Spiritual and Ethical Issues in the Historical Books of Tanach; SPIRITUAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN THE BEREISHIT STORIES
by Dr. Meir Tamari

These four books ostensibly are merely the history of Israel from the entry into the Promised Land until the destruction of the Temple and the temporary loss of independent statehood. In fact they are actually, in a specifically Jewish sense, the most deeply religious and spiritual books of the Bible. One does not have to be specifically Jewish to see or feel the religion and spirituality in the revelations of the prophetic writings or in the words of the Tehillim. They speak to all people, as evidenced by the fact that the Bible is still the world's bestseller and there are millions of non-Jews who regularly recite the Psalms. However, it is specifically and intrinsically Jewish to understand that G-d is revealed in the prosaic material, in the political, social and military events in the lives of ordinary men and women, kings and leaders that are described in the Nevim Rishonim. Here are described the ideology and religious thoughts in Judaism, while in Chronicles we have the purely historical.

"Creating Beit Yisrael" [1]
"And Lavan ran towards him, embraced him and kissed him". Rachel, as her aunt had done, ran home to tell of the stranger-kinsman; but to her father rather than to her mother. This was either because at that time Rachel was an orphan or because she was closer to her father (Abarbanel). He, as our verse tells us, reacted just like he had done with Eliezer. This seems to be normal laudable behavior towards relatives, however, to all our other sources Lavan had an ulterior motive; to search for his wealth. "Ran towards him -- to see what riches he had with him as an heir since, after all, the servant Eliezer had come laden; embraced him-- to feel if he had them hidden beneath his clothes; and kissed him -- to see whether he had jewels beneath his tongue" (B'reishit Rabba 170:13). "When Lavan departed from Yaakov after 20 years, he kissed and embraced his daughters and his grandsons but neither embraced nor kissed Yaakov since his wealth was obvious and well known" (Chafetz Chaim). This running and display of affection in the pursuit of wealth is not something limited to people like Lavan nor is it limited in time, but it is relevant to us as well. "It is common for the average person in every generation to embrace and kiss in a show of affection when the real purpose is their own material benefit" (Meilitz Yosher).

Judaism has an alternative value system regarding the pursuit of wealth. After dealing with the laws of daily prayers, Beit Knesset and Beit Medrash, the Shulchan Arukh goes on to talk about going about earning a livelihood: "A person should then set about his livelihood since the pursuit of Torah is fit together with Derech Eretz. However, always the study of Torah should be paramount and parnasa secondary" (Orekh Chayim 156). "The Talmud (Sanhedrin 7a), that says that a person's final judgment is sealed depending on their Torah study, refers to those people who busied themselves with a livelihood whereas Shabbat (31), that places earning a livelihood righteously as the primary question in judgment, refers to those who studied Torah and then set out for their livelihood" (Tosafot, Sanhedrin). So a Torah framework for earning and spending is set.

However, it is not avarice that seems to be the main spiritual defect of Lavan bothering our sages. Rather it was the duplicity, fraud and inability to keep his contracts, as is characteristic of the smoke and mirrors of a society of magicians, soothsayers and hidden persuaders such as was Charan. Yaakov stayed with Lavana month then Lavan said, "you are my brother should you work for free? Tell me what shall be your wage". "Lavan had an evil intention even in offering Yaakov a salary. Once he became a shomer sachar [a paid bailee] he would be liable for losses and theft and then have greater legal responsibility than when he labored for nothing. So by paying a minor sum, Lavan was actually getting the job for free" (Baalei Hatosafot). He did not quote a sum, knowing that the penniless refugee fleeing from his brother's murderous intention would not dare to demand a realistic price. Lavan expressed his brotherly love in taking in the penniless relation, but also exploited him by allowing him to be his free shepherd during that month. " Lavan was deceitful, for he first welcomed Yaakov as one who is being merciful to his own flesh and blood but then when he saw that Yaakov prolonged his stay, he told him that as a moral person he should work for a fee and not live off others" (Ramban).

Perhaps that is like the communities who admitted refuges and then wished to forbid them to compete; halakhic authorities would only sanction limiting their livelihood, but even that only where they seriously threatened the local's parnasa.

Furthermore, "There was guile in Lavan's words as by not making an offer of wages, he was later able to change the salary" (R. Yitschak Shmuel). Indeed that was Yaakov's complaint later to Lavan "You changed my salary 20 times" (Ber., 31:41). When Yaakov stipulated his wages as marriage to Rachel he carefully phrased his demands as," Rachel, your younger daughter" to prevent the substitution of any other girl named Rachel or another daughter not named Rachel. To no avail; as Lavan used the subterfuge of a great public wedding and the giving of the younger handmaiden Zilpa that normally would accompany Rachel, to substitute Leah. Lavan philosophy is a disregard for the fulfillment of contracts whenever this is inconvenient or unprofitable.

In contrast, our whole relationship to G-d is one of fulfilling mutually binding covenants. The antidote to the teaching of Lavan is "Gives truth to Yaakov" (Michah 7:20):

"Whosoever, wishes to change their mind, buyer or seller, does an act that does not befit a Jew. He now becomes liable to Mi Shepara; the guilty party is arraigned in Beit Din and cursed saying: "He who demanded payment [mi shepara] from the generation of the Flood, from that of the Tower of Bavel, from the people of Sodom, and from the Egyptians, will surely punish one who does not keep his word" (Choshen Mishpat 4). "A storekeeper in New York displayed the prices of articles, when prices in the market changed he also changed his prices as is permitted, but forgot to remove the advertisement, so the question of keeping his word applies. Even though the agreement was made in writing [rather than verbally which is considered more binding], by changing his prices he shows a lack of faith in Hashem to provide a livelihood [even if he maintains his promise], so he has to sell at the advertised price. This is in accordance with Rabbi Safra who insisted on accepting the lower original price although the buyer had made a higher offer due his misunderstanding of Rabbi Safra's silence during the negotiations (Makot 24a, Bava Batra 88a), that was due to prayer and not to price bargaining" ( T'shuvot Bet Avi 4:185). "It is forbidden to conduct oneself with words of flattery and undue compliments and he should not say one thing and think another. And it is forbidden to mislead [literally steal their minds] people, even a non-Jew… even one word of flattery and deception is forbidden" (Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Deot 2:6).

This is installment #132 in Dr. Tamari’s series on “Tanach and its messages for our times”

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