Rachel's Stealing of the Terafim/2

Rachel's Stealing of the Terafim

Exegetical Approaches

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Survival

Rachel stole the terafim so that her father could not use them to divine where the family had fled.

Sources:Tanchuma #1Vayetze 12About the Tanchuma, RashbamBereshit 31:19About R. Shemuel b. Meir, Ibn EzraBereshit 31:19About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, Tosafists, RadakBereshit 31:19Bereshit 31:30About R. David Kimchi, RambanBereshit 31:19About R. Moshe b. Nachman, Ralbag #2,

What are terafim? According to these commentators the terafim were objects used for divination.¹  As evidence, Rashbam points to Zekharyah 10:2 which mentions "terafim speaking" and to Hoshea 3:4, which pairs them with the "אֵפוֹד", another item associated with divination.² Tanchuma asserts that they are called "תְּרָפִים" because they are a "מַעֲשֵׂה תֹרֶף", an object of impurity.  Ramban, in contrast, suggests that the term comes from the fact that their words are like a weak prophecy (נבואה רפה) and not very reliable.

לָמָּה גָנַבְתָּ אֶת אֱלֹהָי – Ramban asserts that many people would turn their terafim into gods, acting upon their word and believing in them, much the way the Israelites strayed after the "אֵפוֹד" set up by Gideon.³  Thus, too, Lavan might have considered and referred to the terafim as gods, even if they were not originally intended as such.

Belief in magic and divination – According to most of these sources the terafim really did have the ability to speak or share the future, albeit often incorrectly.  Ralbag, in contrast, asserts that the magician using the terafim merely imagined it talking,⁴ while Ibn Ezra assumes that Lavan's divination was related to his astronomical abilities.⁵

Sitting on the terafim – According to Tosafot, Rachel sat upon the terafim with force to prevent their crying out and telling Lavan where they were.

Evaluation of Rachel's actions

Religiosity of the forefathers

Parallel case - Michal and the terafim – If the terafim were impure items used for magical purposes, it is not clear why they should have been present in the ome of Michal and David.

Religious Motivations

Preventative

Rachel took the terafim so that her father would no longer worship them.

Sources:Bereshit Rabbah74:5About Bereshit Rabbah, Tanchuma #2Vayetze 12About the Tanchuma, R. Chananel(cited by R. Bachya) Bereshit 31:19About R. Chananel b. Chushiel, RashiBereshit 31:19About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, Ralbag #1

Personal Use

Rachel wanted the terafim for her own personal use.

Sources:R. Yosef Bekhor ShorBereshit 31:19About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, Hoil MosheBereshit 31About R. Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi

Economic Advantage

The terafim testified to Yaakov's rights to Lavan's inheritance.

Sources:Modern scholars

¹ The commentators differ regarding how they think the terafim were created and worked. Tanchuma describes an elaborate process including a dead person, spices, names of impure spirits and candles.  Ibn Ezra and Ralbag, in contrast, point to the story of Michal's saving of David, to prove that they took the form of men, but do not think that they were an actual person.

² Ramban further points to the story of "פסל מיכה" in Shofetim 18 in which they are also mentioned together with the "אֵפוֹד", and the people of Dan explicitly talk of divining whether they will succeed on their way.

³ See Shofetim 8:24-27.

⁴ He objects to the possibility that anything not given a mouth by God could actually talk.

⁵ He does not explain the exact connection between the use of the terafim and reading the stars.