Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 28/0

Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 28

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Overview

This index is meant to help the reader explore Biblical parallels, be they two accounts of the same event, stories with similar motifs and themes, or units of text which are linguistically similar and perhaps alluding one to the other. The page includes links to tools that aid in comparison, primary sources that touch upon the parallels, and summaries of and links to articles which analyze them in depth.

Avraham and Yaakov

There are many points of contact between the narratives of Avraham and Yaakov.

Tools

• Concordance – Using the concordance highlights how there are several phrases that are unique to the Avraham and Yaakov narratives. For instance, the blessing, "‎וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה",‎¹ the wish "אִבָּנֶה מִמֶּנָּה"‎² and the descriptions, "הָיָה רְכוּשָׁם רָב מִשֶּׁבֶת יַחְדָּו" ³,"וַיָּבֹא אֱ-לֹהִים... בַּחֲלוֹם הַלָּיְלָה",‎⁴ and "וַיַּרְא... מֵרָחֹק" appear in only these two stories. Such literary allusions serve as the basis for a larger comparison of the two figures.⁵

Articles

• See Avraham and Yaakov for an exploration of the parallels and contrasts between the stories, with a list of both thematic and linguistic points of contact.
• See The Parallel Between Yaakov and Avraham by Professor Yonatan Grossman for analysis of the parallels. He notes how Yaakov’s surprising departure from Canaan after his father, Yitzchak, was forbidden from leaving inversely parallels Avraham's arrival in Canaan, and attempts to understand the significance of the episode. He sees in Yaakov a second trailblazing Avraham, both serving to establish the nation.

¹ Click on the phrase in Bereshit 12:3 and choose concordance from the drop-down.

² Click on the phrase in Bereshit 16:2 and choose concordance from the drop-down.

³ Click on the phrase in Bereshit 20:3 and choose concordance from the drop-down.

⁴ Click on the phrase in Bereshit 13:6 and choose concordance from the drop-down.

⁵  There are also notable contrasts, including the fact that many of the significant narratives of Yaakov’s life take place at night whereas key events of Avraham’s life take place in the morning.  The similarities and differences between the two Patriarchs might point to their distinct roles in the establishment of the Jewish people and their individual experiences and challenges in the service of Hashem.