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Genesis 37:1 - 40:23 By Dr. Akiva G. Belk This study of the weekly parsha is dedicated in the loving memory of Mr. Donald Wayne Belk and Mr. Gary Lee Belk may they rest in peace. During the past few weekly parshios, we have been studying about Yaakov and his family problems which began from conception. We cannot look at all of his problems but we will briefly discuss a few. During this period of time we are in a holiday season for most people. As Jews we observe Chanukah... Other religions observe their special days around this time also. It can be a very special time of rich enjoyable relationships with family - OR - it can be lonely, miserable, depressing... for those of us with family problems! Those of us with family problems are not alone. Many have family problems for one reason or another. So at this holiday season it might be comforting to know that the great patriarch Yaakov faced many very difficult family problems... While we often cannot alter what has happened, sometimes it helps to understand the behavior creating the difficulty. Sometimes we can gain wisdom and insight by observing another person's difficulty. The family of Yaakov is an exceptionally excellent choice, given their high level of righteousness. Parent Problems It can be very difficult to experience problems simply because one or both parents are unaware of another sibling's deceptions. Yaakov experienced this with his brother Eisov. Their father was a very righteous man but he was not aware of Eisov's wicked behavior. It is difficult to fathom, considering the depth of Yitzchok's wisdom, that he could not perceive his son Eisov's wickedness. But clearly Hashem did not reveal this to him. It caused great pain to Yaakov to even think that his father would bless his wicked brother. Yet what could he do? Sometimes we can do nothing, but fortunately for Yaakov he could respond. His response caused much trouble. I know of a father who loved his son like Yitzchok loved Eisov. This father was wealthy. He made the son whom he loved the executor of his will. This son was NOT observant. He oversaw the family business as it suited him. He used people as he wished. He did not consult other family members regarding the welfare of his parents or their business. The other children who were righteous could do nothing but watch. They had no power and little influence... This was the difficulty Yaakov was headed for if something didn't happen soooooon!! Problems with lying to his father... Yitzchok... We teach our children to be honest. We teach our offspring to be truthful. The righteous Yaakov was faced with lying to his father to prevent the wicked Eisov from receiving the blessing. {Genesis 27:18-29} In brief, I am weary of hearing about Yaakov "the deceiver." On the surface this appears to be the case but in reality IT IS NOT! In fact Yaakov was more righteous than his father Yitzchok, his grandfather Avraham and even Noach who G-d considered 'perfect in his generation.' He was the first man since Adam according to Rabbi Elie Munk "capable of restoring to the earth the initial blessings which the Creator had wanted to lavish upon it..." Yet to accomplish this he must on the surface resort to deception and cunning. WHY? In Genesis Chapter 3 the Torah states, "The serpent was more cunning..." He used his cunning to prevent Adam from receiving everything that Hashem desired for him in Gan Eden. The serpent deceived Chava. "She said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate.'" Holy reader, the Torah is very clear on these two issues of cunning and deception. That being the situation, the blessings that were taken by cunning and deception would be returned Meta - Chanega - Meta, in the same way, cunning for cunning, deception for deception. Yaakov fulfilled this Torah command. Yaakov was NOT a cunning deceiver, he was an agent of Torah Law being used to recompense. Yaakov was the restorer. He wore the clothes of Eisov. What clothes? Why were the clothes important? The clothes that Yaakov wore that day were from hundreds of years before. They were special clothes. They were the first clothes of Adam. They were the clothes Hashem made for Adam after his sin in Gan Eden. There is a rich story behind these clothes that we won't go into at this time. The point is the clothes provide by Hashem for the fallen were now provided to Yaakov the restorer... As a side note, each blessing of Yitzchok to Yaakov overturned the curses at the fall of Adam and Chava. "And may G-d give you the due of the heavens" overturns the curse against Adam "through suffering shall you eat of it {the ground}." "...and the fatness of the earth.." reverses "accursed is the ground because of you." "...and abundant grain and wine..." alters "thrones and thistles shall sprout for you..." "... peoples will serve you.." changes "by the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread..." Genesis 3:17 - 19 Problems with following his mother Rivkah's instructions... She instructed him to go against his beliefs. She instructed him to lie, deceive and use cunning with his father. {Genesis 27:5-17} WHY? For a righteous cause. Even though this appears wrong it is RIGHT! Here it was righteous!! Yaakov had the potential of restoring what the lying, deceptive and cunning serpent had interrupted. Rivkah had experienced the good and the evil fighting within her body. She had the word from Hashem, "the greater would serve the smaller..." Here is one instance where lesser values collide with greater values. Yaakov listened to his mother . He chose the greater values!! Rivkah had a revelation that Yitzchok did not have. At JewishPath we receive correspondence from readers who struggle with parents who pressure them to disobey the Torah. What Yaakov did was not in disagreement with the Torah. It was a judgment, measure for measure. Parents who mistakenly encourage children to violate the Torah are destroying their own spiritual heritage, G-d forbid! If you are feeling this type of pressure, may Hashem bless you with kind patient steady Torah observance. Problems with his father-in-law Lavan... Holy reader, here we again clash with all those who maintain Yaakov was paid back for his cunning and deception by Lavan's cunning and deception. NOT SO! The fact is, Lavan was like the serpent reincarnated. He was wicked! He was deceitful! He was a liar! He intended to assist Eisov in his bid to recapture if possible "the blessing" skillfully taken by Yaakov the righteous. He cluttered Yaakov's way with many family interruptions. He was a man bound by greed! He was selfish! He attempted to prevent Yaakov from returning home. He came with his men. Eisov came with his men. They were together in their goals of evil, G-d forbid! Yaakov fought twenty years of spiritual warfare with this evil incarnate serpent Lavan!! {Genesis 29:13-30; Genesis 30:25-34; Genesis 31:1,2 and Genesis 31:4-8} Greed is a problem. If you are presently suffering under greedy oppression of a relative, may Hashem loosen the bonds that shackle you and bless you with financial freedom to serve Him in righteousness. Hashem gave Yaakov the command, 'Return to your homeland.' To us this means return to the study of Avraham and Yaakov in the tents of Sheim and Eiver. It means return to observance. Yaakov fled from the oppression of Lavan. He left without saying even goodbye! He separated his family from that oppression. Sibling Problems When Eisov, the son of Yitzchok and Rivkah, a descendant of Sheim marries, he marries two women from the cursed descendants of Canaan... The cursed race... Noach said, "'Cursed is Canaan. A slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers.'" Genesis 9:25 This is the struggle of righteousness. A righteous person does not select a spouse from the descendants of the cursed. Avraham said, to Eliezer, "'Swear by Hashem, G-d of the heaven and G-d of earth, that you WILL NOT take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I dwell...'" Genesis 24:3 The Torah records, "Eisov was forty years old and he married Yehudis {actually Aholibamah} , the daughter of Be'eri, the Chittite and Bosmas, the daughter of Elyon the Chittite. They were a source of spiritual bitterness to Yitzchok and Rivkah. {Genesis 26:34,35} This is why Rivkah said to Yitzchok, "'I am disgusted with my life because of the daughters of Cheis: If Yaakov marries a wife like the daughters of Cheis, such as these from the daughters of the land, what is life {worth} to me?'" Genesis 27:46 In other words it will be like our life is over. We will not have righteous descendants. Who will carry on righteousness for us?... THESE ARE THE PROBLEMS EISOV CAUSED!! Yitzchok called Yaakov, and blessed him. "He commanded him, and said to him, 'Do not marry a woman of the daughters of Canaan. Set out and go to PaDon-Aram, to the house of Besueil your mother's father; and marry one of the daughters of Lavan, your mother's brother.'" Genesis 28:1,2 If your present marital relationship is crumbling because of intermarrying, may Hashem bless you with confidence and wisdom. After years of marriage the only path may be to begin anew. Yes, it would be wonderful if both parties could / would accept and observe Torah values, but one needs wisdom to know when they have hit the end of the road... when continuing in such a relationship is a loss. Problems with his sisters-in-law Holy reader, if you are experiencing this grief of the soul... this agony of Yitzchok and Rivkah, may Hashem bless the revival of the Yetzer Tov in your mishpachah!! Dear reader, if you are blind to the destruction intermarriage brings, may Hashem cause you to awaken!! Problems with his brothers-in-law When Yaakov left they received their just reward... Their blessings were removed. Spouse Problems Yaakov's wives had problems with their greedy
father, Lavan Yaakov experienced problems with his sons
Shimon and Levi "And the sons of Yaakov came out of the field. When they heard {what had happened}, the men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had brought trouble in Israel by raping Yaakov's daughter; which thing ought not to be done." Genesis 34:7 This story expresses much about the problems
Yaakov faced with his children. "And it happened on the third day, when they were sore, {all the men who were circumcised} that two of the sons of Yaakov, Shimon and Levi, Deenah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. They slew Hamor and Shechem, his son, with the edge of the sword, and took Deenah out of Shechem's house, and went out. The sons of Yaakov came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field. And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house." Genesis 34:25-29 "And Yaakov said to Shimon and Levi, you have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house." Genesis 34:30 "And they said, 'Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?'" Genesis 34:31 This posed an interesting problem. What does a righteous person do in an unrighteous country when a problem of this nature occurs, G-d forbid? Sexual sins were a serious problem among the Canaanite people. What was done among them was not permitted among the descendants of Avraham. Contributing to this problem was the reputation of Eisov. He was renowned for his sexual sins. So within the same family we have a collision of righteousness and unrighteousness. We have two messages. We have confusion! In our age we may view the actions of Shimon and Levi as extreme, but were they? Righteous Yaakov seemed to think so... However in view of the issues of separation by righteous Yisroel from the lawless Canaanite people, not so.. Remember Levi and his descendants are defendants of the Covenant. The sons of Levi judged Yisroel with the edge of the sword at the golden calf incident. Over three thousand of B'nei Yisroel died by Moshe's, {a son of Levi's } charge. Pinchas, a grandson of Levi, upheld the Covenant by spearing Prince Zimri and Princess Cozbi. Why? Sexual provocations... When Levi was born our sages state that the malach Gabriel brought the child before Hashem Who named him Levi, meaning "to accompany." In other words, Levi from birth was given the responsibility to accompany the commands of Hashem. Our sages state that along with his name Levi received the twenty-four priestly gifts for the function of his office. Dear reader, when a child receives such as this one did he is a flame of righteousness. Which is why he acted such. Hashem NEVER condemned the above mentioned actions. Instead G-d offered praise and support for righteousness in a lawless land. As a side note, when Shimon and Levi killed {Haw Goo}, they did not murder {Seer Tzah Ach}. It was judgment against sin in a lawless country... The same can be said for the Sons of Levi and for Pinchas. In our world laws abound. Courts punish evil. It was different thousands of years ago... Yaakov experienced problems with his son Yehudah Yaakov experienced problems with all his sons
regarding Yosief Holy reader, partiality regarding children can create many unnecessary problems. It separates. It divides. It hurts all. It is not good. Again, in this instance Hashem used it, as our sages say, measure for measure. Yaakov was away from his father for twenty-two years so Yosief in turn was away from Yaakov for twenty-two years. Yaakov experienced problems with his grandsons
Er and Onan Yaakov experienced problems with the death
of loved ones... As we have observed the righteous Yaakov did suffer many problems. Many of the problems that he suffered were the result of his great righteousness and the great righteousness of his offspring. Yet some of his problems were the result of human failings. One point that stands out in my mind is when Yaakov's problems with Lavan mounted... when his problems with his brothers-in-law mounted, Hashem said, "'RETURN to your homeland'"... return to an observant life. Study the law... Study Torah. When Shimon and Levi judged the men of Shalem, a city of Shechem, in the land of Canaan Yaakov was deeply troubled. "And G-d said to Yaakov, 'Arise, go up to Beis Eil, and dwell there: and make there an altar to G-d, That appeared to you when you fled from the face of Eisov your brother.'" Genesis 35:1 G-d's instruction was RETURN and REBUILD the altar. Holy reader,, the best advice for problems during this season or anytime is what G-d told Yaakov. Yaakov understood what G-d meant. "Then Yaakov said to his household, and to all that were with him, 'Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments. Let us arise, and go up to Beis Eil; and I will make there an altar to G-d, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.'" Genesis 35:2-4 Happy Chanukah and Good Shabbos, Dr. Akiva G. Belk JewishPath is a sponsor of B'nai Noach Torah Institute. As a sponsor we are permitted to offer one FREE E-Mail course on a limited basis per individual from BNTI's Introduction Courses. We invite you to visit and choose an E - Mail Intro Course. BNTI offers Intro Courses in Judaism and Spirituality {7 Noaich Laws}. BNTI Responses are NOT AUTO!!
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