Bracing myself for the withdrawl. I pray more insights come in your time away. Loved Ari's laugh about Rabbi Fohrman's "highlighting everything". I can relate! My children tease me about having "everything" underlined and/or highlighted. As I was reading through this parshah this week, I felt like there was something "more" to those very verses. This was insightful. Now to go do a word study on vayigash and this concept of offering onself up as a slave unintentionally!
This were so incredibly interesting each week I couldn’t wait to hear what you revealed ! I’ve already listened to last years so this leaves me wondering… where will these fresh looks come from now .. ?
Same discussion about root 'gash' would apply to Yehuda offering self as slave to Yosef in parshat 'vayigash' and the nation as a whole accepting some kind of servitude by moving to 'goshen' and agreeing to live under paroah
I really enjoyed this teaching. I like the idea that some laws were in response to situations. Because I've read some of these laws thinking God had all these laws before time. But when you read something like Abraham married his half sister, and then later it says do not see the nakedness of the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother, then it would seem Abraham broke laws. But in the thought that these laws were in response, that makes more sense.
In fact it is discussed that the laws of Yibum are derived from Avraham & Nahor marrying their neices from the deceased brother Haran. The Torah narrative is the antecedent for the Mishpatim/ laws that appear later in the Torah.
Archaeological finds from the Nuzi tablets discovered about 100 years ago may shed some light on this episode on the daughter’s perspectives.The teraphim that Rachel took from her father seemed to have been used as title-deeds in ancient days thus Rachel may have been trying to redress her own unfair situation.Why else would Laban have reacted so vehemently when he realized that they were gone.
Genesis31-14. Then Rachel and Leah replied and said to him.Have we then still a share and an inheritance in our father’s house?31_16 but all the wealth that G-D has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children. And than Rachel takes the teraphim.There are even pictures of these on the internet.They were used to indicate deeds to land.Otherwise the previously mentioned passages make no sense.@@user-pd7il3xz5j
Tenuous at best. Did Yaakov receive his comeuppance for his deceit to Yitzchok? That he made a wedding and substituted Leah is fulfilling the agreement partially. The torah in mishpatim remains valid without the story of Lavan but it gives the cultural possibilities.
I know you are in Exodus but just some food for thought, regarding Leviticus 22.1-9. Suppose you are slaughtering a lamb for sacrifice and flys land on the meat? Or suppose you are walking to work at the temple and you become unclean by stepping on an unclean bug without your knowing it?
Regarding slaves, let’s consider an Israelite who sells himself as a slave to a stranger who has settled in the land or lives in a neighboring territory under tribute to Israel. If he decides to remain with this master, because he marries one of his slaves, and has children with her, does he go free in the Jubilee with the settler’s female slave and their children? (Leviticus 25:47-55, JPS) “And if a stranger who is a settler with thee be waxen rich, and thy brother be waxen poor beside him, and sell himself unto the stranger who is a settler with thee, or to the offshoot of a stranger's family, after that he is sold he may be redeemed; one of his brethren may redeem him; or his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be waxen rich, he may redeem himself. And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he sold himself to him unto the year of jubilee; and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years; according to the time of a hired servant shall he be with him. If there be yet many years, according unto them he shall give back the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for. And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubilee, then he shall reckon with him; according unto his years shall he give back the price of his redemption. As a servant hired year by year shall he be with him; he shall not rule with rigour over him in thy sight. And if he be not redeemed by any of these means, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, he, and his children with him. For unto Me the children of Israel are servants; they are My servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”
Actually Sarai was his niece…sister of Lot, daughter of Avram’s brother, Nachor, who jumped into the furnace that Nimrad threw Avram in. Avram survived but Nachor died.