Va'Yeitzei: knowing your children and what they are capable of

Parshat Va'Yeitzei

In 31:33-34 We find Lavan coming to look for his stolen idols. He comes to Yaakov's convoy and makes his accusations. Yaakov denies everything and allows Lavan to conduct a search (even with no search warrant).

The passuk describes how Lavan looked inside the tents of Yaakov, Leah and the two maidservants and found no trace of his stolen idols. Lavan then went to Rachel's tent and, the passuk says, Rachel hid them in the camelsack upon which she sat and Lavan conducted a thorough search feeling around the whole tent and did not find them.

By the previous searches it simply says "He went to their tents and did not find them". By Rachel's tent it says, "He went and searched and felt around.."

It seems from the wording that he conducted a much more thorough search in Rachel's tent than he did in the other tents.

Why?

Lavan knew who had taken his idols. He knew it was Rachel and not any of the others. He knew because he knew them, he knew Rachel and he knew who was capable of this.

If I get home from work and find an electronic item (for example) taken apart and broken, sure I will ask each kid if he is the one who did it. But in truth I already know which one it was because I know there is only one capable of doing it and I know which one that is.

Lavan looked in the other tents because he had to, because he could not come out and accuse Rachel with no proof. he had to make a cursory search in the other tents, but he did not want to waste too much time and energy because he "knew" they were not there anyway.

So when Lavan searched the other tents, he did what he had to do. But when he got to Rachel's tent he really knew it would be somewhere there, so he conducted a much more thorough search.

Stop and think

Parshat Va'Yetzei

We read about Yaakov deciding to gather his family and belongings together and leave Lavan's house to go back to his homeland. In 31:19 as they are leaving, the passuk tells us, "ותגנב רחל את התרפים" - and Rachel stole [Lavan's] idols. Eventually Lavan notices they are gone and when he catches up with them this becomes a point of contention resulting in Rachel's untimely demise due to a curse Yaakov placed on her for the theft.

What was Rachel thinking? Did she think she could get away with it? Did she think her father would notice them gone and wave them off?
At least when Avraham messed around with his fathers idols, the midrash tells us that he smashed them all to pieces, so there was nothing to chase after to retrieve, and it helped Avraham concoct a story in his defense. Rachel did not even smash them up. She just took them? Did she think Lavan would not want them back? They were probably expensive so he would not just wave it off! And even if he would not chase them, what good is taking them anyway - Lavan could just go to the idol store and buy new ones?

I think Rachel was making a point. Sure, she knew Lavan would look for them. I think her idea was just to make him pause and think about whether he really needed the idols.

Oftentimes we get into routines and we just continue doing the same thing using the same methods and putting out the same efforts, even if situations have changed. We continue following the same minhagim even if they are not relevant. We continue in the same path we have always followed, just because that is what we are used to doing.

By taking Lavan's idols, she is making him stop and think. Yes, he can chase them down and find them. yes, he can go buy new ones. But all that takes effort. You do not just run off and do those things. He would have to think about whether it was really worth it.

By making Lavan stop and think, she was creating a new situation in which Lavan would be forced out of his routine worship of these idols and re-evaluate whether he really needed and wanted these idols.

test of faith

Parshat Va'Yetzei

Yaakov wakes up from his dream of the laddr and Hashem speaking to him and declares in 28:20-21, "If Hashem will be with me and guard me on the way that I am going and give me bread to eat and clothes to wear and if I will get home to my family safely, then hashem will be to me for my God and I will..."

This is our forefather Yaakov? The "איש תם יושב אהלים"? This is the same Yaakov who just had a dream in which Hashem spoke to him and he woke up and said he only now realized how holy the place was, etc..? he is making his acceptance of Hashem conditional on Hashem giving him bread and clothes? Wasn't Hashem already his God?

And how is this different than what many of us do? We "test" Hashem and say if I pass this test I will keep shabbos, or if I win the lottery I will do x y or z, etc. Was Yaakov doing the same "test of Hashem" and is that what his faith was based on?

Jewish Geography

Parshat Va'Yetzei

Ever wonder who started Jewish Geography? How it began?

I think I found the first instance of Jewish Geography.

In Parshat Va'Yetzei (this weeks portion of Torah reading) we find Yaakov running away from his home to avoid Esau's wrath, and to find for himself a wife. Yaakov finds his way to a well outside of Haran and sees a bunch of sheperds.
In 29:3 he asks them where they are from. They respond that they come from Haran. Yaakov says, "Hey! I have an uncle in Haran!! You guys knows Lavan my uncle??!!"
They said yes.

There you have it. The first documented case of Jewish Geography that started a great tradition to be kept in all Jewish gatherings for all future generations.