Shabbat Shalom: Parshat Vayigash Genesis 44:18-47:27

By Shlomo Riskin

Efrat, Israel - The towering personalities of the Bible - and especially of the book of Genesis- must be seen on two levels: on the one hand, as living, breathing flesh and blood human beings who live, love, fail, succeed, and on the other hand, as symbols of a nation which will develop from their loins and direct the course of history. This is what Nachmanidies teaches when he says that “The deeds of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs adumbrate and reverberate through the subsequent history of their descendants”. And what Professor Nachama Leibowitz (and Rabbi Elchanan Samet) often emphasize as the “double track” biblical message. I would also add a third element, which is the psychological motivations inherent in the activities of our biblical personalities. Let us investigate four seminal incidents recorded in the stories of Jacob, Esau, Joseph and his brothers which will more than justify our analysis.

When Jacob initially departs from his parent’s home and sets out for Haran, the Bible provides a number of different motivations: 1. “Behold Esau your brother is ready to mourn for you by killing you”(Genesis 27:42,43). 2. “You shall not take a woman from among the daughters of Canaan” (Genesis 28:1,2). 3. “And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth and you shall spread out towards the western sea, towards the east, towards the north and towards the south” (Genesis 28:13,14).

Initially the Bible is telling us that Jacob the individual must flee to Laban’s household in order to save his life from his sibling who wishes to destroy him; Israel the Patriarch, however, must father children from the proper family background who will be worthy of forming the twelve tribes of a nation guaranteed by G-d to bring blessings to all the families of the earth (the covenant between the pieces). Furthermore, from a psychological perspective Jacob is seeking to learn how to be more like the entrapping and glib Esau in order that he may perhaps thereby gain his father’s love and acceptance. The master of Esau-like personality traits is none other than Jacob’s uncle Laban in Haran.

Twenty years later, Jacob decides to leave Haran and return to his birthplace Canaan. The Bible records, “And Jacob saw that the face of Laban was not sympathetically with him as it had been one and two days before” (Genesis 31:1,2), but then continues to inform us that G-d Himself tells Jacob to return to the land of his fathers, a message reinforced by a heavenly angel who comes to him as part of a dream (Genesis 31:3,11-13). Jacob, the individual, sees that he no longer has a future in Laban’s business, possibly because the younger sons of Laban have apparently entered the scene and expect to be their fathers’ inheritors. Israel, the Patriarch, realizes that his destiny can only be carried out in the land of Israel; moreover, the fact that whereas he initially dreamt of a ladder connecting heaven and earth-the vision of Israel’s mission to perfect this world in the kingship of the divine- his dream of speckled, striped and spotted cattle after twenty years in Laban’s employ informs him in no uncertain terms that he must return not only to the home of his youth but more importantly to the dream- vision of his youth.

It takes Jacob further wanderings within the land of Canaan before he returns to Bet-El and his father’s home. He first stops off in Shekhem, where his daughter Dina is raped and his sons Shimon and Levi rescue her by killing all of the male inhabitants. He cries out at his two sons in anger, “You have muddied me to cause me to stink amongst the inhabitants of the land…I and my household will be destroyed” (Genesis 34:30). G-d then informs him “go up to Bet-El and build there the altar…” (Genesis 35:1). Jacob, the individual, is frightened of retaliation by the nations bordering on Shekhem and so finally sets out for Bet-El and his father’s house; Israel, the Patriarch, knows that he must fulfill his oath of twenty-two years before in order to realize his mission of the birthright. Jacob’s reaction to Shimon and Levi, likewise demonstrates the psychological change in his personality; his success in having exorcized the aspect of Esau-Laban which had invaded his character. No longer Jacob the deceiver, he abhors the fact that his sons were not forthright with Hamor and Shekhem in their meeting together. Now, the new Jacob-Israel is ready to return to his father’s home having shed himself of any proclivity towards deception.

Finally, in our Torah portion of this week, Father Jacob makes the difficult decision to leave the land of Canaan-Israel and to descend to Egypt and re-unite with his beloved son Joseph. After all, he is being summoned by the Grand Vizier, who is indeed his own beloved flesh and blood, “Come down to me….and I shall support you there….lest you your household and all that is yours become impoverished…and he saw the wagons (agalot) which Joseph sent to transport him, and the spirit of Jacob their father was revived” (Genesis 45:9-11,27,28). At the same time, the Almighty comes to Israel in a dream, telling him: “I am the Lord G-d of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt because I will make you a great nation there”(Genesis 46:2,3). Jacob, the individual, requires the fundamental sustenance of food in order for his family to survive; Jacob the bereaved father likewise yearns to see his most beloved son after an estrangement of twenty-two years. Jacob is also smitten with guilt over the manner in which he directed his family. He understands that his blatant favoritism for his son Joseph caused the sibling rivalry and even enmity which almost resulted in Joseph’s tragic death. The sign of the wagons, or agalot, is reminiscent of the broken headed heifer, egla, which the elders of the city wherein a murder has occurred must bring as expiation for their faulty leadership. Jacob feels that he has been forgiven by his son and so his spirit is revived. Israel, the Patriarch, however, goes down to Egypt in order to further realize the vision of the covenant between the pieces, which called for a black and frightening exile which would teach an emerging nation the value of freedom. From this cosmic perspective, the rapprochement between father Jacob and son Israel reflects the ultimate reunion between our father in heaven and His beloved first born son Israel in the era of redemption.

The motivations of our patriarchs are personal, psychological, and cosmic. In just such a magnificent manner, human free will merges with divine providence to ultimately redeem the world.

Shabbat Shalom.