Difference between revisions of "Literary Devices – Bereshit 31/0"
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<category>Character Titles | <category>Character Titles | ||
<subcategory>Hashem | <subcategory>Hashem | ||
− | <p>Hashem is referred to by a number of names in this chapter: Hashem, | + | <p>Hashem is referred to by a number of names in this chapter: Hashem, Elokim, El Beit El, Pachad Yitzchak, and in reference to others as "the God of so and so".  Many of these names highlight the unique narrative context of the chapter, in which there is a confrontation between Yaakov and Lavan and their vastly different religious beliefs. </p> |
<ul> | <ul> | ||
− | <li><b> | + | <li><b>Elokim</b> – Elokim, the general name for Hashem, appears to be the default name in this chapter.<fn>In particular, it is used in the verses that describe Yaakov’s experiences in Lavan’s house and in the context of Hashem’s coming in a dream to Lavan.</fn></li> |
− | <li><b>Hashem</b> –The proper name of Hashem appears in verse 3, in which Hashem reveals Himself directly to Yaakov, and again in the context of Lavan and Yaakov’s oath in verse 49. In the former it is expected, being a personal revelation, but it is somewhat surprising that Lavan | + | <li><b>Hashem</b> –The proper name of Hashem appears in verse 3, in which Hashem reveals Himself directly to Yaakov, and again in the context of Lavan and Yaakov’s oath in verse 49. In the former it is expected, being a personal revelation, but it is somewhat surprising that Lavan<fn>It is actually not clear if the speaker of the verse is Lavan alone (Ibn Ezra) or both Yaakov and Lavan (Rashi).</fn> invokes this name.<fn>Perhaps, he warns Yaakov on his terms, that Yaakov should know that his own God will watch that he keep the oath.</fn></li> |
− | <li><b>El Beit El</b> – This name appears only one other time in Tanakh, in Bereshit 35:7.  Onkelos explains that it means “I am the God Who revealed Myself to you in Beit El”, summoning to Yaakov’s mind Hashem’s revelation in Chapter 28.  | + | <li><b>El Beit El</b> – This name appears in 31:13 and only one other time in Tanakh, in Bereshit 35:7.  <multilink><a href="TargumOnkelosBereshit31-13" data-aht="source">Targum Onkelos</a><a href="TargumOnkelosBereshit31-13" data-aht="source">Bereshit 31:13</a><a href="Targum Onkelos" data-aht="parshan">About Targum Onkelos</a></multilink> explains that it means “I am the God Who revealed Myself to you in Beit El”, summoning to Yaakov’s mind Hashem’s revelation in Chapter 28.  <multilink><a href="RNHWesselyBereshit35-7" data-aht="source">R. Naftali Herz Wessely</a><a href="RNHWesselyBereshit35-7" data-aht="source">Bereshit 35:7</a><a href="R. Naftali Herz Wessely" data-aht="parshan">About R. Naftali Herz Wessely</a></multilink>,<fn>R. Naftali Herz Wessely and Netziv explain that this name of Hashem is meant to give Yaakov reassurance that Hashem is able to protect him miraculously, as He saved him when he ran away from home in order to escape Esav.</fn> <multilink><a href="MalbimBereshit35-7" data-aht="source">Malbim</a><a href="MalbimBereshit35-7" data-aht="source">Bereshit 35:7</a><a href="R. Meir Leibush Weiser (Malbim)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Meir Leibush Weiser</a></multilink><fn>Malbim explains that the reference to Beit El is meant to call to mind the promise Hashem made at Beit El to protect Yaakov and to return him to Israel, and the vow Yaakov made at that time, both of which will now come true</fn> and others suggest that this name for Hashem is used to encourage Yaakov and his family to return to Israel by reminding them of the revelation, protection, and promise of Hashem at Beit El.</li> |
− | <li><b>The God of your father / my father / Avraham</b> – These names are used by Lavan and | + | <li><b>The God of your father / my father / Avraham</b> – These names are used by Lavan and Yaakov respectively (verses 29 and 42), reflecting that this chapter concerns a confrontation between two people with vastly different beliefs about God. The contrast is most stark in verse 53, where each party swears in the name of his own God,<fn>See Ibn Ezra and Abarbanel. Cf. Ralbag and R. D"Z Hoffmann that Lavan swore in the name of both "אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם וֵאלֹהֵי נָחוֹר" since he believed in a multiplicity of gods, while Yaakov swore only in the name of "פחד יצחק".</fn> Yaakov in the name of "אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם" and Lavan in the name of "אלֹהֵי נָחוֹר".‎<fn>As such, the need to invoke two names of God to seal Yaakov’s and Lavan’s agreement reflects their vastly different religious perspectives and the lack of trust between them.</fn></li> |
− | <li><b>Pachad Yitzchak</b> – This appellation appears only in our chapter (in both verses 42 and 53). Onkelos, Rashi and others<fn>See, for example, R. Y"S Reggio and R. D"Z Hoffman.</fn> understand it to refer to Hashem, meaning "the God whom Yitzchak feared".<fn>Rashi suggests that this name is used for Hashem because He does not associate His name with someone who is still alive, as Yitzchak was. Ramban and Netziv understand it as referring to Hashem’s attribute of judgment.</fn> Others, though, do not think it refers to God at all, but to a quality associated with | + | <li><b>Pachad Yitzchak</b> – This appellation appears only in our chapter (in both verses 42 and 53). <multilink><a href="TargumOnkelosBereshit31-42" data-aht="source">Onkelos</a><a href="TargumOnkelosBereshit31-42" data-aht="source">Bereshit 31:42</a><a href="TargumOnkelosBereshit35-7" data-aht="source">Bereshit 35:7</a><a href="Targum Onkelos" data-aht="parshan">About Targum Onkelos</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RashiBereshit31-42" data-aht="source">Rashi</a><a href="RashiBereshit31-42" data-aht="source">Bereshit 31:42</a><a href="R. Shelomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki</a></multilink> and others<fn>See, for example, R. Y"S Reggio and R. D"Z Hoffman.</fn> understand it to refer to Hashem, meaning "the God whom Yitzchak feared".<fn>Rashi suggests that this name is used for Hashem because He does not associate His name with someone who is still alive, as Yitzchak was. Ramban and Netziv understand it as referring to Hashem’s attribute of judgment.</fn> Others, though, do not think it refers to God at all, but to a quality associated with Yitzchak.<fn>Thus, Ibn Ezra suggests that the phrase refers to Yitzchak’s fear of God, which would serve as a merit for his son.  Similarly, Midrash Aggadah (Buber), Lekach Tov, Sekhel Tov, and R. Hirsch all understand it as referring to Yitzchak’s intense fear of Hashem at the time of the Akeidah, which represented the pinnacle of his service of God.  Hizkuni interprets it as referring to Lavan’s fear of Yitzchak, which served to protect Yaakov, while R. Yosef Ibn Kaspi understands it as referring to Yaakov’s fear of losing his fortune at the end of his life, as his father did.</fn>  Either way, the reference to Yitzchak’s service of God<fn>Yaakov actually refers to both Avraham and Yitzchak's service of God as the verse opens with him invoking the "God of Avraham" as well.</fn> in this verse highlights that Yaakov is emphasizing that he clings to the beliefs of his forefathers and not to the beliefs of Lavan.</li> |
</ul> | </ul> | ||
</subcategory> | </subcategory> | ||
</category> | </category> | ||
<category>Wordplay | <category>Wordplay | ||
− | <p>There are several examples of wordplay in this chapter:</p><ul> | + | <p>There are several examples of wordplay in this chapter:</p> |
+ | <ul> | ||
<li> וַיִּגְנֹב יַעֲקֹב אֶת לֵב לָבָן (Bereshit 31:20) – Prof. Yonatan Grossman notes the wordplay in "לב לבן"  and the general alliteration throughout the clause of the sound "v".</li> | <li> וַיִּגְנֹב יַעֲקֹב אֶת לֵב לָבָן (Bereshit 31:20) – Prof. Yonatan Grossman notes the wordplay in "לב לבן"  and the general alliteration throughout the clause of the sound "v".</li> | ||
− | |||
</ul> | </ul> | ||
</category> | </category> | ||
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</category> | </category> | ||
<category>Allusions | <category>Allusions | ||
− | <p>Yaakov’s words to Lavan: "הַכֶּר לְךָ" (discern) recall the only previous  occurrence of this verb,<fn>See the <a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Concordance/5234">concordance</a>..</fn> in Bereshit 27:23, where we are told that Yitzchak could not discern Yaakov’s identity when he posed as Esav. This is one of many examples of how Yaakov’s deceit of his father casts a shadow over his experiences and relationships throughout his life.<fn>Interestingly, the | + | <p>Yaakov’s words to Lavan: "הַכֶּר לְךָ" (discern) recall the only previous  occurrence of this verb,<fn>See the <a href="https://mg.alhatorah.org/Concordance/5234">concordance</a>..</fn> in Bereshit 27:23, where we are told that Yitzchak could not discern Yaakov’s identity when he posed as Esav. This is one of many examples of how Yaakov’s deceit of his father casts a shadow over his experiences and relationships throughout his life.<fn>Interestingly, the phrase "הַכֶּר נָא" comes up one more time in the Yaakov narratives, during the sale of Yosef, when the brothers tell Yaakov to "discern" whether the bloodied cloak belongs to Yosef.  This, too, might be Tanakh's subtle way of casting judgment on Yaakov.</fn></p> |
</category> | </category> | ||
<category>Foreshadowing | <category>Foreshadowing |
Latest revision as of 13:10, 8 July 2023
Literary Devices – Bereshit 31
Key Words
גנב (to steal)
Tanakh Lab points out that the root “גנב” (steal) comes up eight times in this chapter.1 This verb is used in several different contexts, describing both Yaakov’s experience of injustice in Lavan’s house as well as Yaakov’s deceit of Lavan and Rachel’s stealing of Lavan’s household idols. The repeated usage of this root emphasizes the web of deceit, suspicion, and mistrust that characterizes the relationship of Lavan and Yaakov, and that surfaces in numerous ways in this chapter.
Character Titles
Hashem
Hashem is referred to by a number of names in this chapter: Hashem, Elokim, El Beit El, Pachad Yitzchak, and in reference to others as "the God of so and so". Many of these names highlight the unique narrative context of the chapter, in which there is a confrontation between Yaakov and Lavan and their vastly different religious beliefs.
- Elokim – Elokim, the general name for Hashem, appears to be the default name in this chapter.2
- Hashem –The proper name of Hashem appears in verse 3, in which Hashem reveals Himself directly to Yaakov, and again in the context of Lavan and Yaakov’s oath in verse 49. In the former it is expected, being a personal revelation, but it is somewhat surprising that Lavan3 invokes this name.4
- El Beit El – This name appears in 31:13 and only one other time in Tanakh, in Bereshit 35:7. Targum Onkelos explains that it means “I am the God Who revealed Myself to you in Beit El”, summoning to Yaakov’s mind Hashem’s revelation in Chapter 28. R. Naftali Herz Wessely,5 Malbim6 and others suggest that this name for Hashem is used to encourage Yaakov and his family to return to Israel by reminding them of the revelation, protection, and promise of Hashem at Beit El.
- The God of your father / my father / Avraham – These names are used by Lavan and Yaakov respectively (verses 29 and 42), reflecting that this chapter concerns a confrontation between two people with vastly different beliefs about God. The contrast is most stark in verse 53, where each party swears in the name of his own God,7 Yaakov in the name of "אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם" and Lavan in the name of "אלֹהֵי נָחוֹר".8
- Pachad Yitzchak – This appellation appears only in our chapter (in both verses 42 and 53). Onkelos, Rashi and others9 understand it to refer to Hashem, meaning "the God whom Yitzchak feared".10 Others, though, do not think it refers to God at all, but to a quality associated with Yitzchak.11 Either way, the reference to Yitzchak’s service of God12 in this verse highlights that Yaakov is emphasizing that he clings to the beliefs of his forefathers and not to the beliefs of Lavan.
Wordplay
There are several examples of wordplay in this chapter:
- וַיִּגְנֹב יַעֲקֹב אֶת לֵב לָבָן (Bereshit 31:20) – Prof. Yonatan Grossman notes the wordplay in "לב לבן" and the general alliteration throughout the clause of the sound "v".
Symbolism
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 in this chapter. Stones might symbolize the obstacles and unyielding difficulties that Yaakov encounters throughout his life as he strives to achieve his goals.
Allusions
Yaakov’s words to Lavan: "הַכֶּר לְךָ" (discern) recall the only previous occurrence of this verb,13 in Bereshit 27:23, where we are told that Yitzchak could not discern Yaakov’s identity when he posed as Esav. This is one of many examples of how Yaakov’s deceit of his father casts a shadow over his experiences and relationships throughout his life.14
Foreshadowing
Yaakov’s declaration of “The one with whom you find your gods shall not live” (verse 32) is an ominous foreshadowing of Rachel’s early death in childbirth.