Monday, December 5, 2011

Vayeitzei - The Girl's in the Package

We had the privilege of enjoying the company of Arye Dobuler for Shabbat Parshat Vayeitzei. At lunch Arye repeated a fascinating insight that Shlomo Ben Tzvi noted in the synagogue.
Shlomo asked, "When Yaakov awoke and 'it was Leah', why didn't he say to Lavan, 'Take her back. I don't want her.'"
Shlomo said that Yaakov knew that Leah was destined to be his wife, so he did not try to return her to her father. He noted that when Yaakov gave Esav his red stew (in Parshat Toldot), Esav sold him his "bachora" (birthright), which also means eldest girl.
When Yitzchak had two sons and Lavan had two daughters, everyone said, "the bachora to the bachor" (the eldest daughter to the eldest son), and Leah was expected to marry Esav. But when Yaakov bought the bachora, the birthright, he also bought Leah as a wife.

No comments:

Post a Comment