Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Vayetze/0/en

Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Vayetze

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Religiosity of the Avot and Imahot

 Is it possible that not all our ancestors were pure monotheistic believers, but that for some, belief in one God was the result of a religious journey?  Rachel's Stealing of the Terafim raises this question for the reader as we wonder why Rachel would have stolen her father's figurines. 

• Did she do so for her own personal use, perhaps having inherited some of her father's idolatrous beliefs? Or, on the other hand, did she steal them so as prevent Lavan from such worship?
• Debate the two possibilities with your family.  Are there any other incidents in the lives of the Avot which might make one question their religious beliefs?

In-laws in Tanakh

There are several stories in Tanakh which detail the relationship between a husband and his father-in-law.  These include the stories of Yaakov and Lavan, Moshe and Yitro,¹ and David and Shaul.  A comparison of the narratives (see In-laws) show that they all share certain features, but also highlights how, of the three, only Moshe and Yitro merited a positive relationship.

• Was it inevitable that Yaakov and David would have problems with their in-laws? Was it that way from the beginning?  If not, what caused the thorny relationships? How were Moshe and Yitro able to avoid such problems?
• It is a stereotype that in-laws do not get along.  What is it in the nature of such a relationship that often causes tension?  Do you think that any of the standard sources of friction played a role in the episodes in Tanakh?

How Old?

We often ignore the ages of characters in Tanakh, making assumptions based on the overall narrative rather than the given facts.  When reading closely, however, some of the ages, or unknowns, turn out to be quite surprising.  Challenge your family to think about the following:

• How far apart in age were the sons of Yaakov? Though many think that Yosef was much younger than his older siblings, a simple reading of the verses suggests that Yaakov bore all of his first 12 children (including Dinah but not Binyamin) in just 6 years!  Considering that seven were from Leah alone, how is this possible?
• How old were Shimon and Levi when they massacred Shekhem?   The verses would seem to suggest that they were at most 12 and 13!  Is this tenable?  For other possible ways of reading the siblings' ages and their ramifications, see The Births and Relative Ages of Yaakov's Children.

Other stories outside of our parashah also raise age-related questions:

• How old was Avraham when he married Keturah?  Did he really remarry at the advanced age of (at least) 140, as the verses seem to suggest? See Avraham's Many Wives.

• How old were Kayin and Hevel at the time of Hevel's murder?  How about Ya'akov and Esav during the sale of the birthright, or Rivka at her marriage?  Was Yitzchak an adult or a child at the Akeidah? These ages are all unknown, but the various possibilities can greatly impact each story.  See how several artists render the characters in Kayin and Hevel in Art, Rivka at the Well in Art and Sale of the Birthright in Art. Then compare with the opinions of local commentators.

¹ Commentators do not all agree whether Yitro is really Moshe's father in law or his brother-in-law.  For a discussion of the various opinions, see  Yitro – Names.