18
votes
How did Jacob manage to have 12 children in 7 years?
The Rashbam to Bereishis 43:33 writes that not only were the 6 sons of Leah born in 7 years, but also all of the other sons of Yaakov (with the obvious exception of Binyamin, who is explicitly ...
- 58.3k
17
votes
How could Yaakov have relations with a wife (Leah) whom he hated?
As per DanF's comment and the commentary of the Stone Chumash:
Ramban cites Radak that Jacob surely loved Leah, but that his greater
love for Rachel made her seem unloved -- or even hated -- by
...
- 37.8k
13
votes
Why was Rachel shepherding instead of Leah?
Ramban there offers a couple of reasons:
Leah's eyes were weak (29:17), so the sun would be harmful to her.
Precisely because she was older, so there was more of a concern that the shepherds would ...
- 7,781
11
votes
How Halachic is Yaakov's reply to Rachel's begging him for children?
Actually, Chazal tell us that this was not an entirely correct response (Bereshis Rabah 78:7):
וַיִּחַר אַף יַעֲקֹב בְּרָחֵל וַיֹּאמֶר וגו', אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כָּךְ עוֹנִים אֶת ...
- 3,463
10
votes
How could Yaakov have relations with a wife (Leah) whom he hated?
Rav Hirsch explains that
Not "Ki Leah Senuah", that Leah was hated, but כִּי שְׂנוּאָה לֵאָה
that the hated one of the two, i.e. the less beloved, was Leah. ... It
is significant that the real ...
- 42.9k
10
votes
How was Reuven considered Yaakov's first drop of semen?
One possibility is that the verses in Chapter 29 are not in precise chronological order, and verse 31 actually took place before verse 28. That is to say that God saw that Leah was hated and opened ...
- 49.1k
8
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Esav try to kill Ya'akov while Ya'akov was in Lavan's home?
Yitzchak was still alive long after the events in Vyishshlach so Eisav would not have gone to Lavan's house to kill Yaakov. Yitzchak was still alive when Yosef was sent to Mitzraim. Yitzchak died at ...
- 42.9k
8
votes
Is there any particular reason why Haran (חָרָן) is spelled as חָרָנָה in B'resheith 27:43 & 28:10?
The Talmud (Yevamot 13b) states:
ובית הלל
כיון דכתיב חוצה כמאן דכתיב לחוץ דמי דתניא ר׳ נחמיה אומר כל תיבה שצריכה למ״ד בתחלתה הטיל לה הכתוב ה״א בסופה ותנא דבי
ר׳ ישמעאל כגון אלים אלימה מחנים מחנימה ...
- 49.1k
7
votes
How could Yaakov have relations with a wife (Leah) whom he hated?
Bava Basra 123a says that since she hated the ways of Eisav therefore she got pregnant.
אלא ראה הקב״ה ששנואין מעשה עשו בפניה ויפתח רחמה
- 139k
6
votes
The birth of Reuven does not result in Yaakov loving Leah?
First of all, Rav Hirsch points out that the precise language involved Vayeitzei 29:31
וַיַּ֤רְא יְהֹוָה֙ כִּֽי־שְׂנוּאָ֣ה לֵאָ֔ה וַיִּפְתַּ֖ח אֶת־רַחְמָ֑הּ
וְרָחֵ֖ל עֲקָרָֽה
actually means (in ...
- 42.9k
6
votes
Accepted
Is there any particular reason why Haran (חָרָן) is spelled as חָרָנָה in B'resheith 27:43 & 28:10?
It is a common suffix known in Biblical Hebrew as the 'locative hei' or the 'directional hei' in that by placing it at the end of the said place/location it transforms the meaning to "to that ...
- 30.1k
6
votes
Is the pillar that Jacob stood upright, and poured ablations on in Genesis 28:22 still extant? IE: Can I go visit it?
It seems that you're conflating the stone that Jacob put under his head (v. 11) and later annointed (v. 18) with the ladder he saw in his dream (v. 12). It seems clear that the former is a real object,...
- 47.8k
5
votes
Why didn't Binyamin die?
Excellent question. Note that R' Yosef Ibn Caspi makes the connection between these two Pesukim as well (although he doesn't mention the same idea as Rashi, nor does he generally subscribe to similar ...
- 20.9k
5
votes
When did G-d say to Yaakov that he will have 12 sons?
Yefeh Einayim there says that Yaakov deduced it from the way the 12 stones joined together (68:11 according to R' Yehuda), or from having been shown the redivision of Eretz Yisroel described in ...
- 7,781
5
votes
Malachim climbing ladders
As far as the first question:
Why do malachim need a ladder? Can't they fly or have some other form of supernatural transportation?
I heard from Rabbi Shlomo Farhi quoting Rabbi Moshe Weinberger the ...
- 30.1k
4
votes
Why does the posuk emphasise that Lavan was Ya’akov’s uncle?
The HaKsav VeHakabbalah makes this observation. He writes there:
לבן אחי אמו. הזכיר הכתוב כמה פעמים אחי אמו להודיע כי כל מה שהשתדל יעקב בצאן לבן להשקותם ומה שהיה חומל על רחל לא עשה לכבוד לבן (או לפי ...
- 30.1k
4
votes
Accepted
Why is there a change in the compass directions between Abraham and Jacob?
1)
The Baal HaTurim asks your question (Gen. 13:14). He explains that Abraham was told the directions starting with the north in order to acknowledge the merit of Abraham's korbanos, which are to be ...
- 10.7k
4
votes
What is Jacob's ladder?
Rav Hirsch on Pasuk 12 says that the ladder (the communication medium) was set up from the heaven to the Earth and was placed there deliberately (not by chance) by Hashem to the Earth. However, its ...
- 42.9k
4
votes
Why was Judah named that: doesn't the name hurt Rachel?
Your analogy is incorrect as it does not apply to what happened to Leah. Leah did not attempt to "take away" a son from Rachel and it was thanks to Hashem who had done this. Rav Hirsch points out that ...
- 42.9k
4
votes
Accepted
How what Lea said is not hutzpo
See Nedarim 20b with Rashi (end of the Perek) as well as Eiruvin 100b that addresses this question and makes it clear that she did not actually demand it by mouth but rather she hinted it to him.
Also,...
- 5,365
4
votes
Accepted
When did Yaakov's stones become one?
This midrash appears in the Bavli, Chulin 91 amud 2. (Midrash Raba 68 discusses the stones' merging, but not their argument.)
Rashi on Chumash and Maharsha on Chulin say that Yaakov made a sort of ...
- 73.7k
4
votes
Does a Tzadik have a Yetzer Harah?
You are asking many questions. I will answer the one in the title.
The gemara says explicitly that, the greater a person, the greater his yetzer hara (Sukka 52a)
כל הגדול מחבירו יצרו גדול הימנו
...
- 47.8k
4
votes
Different endings for Haftarat Vayetze and Haftarat Shuvah?
R. Kaganoff in this shi'ur suggests that:
The stumbling of the evil is not inherently a bad thing, and, for this reason, this is considered an appropriate place to end the haftarah on Vayeitzei. ...
- 41.7k
4
votes
Did anyone (especially Yaakov) ever find out about the idols?
From the Chafetz Chaim's pshat on this passuk it seems that Yaakov did indeed know that his words killed Rachel (since he cursed the one who stole the terafim). From then on he was very careful with ...
- 41k
4
votes
How is it possible that Leah was the first person to thank Hashem?
It is not a Rishon, but the Ksav Sofer (2nd paragraph) brings this question.
As you mention, on the surface this is hard to understand, especially since there were a number of righteous people that ...
- 30.1k
4
votes
How did Ya'akov know that Lavan was a swindler?
The Midrash Lekach Tov (collected by Rav Toviah Ben Eliezer 11th century) Bereishis 28,15 says that G-d informed Yaakov he would protect him against Lavan in the prophetic vision (with the Ladder and ...
- 11.4k
4
votes
Why Yakov never learned to love Leah?
An explicit pasuk states that Yaakov loved Leah. Bereishit 29:30:
וַיָּבֹא גַּם אֶל-רָחֵל, וַיֶּאֱהַב גַּם-אֶת-רָחֵל מִלֵּאָה; וַיַּעֲבֹד עִמּוֹ, עוֹד שֶׁבַע-שָׁנִים אֲחֵרוֹת.
And he went in also ...
- 20.4k
3
votes
Accepted
נִפְתַּ֛לְתִּי "my prayer was accepted" notarikon
My Chumash gives the reference to the Medrash Rabbah 71 (8).
In this Medrash Rabbah it's 71 (11). I see there one notarikon.
ותאמר רחל נפתולי אלהים נפתלתי וגו׳ . נופתי פתיתי תליתי אחותי עלי.
א״...
- 47.2k
3
votes
Accepted
Unusual format of plural fem. 2nd person pronoun in Gen. 31:6
אַתֵּנָה is the standard form of the second-person feminine personal pronoun. אַתֶּן is a later form. The only place in Tanakh it is found is Ezekiel 34:31. See Blau's Phonology and Morphology of ...
- 3,546
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