Author: Shlomo Bar-Ayal

The struggle depicted in the portion of the week is symbolic of the struggle we have with God and ourselves. We should try to be spiritual, but we cannot forget that we have physical needs as well.

The reason that Jacob was upset at the actions of Shimon & Levi was that he felt that they acted outside the law. He was against vigilante justice. He felt that their reasoning was sound but that they took the law into their own hands.

When Jacob had his meeting with Esau, he hid his daughter Dina for fear that Esau would want her. According to the midrash, she was supposed to be Esau’s wife. The reason was that she would have made him a good man.

One of the problems that we face is that we think everyone is like us. When we run into someone who doesn’t we are shocked. Esau made clear his intentions. Our enemies throughout history have made their intentions known. The problem is that we do not listen to them.

When Lavan accuses Jacob of stealing his idols, Jacob not only says that he did not but cursed anyone who did. He did not realize that Rachel had stolen them. She did so with all the good intentions, but it was still wrong, and she suffered for it.

The name of the Jewish people is derived from the naming of Judah, 4th son of Leah. She realized that she was supposed to only have three sons but had a 4th. So, she named his Judah, meaning, thanks to God.

Jacob learns how to defraud people from Lavan. He uses this knowledge to defend himself against Lavan. When he feels that he is in danger of becoming like Lavan he decides it is time to leave.

Lavan was a deceiver but not a liar. He would use words in a way that would confuse the person who was negotiating with him. Like when he switched Leah for Rachel. He agreed to let Jacob marry his daughter, he just didn’t say which one.

Jacob’s ladder has a lot of symbolism. One of the most significant is that it shows the rise and fall of nations. And it foretells that the Jewish nation will always exist.

Lavan pretends to be a friend of Jacob, but he is not. He does everything in his power to cheat Jacob & become wealthy in the process. As he is doing so, he claims it is for Jacob’s good.