referring to
God's mysterious prophecy to Avraham, and is a play on the word
"emek", literally "deep place".4 To that we would add, that the
episode of the father (Ya'acov) who is sending his son to seek "the
remainder of his brethren [who] will return..." (Micha 5:3), also
forms a picture of Elohim the Father sending His Son to bring back to
Himself His children (the sons of Israel/Ya'acov). Let us also take
note of Yoseph's response to being sent, "here am I" - "hineh'ni",
which is a condensed form of "hineh ani" - "behold here I am".
Although a common idiom, which we have encountered even up to this
point (e.g. Gen. 27:18), what comes to mind is another 'send off'. In
Yisha'aya (Isaiah) 6:8 we read the following: "And I heard the voice
of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I
said, here am I [hineh'ni]; send me!" (Italics added).
Ya'acov sends Yoseph from Chevron, which is in Yehuda, to Sh'chem
which is in Shomron (Samaria), from where Yoseph goes on to Dotan
(Dothan), also in Shomron, and is then taken to Egypt ("the world").
This route becomes a georgraphical prototype foreshadowing the journey
of the Gospel and its witnesses, from Yehuda to Shomron and to the
uttermost parts of the world (ref. Acts 1:8). In Egypt Yoseph indeed
proves to be a faithful witness to the God of his fathers in word and
deed, never failing to give Him credit - as we shall see later.
Back in Dotan, while Yoseph is naked and no doubt thirsty in the pit
he had been cast into by his brothers (ref. ve. 23, 24), the latter
are sitting down to eat bread. "Bread" is "le'chem", of the root
l.ch.m (lamed, chet, mem) which is also the root for the verb "to
fight", and for the noun "war" ("milchama"). The men eat their bread -
lechem - while in their hearts there is a war-like attitude - milchama
- toward their brother. Proverbs 4:17 says of the wicked that, "they
eat the bread of wickedness". The verb for "eat" there is "la'cha'mu"
(of the root we just looked at), which normally would be understood as
"fight", making this verse applicable therefore to the wickedness
manifested by Yoseph's brothers. Shlomo Ostrovski comments here, that
Yoseph's brothers had no idea that some day they would seek out their
victim for the very substance by which they were now satisfying their
hunger,5 and which he is being denied.
In the meantime, a caravan of merchants passes by and Yehuda, using
his pragmatism to suppress his guilt, suggests selling Yoseph to them
(ref. ver. 25-28). Later, in the family home, there is great turmoil
caused by Yoseph's (supposed) death, particularly so since Ya'acov
cannot be comforted. Yehuda 'ups and leaves', or in the words of the
text he, "departs from his brothers and descends" ("va'yered" - "and
he went down") to Adulam (38:1). While in that state of separation,
Yehuda marries a Canaantie woman who bears him three sons. The
narrative is plainly in a hurry to make a point, as straight away
after these sons' birth we are told of the firstborn's marriage to
Tamar. Surely, the fact that two of Yehuda's sons are displeasing to
YHVH, who takes away their lives (ref. ve. 7-10), comes as no
surprise. Without wasting time and words the narrative goes on to tell
us the story of Tamar and her insistence to "raise up the name of the
deceased" (Ruth 4:5). Tamar's true identity and motive are only
discovered when she produces a pledge in the form of a seal, cord and
staff left to her by her father-in-law, upon her demand, wherein
sometime beforehand she disguised herself as a harlot. The pledge
given to Tamar is "era'von", of the root a.r.v., which we observed in
the word for "evening", "erev" (in Parashat B'resheet, Gen. 1-6:8).
This pledge is a guarantee for that which is to come. Indeed without
it, Tamar would have been burnt to death (ref. ve. 24, 25). But more
than just saving the life of Tamar, it also guarantees that YHVH's
principle of redemption is implemented; that is, that life is brought
from the dead, while also insuring the continuity of what is to become
the tribe of Yehuda.
In verse 21, Yehuda is seen looking for the "harlot" (of verse 15),
calling her here "k'desha", which is translated "temple prostitute".
K'desha shares the same root as "kadosh", holy, set apart (k.d.sh.
kof, dalet, shin). Once again we encounter a linguistic 'paradox',
determining that while 'set apartness' can be for YHVH's sake and for
His purposes, it can also be for other purposes. It is only real-life
action which imbues words with meaning, and not the technical symbol
or title which any given word is related to. Thus, we see here that
the "k'desha" turns out to be "k'dosha" ("holy", femening gender), or
as her father-in-law put it: "She is more righteous than I" (ve. 26).
When it is her time to give birth, Tamar, like Rivka, has twins who,
like the former pair, have an innate 'knowledge' of the importance of
the birthright. Again there is competition over who is to be born
first. Ultimately "the breaker", the "portetz" wins, and is therefore
named Peretz (Pharez ve. 29). Many years later, in Micha 2:12 we read
that "the breaker goes up before them. They break out, pass through
the gate and go out by it. So their king goes on before them, and the
Lord at their head". The preceding verse informs us that the subjects
of this description are those who are being gathered out of Ya'acov
and the remnant of Israel, who are to be "put together like sheep in
the fold, like a flock in the midst of its pasture they will be noisy
with men". "Noisy" there is "tehemena", which is of the root "hamon",
that we encountered in Parashat Lech Lecha (Gen. 12-17). It is this
"hamon" (multitude), which was symbolized by the letter "h" (hey)
added to Avram's name, making it Avraham.
Yoseph is now in Egypt, "mitzrayim" - the narrow place of adversity - but "YHVH was with Yoseph, so he became a successful man..." (29:2). "Successful" takes us back to the word "matzli'ach" that we studied in Parashat Cha'yey Sarah (Gen. 23-15:18), where we learnt that it means to "cause to advance". We certainly know who causes Yoseph to advance, so much so that even his pagan master, Potiphar, recognizes it. According to Studies in B'resheet,6 Yoseph's "master saw and heard Yoseph make mention of the name of his God and attribute his success and abilities not to his powers but to the Almighty." This conclusion by the sages is not unfounded, as we see by the examples of what Yoseph is later reported as saying. In 39:9, when warding off the advances of Potiphar's wife, Yoseph says: "How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?" In 40:8, when in prison he is asked to interpret dreams, Yoseph answers: "Do not interpretation belong to God?" Yoseph will even continue to bring up the name of his Elohim, when he is brought before Par'oh (Pharaoh), in the next Parasha.
Potiphar's wife, in her attempt to cover up her own disloyalty and dishonesty, tries to implicate Yoseph. She, like so many others in the course of history, subtly enlists the various members of her household to join her in an all out attack on Yoseph. In the process of her "unscrupulous defaming of Yoseph she makes subtle differentiation between her phrasing of the account to her slaves and subsequently to her husband. She does not employ the term "slaves" when addressing the slaves themselves. Yoseph is simply a Hebrew. To her husband, however, she says, "the Hebrew slave". In order to win over her slaves and gain their sympathies she is at pains not to create any feeling of solidarity among the slaves for Yoseph, as one of them. After all it was a common thing for masters to denounce their slaves. They would naturally side with their fellow sufferer. So she subtly changed her tone and stated that is was not one of them, but a stranger, a Hebrew, the common enemy of all of them. To strengthen the impression and arouse their hostility for Yoseph she does not say that the Hebrew slave came unto me, but rather: "see, a Hebrew was brought unto us, to mock us" (39:14). In short, the Hebrew man has not only wronged me but all of us; he has dishonored the whole Egyptian nation... Potiphar's wife in her effort to gain sympathy lumps her slaves together with herself as part of one family. The common enemy is the Hebrew. The immense gap is forgotten, the enormous class distinction between slave and master is overlooked in the cause of temporary self-interest."7
Consequently, Yoseph is put in prison, and just like an echo from his
previous experience, we read the words: "The Lord was with him, and
whatever he did the Lord made to prosper ("matzli'ach")" (39:23).
Although our Parasha ends with Yoseph seemingly being forgotten and
once again being repaid evil for the good he had done, this is just
the beginning of what is to become a glorious career.
The nation of Israel-in-the-making is learning the principles of redemption, as each of its figureheads (Yehuda and Yoseph) is exposed to powerful personal experiences pertaining to YHVH's kingdom principles.
1. Moses on the Witness Stand, Shlomo Ostrovski, Keren Ahava
Meshichit, Jerusalem 1976, 1999. 2. Ibid 3. Studies in Bereshit,
Toldot 1, Nechama Leibowitz, trans. Aryeh Newman. Eliner
Library, Department for Torah Education and Culture in the
Diaspora.
Hemed
Books Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y.
4. Ibid
5. Moses on the Witness Stand, Shlomo Ostrovski, Keren Ahava
Meshichit, Jerusalem 1976, 1999. 6. Studies in Bereshit, Toldot 1,
Nechama Leibowitz, trans. Aryeh Newman. Eliner
Library, Department for Torah Education and Culture in the
Diaspora.
Hemed
Books Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y.
7. Ibid.
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