Avraham and Yaakov

Introduction

Avraham is the founding father of the nation, while Yaakov is the patriarch whose offspring literally constituted the "Children of Israel" ("בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל").‎¹  It is, thus, perhaps unsurprising that the life journeys of the two share several common features.  The tables below compare some of the more prominent parallels, highlighting both the similarities and the differences between grandfather and grandson.  A number of linguistic parallels serve to reinforce the plot comparisons.

Content Parallels and Contrasts

	Parallels	Contrasts
Leaving Home
Uprooting	Avraham and Yaakov each leave their family and migrate to a different country.	Avraham migrates from Charan to Canaan, while Yaakov makes the opposite trek, from Canaan to Charan. While Avraham uproots upon the command of Hashem, Yaakov's departure is motivated by Esav's hatred and desire to kill him.
Blessing	Their departures are accompanied by Hashem's initial revelation to each of them and a promise of blessings.2	Avraham is blessed before he leaves, while Yaakov receives Hashem's reassurance only en route.
Success	Avraham and Yaakov are each very successful in their new abodes.3OS	Avraham's success earns him respect from his neighbors,4 while Yaakov's shepherding success leads to the enmity of Lavan.
Coming to Canaan
Route taken	Upon arrival in Canaan, Avraham stops first in Shekhem and then in Beit El, eventually making his way to Chevron.  When Yaakov returns to Canaan, he takes the same route.5	While Avraham merely passed through Shekhem, Yaakov buys a plot of land there.
Altars	Both grandfather and grandson build altars for Hashem in each of Shekhem and Beit El.	---
No room	The "land could not contain" each of the pairs of Avraham – Lot and Esav – Yaakov, and they decide to part.6	The text suggests that the separation is Avraham's initiative in one case, and Esav's in the other.
Family
Barren wife	Sarah and Rachel are each described as both beautiful and barren.	---
Giving of maidservants	Both of Sarah and Rachel / Leah give their maidservants in marriage to their husbands so that they can bear children in their stead.	While Avraham ends up banishing Hagar (Sarah's servant), Bilhah and Zilpah remain married to Yaakov.
Source of strife	The multiple wives are a source of conflict in the family.	In Avraham's case the enmity is between real wife and servant, while in Yaakov's family, it is the two full wives who struggle.
Children	In each family, one son (Yitzchak / Yosef) is favored over the others.	By Avraham, this leads to the expulsion of Yishmael, whereas in Yaakov's story, all the sons are chosen in the end.
Potential loss	Avraham thinks his beloved Yitzchak is to die, and Yaakov believes his favorite, Yosef, is dead.	While Avraham willingly brings Yitzchak to be sacrificed, Yaakov is not part of the plot to kill Yosef.7
Death and Burial	Both Avraham and Yaakov are buried by their children in Me'arat HaMachpelah.	While Avraham is described as dying "בְּשֵׂיבָה טוֹבָה", no such description accompanies Yaakov.8
Lavan and Paroh
Wife-sister trick	Avraham pretends that Sarah is his sister rather than his wife, while Lavan passes off Rachel's sister as Yaakov's wife.	Avraham plots with Sarah's consent, while Lavan acts without Yaakov's knowledge.
Complaint	In reaction to the trickery, Paroh and Yaakov both cry "what have you done to me?"	---
Wife taken	Avraham fears that Paroh / Avimelekh will take Sarah, and Yaakov fears that Lavan will "steal" his wives.	Whereas Sarah is in fact taken, Rachel and Leah are not.
Hashem's warning	Hashem appears in a dream to Avimelekh / Lavan warning them not to harm Avraham / Yaakov.	In reaction, Avimelekh bestows gifts upon Avraham and offers him to live in his land.  Lavan, in contrast, gives nothing and sets up a border between the families.
Covenant	Avraham and Yaakov each make a covenant with the other side.	---
Change of Name
New names	Both Avraham and Yaakov are given new names.  Avram becomes Avraham, and Yaakov becomes Yisrael.	Whereas Avraham is never again called by his old name, Yaakov's names become interchangeable.
Role of the thigh	The name change is associated with a physical act connected to the thigh.9	In Avraham's case, this is the positive act of circumcision.  By Yaakov, in contrast, it is an injury inflicted in his struggle with the "איש".
Blessing	The new name is accompanied by a blessing of progeny.	---

Literary Allusions

Analysis

• Distinctive phrases  
• Many of these phrases are unique to the Avraham and Yaakov narratives.  For instance, the blessing, "וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה", the wish "אִבָּנֶה מִמֶּנָּה" and the descriptions, "הָיָה רְכוּשָׁם רָב מִשֶּׁבֶת יַחְדָּו" ,"וַיָּבֹא אֱ-לֹהִים... בַּחֲלוֹם הַלָּיְלָה", and "וַיַּרְא... מֵרָחֹק" appear in only these two stories. 
• Other terms which appear elsewhere in Tanakh have a distinctive formulation in these narratives.  Thus, it is only in these two stories that Hashem introduces Himself by stating "אֲנִי אֵ-ל שַׁדַּי" and only here that the term "שלח יד" appears as a negative command (אַל תִּשְׁלַח יָדְךָ).  In addition, in each of these cases there are several parallels clustered together, strengthening the allusion.
• Degree of similarity – About half of the above parallels are almost identically worded (see examples above), while others utilize the same words but differ slightly in form, number, or order.¹¹  At times, too, meaning is maintained but a synonym is employed.¹² 
• Roles in their respective stories – Some of the linguistic parallels relate to Hashem's blessings and might simply reflect His continued providence over the forefathers and passing of the mantle from one to the next.  Most of the others serve to reinforce the content parallels and highlight the similar trajectories of the lives of each patriarch.

Conclusions