JACOB
We might like to remind ourselves of some of the very Interesting stories about Jacob, which take place in the last 7 Parshiot of the 12 weeks of Genesis. Parsha Toldos deals with the birth of Jacob and Esau. Esau who was born first came out with Jacob holding his foot by the heel. Jacob, Ya-acov, comes from the word Ekev meaning heel. In English to be called a heel is a derogatory title. Perhaps because Jacob had tricked Esau over the birthright.
Why don’t we eat the hind quarters of an animal.?
Vayishlach 32:23
He (Jacob) Crossed the River (Similar to crossing the river Styx. Or crossing the Red Sea or crossing an Interval)
He had just escaped from Laban with his wives and children that he heard that Esau was waiting for him with 400 armed men and he was petrified. He couldn’t sleep that night and crossed the river to collect some minor possessions. He had to face his fear of meeting Esau. He spent the whole night fighting his fear of Esau by fighting with Esau’s angel. The angel damaged Jacob’s Sciatic nerve so that he limped. Because of this we don’t eat the hind quarters.
In the battle with the angel, there was also the battle of names. The result was that the angel changed Jacob’s name to Israel. You will notice that whenever the Torah at talks about Jacobs connection with the Jewish people his name is Israel, but when it is about himself is name is Jacob.
Jacob’s dream of the ladder
The angels going up and down is a clear reference to a circle and man’s relationship with the divine. Makom is a nice symmetrical word meaning place and usually implies a place of the divine. The divine comes down to meet man and Man goes up to meet the Divine. A pattern we have seen many times before. Jacob has a powerful meeting with this place, He bangs into it, or explodes into it, Pogah is ther word used Vayetzei 28:11 He hit this place.
The deceit of the marriage
Everybody knows that Jacob was tricked into marrying Leah and then had to work another 7 years to marry Rebecca. Went Jacob confronted Laban about his deceit, Laban silenced him with his cutting answer Vayetzei 29:26 saying “we don’t marry the younger before the older” implying that Jacob the younger tricked his father into giving him the blessings.
Dinah
Vayislach 34 :1
Dinah decided to take a look at the land. She came across Schem who was the son of the prince of the land are not the only did he fall in love with her but he also forced her to lie with him. When Dina’s brothers heard of the outrage they were very angry and tricked the whole of the tribe’s men to circumcise themselves. On the third day he when they were most uncomfortable after the circumcision, Dina’s brothers, Shimon and Levy went in and massacred all the inhabitants of the village. …….