Literary Devices – Bereshit 29/0

Literary Devices – Bereshit 29

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Type Scenes

Robert Alter has identified a convention of Biblical narrative in which a basic narrative sequence appears multiple times in Tanakh, each time with modifications that serve the needs of the specific unit. Paying attention to the deviations from the expected template often reveals the hidden messages of the individual story.

Betrothal by a Well

• Narratives of meeting one’s spouse at a well comprise one of the most significant Biblical type-scenes. Comparing the account of Yaakov meeting Rachel with the stories to Avraham's servant (Bereshit24) and Moshe in Midyan (Shemot 2) can be revealing.

Sources and Articles

• See AbarbanelBereshit 29:2-3About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel Bereshit 29:2-3 who does not refer to this story as a type scene, but nonetheless connects the various "betrothal by a well" scenes and sees in them a layer of symbolism.
• For a full analysis of this type-scene, see Robert Alter’s Biblical Type-Scenes and the Uses of Convention. He notes that the additional element of overcoming obstacles (the stone atop the well) that appears in this variation is a fitting symbol for Yaakov's life.
• Michael W. Martin, ‘Betrothal Journey Narratives’, Catholic Biblical Quarterly 70, 3 (2008), 505-23, builds off Alter's thesis, identifying other typical elements in the type scene and exploring variations of the type scene throughout Tanakh, apocrypha and the New Testament.
• See R. Elhanan Samet's The Meeting at the Well, who suggests that each story highlights the principal trait of one partner in the eyes of the other (Rivka's kindness, Yaakov's love, and Moshe's sense of justice). For the Hebrew version, see here.
• See also י. גרוסמן, יעקב: סיפורה של משפחה (ראשיון לציון, 2019):225-227 who compares the stories of Chapters 24 and 29, noting how the Divine hand which is evident in the former, is much less evident in the story of Yaakov.

Symbolism

• Stones as Challenge – Stones play a significant role throughout the story of Yaakov. In fact the concordance reveals that of the 15 occurrences of the word in Sefer Bereshit, all but two relate to Yaakov – beginning with their appearance in the story of the stone upon which he slept and his establishment of a monument upon awakening, continuing with his rolling the stone off of the mouth of the well, and then appearing as a symbol of the covenant between Yaakov and Lavan at the end of the parashah. Stones might symbolize the obstacles and unyielding difficulties that Yaakov encounters throughout his life as he strives to achieve his goals.
• Sources – See Abarbanel Bereshit 29:2-3About R. Yitzchak Abarbanelwho suggests that Yaakov saw the well and stone as a symbol of the blocked fertility of the Matriarchs, and his removing of the stone as symbolic of prayer's ability to remove that obstacle.

Wordplay

There are several examples of wordplay in the chapter:

• Da'at Mikra¹ points out a play on words and sounds between the words “וַיַּשְׁקְ” (he watered) and “וַיִּשַּׁק” (he kissed) in the story of Yaakov’s and Rachel’s first meeting in Bereshit 29:10-11.
• Da'at Mikra notes that the word that Yaakov uses to denote Lavan’s trickery (רמיתני. from the root ר.מ.ה.) sounds like Lavan’s moniker “הָאֲרַמִּי” (see Bereshit 25:20, 28:5, 31:20, 31:24).²
• Rachel's name might also be a pun of sorts. Her name means lamb, appropriate for one who shepherds her father's sheep.

Allusions

Examples

There are many allusions in the story of Lavan’s deceit of Yaakov to the story of Yaakov’s deceit of Yitzchak:

• Yaakov accuses Lavan with the words "וְלָמָּה רִמִּיתָנִי" in 29:25, hinting to Yitzchak’s statement about Yaakov: “בָּא אָחִיךָ בְּמִרְמָה” (Bereshit 27:35).  
• See TanchumaVayetze 11About the Tanchuma which compares Leah’s posing as Rachel to Yaakov’s posing as Esav
• R. Eliezer AshkenaziMa'asei Hashem Bereshit 29About R. Eliezer Ashkenazi (Ma'asei Hashem) points out that Lavan’s statement “לא יעשה כן במקומנו לתת הצעירה לפני הבכירה” is meant to allude to Yaakov’s trickery in usurping the birthright and the blessing. 

Articles

The allusions demonstrate how Yaakov’s deceit of his father casts a shadow over his experiences throughout his life and might constitute Tanakh's subtle criticism of his deed. For discussion of the role of "מרמה" as a repeating motif throughout the Yaakov narratives, see I. Yaniv's article, מלים מנחות במעגל חייו של יעקב.

¹ Da'at Mikra Bereshit, ed. Y. Keel (Jerusalem, 2000).

² It should be noted though, that specifically in this chapter where he accuses Lavan of being deceitful the moniker is not mentioned.