Midrash Aggadah Reader

"And he took the stone." It teaches that all of the stones were made into one stone. And why? Because the stones were quarreling with one another. This one saying: Let the righteous man rest his head upon me, and that one saying: Let the righteous man rest his head upon me. A miracle occurred and all of them were turned into a single stone.

"Protect me." Jacob asked that the Holy One Blessed Be God save him from idol worship, adultery, and bloodshed. But in the end, his children stumbled in all of these. "And give me bread to eat." From here we learn that the righteous should not ask for things except for their sustenance and their needs. And Jacob did not even have a garment to wear at the time he left Be'er Sheva, as Esau his brother wanted to kill him. Elifaz was the student of Jacob (Isaac), and asked: What should I do that I won't kill you? And to fulfill the command of his father, they stole all of his money and even all of his garments and left him naked. And poor people are considered like dead people, that four are considered like the dead.

"And Jacob lifted up his feet." Don't a person's feet always carry him? And didn't Jacob also lift up his feet?! Rather, it teaches that his feet were made light from Jacob's great joy that came about because the Holy One Blessed Be God told him that the land of the Easterners would be his.

And he looked and there was a well in the field. teaches that he saw Sinai where the Torah was given, which is called Be'er Haim.... Three flocks of sheep. Priests and Levites and Israelites. Spread out upon it. That they spread out the Torah "From that well." From the Torah, Israel drinks. And the large rock. This is the Shechina, as it is stated, "from there the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel." (Genesis 49:24)

"And they were gathered there." These are Israel, as it is stated, "And they stood at the foot of the mountain." (Exodus 19:17) "And the stone would be rolled." Moses and Aaron received the Torah. "And the sheep watered, and then the stone would be returned." As it is stated, "And Moses brought back the people's words etc." (Exodus 19:8)

"And Jacob said to them etc." In the future, Jacob would go out and call to his sons and ask them: my brothers, where do you come from? "And they replied to him, we are from Haran." We come from God's anger (?).

"And he said to them: Do you know [Laban son of Nahor]?" etc. — Do you know whether the Holy One, blessed be He, has whitened your iniquities and pardoned you, as it is said: "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18). "And they said: We know" — that He has certainly pardoned.

"And Jacob told Rachel." Jacob said to her, "Marry me." She said to him, "Yes. But my father is a deceiver, and you will not be able to prevail over him." Jacob said to her, "I will act with him in deceit if he is a deceiver; and if he is an honest man, I am the son of an honest man." Likewise she said to him, "In any case, even so, you will not be able to prevail over him." Immediately he handed over to her signs.

"And it came to pass, when Laban heard" — he rejoiced with great joy in his heart. He said: Eliezer the servant of Abraham brought much money; this one, all the more so. Immediately, "and Laban ran to meet him," out of his great joy. "And he embraced him" — he was feeling about in his bosom [to see] whether he had brought money or not, and he did not find any. Laban said: Perhaps a pearl was placed in his mouth. Immediately, "and he kissed him," to know whether he would find the pearl. "And he brought him to his house" — he said: Perhaps he has money with him and will leave it in the house. And he still did not trust him, until he went with him in the outer house and searched out his needs. "And he recounted to Laban" — Jacob recounted to him how the matter of Eliphaz had been, that he had robbed him of his money.

"Leah had weak eyes." Like (the verse), "weak and anointed (for war?)." (2 Samuel 3:39) Another interpretation: From how people would say to Laban that his two daughters and Isaac's two sons, that the old should marry the older, and the younger marry the younger. And Leah would go out to the crossroads and ask passersby about Esau's deeds. They would tell her what a completely wicked person he is, and how his younger brother is a mild mannered man. And Leah would cry because she was the oldest (and would have to marry Esau), until her eyes became tender.

"Give me my wife" (Genesis 29:21). And is any man so brazen as all this? Rather, because Jacob was old and it was incumbent upon him to engage in being fruitful and multiplying, he said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are full" (Genesis 29:21). The days of the years of a man are seventy years, "and if with strength, eighty years" (Psalms 90:10), and eighty years had already passed. For we maintain that at the time when Isaac sent away Jacob his son, at that very period Ishmael died, as it is said, "And Esau saw" (Genesis 28:8), and it is written, "And Esau went to Ishmael" (Genesis 28:9). From the implication of what is said, "the daughter of Ishmael," do I not know that she is the sister of Nebaioth? Rather, it teaches that Ishmael her father betrothed her and died, and Nebaioth her brother gave her in marriage. And Ishmael was born thirteen years before Isaac, as it is written, "And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old" (Genesis 17:25), and in that year Isaac was born. And the days of the years of Ishmael were one hundred thirty-seven, and at the time Jacob was born, Isaac was sixty years old. Take out from the one hundred thirty-seven years the sixty years of Isaac, and the thirteen of [those before] Jacob was born—behold, that is seventy-three; sixty-four remained for Jacob. And fourteen [years] that he lay hidden in the house of Eber his teacher before he came to Laban. Therefore he said to Laban, "for my days are full."

"And Laban gathered" (Genesis 29:22). He made an assembly with all the men of the place and said to them: You saw that before this pious one came among us water was scarce, and even the one stone that was upon the mouth of the well we were not able to roll until we gathered all the flocks, and afterward they would roll it; but now, by his merit, the waters have gushed forth, and he alone rolled the stone. And behold, he asks for Rachel. If I give her to him, he will go away from us; but if it is your will, I will give him Leah, and he will serve yet again for Rachel. And they said to him: Yes. For were it not so, Jacob would have had grounds to seize Laban in judgment — except that the men of his place came with him.

"Zilpah his maidservant" (Genesis 29:24). She was young, and she was fit for Rachel, yet she was given to Leah through his [Laban's] deceit, in order to show Jacob that this was the maidservant of Rachel. And from where do we learn that she was young? For it is written concerning her "and she bore" (Genesis 30:10), and it is not written "and she conceived" as with Bilhah. But concerning Bilhah it is written "and she conceived" (Genesis 30:4), for she was a grown maiden and the pregnancy was not noticeable in her; therefore, unmarked, she is young. Another interpretation: "and she conceived" (va-tahar) — what is "and she conceived"? It is like a mountain (har); for when a woman is pregnant she appears like a mountain.

"Now this time my husband will be joined to me" (Genesis 29:34). The Matriarchs were prophetesses, who knew through their prophecy that twelve tribes were to be established corresponding to the twelve constellations. And she thought that each one of them would have three. Therefore she said, "because I have borne him three sons" — from now on he will have no grievance against me.

"This time I will praise, etc." (Genesis 29:35). We learn in [tractate] Berakhot: Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai: From the day that the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world, no one came who gave thanks before the Creator until Leah came, as it is said, "This time I will praise the Lord" (Genesis 29:35). Another interpretation: "This time I will praise the Lord." A parable: to what is the matter comparable? To a priest who went to the threshing-floors to receive terumah and tithes. At the time that the owner [of the field] gives him the terumah and the tithe, he does not praise him; but if he gives him extra from his own, he immediately praises him. So too Leah: since she saw that the Holy One, blessed be He, had given her more than three sons, she gave Him thanks.

"And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, etc." — "who has withheld from you." From me He has not withheld, but only from you, for behold, I have children. But Isaac my father did not know whether he was barren or whether she was barren, and he needed to pray. She said to him: But did not Abraham your grandfather not refrain himself from [seeking] mercy, even though he begot Ishmael? He said to her: Do as Sarah did, who gave her maidservant to Abraham. Immediately.

"And she said, Behold my handmaid Bilhah" (Genesis 30:3). [Her name Bilhah is] like the word behalah (alarm), for she would become alarmed at the time of her giving birth and did not know how to nurse. And our Sages, of blessed memory, said that the four of them were sisters, for Jacob was not permitted to marry a maidservant; rather they were from another wife, and Laban loved Leah and Rachel more than them, and so he called them maidservants.

"With wrestlings of God I have wrestled with my sister" (Genesis 30:8) — like "twisted or crooked" (Proverbs 8:8). And some say: like an expression of prayer — "I prayed before the Holy One, blessed be He, to be like my sister, and I also prevailed." And the one who says it is an expression of wrestling speaks thus: the Holy One, blessed be He, held me back from being like my sister, and yet I also prevailed in part.

"In fortune" (b'gad). From the tribe of Gad, Elijah the prophet is destined to come forth, who heralds good tidings to Israel, as it says, "Gad, a troop shall troop upon him" (Genesis 49:19). And some say: he came forth circumcised, as it says, "Cut down the tree" (Daniel 4:11). With all the tribes it is not said of them, "therefore he called his name," except for Levi, because his multitude was few, for the Ark consumes them. Another interpretation: With all the tribes it is written, "and she called his name," but with Levi it is written, "he called his name," because Jacob saw by the holy spirit that the priestly tribe was destined to come forth from him, as it is written concerning them, "and they shall be joined to you and minister to you" (Numbers 18:2); therefore he called his name Levi by the holy spirit.

"And Reuben went in the days of the wheat harvest" (Genesis 30:14). From here [we learn] that the righteous do not stretch out their hands in robbery, for behold, Reuben went during the days of the wheat harvest, and yet he brought back only mandrakes, which have no owner; and Reuben tied the mandrakes onto his donkey and brought them out.

"Is it a small thing that you have taken," etc. (Genesis 30:15). Leah said to Rachel: Is it not enough for you that you took my husband, whose heart was drawn after you? Rachel said to Leah: Leah, he is not your husband but my husband, and for my sake he came from Beersheba; and only because I handed over to you the signs did he become your husband. "Therefore he shall lie with you tonight." Because it was Jacob's custom to lie with Leah one night and with Rachel one night, and that night was Rachel's night, and she gave him over to Leah in exchange for the mandrakes.

"And afterward she bore a daughter" (Genesis 30:21). Leah was fit to bear seven sons. She said: "Twelve tribes are destined to come forth from Jacob, and I have already borne six, and the two maidservants four — behold, ten. And if I still bear the seventh, it will turn out that my sister will not be even like one of the maidservants." She prayed for mercy that the fetus in her womb be turned into a daughter, and the Holy One, blessed be He, consented and did according to her words. Therefore it is written, "And afterward she bore a daughter" — that the son was turned into a daughter.

Another thing, "And God remembered etc." The Holy Blessed One remembered Rachel's modesty who passed on the signs to her sister that Jacob gave her so that her sister should not be embarrassed.

"God has gathered up my reproach" (Genesis 30:23). The way of women is like this: whatever a woman spoils within her husband's domain — whether they eat something or give something away — they pin it on their sons and say, "Your sons did it." Therefore Rachel said: Now I have someone upon whom I can cast [the blame].

"And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, etc." (Genesis 30:25). Jacob said: It is written, "And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, etc." (Obadiah 1:18). As long as the fire is without a flame, it does not take hold of everything; but a flame sets the mountains ablaze (cf. Psalms 83:15). Therefore Jacob trusted and went. "Send me away" (Genesis 30:25): like a messenger who returns, or who takes his leave.

"For it was little which you had" (Genesis 30:30). All of Laban's flock, at the time when Jacob came, was no more than seventy. It is written here, "For it was little," and it is written concerning Israel, "And he sojourned there, few in number" (Deuteronomy 26:5): just as there it was with seventy, so too here it was seventy. "at my foot" (Genesis 30:30). At the moment when Laban went to meet Jacob, and "embraced him and kissed him" (Genesis 29:13), it was to learn whether he had brought money, and he found none. He waited for him until he came to his house. He said: It is certain that he has hidden his money in the place that is at his feet. And he went and dug at the place of his feet, and he found a hidden treasure of gold and silver. Therefore he said "at my foot." And some say: there is a foot that brings blessing, and there is a foot that brings dryness.

"Between himself and Jacob" (Genesis 30:36) — between his flock, which he placed in the hand of his sons, and those flocks which he placed in the hand of Jacob, a distance of three days, so that Jacob's flock would not again mix with the remaining flock of Laban. And from the moment that Jacob left them, immediately wolves came and took many of them.

"Into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent," etc. (Genesis 31:33). "Jacob's tent" — this is Rachel's tent, for he was accustomed to it more than to Leah's, and he had no separate tent of his own. In his great deceit he searched again and left nothing unrummaged, and he searched once more in the camel's cushion; and a miracle was done for Rachel, and the teraphim became a cushion full of feathers.

"Stolen by day, and stolen by night" (Genesis 31:39). Whatever was stolen, whether by day or by night, was stolen from me, and I was liable for its safekeeping. Another interpretation: "stolen of me" (genuvti) — I drove them by the tail (zinavti) at dawn. What is the reason? Because his theft was lessened. And thus Jacob would say: I myself drove them, keeping close behind their tails, by day and by night.

"By day the heat consumed me, and the frost by night" (Genesis 31:40). When I was keeping watch in the summer, and also when I was keeping watch on a cloudy day — which resembles night, for there were cloudy days, as they said in tractate Yoma, "It was a cloudy day," which they call scotinus — the heat consumed me. "And my sleep fled from my eyes" (Genesis 31:40): the sleep of dawn.

"And Jacob sent messengers" (Genesis 32:4). What is written above? "And Jacob said when he saw them, This is God's camp" (Genesis 32:3). How many are God's camp? Two thousand myriads of ministering angels, as it is said, "The chariots of God are two myriads, thousands upon thousands" (Psalms 68:18). And those angels all appeared like the armies of a king: some of them clothed in iron, and some of them riding horses, and some of them having horns that they blew. Esau said to them, "Whose are you?" They said to him, "Jacob's," as it is said, "Whose is all this camp that I met?" (Genesis 33:8). Another interpretation: "And Jacob sent messengers." And why did he send messengers to him? Rather, thus said Jacob: "Let me send messengers to him; if he repents, well and good." He said to them, "Say to him: Do not say that just as I went out from my father's house I have come to you, for I went out from my father's house with my staff," as it is said, "for with my staff [I passed over this Jordan]" (Genesis 32:10), "but now I am become two camps."

"And he commanded them, saying" (Genesis 32:5). Jacob said: Say to Esau, "This livestock which is mine"—do not say they are from the possessions of my father's holdings; rather, by my wages I acquired this livestock for myself, and by my own strength, as it is said, "and now I have become two camps" (Genesis 32:11). And at that hour when Jacob our father called Esau the wicked "my lord," the Holy One, blessed be He, said: You have lowered yourself before Esau and called him "my lord." By your life, I will raise up from his sons eight kings, corresponding to the eight times you called him "my lord," before a king reigned in Israel, as it is said, "And these are the kings" (Genesis 36:31). Jacob said to the messengers whom he dispatched to Esau: Say to him, if you come for peace [I am prepared toward you, and if you come for war,] behold, I am prepared against you, and I have mighty men and men of strong arm who will pray before the Omnipresent, and He will do their will, as it is said, "He will do the will of those who fear Him" (Psalms 145:19). "I sojourned (garti) with Laban" (Genesis 32:5). Even though I dwelt with Laban the wicked, I kept the whole Torah in its entirety; "garti" in gematria equals six hundred thirteen commandments.

"I have oxen and donkeys" (Genesis 32:6). This "ox" is Joseph, as it is said, "His firstborn ox, etc." (Deuteronomy 33:17). This "donkey" is Issachar, as it is said, "Issachar is a strong-boned donkey" (Genesis 49:14). "Flocks" — this is Israel, as it is said, "And you, My flock, the flock of My pasture, etc." (Ezekiel 34:31). "Manservant" — this is David, as it is said, "O Lord, for I am Your servant" (Psalms 116:16). "And maidservant" — this is Abigail, as it is said, "Behold, your handmaid is a servant" (1 Samuel 25:41). Another interpretation: "I have an ox" — from one ox came forth many oxen, and from one donkey came forth many donkeys. At that time the messengers went and saw Esau, that there were with him many armed warriors, and they came and said to Jacob, as it is said, "And the messengers returned to Jacob, etc." — you conduct yourself toward him as a brother, but he conducts himself toward you as Esau.

"And four hundred men with him" (Genesis 32:7). And what is the greatness of this? Rather, four hundred binders of crowns were with him. And since Jacob heard of all those great things, he was afraid, and he divided his sons and his wives into two camps, as it is said, "And Jacob was greatly afraid" (Genesis 32:8).

"If Esau comes," etc. (Genesis 32:9). At that hour Jacob stood in prayer before the Holy One, blessed be He, and he said to his sons: Masters of the worlds, it is written in Your Torah, "ye shall not kill it and its young both in one day" (Leviticus 22:28); and if this wicked one comes and kills me and my children, what shall I do? What did he do? He sent him a gift to stop up his eyes, as it is said, "for the bribe blinds the eyes of the wise" (Deuteronomy 16:19); and "the wise" means none other than the Edomites, as it is said, "and I will destroy the wise out of Edom" (Obadiah 1:8).

"I am too small for all the kindnesses" (Genesis 32:11). He began to diminish himself, and he was afraid lest sin cause [the loss of merit]. "For with my staff I passed over": he hinted to him that his children were destined to cross the Jordan just as Jacob our father crossed with a staff, as it is said concerning Joshua, "Israel passed over this Jordan on dry land" (Joshua 4:22). And this is the staff with which the children of Israel crossed the sea, as it is said, "Lift up your staff" (Exodus 14:16). And with this staff the King Messiah is destined to be borne, as it is said, "The staff of Your strength the LORD will send forth" (Psalms 110:2).

"And Moses besought" (Exodus 32:11). He said before Him: Master of the Universe, why are You angry at Israel? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Because they made the Calf. Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Had You commanded them, they would not have transgressed Your commandments. He said to him: But did I not command them at the Ten Commandments? Moses said to Him: Master of the Universe, You commanded me, You did not command them, for You wrote in the Ten Commandments, "I am the LORD your God" (Exodus 20:1) — a command to me and not to them; for had it been to them, You should have said, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out." [So too:] "You shall have no other gods," "You shall not take up the name of the LORD your God," "Keep the day of the Sabbath," "Six days shall you labor and do all your work," "Honor your father and your mother," "You shall not murder," "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear witness," "You shall not covet" — if so, You did not command anyone but me. And further Moses said: Master of the Universe, perhaps they made a calf but did not bow down to it? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "And they bowed down to it." He said to Him: Perhaps they bowed down to it but did not sacrifice to it? He said: "And they sacrificed to it." [He said:] And perhaps they sacrificed but did not receive it as a god? He said to him: "And they said, These are your gods, O Israel." At that moment Moses became like a sick man who has been ill thirty days and has no strength to stand on his feet. Therefore it is said "vayechal" — like illness [reading vayechal, "he besought," as from choleh, "sick"]. Another interpretation: "And Moses besought." Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, said: Master of the Universe, if they are liable to burning, remember Abraham, who was cast into the fiery furnace for love of You; and if they are liable to slaying, remember Isaac, who gave his neck to be slaughtered over the unity of Your Name; and if they are liable to exile, remember Jacob their father, all of whose days were pains in exile, as it is said, "few and evil" (Genesis 47:9) — for the sake of the fathers, forgive the sons. Another interpretation: "And Moses besought." He said before Him: Master of the Universe, far be it from You to uproot a nation such as this from the world. "Why, O LORD, should Your anger burn," etc. Remember for them what they believed at the Sea, as it is said, "And they believed in the LORD and in Moses His servant" (Exodus 14:31), and they accepted Your kingship over them willingly.

"Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother" (Genesis 32:12). [Read:] from the hand of Achi, who came against me by the power of Esau. For at the time when Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram, Esau dispatched a man after him whose name was Achi. "Lest he come and smite me, [the mother with] the children" (Genesis 32:12). You said in Your Torah: "You shall not take the mother together with the young" (Deuteronomy 22:8).

"Turn from Your fierce wrath." Since he had multiplied supplications and was not answered, immediately Moses said: Master of the universe, You do not accept my prayer. Immediately he turned his face toward the cave of the patriarchs, and said: Master of the universe, remember those to whom You swore by Yourself. You did not swear to them by the heavens and by the earth, which pass away, as it is said, "For the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment" (Isaiah 51:6); and You did not swear to them by the sun and the moon, which pass away, as it is said, "Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed" (Isaiah 24:23); You did not swear to them by the mountains and by the hills, which pass away, as it is said, "For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed" (Isaiah 54:10); and You did not swear to them by the sea, for in the end it is to be dried up, as it is said, "And the sea shall be utterly dried up." Rather, You swore only by Your great and holy Name, which does not change and is not exchanged, that You would multiply their seed like the stars of the heavens. And now, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, awake from your slumber and behold your children! Immediately, "And the LORD relented of the evil which He had said He would do to His people" (Exodus 32:14).

"And Moses turned [and went down]" (Exodus 32:15) — he turned away from his trembling and strengthened himself. "And the two tablets of the testimony were in his hand" — [with him], like "and all the goods of his master were in his hand" (Genesis 24:10). "From their two sides" — because they were engraved, as the Rabbis say: the mem and the samekh that were in the tablets stood by a miracle. For all the letters, even though they are engraved, have a hold at their edges; but the mem and the samekh have no hold, since they were engraved through their four quarters, and nevertheless they did not fall. "On the one side and on the other they were written" — and the writing was from the six days of creation. Another interpretation: "engraved" (charut). Read not charut but cherut (freedom) — there is no free man except one who occupies himself with Torah.