Words Can Be Dangerous, A Lesson From Torah Portions "Vayeitzei," and "Vayishlach"

Torah Portion "Vayeitzei" which begins in Bereishit Chapter 28:10 tells the saga of Jacob after he left his parents' home. It includes his "nap" in Beit El, marrying his two wives and the birth of most of his children.

Two dangerous things are said, one by Jacob and one by Rachel, which foretell or cause a tragedy.

First Rachel blames Jacob for her barrenness, rather than praying to Gd. Very dramatically she states:

30 ל׳

וַתֵּ֣רֶא רָחֵ֗ל כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָֽלְדָה֙ לְיַעֲקֹ֔ב וַתְּקַנֵּ֥א רָחֵ֖ל בַּאֲחֹתָ֑הּ וַתֹּ֤אמֶר אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹב֙ הָֽבָה־לִּ֣י בָנִ֔ים וְאִם־אַ֖יִן מֵתָ֥ה אָנֹֽכִי׃
When Rachel saw that she had borne Jacob no children, she became envious of her sister; and Rachel said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die.”

And later in the Torah Portion, when Jacob and his family are fleeing Lavan, Lavan chases after them angry about two things. One is that Jacob left, and the other is that his personal idols had apparently been stolen by someone in Jacob's entourage.

31

וַיַּ֥עַן יַעֲקֹ֖ב וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לְלָבָ֑ן כִּ֣י יָרֵ֔אתִי כִּ֣י אָמַ֔רְתִּי פֶּן־תִּגְזֹ֥ל אֶת־בְּנוֹתֶ֖יךָ מֵעִמִּֽי׃
Jacob answered Laban, saying, “I was afraid because I thought you would take your daughters from me by force.
עִ֠ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּמְצָ֣א אֶת־אֱלֹהֶיךָ֮ לֹ֣א יִֽחְיֶה֒ נֶ֣גֶד אַחֵ֧ינוּ הַֽכֶּר־לְךָ֛ מָ֥ה עִמָּדִ֖י וְקַֽח־לָ֑ךְ וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֣ע יַעֲקֹ֔ב כִּ֥י רָחֵ֖ל גְּנָבָֽתַם׃
But anyone with whom you find your gods shall not remain alive! In the presence of our kinsmen, point out what I have of yours and take it.” Jacob, of course, did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

I'm sure that you all know the result. In "Vayishlach" Rachel dies after giving birth to Binyamin. Gd turned her threat around. Rachel died from giving birth, not as a result of being barren. Jacob predicted her death in his very "Yiftach* moment" by declaring that someone must die without realizing the power of his words.

Every word has power, and I also see shadows of Rachel's threat in the failures of her descendant King Saul. Contrast Rachel and the names she gave her children with her sister Leah, who recognized Gd's power in the names she gave her children. King David is clearly her descendant and the leader most fitting to lead the Jewish People and produce the Moshiach.

*Judges 11וַיִּדַּ֨ר יִפְתָּ֥ח נֶ֛דֶר לַיהוָ֖ה וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אִם־נָת֥וֹן תִּתֵּ֛ן אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י עַמּ֖וֹן בְּיָדִֽי׃
And Jephthah made the following vow to the LORD: “If you deliver the Ammonites into my hands,
וְהָיָ֣ה הַיּוֹצֵ֗א אֲשֶׁ֨ר יֵצֵ֜א מִדַּלְתֵ֤י בֵיתִי֙ לִקְרָאתִ֔י בְּשׁוּבִ֥י בְשָׁל֖וֹם מִבְּנֵ֣י עַמּ֑וֹן וְהָיָה֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וְהַעֲלִיתִ֖הוּ עוֹלָֽה׃ (פ)
then whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me on my safe return from the Ammonites shall be the LORD’s and shall be offered by me as a burnt offering.”

More Thoughts About "Vayigash," Torah Portion of the Week

It's not that I write about the Parshat Shavua, Torah Portion of the Week every week, so it's a bit unusual that not only did I write before Shabbat, Judah's Eternal Message: Don't Cower! Torah Portion of the Week, but now I'm writing about another aspect of Vayigash.

Torah Tidbits OU

As I read the OU's Torah Tidbits and then the entire text of Vayigash, I became more and more annoyed at Joseph's words and behavior.

Genesis Chapter 45:8And now, you did not send me here, but God, and He made me a father to Pharaoh, a lord over all his household, and a ruler over the entire land of Egypt.		חוְעַתָּ֗ה לֹֽא־אַתֶּ֞ם שְׁלַחְתֶּ֤ם אֹתִי֙ הֵ֔נָּה כִּ֖י הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיְשִׂימֵ֨נִי לְאָ֜ב לְפַרְעֹ֗ה וּלְאָדוֹן֙ לְכָל־בֵּית֔וֹ וּמשֵׁ֖ל בְּכָל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם:
9Hasten and go up to my father, and say to him, 'So said your son, Joseph: "God has made me a lord over all the Egyptians. Come down to me, do not tarry.		טמַֽהֲרוּ֘ וַֽעֲל֣וּ אֶל־אָבִי֒ וַֽאֲמַרְתֶּ֣ם אֵלָ֗יו כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ בִּנְךָ֣ יוֹסֵ֔ף שָׂמַ֧נִי אֱלֹהִ֛ים לְאָד֖וֹן לְכָל־מִצְרָ֑יִם רְדָ֥ה אֵלַ֖י אַל־תַּֽעֲמֹֽד:

I kept comparing it to the Yehuda-David line of leaders who took responsibility, apologized, did Teshuva, repented. At no point, not in these lines, nor later does Joseph ever admit that his behavior and attitude towards his brothers may have played a large part in their putting him in the pit and their selling him to the traders. He's still bragging by instructing his brothers to tell their father about his great position in Egypt. And does he ever apologize for the awful practical jokes, the tricks he played on them by returning their money and putting his after through even more worry and pain by imprisoning Simon and demanding Benjamin? No, he doesn't.

Joesph just gives this ladidah self-centered response that "it's all Gd's will" and his success is proof of it.

At our Shabbat women's shiur I connected this contrast of Judah and Joseph with the David-Saul (Leah-Rachel) differences in personality, character and leadership. We can see that David inherited so much innate leadership and charisma from Judah. Maybe Leah's "soft eyes" were from her sensitivity to other people's problems. It's impossible to imagine Judah or David playing such hurtful tricks on others as Joseph did, or trying to kill a potential rival the way King Saul persecuted David.

May we be blessed in having a true leader of the Davidic Line, speedily in our days...

Shavua Tov
and Tzom Kal to those fasting on the 10th of Tevet

Judah's Eternal Message: Don't Cower! Torah Portion of the Week

This week's Torah Portion of the Week,  Vayigash, And he (Judah) approached..., is an eternal reminder for us:

Bereishit - Genesis - Chapter 44:1חוַיִּגַּשׁ אֵלָיו יְהוּדָה וַיֹּאמֶר 8 Then Judah approached him and said...

This act of Judah, Yehuda, showed his innate leadership quality. By following Judah's progression, the growth of his character from his public admission that he had impregnated his daughter-in-law Tamar and was the father of her twin sons, Peretz and Zerach. And then it was davka Judah's reassurance and pledge that his father Jacob accepted before sending Benjamen with the brothers to Egypt.

Bereishit - Genesis - Chapter 43:

8And Judah said to Israel, his father, "Send the lad with me, and we will get up and go, and we will live and not die, both we and you and also our young children.		חוַיֹּאמֶר יְהוּדָה אֶל יִשְׂרָאֵל אָבִיו שִׁלְחָה הַנַּעַר אִתִּי וְנָקוּמָה וְנֵלֵכָה וְנִחְיֶה וְלֹא נָמוּת גַּם אֲנַחְנוּ גַם אַתָּה גַּם טַפֵּנוּ:
9I will guarantee him; from my hand you can demand him. If I do not bring him to you and stand him up before you, I will have sinned against you forever.		טאָנֹכִי אֶעֶרְבֶנּוּ מִיָּדִי תְּבַקְשֶׁנּוּ אִם לֹא הֲבִיאֹתִיו אֵלֶיךָ וְהִצַּגְתִּיו לְפָנֶיךָ וְחָטָאתִי לְךָ כָּל הַיָּמִים:

Judah took his pledge very seriously and understood that he had to take charge. And it was this action that finally broke Joseph's mask and made him admit his true identity.

I want to go back to the birth of Judah, Leah's fourth son.

Bereishit - Genesis - Chapter 29:35And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, "This time, I will thank the Lord! Therefore, she named him Judah, and [then] she stopped bearing.

להוַתַּהַר עוֹד וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן וַתֹּאמֶר הַפַּעַם אוֹדֶה אֶת יְהֹוָה עַל כֵּן קָרְאָה שְׁמוֹ יְהוּדָה וַתַּעֲמֹד מִלֶּדֶת:

The Hebrew root of of Judah, Yehuda יהודה comes from "to thank." In the simple interpretation of the verse, it means that she thanked Gd that she had four sons, while at the same time, her sister didn't have any. Chazal, the wise men, say that she knew Jacob would have twelve sons, from four wives/women, and she now had more than a quarter of the sons.

But I'd like to go a bit further. If Leah knew that, then she also knew that the Kingship of the Jewish Nation would have to come from either her son or from one of Rachel's. And therefore when Judah was born, she knew that the kings would be descended from him, and that's why she thanked Gd and called her baby son  Judah, Yehuda יהודה, which also has the name of Gd.

And we do see how Judah did show a kingly confidence, which was trusted and recognized by his father Jacob. And then Judah had no problem confronting the Egyptian leader, Joseph, Rachel's son who buckled under Judah's words. And later on we see them sparring via their descendants, Saul and David.

A true leader doesn't cower.

Gd willing we will soon see one here in Israel, speedily in our day...

Lion of Judah