Parashat VaYetzey

By going to the place Avraham had stopped en route to the Land until his father died, Yaaqov was retracing his grandfather Avraham's steps, getting in touch with his heritage. The first leg of the journey brings him to a more recent part of his heritage, the place his father was offered up on the altar.

Reached the Place: This is not a "chance" encounter or something he just stumbled upon; YHWH had it all planned. "Place" appears here three times--a sign of great emphasis. "The Place" is also shorthand for "the Place where I have set My Name" (Deut. 12), and indeed this does turn out to be the Temple Mount itself (v. 17). The stones may have been from the very altar on which Yitzhaq was offered as an "ascending". Established a place for his head: i.e., used it as a pillow, but this word connotes “that which has dominion", and thus establishes him as the one who will continue the lineage of Messiah (see v. 14). This scenario foreshadows Messiah's glorious resting-place (22:4; Yeshayahu/Isaiah 11:10)--a Temple built of "living stones" (1 Keyfa/Peter 2:4-8),-a place for Yahshua, its Head, who has already been established as the foundation and cornerstone on which the remainder rests. (1 Cor. 3:10-17; Eph. 2:20-22; 4:15-16) In many ancient tombs a specially-shaped place was cut as a place to lay the head of the deceased. So Yaaqov is symbolically “dying”, following in his father’s footsteps (for this was “the place” his father had been offered up to YHWH), and foreshadowing Yahshua’s resurrection, because the word for “place” is from the root word meaning “rising up”.

Stairway: based on the word for "lifting up", it is related to a name used of YHWH 54 times El Elyon: the highest Elohim. Reaching the heavens: Was this the reality counterfeited at the stepped Tower of Bavel (11:4)? That one was earth-based, but though this one was "fixed in place" onto the earth, it began in heaven, much like the stairways that fold down from an airliner. The word for a “burnt offering”, which YHWH told Avraham to offer Yitzhaq as, can also mean “staircase”, so his family was actually forming this staircase, which would culminate in Yahshua, who is called the "mediator between YHWH and humanity" (1 Tim. 2:5) and "the one who came down from heaven." (Yochanan 3:13) Top: really the word for "head" here. In Jewish mysticism, the "body" of the reconstituted Adam (of which Messiah, the "last Adam", is the Head, or first part) is called "the stairway". Yahshua alluded to Himself being this very approach to YHWH in Yochanan/John 1:51. Messengers: could read "angels", and indeed the one that met Avraham at this very spot must have been that. But the same word means any type of message-bearer, and most often refers to us as His servants as well. Ascending and descending: the Levites took their turns ascending to the Temple to minister to YHWH, then went back down into the rest of the Land to teach the rest of the Nation. (cf. Matt. 22:37-40)

At its top: or, above him.

Families: Everywhere else this promise is given, except the first time YHWH spoke to Avram in ch. 12, it says "nations" instead. But here is the reason the descendants of the tribes of Israel should not be identified only with certain ethnic groupings, for every family on earth has to some extent been mixed with his seed. (Compare how YHWH will regather them to the Land, Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 3:14.)

Compare 26:24. "Until I have done...": up to and including that time.

17. And he was awestruck, and said, "How awesome this place is! This is none other than the house of Elohim; this is the very gate of Heaven!"

Awestruck: filled with the deepest respect. How awesome: The Aramaic targums say, “This is no ordinary place!” The city this was just outside, Yerushalayim, is called "a city that is compact [joined] together" (Ps. 122:3), and thus is considered the "place where earth and heaven meet". A Midrash says the true heavenly temple always stood here, situated "opposite", above, or corresponding to, the ones later built there. The pattern Moshe saw on Sinai (Ex. 25:9, 40) was present in heaven first (Heb. 8:2-5). Elohim gave David the exact blueprints for Shlomo to build from. (1 Chron. 28:19) Scientists now speak of "layered space": several levels of reality existing at the same point in space. In another dimension, this correlates with the stairs leading to the Temple that would stand in this very place. (v. 17) Mount Sinai is another place He has put His ladder down. It too is called the “Mountain of Elohim” (Ex. 3:1) There is a connection visible only in Hebrew, for the numerical value of the words for both “stairway” and “Sinai” is 130. Another word with this value is moadi (“my appointed time”), and indeed His appointed times were when He would meet with Yaaqov’s descendants on this mountain. The first of the steps is the Sabbath. (Lev. 23:2) Interestingly, Yaaqov was reunited with Yoseyf at the age of 130 (Gen. 47:8), and all of Israel is to come together at this mountain for three of His appointed times each year.

Memorial pillar: here, an unaltered stone. It was thus a dual picture of Messiah, the "anointed one", who was not altered as the first Adam was; cf. 1 Cor. 10:4. The term for “Place” actually means “place of standing up”, so he stood the stone up. This was a common method of marking a place where a highly significant event took place.

This was not the city later named Beyth-El; the ambiguity may have been what later led Yaravam/Jeroboam to choose Beyth-El as an alternative worship site (1 Kings 12:29), which displeased Elohim. Rav Mordechai Iyan notes that to Avraham this spot was a mountain (22:2), a center of sanctity from which he could promulgate his message to wherever it might be heard. With Yitzhaq, it was called “the field” (24:63)—the next place he is seen after the event here in ch. 22. A field is open, but has clear boundaries. He remained within certain confines while reaching out to others who wanted to know YHWH. But to Yaaqov, this place was a beyth (house), because he reached out to others from within the narrowest setting—yet only Yaaqov is said to have spread out to the east and west (v. 14), indicating that his method of making the message known (by living it in community and letting those who wanted to know more come to him) was the most effective of these ways of spreading the knowledge of YHWH.

If Elohim is indeed with me: i.e., if this was not just a dream. Bread and clothing: foreshadowing his descendants who would be given "manna" on their journeyings, in which their clothing would not wear out. (Compare Yeshayahu/Isa. 61:10-11.) Tradition says the dowry he took for the wife he was to find was stolen on the way.

It almost sounds as if he doubts or that YHWH is not yet His Elohim, but YHWH has already promised to do just this for him. (v. 15) He is alluding to the blessing in 9:24ff in which Kanaan (who now owns this Land) will serve Shem. There YHWH is called the Elohim of Shem. He echoes this, saying that if he does indeed return with his descendants and they receive Kanaan’s possession, his family will be fulfilling Noach’s prophecy by continuing Shem’s role.

Set up: Yaaqov, in his new role as a prophet after his prophetic dream, thus laid the cornerstone for the Temple—the stone the builders rejected (Ps. 118:22), a picture of Yahshua, the Anointed One. (Eph. 2:20) Tithe: to give back a tenth as a tribute. Non-agricultural tithes were never actually required, but if they come from the heart, they are a wonderful expression of thanks. All You shall give me: This includes His descendants.

CHAPTER 29

Lifted up his feet: Not that he floated through the air to get there, but Genesis Rabbah 70:8 says that since Yaaqov had received such glad news, his heart carried his feet so they did feel very light to him. Another tradition says he was traveling light because he had been robbed of the dowry that he was taking to whomever he would find as a wife in his ancestors’ land. But Yaaqov had just had a vision of a stairway, and he is thus lifting his feet for the purpose of ascending it. He had just “planted his feet” on Mt. Moryah with a vow, wanting to make sure he would return there. But to get back he had somewhere to go first, so he could have descendants who could build the House of which he prophesied. To obey his parents he had to temporarily pull himself loose from this holy place where his father had lain down his life. Like the messengers on the stairway, he had to descend so he could ascend back into the Land and be a Hebrew (“crosser-over”) in that literal sense as his grandfather had been. That House needs to be rebuilt, and we again have steps to take to make sure it does. If we stop, it is harder to start up again. There are seasons to slow down, but we must never stop ascending. Even on the Sabbath, when everything else stops, all of our energies can be concentrated on that ascending. Sons of the east: b’ney qedem, which can just as well be read "Children of the ancient" or “of the beginning”. So again, he is revisiting his past so he can move forward in the most effective way. These “sons of antiquity” to whom he was particularly going were the descendants of Aram, the son of Shem, who had carried the righteous seed most fully since the beginning. The Garden itself was linked with the term qedem (2:8), and in Deut. 38:27ff, Yaaqov’s fountain is tied to the Elohim Qedem—the most ancient One. So this family links him all the way back to Adam—a direct line from the Garden, so his wife must come from there. The behavior of everyone in this family is not the most exemplary, but they are the vessels YHWH chose to carry on the repair of what Adam broke. Favor is bestowed on them, for it is His business which vessels He uses.

A well and a field were both symbols of his father’s life. He probably became excited when he saw the well, knowing the story of how his father's wife was found. This was undoubtedly the same well at which his father’s servant had met his mother. But the three flocks represent the fact that even among Shem’s descendants there are some who are wholly righteous, some wholly wicked, and some still undecided. They are gathered at the water, which represents the Torah from which we will all be judged. During the high holy days of the autumn, we live out the prophetic tradition that after a month of repentance, on Yom Teruah, the wholly wicked and wholly righteous will have their positions sealed, and the undecided hang in the balance for nine more days until Yom Kippur, a picture of the final judgment as seen in Revelation 20:11ff where books are opened (representing these three categories), then another book is opened—the Book of Life. This is the Torah, by which it is determined which book each one’s name will be written. It is the guide by which we examine where we stand: Where have I failed? Where have we succeeded? Like Yaaqov, we need to remember in order to forget. Paddan Aram is as far as Avram’s father had gotten. He is already repenting (which in Hebrew means going back to where one came from). He has never been here before, nor has his father, but he revisits the failure of his ancestors (as we need to, per Yirmeyahu/ Jer. 16:19), so he can rectify them in order to move on from them and start ascending again. He needs to finish what was left unfinished the last time the door was open. The Torah tells us how. If we can find our lives described in this Book—if our deeds line up with the people it defines--then we are indeed found within it. If we see it as only for someone else in another era, it becomes our judge.

4. Yaaqov said to them, "My brothers, where are you from?" And they said, "We are from Charan."

My brothers: a Middle Eastern way of greeting strangers that creates rapport. But in this case, they literally were his relatives. And since they were tending sheep and attempting to water them at a well (which was what his father spent his life digging), he felt a special sense of kinship with them.

6. So he asked them, "Is he well?" and they said, "[He is] well, but look, here comes his daughter Rakhel [right now] with the sheep!"

I.e., she can tell you all about him herself!

He seems to have been trying to get the other shepherds out of the way so he could have Rakhel’s full attention!

The stone was too heavy for any one of them to move, lest an enemy come along and try to steal from the well or poison it. There had to be a unified group in order to get to the water. This is a picture of the fact that only as all Israel is gathered back together can the Torah water all the flocks. The root word in Hebrew for “flocks” means to “keep rank”. The root meaning of the word for “well” is “to explain or make clear”. In the previous passage a stone was a picture of the Messiah. So here the Messiah being given such an enlarged position that it obscures the clarity of the water (a frequent idiom for the Torah) and prevents the flocks (whose root meaning is “ranks”) from the water they know they need, so the “armies” (ranks) are falling asleep. Many are waiting for Yahshua to come “like a thief in the night” to clear up all our questions about understanding the Scriptures. But 1 Thess. 5 tells us not to wait until the night, because we are children of the day; we already have a shepherd who has made the Torah clearer (Mat. 5:17) Yahshua cursed the fig tree that had leaves but did not bear fruit since it was not the right season. (Mark 11:13ff) The whole house of Israel ("all the flocks") were not yet gathered, so he could not yet take his bride (cf. Song of Songs 2:13), for they had been scattered among the idolaters (Hos. 9:10). First Yahshua had to roll away the stone (Mark 16:4). He then sent his followers to gather all the flocks (Yoch. 10:16).

A fourth flock arrives. Female shepherds seem to run in this family, for the one attached to the shepherd of Israel must also be a shepherd. While he was still speaking: the same pattern as when the servant of Avraham found Rivqah before he finished his prayer. (Compare Yeshayahu 65:24) Yitzhaq and Moshe also found their brides tending flocks at wells. In a way, Yahshua did too, as the woman he spoke to at a well (Yochanan 4) was probably one of the first "lost sheep of the House of Israel" to whom he revealed his role.

Great beauty inspires great strength! Yaaqov was strengthened when he saw his bride approaching, and the other shepherds were not needed after all. He had gone up to the Temple Mount and set up the stone, establishing his understanding about the Messiah; now he descends and serves his brethren and the flocks by “bringing clarity” as the Levites did with the learning they had gained during their tours of duty at the Temple. The woman at the well (Yochanan 4) also came at high noon for water, and Yahshua told her that the one she was waiting for was already here to provide the clarification she needed, for salvation is of Yehudah--those who worship whom they know. He also told His disciples on that occasion not to wait four more months for the harvest, since some fields were ready for harvest (paralleling the barley and wheat harvests). Though the stone was rolled away from Yahshua’s tomb and the Northern Kingdom received Him as Messiah, there was still a blindness since Efrayim’s sentence was not yet up. In the prophets, the “House of Yaaqov” refers to Yehudah, so there is a foreshadowing here of our own day when Yehudah, who, though rejecting Yahshua and being leavened by the Pharisaical Rabbinic teachings, still preserved the Torah, festivals, Sabbaths, understandings of kosher, niddah, etc., and have brought clarity to our flock, since turning Messiah into the Greek “Christ”—making him too “heavy” (the Hebrew word for important) had kept us from seeing many aspects of who he is and who we are. Only by reconnecting with the fact that Yaaqov is our forefather—and that we, as his seed, still “are” Yaaqov--can Yahshua come to serve his proper purpose yet not stand in the way of access to the Torah. The threefold emphasis on Lavan being "his mother's brother" hints at his similarity to Rivqah. Every time the phrase "your mother" appears in the prophets, it always refers to an idolatrous woman whose children, nonetheless, were beloved of YHWH, and whom He hoped would also repent. (cf. Rev. 2:21) But Moshe does not employ the simpler term“uncle”, because in Hebrew that also means “beloved”, and in the long run Lavan would not prove to fit that description.

She was beautiful, but at this point it would probably be a Mideastern-style kiss of greeting for one’s relatives. Reconnecting with the Torah has also been a source of not only great strength for us, but also great emotion—partly of repentance, partly of regret over what we had been missing, and partly of the joy of coming closer to YHWH.

Rivqah was known there; Yitzhaq was known only by name. Since the family had blessed Rivqah with the hope of fertility when she left (24:60), this was especially significant, because they were seeing the first evidence that their blessing had taken root. Because of the pattern set by the servant coming to bring a bride for Yitzhaq, she probably said, “A husband is here!”—for either herself or her sister, for this would have been the expectation.

The term for “embrace” here is not an open-handed pat on the back, but a “bear hug” with the hands clasped behind the other’s back as if to say, “You belong to me; I’ll never let you go!” Esau did the same to him. (33:4) Yaaqov did not embrace either of them back. In fact, the only ones he was ever said to embrace were his two grandsons (48:8ff), a picture of commitment to holiness in a world where many would use the righteous for their own purposes. Lavan indeed turned out to be interested in him not because he was a relative but because he could be “brought into his house” to serve his own purposes. Yahshua Himself was betrayed with a kiss. (Mk. 14:44) Paul warned not to lay hands on anyone too quickly (1 Tim. 5:22), for this confers authority and is a very solemn matter. We should also be careful about whom we allow to lay hands on us or anoint us for service, for first of all they must have the real authority to do so, but they may also have the wrong motives. They may want to “eat our sheep” rather than taking care of them for us. (Yirmiyahu 23) Yaaqov’s recounting undoubtedly included the story of how he had deceived his father and how his mother found such a convenient way to get him out of esau’s way, but in thus telling Lavan too much, he set himself up to be in turn deceived by his uncle. He trusted him too quickly, for, as the police say today, every word we say can be used against us. He had “showed his cards”, so Lavan knew exactly what he wanted and he took advantage of that knowledge.

My bone and my flesh: This reminds us of what Adam said when he first saw Chavvah. (2:23) So on one hand, this is an oath to provide a bride for him. But both words “bone” and “flesh” in Hebrew emphasize the natural sameness with Lavan, who indeed hopes Yaaqov will be simply an extension of himself. He assumes that Yaaqov is there to work for him, rather than having a life of his own. He knows Yaaqov is there to get a wife and will not return home without one. So he knows he has what Yaaqov needs, and therefore has him “over a barrel”. He offers something in order to get something in return. This represents how the institutional church now seems to honor Israel, yet co-opts it for its own purposes. A whole month: literally, a renewing of days—so it might only mean until the next new moon.

He sounds noble, but Yaaqov’s mother had only told him to stay a short time, and his father had told him to get a bride from there but then return. No one said anything about working for Lavan. But Lavan has already claimed him as his own. He has Yaaqov trapped and he knows it. He says “What’s in it for you?” while really meaning “What’s in it for me?” Yahshua, too, was co-opted by the Gentiles from among whom He had “come” to gather His bride, and ended up serving the purposes of that household instead. Great fruitfulness came to Lavan’s house because Yaaqov was there, but that was not Yaaqov’s purpose. While the church was one step to bringing us back to freedom, it must be recognized for what it is: part of our exile. Yaaqov’s place was in the Land, and so is ours, though it has taken us many hard lessons to get back into the right context. We must constantly ask ourselves whether our fruitfulness is misplaced, and if so, unclasp our hands from all that does not belong to the Kingdom.

Leah means "wild cow" or "weary". Rakhel means "ewe", but it is based on the word for "journeyer", possibly because the female of the flock is more capable of migration. But her elder son would became a sojourner and her second son would be born during a journey.

Eyes were weak: or tender, delicate. As Rivqah was Sarah's niece, so Rakhel was Rivqah's niece. If the pattern held, Leah, being the elder, would be slated to marry Esau. Since we see evidence of additional communications between the two families (22:20), she had undoubtedly heard what kind of man he was and her eyes were wearied from weeping about this—especially when Rakhel had just said a husband had arrived. She probably cried because she assumed it was Esau coming to claim her.

If her dowry had indeed been stolen along the way, he would have to pay a different kind of bride price. But another way of looking at his lack of wealth is that Yitzhaq himself could not be sent to fetch his wife, so the family had to be persuaded with other types of wealth, just as people with “deep pockets” usually get what they want in churches or synagogues. But Yaaqov himself was the wealth. As we see, he was very much in demand by all of them. But since he loves her so much, Yaaqov starts the bidding very high—and Lavan does not counter-bargain, but accepts the offer. YHWH uses these circumstances to make Yaaqov worth even more, however, because previously he was only studying; he has had little real-life experience, hence his naïveté. Now he will learn to also be a shepherd like his ancestors. Moshe, Amos, Y’hezq’el (Ezekiel), and David were all shepherds before they could be prophets, and thus knew what it would take to direct YHWH’s people.

The "other man" theme links us to the "nearer kinsman" of Naomi (Ruth 3:12ff), especially since he also ends up with more than he bargained for. Laven took advantage of Yaaqov’s obvious eagerness.

Yahshua too willingly dwelt "among the Gentiles", who were nonetheless his long-lost Israelite kinsmen, for a great length of time in order to procure his bride.

Yaaqov was keenly aware that he had been unfruitful for seven whole years, and knew he needed to have descendants in order to fulfill his covenant with YHWH. He knows his sons have a job (chapter 28), so he has a sense of urgency.

Only the men are present; this is a “bachelor party”. The word for "feast" really means a drinking party, not the wedding feast, which would come later. Lavan had a reason for this:

Lavan had gotten Yaaqov drunk, and Leah was thoroughly veiled in a dark room. Tradition says Rakhel had also, under duress, told her some secret code signals that had been shared between herself and Yaaqov. Since he was always speaking of "our customs", and Yaaqov did not know them well, he could easily have told him that it was customary here for the bridegroom to drink twice as much as the others! Nowadays, because of this, at every Jewish wedding the groom lifts the veil just to be sure before they are pronounced married! By marrying the elder sister, however, Yaaqov confirms yet again that he has inherited Esau's position.

Lavan pays something into the deal to seal it; Yaaqov therefore cannot back out of it.

Lavan may have wanted to be sure there were enough strong men on hand (v. 22) so he would be prepared to handle the wrath of a man who had singlehandedly moved the stone from the well. As we saw in ch. 24, Lavan appears to be a decent man (his name meaning "white", a symbol of righteousness), yet is greedy--a picture of the institutional church, which is related to Israel, yet does not completely share its values, being part pagan. It has used a similar “bait and switch” tactic on us by promising a rose garden (without mentioning the thorns) and freedom from the Torah, but by doing so proves it is not the same congregation Yahshua promised to call out, but an elaborate counterfeit woven around it that has developed into something other than what we bargained for—a business. But the term for “tricked” is the root of the word used for what Yaaqov had done to obtain his father’s blessing. (27:35) What he had done was coming back on him, for as we measure it will be measured to us. (Markus 4:24) Does this mean he should not have claimed the birthright? Not at all; that had to be done, for he was the right one for the position. But it could not be done without a price to pay. Like the command to his descendants to destroy all the people of Kanaan, it is not a question of right or wrong. It is what YHWH wanted done. We cannot allow theoretical morality to stand in the way of YHWH’s commands. In some cases, YHWH provided a concrete way to deal with the inevitable feelings of guilt, like the half-sheqel taken up from soldiers since they have inescapable blood guilt. (Ex. 30:13-15) Because the balance was upset with Adam, we cannot always put everything into neat categories in process of bringing restoration. We cannot play it safe all the time and still accomplish this, and we must act honorably even when we know the risks are great. Still, Yaaqov could have avoided much of this grief had he not spilled so much information to someone who was not truly looking out for his best interests.

In our place: i.e., it is not our culture's custom. Since Yaaqov had told him all that had taken place (v. 13), Lavan was insinuating, "Just because YOU have no regard for seniority in YOUR household, don't think you're going to get away with that here!" (Yaaqov, being the younger, had pretended to be the elder.) Now the slick Lavan comes out looking more honorable than Yaaqov. “You deceived your father for a just purpose, and so did I. See? We aren’t so different after all!” Again Lavan proves to be a picture of the church, which appears very righteous even as it undermines YHWH’s actual commands with its own morality. His sweetness is artificial, yet he is so cordial in his conniving. He betrays him with the greatest hospitality. But Yaaqov would learn his lesson.

This one…that other one: Notice the inhuman terms by which he refers to his own daughters. They would remember this. Week: the week of rejoicing with her husband, to which every bride is entitled. We will give you: yet he had to work for this "gift"--another indication of Lavan's sense of his own generosity. He gave him the equivalent of a credit card, so he would become indebted to him. By finishing the week with Leah, he lost the option of annulling the marriage, and he dangled Rakhel in front of him again as an incentive to accept Leah as well. What the Messiah really wanted was a united Israel. He longed to bring the real treasure (Yerushalayim) under His wings (Matt. 23:37). But He must wait until this "other flock" (Yochanan 10:16), the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Efrayim) who is called YHWH's firstborn, is gathered before that wedding can occur. Yet in the same way, great animosity has resulted between these two flocks as well. This is probably the reason that at Mt. Sinai YHWH would later forbid a man from marrying two sisters while both are still living. (Lev. 18:18)

But we can also reverse the metaphor: Yaaqov's life is in a way a foreshadowing of that of all of his descendants. Ephraim--Rakhel's descendant--is said to be the one YHWH especially longs for (Yirmeyahu/Jer. 31:20), but His redemption had to be "to the Yehudi [a son of Leah] first" (Rom. 1:16; 2:10), and indeed it was (as all those described in Acts of the Envoys chapter 2 were Jews).

30. Thus he also went into Rakhel; moreover, he loved Rakhel more than Leah, so he served him yet another seven years.

31. But when YHWH saw that Leah was less favored, He opened her womb (while Rakhel remained childless).

Less favored: literally, hated. While Yehudah has provided Yahshua with comparatively fewer "children" than the northern Kingdom and the Gentiles among whom they are mingled, her time will come. Childless: literally, barren or sterile. The actual root word means "plucked up" like a field with nothing left to harvest. Yeshayahu 64:10-12 describes Yerushalayim as a barren place until the end of the age. The fullness of the Gentiles must finish coming in first, just as Leah had to finish having her children before Rakhel could.

Re'uven means "Look! A son!" A wife who provided her husband with a male heir was more valued in that society. Humiliation: or misery.

Shim'on: An intensive form of shema (to hear or listen).

Three sons: a symbol of completeness. Levi means "my joining" (attachment) or "confirmer of my companionship"; his tribe would "join" all Israel to Elohim, for they would be the priests. But the root meaning is to twine together, and since he is the third son, this forms a threefold cord. Levi’s descendants would be a holier people within a holy nation, just as Israel is in a separate class from all nations. (Num. 23:9) He was named: or "he named him"--unlike the rest, whom the mothers named. “He” was YHWH Himself, because she had not credited YHWH as she had for the first two sons, so she had in essence stolen him from YHWH, so YHWH required him back. He did not belong to her, so she could not name him. He would not actually claim the sons of Levi for Himself until the Exodus, when He took them as substitutes for all the firstborn of Israel, and attached them to His Temple service.

She learned her lesson. Yehudah means "thanksgiving" or "praise". His descendants are those specifically called "Jews" (Yehudi). This is what Paul means when he says that anyone who is a praiser of YHWH is a "Jew". Both Christians and Jews have evidenced a strong desire to “give sons to the Father”. To the Jews, it is important to make students of the chosen, and they are right. Christians have as the highest priority making converts from everyone, though in most cases they are really giving them to the other “father”, the pope. Yahshua told us to make disciples, not converts.

CHAPTER 30

This poses a question for us as well: Are we bearing fruit for Yaaqov? Rakhel sees how Yaaqov enjoys his sons, and it is “killing” her. She thinks she is not pleasing him as much as Leah is. Her sister’s example is her goal. Polygamy is not explicitly forbidden in the Scriptures (except in the case of congregational leaders who have enough responsibilities already), as Elohim foresaw that in some circumstances, unmarried women who outnumbered men would be uncared for. But by means of the accounts of where it did take place, a fair warning is given of the detrimental “political” effects of some such arrangements. I will die: How ironic that she would die in giving birth to her second son. But she did have a posterity, whereas if she did not, she would indeed be extinct, because the seed carries on the individual’s existence in a very real way.

I.e., “Why are you blaming me? I had nothing to do with it!” Yet since she dare not blame YHWH, she takes it out on the one she loves most. We need to train ourselves to direct our anger where it belongs—or ask YHWH for a solution. She came up with one that Yaaqov’s grandmother had used, and one that was common even for women who were not barren:

Upon my knees: she literally sat this way, as thus it would symbolize the child being born from Rakhel as well, and thus one would adopt or take ownership of the child. Built up: i.e., perpetuated.

Bilhah means “trouble”, but many things can either be a curse or a blessing depending on our response to them. Even blessing must be handled with wisdom, because not all fruitfulness is necessarily beneficial. But by handling this situation properly, Yaaqov avoided much of the trouble Avraham had with Hagar. He never treated her as anything more than a proxy for his wife; she was still a slave. (Compare Exodus 21.) He apparently learned from his grandfather’s mistakes. Lavan had given her to Rakhel as “fertility insurance” in case she should not be able to bear children, so that Yaaqov would not divorce her.

In terms of the allegory of their later descendants, these two handmaid-wives probably relate to those referred to as "Yehudah and the children of Israel, his companions, and ...Yoseyf, the house of Israel, and his companions" (Y'chezq'el 37:16)--two "nations", each with their affiliates, which will become one community.

Dan means judgment or verdict. YHWH had accepted her prayer, thus “judging” in her favor. But in a way she was being judged as well, for though this son was legally hers, Yaaqov never recognized him as his firstborn. In fact, even YHWH’s opinion of Dan appears ambivalent throughout history. This must be the trouble that Bilhah brought, because Dan is the "snake-in-the-grass" tribe (49:17) from which Jewish tradition says the counterfeit Messiah will come, and who will not be included in the 144,000 witnesses during the birthpangs of the Messiah. Being not truly her child, he may represent the concept of “spiritual Israel”, in which the church vied with physical Israel for recognition as YHWH’s favorite. But he has not been as much trouble as the descendants of Yishma’el. Shimshon (Samson) would come from this tribe. Dan has left his name wherever his tribe has settled: along the Danube and Donau Rivers, Danzig, Danmark (Denmark), and the Tuatha de Danaan (which settled Ireland), among other locations.

8. so Rakhel said, "With wrestling contests of Elohim have I wrestled with my sister, and, indeed, I have succeeded!” So she named him Nafthali.

Nafthali means “My wrestling" (or maneuvering): based on a word for "twisting"; possibly "born by a roundabout way". She did not actually give birth, but Rakhel considered this her victory because she knows she will be judged more favorably since she did all that was in her power to provide Yaaqov with more children. We, too, want to be judged as fruitful, and the wrestling which will enable us to ascend is that of doing the will of YHWH. (Mat. 7:15ff) These children had to live with the names that reflected their mothers' running feud. This animosity was unnecessary, because the sisters were taking things too personally. Rather than simply trying to please Yaaqov, each was trying to please him more than her sister. Yet if they had not cared whether they gave him sons, none of these children would have come forth. Wanting to outdo her sister is a great example, apart from the bitter competitive spirit in which it was done, for we each excel in certain areas, and admiration for others’ success should lead us to try to climb higher. The Jews have showed us how strong a community can be, and how holy a people can become; it is shameful that those who have already acknowledged Yahshua as King are so far behind them. Though he told us we could do greater things than he (Yochanan 14:12), faulty theology has told us we cannot even do what he did, so few even try. Yet he has called us to try to attain his level of fruitfulness. At the very least it will make us much more fruitful than we would have otherwise been, and that is the main point of jealousy. This is an example of the left hand being brought into subjection to the right. Vintners go through a season in which they only water the vines at the minimal level needed for subsistence, because the fact that the grapes have to struggle increases the sugars and makes the wine sweeter. It is no exaggeration that she speaks of “wrestling contests of Elohim”, for it was a battle in the heavenlies as well, as by means of this competition YHWH was building of them a larger nation that would ultimately go so far as allow a man to win back the title to the earth from a fallen angel.

Now it is “Rakhel’s” children who are bringing pleasure to Yaaqov. Leah realized that she was no longer excelling in the area where she used to. When the “teacher” saw that her “student” was learning, it drove the teacher to greater heights. To excel, we should not only follow the examples of those who are above us on the ladder, but also be pushed onward by the responsibility we have to teach those behind us. It was a wake-up call to her to also go above and beyond what she could naturally do. She had to try twice as hard to please yaaqov since she was the less-loved. In what ways have we ceased to bear fruit where we used to?

11. So Leah said, "What a stroke of luck!" So she named him Gad.

Again, the firstborn of the slave-girl shares a name--and a philosophy--with a pagan god. She has acknowledged YHWH, but why should we assume she worships Him exclusively? She still lives in her father's house in more ways than one. Charan is the half-way city--the family of Avram's stopping point between full-scale paganism and the Promised Land, and thus a picture of today's half-Israelite, half-pagan church. The part of the family that remained here when Avram moved on still could not give up their idols. Gad (pronounced like "God" in American English) sounds just like the word for "fortune" (luck), which is one reason we should not substitute it for YHWH's name. We are commanded not to even have the names of pagan deities on our lips (Exodus 23:13), and Gad is listed as just that in Yeshayahu/Isaiah 65:11. He was known as Ba'al-Gad in Yehoshua 11:17. Since Gad is pronounced just like “God” in English, this is too close to “Lord God” for comfort. Gad’s feast-day, perpetuated through adoption of its practices in Christianized Europe when they could not rid the common people of their feast of Saturnalia, is what has become modern-day Christmas. Some believe the Norsemen and Germans, who count “Gud” or “Gott” as their deity, are descendants of Gad, and thus this name for the creator may have stemmed from a form of ancestor worship. Gad can mean "a troop", so she may have also been counting him as another “soldier” in her battle against her sister. But this is evidence of the pagan influence that remained in the household of Lavan (as we also see in 31:19). Indeed, it turned out that the Roman army chose Gad as their deity--the god of aggression. They changed the name of this religion to Mithraism. And "luck" (you can substitute the terms fortune, opportunity, and even per-haps—by the permission of Hapi, an Egyptian deity) has nothing to do with YHWH, but is the philosophy of Amaleq, who believed everything was according to chance. YHWH's providence is very deliberate, as in 25:21. So this is all the more reason we should not use that name for the Creator.

13. and Leah said, "I am blessed! For the daughters [of Kanaan] will call me glad." So she named him Asher.

I am blessed: Literally, "In my happiness!" But Asher is based on a verb meaning to go straight ahead and make progress, which should shape our definition of what “happiness” really is--not based, as in English, on "happenstance", which is the same thing as "luck" (Gad). Our concepts should instead be based on Hebrew-oriented terminology.

Days: the Septuagint says only" day" -- possibly specifically Shavuoth, which is at the wheat harvest, when the "counting of the measure" is complete. Perhaps she thought this was an especially auspicious time to conceive, superstitious as she was. Mandrakes: or “love apples”, a fragrant nightshade plant that looks somewhat like a potato. They were thought to be an aphrodisiac to promote fertility since their roots resemble a phallus. Occult literature—and even Josephus the historian—tell of how picking them was thought to bring a curse on the one who did so since they would even shriek when uprooted, and therefore instructed them in how to get dogs to uproot them so they would be the ones to die, instead of those who wanted the mandrakes! This sounds like mere superstition, but we do later see Reuven violate his father’s concubine; could this have been such an ill aphrodisiac effect of his having gathered them? The name in Hebrew is a dual form of the word for "beloved", i.e., meant to endear the "victim" to oneself. But verse 17 reveals the real source of her success.

16. When Yaaqov came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him, and she said, "You must come into me, because I have indeed hired you with my son's mandrakes.” So he lay with her during that night,

Come into me: or come in unto me, in my tent; each wife would have a separate one.

18. Then Leah said, "Elohim has given me what I earned when I gave my slavegirl to my husband." So she named her son Yissakhar.

Yissakhar means "There is recompense/reward" or "he was hired". The mandrakes had nothing to do with her womb being reopened. YHWH rewarded her for doing all that was within her power to please her husband even when she herself could not give him any more children, despite the risks she knew (from Sarah’s experience) such a move involved..

20. So Leah said, "Elohim has presented me with a fine endowment. This time my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons." So she named him Z’vulun.

"Endowment": or dowry; "the better portion". Dwell with me: i.e., settle permanently in my tent, exalting me--make me his favorite. Apparently he normally stayed with Rakhel, only making forays into Leah's tent. Z’vulun thus means "Exalted dwelling" or "habitation"; it was his tribal land (in and around Natzereth) which the Messiah would inhabit! Thus ten of Yaaqov's sons were not born to his favorite wife Rakhel. Since Levi was dedicated specifically to the service of YHWH's sanctuary, he could be called the tithe.

Since there is no reference here to her conceiving again here, Dinah may have been Z'vulun’s twin. Dinah is the feminine form of Dan, also meaning "judgment". So she has had six sons and one daughter—a picture of the six days of the week which are followed by the Sabbath, which is often likened to a queen or bride. Thus Yaaqov had literally done what Lavan had asked her to do—fulfill her week!

[c. Year 2201 from creation; 1799 B.C.E.]

22. Then Elohim remembered Rakhel, and hearkened to her, and opened her womb,

Remembered: not that He had forgotten her, but now He proved He had not.

Disgrace: reproach, taunt, but from a root word for “spend the winter”, for YHWH had now ended her “winter” and brought her into a season of fruitfulness. The phrase could also be read, “who has gathered in my betrothal”. Her full marriage could now take effect, as Leah’s “seven” had been fulfilled, but having the baby was also the first visible evidence that his marriage to Rakhel had been consummated. Rakhel's children, chiefly Efrayim, who mixed with the Gentiles, thus took on themselves the judgment of a form of illegitimacy. They began their rebellion by setting up an idol in, of all places, Dan. (2 Kings 10:29) YHWH gave them time to repent, but had already said that if they did not, He would make their sentence seven times as long. (Lev. 26:18) This became necessary, but He said that when that sentence was up, they would again be called "my people" when they turned back to His covenant. (Outlined most clearly in the book of Hoshea, this is also alluded to by many other prophets, and many of Yahshua's parables.) This is beginning to happen in our day! YHWH has taken away our disgrace, the reproach of being considered Gentiles instead of Israel, and brought His firstborn back to full status, not simply as “married” to Him, but as actually being fruitful for the sake of Israel.

Ten sons seemed like a complete number, but Rakhel intended for Yaaqov to be more fruitful still. She saw that she was now capable of bearing children, so her ambition is to be even more fruitful. He did indeed, but Yoseyf also added to the people of Israel by means of his two sons who gave Yitzhaq another tribe, but one of them disobediently "mixed with the nations" and by doing so was instrumental in the grafting of multitudes of Gentiles into Yaaqov's seed (Rom. 11:12, 25). We can also read his name as "YHWH will gather" (relating the reference to seed and harvest to Yezre'el--Elohim will sow, Hoshea 2:22) or "YHWH will count (him)" and not let one of his rightful descendants fall to the ground. (Amos 9:9) Once Yoseyf (the firstfruits, symbolizing the barley harvest) was born, Rakhel knew there would be “another harvest” as well, symbolized by the wheat harvest, the grain that is not so “rough” and for which darnel can be mistaken since there is more compromise with what the world considers more progressive. (Mat. 13:25-40)

This takes place after somewhere between 14 and 20 years (31:38) with Lavan, prefiguring Yahshua being away from His homeland, seeking out His bride among the nations. But His chief responsibility is to his family back home, Israel, so he says, “Let My people go.” Note that since Yaaqov had placed himself under Lavan’s authority, he oculd not leave without Lavan’s permission, though his contract is up. He honored his agreement, while Lavan would not. His parents were old and needed him. If remaining in the church requires that we forsake Israel, no benefit we could derive or contribute can be acceptable. Why does he feel ready after Yoseyf is born? Because there is now a firstborn from his true wife, from whom the fullness of the nations (48:19) will come. There is a son born to carry on the promise to Avraham and Yitzhaq. Yoseyf’s would be the largest “house” among Yaaqov’s sons. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan says that Yaaqov knew prophetically that Yoseyf would be instrumental in defeating Esau (see Ovadyah 18), so he was no longer afraid of Esau. Since Rivqah’s nurse is found with Yaaqov’s family in 35:8, though she had gone to Kanaan with Rivqah (24:59), it appears that this is the time Rivqah sent for him, having said she would do so when Esau’s anger subsided. (27:44-45) Now that Rakhel has a child, Yaaqov truly has a descendant in his opinion, and Rivqah apparently sent her own nurse to care for the baby. My place: an allusion to “the place where YHWH would set His Name”, Mount Moryah.

27. But Lavan said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, I have learned by divination that YHWH has blessed me on account of you."

On account of you: only since you came. Yaaqov had been given a land by Elohim, and though Gentiles might benefit from his sojourn among them. It would not be proper for them to keep him back from his inheritance. His mindset is still that all of these things happened for his own benefit--they are all his! Yet though he gives credit to YHWH, he is still mixing religions when he uses divination, which is an abomination to YHWH.

Propose: literally, stab: I.e., “Gouge me if you must! Tell me what the damages will be!” He represents the church that, when it sees it is about to lose the cream of its crop who realize their energies need to go into Israel, is willing to allow us to do Passover seders in the church, have Christian Jews come in and teach as a token recognition, or let us use their buildings on Saturdays when they do not need them, just so they can maintain our constituency, since it is the Israelites in the church who have been the ones to accomplish most of the worthwhile work.

30. "for you had little before I came, but now it has broken forth into a multitude, and YHWH has blessed you wherever I went. But when indeed shall I build up my own house?"

Wherever I went: literally, "at my foot". He is saying, "So I've made you rich; then you can get along without me!" The church, too, has grown rich, having been blessed because it is based on Israel. But what will it be once Israel is called back out into its own Land? If it has truly learned from the relationship, it should have "sufficient oil" to make it on its own (Matt. 25:8), but apparently, like Lavan, it has been a parasite rather than a well-nursed child. Build up my own house: stop working for someone else and amass an inheritance for my own family. It is only because of the Northern Kingdom being "lost" among the nations that the latter were able to hear the Glad News of the Kingdom, in the process of the Son of Man’s going out to "seek and save" His lost sheep who were scattered among them. Now they are being called back to the Land which, because the covenant is renewed for them, is again their heritage.

Don’t give me: i.e., I am not asking for a handout. Besides, he knows that what comes from Lavan will be tainted anyway; it will be a blemish (another meaning of the word here for “speck”).

Since he sees that Lavan does not plan to release him, he realizes he has to start doing something about it what is supposed to be his own. If the church lets go of what belongs to Israel, as David says, YHWH shows Himself to be straight up toward them, but to the devious He shows Himself also able to twist. (2 Shmu’el 22:26-27) He had to use his “left hand” on one who wanted what should have belonged to Israel. We are called not by Avraham’s name, but Yaaqov’s (Israel). So we, too, must not feel guilty for letting others tie themselves into a knot, so that we can untie it through a proper interpretation of Torah and they can see the truth. This time Yaaqov chose wages he would actually have something to show for. But why did he choose the animals whose wool would be less valuable on the market? It is a picture of the chosen of YHWH being the ones the world despises. (1 Qorinthians 1:26-28; 4:13; Luqa 14:21-24) But the real answer is in the meanings of the words: "Streaked" is based on the word for "tied" or "bound", reminiscent of the threefold cord of the two houses of Israel and Yahshua (Eccles. 4:12). Spotted: patched, or of diverse colors, since his children would one day be mingled with other nations (Hos. 7:8; Amos 9:9). These are the ones symbolized by Ruth's "nearer kinsman" not wishing to claim for redemption because of her "mottled" pedigree. They were the ones he knew nobody else wanted anyway, and Lavan would not be upset to lose them. But as the antetype of Boaz, Yahshua is willing to redeem them. Young: he left the older ones, knowing that there was a long journey ahead of him very soon.

The fruit would speak for itself. How wise!

He struck the deal very quickly, possibly being unable to believe Yaaqov would make such a ridiculous choice. All he wanted were what Lavan considered the mis-breeds, because they were not “all white” as his name said he was.

He: Lavan. He separates Yaaqov’s flocks from his own so they will not interbreed—the most likely way to create more of the type of sheep Yaaqov asked for. So he is given a disadvantage to start with. Thus the first setting apart of Israel is, figuratively, the work of the church itself, which excludes those who do not agree with its color scheme. As we stop blindly accepting its teachings, it does not like what we are becoming. Yet still we are kept in the care of its sons. Many who otherwise see things the Hebraic way are kept from going the full distance in forsaking paganism because they feel they still need to be given legitimacy by a definition of orthodoxy that the church, rather than Scripture, has created.

Lavan kept Yaaqov’s flocks far from his own, still thinking Yaaqov might attempt to cheat him, though he never had done so, since that was his own mindset. But this is a picture of the first harvest (see note on v. 24), in which the firstfruits of YHWH’s regathered Israel are taken out of the church completely, while others are left there to be included in the second harvest, where there are still tares to be sorted out. (Note the clarity about this in Rev. 12:5-17.) This distancing would turn out to be to Yaaqov's advantage later. (31:19-23) Three days’ journey is how far Avraham traveled to sacrifice Yitzhaq, the distance from Egypt to the Red Sea, the length of time Yonah was inside the fish, and how long Yahshua stayed in the tomb, which all speak of overcoming death. It correlates with having to leave father and mother to follow Yahshua. (Luke 14:26) In our day it often means leaving them behind in the church they are used to (like the older flock animals in v. 32) while we pursue the highest road to uncompromising holiness. It is a picture of dying and yet still moving on so we might go home, instead of just counting on someone else’s death experience. Yahshua himself said we each have to take up our execution-stake and follow him. His death is not enough to bring us back from exile if we are not willing to die to self too.

38. And he set the rods which he had peeled by the gutters—by the troughs where the flocks came to drink—opposite [facing] the flocks, and they became stimulated [to mate] when they came to drink.

It is unclear exactly how the rods affected the sheep; they may have emitted some herbal aroma that caused them to be in heat. In any case, Elohim's hand was in it to build up Yaaqov's house. The lesson for us is on a level deeper than the literal. A poplar tree is livneh in Hebrew, which is related to Lavan’s name (meaning white), and thus represents the church. Hazel (or possibly another type of nut-bearing tree) is the same as the name of the city of Luz in 28:19, and thus represents the site that would later be the Temple Mount. Laurel (or chestnut) is from a word meaning “bare bones” or “basics”, but also subtle or cunning. It is used in Prov. 15:5; 19:25 as meaning prudent or learning from others’ mistakes. Ps. 18:24 says that to the crooked YHWH appears perverse. He allowed them to see beneath the surface, so each rod could be seen for what it was. Verse 37 says that the way he turned “Christian” sheep into those belonging to Israel was by exposing Lavan (“the white”) in the rods. Rods are a symbol of leadership, so in other words, he is exposing who the rulers of the church really are: shepherds (pastors) who muddy the waters the sheep drink from. (Y’hezq’el/Ezek. 34:18-19) So the allegorical level shows that at the place where the water was made available, he made a comparison between the church, the Temple, and the “basics” (the pure milk of the word, which is the plain commandments of Elohim, 1 Keyfa/Peter 2:2; Heb. 5:12). When we do this, it becomes obvious that the church is full of corruption, greed, and power-hunger like Lavan, nor does it fit with the “basics”, having rejected the Torah, while the Temple (the place of YHWH’s presence) fits them perfectly. Thus bringing YHWH’s firstfruits back out of the institutional church (which is using up energies that sshould be devoted to Israel) must be done in a manner that is “wise as serpents yet innocent as doves”, using the "water of the Word"--proving from Scripture itself that they belong not to the paganized, half-Christian structure, but to Israel after all. Of course, if we are exposing the fact that the church falls short, we had better make sure the same corruption is gone from us as well, for by judging we invite the same judgment on ourselves, and our shortcomings will also be tested, and Lavan is still strong among those who call themselves by the name of Israel. Zecharyah 11:4ff also juxtaposes the imagery of broken rods, feeding the flock, wages, broken brotherhood, and the reclaiming of all that is rightfully Yaaqov's.

The additional animals that were born fitting the categories he had selected would also be his. The prophetic “spirit of Yaaqov” is now setting up these rods, because we see many churches (Lavan’s flocks) beginning to teach the festivals and even turn to observing the Sabbath and using YHWH’s true name. This will bring about a separation in which some recognize they are Israel and leave, while others remain where they are comfortable. Yaaqov never lets on to Lavan that he is strengtheneing the weak, but just continues to faithfully serve them.

Though there was still a place for Lavan’s flocks in YHWH’s overall plan (ch. 31), Yaaqov would not allow the two to mingle, lest they become lost in the wrong crowd. The purity of the first harvest must be preserved for the best results for Israel’s welfare.

Robust: Targum Onqelos has early-bearing, i.e., those that conceived easily. The root meaning is “bound together”. At this point, the truth is shown only to those who exhibit a ready desire for intimacy with YHWH and the less desirable are made the strongest because unity makes them more than they could be as individuals. 2 Shmuel 22:17-32 and Psalm 18 speak of being rewarded according to our righteousness, even though it was a gift given to us. Note that he did not distinguish at this point between the sheep and the goats; that is for the later harvest. (Mat. 25:31-46)

Yoseyf has been born, the prefiguring of the “fullness of the Gentiles” coming in. (Rom. 11:25) The partial blindness is removed, but only for some of the flocks at first. We only reveal the truth about who Lavan is to those who will be ready to be bound together in intimacy with YHWH. The weak who lag behind the rest--those who are slow to leave paganism behind, who respond to the truth about our Hebraic roots, but continue to mix it with churchly things, who do not have the extra oil (Mat. 25:8) or do not put to use the instruction that they are offered--are the ones that Amaleq attacks. (Exodus 17) These are left for the next harvest. In fact, the word here for “weak” means those that turn aside—i.e., those who do not want the unification that following the Torah brings. But notice that none of the plain animals are being born anymore; once the truth is out, no one can remain completely like Lavan. The tares are burned up, and only Israel will remain; there will be no more church once the Kingdom begins, only firstfruits and the rest of Yahshua’s subjects. Yaaqov therefore used Lavan’s desire to have the best for himself against him.

CHAPTER 31

This same accusation was made by Hitler, and is still made of Yaaqov's descendants (Yehudah/the Jews in particular, since they are more recognizable). But like the Gentiles who forced the Jews to be moneylenders, by which they became wealthy, all this was really Lavan’s fault, not Yaaqov’s doing. The institutional church is also likely to say this as more and more people within it realize they really belong to Israel. Yaaqov’s actions here are instructive in teaching us how to respond to the jealous pressure to stay. We know it is out for its own interests as Lavan was. Lavan had actually given Yaaqov nothing (30:31), so this accusation could not stand. We, too, can leave the church with no ammunition if we retain none of its doctrines, calling them all into question. Many will come back to us as we study the Torah, but then they will have come directly from YHWH as Yaaqov’s wealth did. Yaaqov's descendant, the Messiah, has gained for Elohim's family many people who once belonged to the conniving "father of lies".

3. Then YHWH said to Yaaqov, "Go back to the land of your ancestors, and to those to whom you were born, and I will be with you."

It had already become obvious to Yaaqov that it was time to leave since he could no longer trust Lavan, but he may not have been willing to make such an immense move on the basis of circumstances alone, so since he had no written Torah as we do, it was confirmed by YHWH to have come from his spirit and not his flesh. This is the first time YHWH has spoken directly to him since he left the Land of Kanaan. Land of your ancestors: Was he not already there? He had been living with distant cousins, but YHWH narrowed the focus of which relatives he was most responsible to: the Hebrews, who are willing to cross over. Two generations of ancestors ahd already lived there, and his father never left. So his birthright is connected with the Land of Kanaan. He had gotten what he needed from Paddan-Aram, and this was no longer to be counted his family. He has been “born again”. (Yochanan 3:3-12; 1 Keyfa 1:22-23) This account is what gave Yahshua the authority to teach that to follow him one must leave behind our natural families and count as our brothers and sisters and parents only those who do YHWH’s will. (Mat. 12:50) Likewise, many in recent years have heard a call in their hearts back to the Promised Land, but when reasoned with, thought themselves presumptuous for even thinking they were worthy of such a privilege. But then, when the time of exile was completed, the revelation began spreading forth that this inner tug was actually the call of a heritage that was our own after all, because of YHWH's countless promises to bring the exiles back home. As we are “born again” into the “borders” of the Torah, we must never leave it so it is what our children will be born into as well.

Summoned: Targum Pseudo-Jonathan says (based on 49:21) that since Nafthali was a swift runner, he was dispatched to send them the order. His wives were still living with Lavan, and had to be called to come join Yaaqov where he was with his sons. Even so, Yaaqov's descendants are being summoned out of the heritage of our religious institutions of Lavan’s house to come be where the "sheep" are being gathered to make the trek back to where our Shepherd will meet us. He is telling them to see this as their only family now. We, too, must no longer see ourselves as children of Christianity, but as Israelites, or we will be unable to respond properly to the Torah, which is addressed to Israel (Yaaqov’s descendants). As Yahshua would say, we cannot serve two masters, or we will love one and hate the other. (Mat. 6:24) As it turns out, his wives already knew which to choose. (v. 14)

Disposition: literally, face. He was no longer prospering, so he was not pleased, but YHWH was pleased to make Yaaqov prosper. We have already seen how quickly some nations that once welcomed the Jews could turn on them; it seems that there will yet be a time when both houses of Israel will likewise become unwanted in the lands where they have been sojourning (while they were meant to be exiles, carrying the knowledge of YHWH to the ends of the earth), even though they have done their best to "seek the welfare of their place of exile" (cf. Yirmeyah 29:7):

7. "yet your father has tricked me, changing my wages ten times. But Elohim has not let him do evil to me.

Tricked me: or "cheated me". Changing my wages: finding loopholes in his promises. Ten times (literally ten weighings-out) was the last straw for Yaaqov, just as YHWH Himself would decide to bar the generation that left Egypt from entering the Promised Land because they put Him to the test ten times. (Numbers 14:22-23) Th emore we look at the evidence, the more we see that the church robbed us of our inheritance. We were taught there to leave the “Old Testament” alone; it was “not for us”. Yet there is no such thing as a new Israel, for YHWH’s covenant promises are eternal. We are not in a position to receive the promises made to Israel while still in the house of Lavan. YHWH protected us while we had no other option but to be there, but now it is time to move on.

9. "Thus Elohim has taken away your father's livestock and given them to me.

Taken away: or, emptied out.

The Hebrew word for rams can also mean leaders of the people, so this is a prophecy that after the comparison of the temple with the church is placed before them (see note on 30:38), the new disciples that are made will belong to Yaaqov as well.

12. "And he said, 'Please raise your eyes and notice all the rams mounting the flock: they are striped, speckled, and dappled, because I have noticed all that Lavan has been doing to you.

13. "'I am the El of Beyth-El—the place where you anointed the pillar and vowed a vow to Me. Now then, arise and go back to the land of your relatives."

This is the portion read in synagogues the week before Yom Truah (Rosh haShanah), which foreshadows the removal of the bride of Messiah and the resurrection of the dead with the command to arise. Yaaqov promised that the anointed stone would become YHWH’s house, and, though the place would not be in Israel’s possession until the time of David, YHWH is already calling special attention to this spot. To this day, that burning desire for that place where heaven and earth meet remains in the heart of true Israelites. As in his dream at that site, it is now time to ascend again along with those who descended from him. He also does not identify Himself as “the Elohim of your fathers” this time, for Yaaqov had said at that place that if YHWH brought him back safely, He would be known as his Elohim as well. (28:21) Now that he has begun his journey back, YHWH is telling him that this is indeed the case—he is not ashamed to be known as Yaaqov’s Elohim as well.

Our father's household: whatever represents itself as pure but is selfish. This was the family that started to become Hebrews, but settled down before the journey was complete, while Avraham traveled on. They represent those who think the church was meant to be something permanent rather than a temporary shelter during our exile. It was Yaaqov’s job to take them the rest of the way. He assumed it would take a lot of persuasion to convince them to leave, but they were ready, even if it was for pragmatic reasons. In a way they still had their father’s concern about possessions. In the latter days, we are told, YHWH will pull the northern Kingdom, as well as Yehudah, back from the foreign lands where they have been banished because of their wrongdoing, and people from the Gentiles will come with them, saying, "Our fathers have inherited lies, futility, and things by which we do not ascend." (Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 16:12-21) Many are already saying this. So we must be careful not to carry any of these worthless things out with us. (See v. 19.)

16. "and since all the wealth that Elohim has taken from our father is going to us and our sons anyway? So now do everything Elohim has told you!"

I.e., There is nothing left for us here. After having used us to drive a hard bargain and extract 14 years of free labor from you, he could have at least used the value of your work as our dowry (the bride’s security in case she should become a widow without sons to care for her). Their bride price was the fruit of Yaaqov’s labors, and so should have been given to them rather than to Lavan. But that never entered his mind. Instead, he squandered it, thinking Yaaqov was there for his sake. What kind of father is that?

The last gift that had come to Avraham’s camp from Paddan-Aram (Rivqah) was also on camels. If there was one camel for each of those mentioned here, there would be 15 (for 11 sons and 4 wives). The numerical value of the Hebrew letters yodh (10) and hey (5) adds up to 15. Yodh-hey spells the first half of YHWH’s name. At Sukkoth and in early morning prayers we do some ritual acts specifically “for the sake of the unification of the Name Y-H with W-H”. The last two letters, waw (6) and hey (5) adds up to 11—the number of his sons! So by this very act he was initiating the unification of the Name before re-entering the Land—the same position we are in now.

The Torah would later stipulate that a slave was to go free after six years of service. Yaaqov's first 14 years were the dowry for his wives, but the last six had been servitude to Lavan. So now YHWH tells him his time has been served. If a slave had been given a wife by his master, he could not take her or their children with him when he went free. (Ex. 21:2-4) This may have been a custom known throughout the entire region. He could see that a slave is what Lavan thought he was, so Yaaqov felt he had to sneak away in order to take his family along. (Lavan still considered them his property--v. 43.)

Fleecing the flock was not Yaaqov’s work; the firstborn are not to be sheared (Deut. 15:19). It is those who will not receive correction that are to be cut off. (Yirmiyahu 7:26ff) Lavan probably did not even want Yaaqov nearby to see how much profit he was making from the flocks Yaaqov had raised. But all was going well for Yaaqov’s departure until this act of Rakhel’s. Ownership of the household idols, in that society, implied leadership of the family. They assured the husband of a married daughter of the right to her father's property; they implied conferrance of title. "Idols" here is trafim, which means "healers". Lavan recognized YHWH, but still relied on other things as a back-up. Whatever we trust in assumes a power over us because we allow it to. She was willing to leave, but she took along the worst reminder of her father’s house. A much larger example of trafim is seen in 1 Shmu’el 19:12, where it is clearly in the image of a man. Some things never change, for the church has its own trafim--the crucifix, also in the shape of a man, which is often placed in every room of Catholic hospitals to symbolize healing. It may have been like a favorite doll to Rakhel--something she was simply fond of, YHWH may tolerate some confusion in the church about who is to be worshipped (v. 24), but such things have no place in Israel. (1 Shmu’el 15:23 links trafim with stubbornness against YHWH.) Her grandson Efrayim's descendants were still inclined toward idols. (We see them used in Israel often throughout Kings and Chronicles.) Unlike YHWH, who "takes our blood but gives the plasma back", idols simply rob us and do not provide anything in return. That is why the prophets call them "things of vanity". Because Rakhel is our mother, we are still prone to idolatry. Many who come out of the church still bring some of its idolatry with them. It is a different thing in each person’s case. They may be misunderstandings of Scripture based on reading the New Testament without the context of the “Old”, etc.

Six years earlier he had made the mistake of telling him that he wanted to leave, just as many who hear the call back to Israel ask their pastor about it, when in most cases he is the very one who wants to hold onto them. This time he does not give him the upper hand. He left before Lavan could do anything about it; no explanation was necessary. Aramean means “exalted one”, so Moshe, the writer, is undoubtedly highlighting the humor in Yaaqov’s outsmarting him nonetheless.

Gil'ad: just this side of the Yarden River, southeast of the Sea of Galilee, it was not technically part of the Promised Land, but the tribe of Menashe did claim it under Yehoshua's conquest. Notice that he made a series of crossings. The Euphrates represented the break from Lavan, but still he was not home yet. His real goal was Beyth El. They had left for somewhat selfish reasons; they still had to put self away.

Lavan’s sons, whom he had put in charge of Yaaqov’s sheep (30:35), would have been the ones to bring the message to him where he was, three days’ journey away. (30:36)

So Yaaqov had traveled ten days, having had a three-day head start since Lavan had gone away in the opposite direction. Yaaqov could not travel as quickly as he with young children and so many flocks. But the seven days’ journey represents those in the church who are willing to go as far as changing over from Sunday to Sabbath to try to keep the “cream-of-the-crop” Israelites in their congregations. Lavan had even crossed the Euphrates, though his heart remained on the other side. (v. 55)

Elohim: the name emphasizing His justice. YHWH was willing to speak to this man who worshipped trafim. He does reveal Himself to those in the church and does miracles for them. He put up with the mixture of pagan and Hebrew ways for some time. But notice he did not hear from YHWH until it was dark, which is the only time many in the church call on Him. But Israel has to keep moving on as more revelation comes, and cannot stay where it once was. Thus what Lavan and the trafim represent to us changes with each step we take closer to the Temple. Yesterday it was the church. Today it may even be some within Israel who want to control us. Not to speak for better or for worse: An idiom his father had also used. He was neither to try to persuade him to stay nor revile him for leaving. Yaaqov did not want him to give him anything either, knowing that what he had just was not for him.

26. Then Lavan said to Yaaqov, "What have you done? You have outwitted my heart and driven my daughters like prisoners of war!

This parallels the accusation many in the church make that those who are called back into Israel must be being brainwashed by a cult. He still thought his daughters belonged to him, when they really belonged to YHWH.

Yaaqov used his “slickness” for the right reason, but this liar is “slick” for the wrong reasons. While he says he would have had a party for him, he really wanted to kill him. (v. 29)

29. "It is well within the power of my hand to do harm to all of you, but the Elohim of your fathers spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you don’t speak to Yaaqov either for better or for worse.'

Your fathers: He forgets that his own grandfather was actually called out with Avram as well, but he no longer identifies with YHWH as his own. YHWH tells him to neither bless Yaaqov nor curse him (for even his blessing would undoubtedly be full of trickery), ut to keep the conversation strictly neutral. Yet though he does not want to be killed for trying to take Yaaqov’s family back, he still feels a need to make itr clear that he believes they really belong to him.

Yearned longingly: can also mean “turned pale”. Spiritually he is starving, like many who get their start in the church and learn up to a point, but then need more than it can give because it has disconnected itself from its roots. His Father’s house is where the meatier nourishment is. (See also v. 40.) He does not even recognize that a more immediate reason for Yaaqov’s wanting to leave was that he himself was evil and had mistrated Yaaqov. The thought that it might be his own fault never crosses his mind. But why: I.e., "Why steal mine, if you have such a powerful Elohim already? If you are going back to another father's household, why do you need the protectors of my household as well?" (See note on v. 19.) This robbery of something highly prized in his household kept Yaaqov connected to Lavan and gave Lavan the right to pursue him and learn all his private business.

32. "But as for the household idols, whoever you find them with shall not live. In the presence of our relatives, search [to see] if anything of yours is here with me, and take it back for yourself." (Now Yaaqov did not know that Rakhel had stolen them.)

Shall not live: or, shall die before his time, not necessarily on the spot (according to Targum Pseudo-Jonathan). The prophetic spirit passes to the one with the right of the firstborn (Yoseyf was the next seer in the family). So what he said would come true. He unwittingly placed a death-curse on his favorite wife. But it is unlikely that he could have prophesied any differently had he known what she had done, since she was after all carrying an idol.

34. But Rakhel had taken the household idols and put them into the camel's packsaddle, and sat down on top of them. So Lavan groped around the whole tent, but still he found nothing.

The Northern Kingdom is also "stealing" Yahshua from the Gentiles, taking away from them the "God" they worshiped and restoring him to his proper place of honor yet also finally in subjection to the Father.

Rise: i.e., in respect for her father. (Lev. 19:32) She got out of an impossible situation by claiming to be in the time of purgation. Men would not have contact with women during their ritual impurity. To touch anything on which she sat would render him ritually unclean also. (Lev. 15:20-23) Letting camel saddles double as chairs also gave the travelers one less thing to carry. But she also desecrated the idols by thus sitting on them, though they were already defiled by their very nature. The idolatry might not have been perceived, but it was still there and would still have an effect until it was eradicated. We must ask YHWH to reveal to us any such idolatry that remains latent in us.

37. "For you have rummaged through all my furniture. Have you found any of the articles from your house? If so, set it here in front of my relatives and yours, and let them adjudicate between the two of us!

The articles from your house: compare "in that day, the sins of Israel will be sought, but not found." (Yirm./Jer. 50:20). Also, nothing that Yaaqov truly needs originated in the church; anything that did, we will not take from Them, for it would give it continued claim to us. We must burn the bridges, and those that YHWH wants rebuilt, He will rebuild. He is strong enough to provide for us without them if we are serious enough to follow Him completely. We will take back with us only what was Israel's before the Gentiles added their ways to the flock.

39. "What was torn by the beasts of the field I did not bring to you [as food]; I replaced it. You exacted it from me, whether it was stolen by day or at night.

I replaced it: i.e., from my own flocks. At night: when I could not have reasonably been considered at fault.

41. "This was how it was for my twenty years in your household: I served you fourteen years in exchange for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times!

Now that Lavan has crossed the line with such rude behavior, Yaaqov comes out and makes it clear that he wants no further relationship with Lavan, for he has proven not to be his friend despite all his flowery speech. He will not agree that he is only going because he misses his parents, because Lavan is a thief, and he does not need his idols, his protection, or his pay.

Fear: or Awesome One. Yaaqov adds this to remind Lavan that He is the one who controls life and death. Otherwise he would have cheated Yaaqov even more than he did. But Yaaqov reveals here that even if no one accompanied him, he still would have returned to the Land.

I.e., "Why would I be interested in harming them? Yes, I'd rather have them back! But to injure them would be my own loss too!” He is left without a leg to stand on, yet stubbornly sticks to his story. The children and flocks belong to Israel, and he should really be a part of it too, but he is too proud to lower himself to become Yaaqov’s student.

45. So Yaaqov took a stone, and erected it as a memorial.

46. And Yaaqov said to his kinsmen, "Gather up stones." So they got stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap.

In Middle Eastern culture, no one eats together unless they are at peace, so this symbolized a truce, though an uneasy one.

Both names they gave mean "Mound of the Testimony". But note that although they are talking about the same thing, and they have lived together so long, they are speaking a different language. Lavan sees it as a way to retain some claim to his daughters, as if it represents what they have in common; Yaaqov sees it as emphasizing what separates them, as Israelites and Christians still manage to get completely different meanings from the same Scriptures. One is satisfied with the Greek view, while the other, once he remembers who he is, and to whose household he really belongs, must do everything in Hebraic terms: Yahshua, not Jesus, YHWH, not the Lord, etc. To the Christian, it makes no difference which names are used, for they think they are all the same. Yaaqov’s grandfather Avraham built such mounds of testimony, so he was familiar with such a memorial, while to Lavan the concept seems foreign, and he has to say it by way of a roundabout explanation. If Yaaqov, called home after twenty years, prefigures Yahshua bringing his "twofold bride" back home, then this represents his being seen again for what he truly is--a Hebrew Messiah, though he has been thought of as "ruler of the Gentiles" for twenty centuries. The church has derived much of its power and authority from its spiritualization of what are really just simple commands to carry out tangible, physical acts. The church’s initiates seem to have an insider’s influence over these mystified forces, just as a computer programmer makes so much money today because he can make a process most people don’t understand to work. It is not magical, but it seems that way to those who cannot harness it on their own, so they grant special privileges to those who can. In the movies we see this double standard: a gangster wouldn’t dare murder someone in a church! Yet Yahshua tells us that to swear by the altar in the Temple should not carry any more weight that a simple “yes”. He wants to walk with us and dwell among us. That is an awesome thing, but there is nothing complicated about it. The word is not far away, up in heaven or across the sea, but very near to us. (Deut. 30) For Lavan’s people, the kingdom is a matter of the head or heart but not hands, and the Kingdom is something that will magically appear someday but not something to walk in today as far as is possible. All this shows that they belong to two different harvests.

By trying to define what the mound is for, Lavan keeps trying to control the situation. He even “lowers himself” to call it the same thing Yaaqov did, showing his sophistication—i.e., “To those of you who don’t really speak Aramaic, that would be ‘Gal-Ed’!”—just as Christians might use Hebrew words around Jews, but not really give them primacy, as if the modern English versions were really the standard. It was common to call any nearby object as a witness when making a covenant--even the sun and moon--as guarantors, with the idea that they would bring retribution on a party who broke the treaty. Gal-Ed is spelled exactly like Gil’ad in Hebrew, with different vowel points, so the latter may have stemmed from this event.

The word for fellow here means "one from the same flock". Indeed Yahshua said he had other sheep that were not from the flock of Yehudah. Each flock is hidden away from the other. This calls to mind the shutting of the door on the five virgins--apparently believers--who nonetheless did not have enough oil (illumination by the Spirit of Holiness). See also Psalm 91 and Yeshayahu/Isaiah 26:20. This separation between Lavan and Yaaqov had been necessary in chapter 30 as well. A vineyard is not to be planted with two kinds of seed. (Deut. 22:9-11) They will do better separately. Lavan would have to use his own resources now instead of Yaaqov’s, which would develop his strengths as well.

Not a man is with us: i.e., even when there is no one nearby to remind us not to harm each other. He is still trying to use YHWH to curse Yaaqov, and may even be alluding to the trafim (which he is still convinced that Yaaqov has) as YHWH, just as Christians still do with the crucifix.

I have set down: Again he tries to take credit for what Yaaqov actually accomplished! (v. 45) And Christians likewise still consider Avraham, David, Eliyahu, Yahshua, etc. to have been part of the “church”, though this is anachronistic and though their theology was very different.

I will not cross: The only way to have peace between the two was to never come near each other again. This is why the Holy Land has borders: it must be defined, because the less-than-holy may be tolerated in some other places, but here it is not acceptable.

Their father: Avraham’s and Nakhor’s—that is, Terakh, who actually took Avram with him when he departed from Ur, but could not be persuaded to go any further than where his son died.

His kinsmen: those from both his entourage and Lavan’s. There is still some measure of kinship expressed by the fact that they eat a meal together. There are deeper things that do join them together that Lavan needs to recognize, but note well that it is the food provided and prepared by Yaaqov that they can both eat from; Lavan’s would not be acceptable.

CHAPTER 32

His way: or, his path, which had led him to Paddan-Aram to seek a wife, but had resulted in twenty years of servitude. His road is now one of return. It leads away from Lavan, his paganism, and the place Yaaqov had acquired his wealth, and toward the Land promised him by YHWH. Only those who belonged to him remained. It had become very clear that he and Lavan could not dwell together, like Avraham with Lot. Each left the other in YHWH's hands. We can identify with this, for, as his descendants, we too are walking a path of return. We have come out of our house of Lavan.. The two houses of Israel must be reunited, but if there are fearers of YHWH outside on whom He chooses to have mercy, that is His business; we, however, must do what we know He has commanded, and not turn aside from it or compromise on our own part. (Romans 14:4-5) We are no longer seeking the road home; we are walking on it. Yahshua interfered with the path we were walking, and got us back onto it, but this does not mean we are immediately at the end. We must walk it, and there are no shortcuts. To truly return home, we must experience everything that waits along the path. There is much discipline to go through in order to become upright enough to be worthy of our home. Our way back home is the Torah. We were told that it was too dangerous and that our home was Heaven instead, but Scripture says that for the descendants of Israel, the Holy Land is home. We will encounter many strange things along the way as Yaaqov did, as well as many joys and experiences of YHWH’s mercy and other traits that will help us to know Him, for that is the real goal. Home is His presence. And though we are not there yet, blessed be the Name of YHWH, there has been progress.

Machanayim: "A double camp"--his own and the spiritual one that was shadowing him and had been manifest to him here, just as the earthly Temple was a shadow of the one in the heavenly dimensions, the two meeting at the "city that is joined together". Yaaqov had already named that place the “House of Elohim”. (28:12) There he had seen the messengers of Elohim—the same thing he sees again here. So he again identifies this with Elohim, though they are now in another context. Since they are out on the road, he does not call this a place, but a camp, which can move, though the name remained with the location as a memorial to the fact that this is where he had come to the realization that those who are traveling with him—his descendants--are the messengers his dream had prophesied. They did not yet exist when he saw the vision, but now he recognizes who they are. He realizes there was more to his vision on Moryah: it was not only about him, but about his entire camp. Without descendants, there would be no one to build the House he foresaw. They have to accompany him back to ensure that the seed of Avraham will inherit the Land. On another level, the two camps are the children he sees now and those they foreshadow—for again he and these children would leave the land to escape death, and their descendants would in turn be enslaved yet come out with many possessions and form a camp. What he now sees is no different from what will later be, only on a much larger scale, for the second camp would be made up of his descendants as well. That camp already existed, but was not yet manifested in its fullness—just like the Kingdom today. We are in it—but there is much more to come. The time spent in the camp is to teach us how to become YHWH’s dwelling-place. We are the building materials; we must learn how to form ahouse. For a long time the seed of Avraham had focused on only one individual; now it expands outward, for Yaaqov is now eleven men, and there will soon be twelve. This expansion continues throughout Scripture, to culminate in many individuals becoming one again (Zkh. 14:9), as a rubber band is stretched out slowly, but snaps back very rapidly. Each time His people “blew it”, there was a setback, and we had to start over with one person again. The Kingdom should have come many times, but even by Yahshua’s day, too many brothers in Israel hated one another, so it was forced to be concentrated in one man again. But very quickly he expanded it to twelve again. Much of the corruption that has come since then would be resolved by the simple realization that in almost every case in the Renewed Covenant (“New Testament”), the promises are to a plural, not a singular, “you”. This is what Yaaqov was now realizing, and what we must recognize in order for the Kingdom to come. All of us must be unified back into one man—Yaaqov, then Avraham, then Adam, in order to repair what was shattered in the Garden and bring about what YHWH originally intended.