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RECOGNITIONTHE MESSIANIC PROPHECY BIBLE PROJECThttp://www.messianicbible.com

HEAR O ISRAEL www.hearoisrael.orgSHEEPFOLD GLEANINGS WRITTEN BY JULIE PARKERwww.sheepfoldgleanings.com

MESSIANIC ISRAEL ALLIANCEhttp://www.messianicisrael.comAZAMRA TORAH FOR OUR TIME – RABBI AVRAHAM GREENBAUMhttp://www.azamra.org 2

VAYETSE “And he went out”

Torah: Genesis: 28:10-32:3Haftorah: Hosea 11:7-14:9

B’rit Chadashah: John 1:19-51All references: The Scripture 1998+ unless otherwise noted

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SENT TO THE EASTLast week, we were introduced to Jacob as a “plain man, dwelling in tents” (Genesis 25:27). This  secure,  home-loving  man  will  now  find  himself  in exile, completely alone and with a long journey ahead of him. The lessons that  he  learned  from  the  study  of  Torah will  now  become  an  exercise  in reality. Studying is quite different from establishing a large family, working, and coping with a life that rubs up against ungodliness.Jacob has been sent off to find a spouse. Without the appropriate spouse, Jacob will not be able to fulfil his role as the chosen son. On account of the fury of his brother over the stolen blessing, he was forced to flee without possessions.  He  leaves  only with  his  blessing  and  his  birthright,  but with nothing  tangible  to  show  for  them.  Imagine how you would  feel.  You are the chosen  son, blessed with  the promise of  the  land of Canaan, yet  it  is your  rival  brother who  remains  in  the  land!    Furthermore, when  Ishmael was REJECTED  from the birthright process, he was  sent away  to  the east. (Genesis 25:6) Now Jacob  is being sent away to the east.  Jacob had to be very confused and in need of reassurance.  4

TO A CERTAIN PLACEAnd Yaʽaqob went out from Be’ĕrsheba and went toward Haran. And he came upon a place and stopped over for the night, for the sun had set. ..

(Genesis 28:10-11)•“Be’ersheva” in Hebrew means the “seventh well”, or in Hebrew thought, it is a picture of the “Fountain of Divine Knowledge”.•“Haran”  means  “the Crossroads”  and  symbolizes  “choosing” or “making choices”. “he came to a certain place….” The KJV says that “he lighted upon a certain place….” In  the  Hebrew  it  states  that,  “Va’yifga ba’maqowm” or  “and he encountered that place”. The Hebrew word here for “place”  is “maqowm”, Strong’s #4725, meaning; “place” or “station”. “Maqowm” is from the root word #6965 “quwm”, meaning; to rise up, arise, also to be “proven” or “to establish”. It is translated as “rise up” or “arise” 451 times in Scripture and as “confirm”, “perform” and “establish” 65 times. In other words Jacob has come to and encountered this place, this “maqowm”, where the Words of are “confirmed”, “proven” and “established”. 5 יהוה

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THE JOURNEYLegends of the Jews

Jacob's  journey to Haran was a succession of miracles. The first of the five that befell for his sake in the course of it was that the sun sank while Jacob was passing Mount Moriah,  though  it was high noon at  the time. He was following the spring that appeared wherever the Patriarchs went or settled. It  accompanied  Jacob  from  Beer-sheba  to  Mount  Moriah,  a  two  days' journey. When he arrived at the holy hill, the Lord said to him: "Jacob, thou hast bread in thy wallet, and the spring of waters is near by to quench thy thirst.  Thus  thou  hast  food  and  drink,  and  here  thou  canst  lodge  for  the night." But Jacob replied: "The sun has barely passed the fifth of its twelve day  stages, why  should  I  lie  down  to  sleep  at  so unseemly  an hour?" But then  Jacob perceived  that  the  sun was about  to  sink,  and he prepared  to make ready his bed. It was the Divine purpose not to let Jacob pass the site of  the  future Temple without  stopping; he was  to  tarry  there at  least one night. Also, God desired to appear unto Jacob, and He shows Himself unto His faithful ones only at night. At the same time Jacob was saved from the pursuit of Esau, who had to desist on account of the premature darkness.

THE PLACEThree times  in 28:11,  the  location  is  referred  to  as  the “place”. Why  the emphasis  on  this  special  location?  Rick  Spurlock  in  his  commentary  on Vayetze provides this insight: “The road that Jacob took from Beersheva, was not the easy way to Haran. The easy way was the King’s Highway that follows the Jordan River Valley. Instead, Jacob took the ridge road that follows the ridge of hills that make up the center of the Land of Israel. In the center of that ridge was the town of Shalem, or Jebu (Jerusalem), and very close to that was the town that is identified as Bet El (Bethel). The ancient sages identify Bet El not with the later Bethel in the time of the Judges and the Kings, but with Araunah the Jebusite’s threshing floor, which Jacob’s descendant, King David purchased for the purpose of building a Temple to HaShem. If this is true, Jacob’s first encounter with the G-d of Abraham and Isaac was on the site of Abraham and Isaac’s greatest test: the offering of Isaac on the mountains of Moriyah, and the place of our Master’s suffering and resurrection.”

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OF STONES..And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and

he lay down in that place to sleep. (Genesis 28:10-11)In  most  English  translations  that  he  took  one  of  the  stones  (some translations say that he took “of the stones”) from that place and put at his head, or as his pillows [KJV]. The  Hebrew  for  “he took”  here  is  #3947  “laqach”, which means  “to take”, “accept” or “marry”. Next is “m’eben‟y”, or “of stones”. The word “stone” in Hebrew (eben) is spelled “aleph-beit-nun”. We have two words within “eben”. We have “aleph-beit” (ab), which  means  “father” and “beit-nun”  (ben)  which means “son”. So, both father and son make up the eben or stone. We read that Jacob put them at his head. Some translations say, “for pillows”. The KJV puts that in italics to note that it was added. However, from the Hebrew it reads, “v‟asam m‟rashatah” or that “he arranged them around his head.” Summary: He  takes  or  “accepts”  some  of  the  stones  and  arranges them around his head before he goes to sleep. 

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“m’eben’y”The  numeric  value  of  the  phrase  “m’eben’y”  or  “of stones” is  103, which equals “ha kokavim” or “the stars”. We read about “the stars” in Genesis 37 when Jacobs’s son, Joseph has a dream. And he dreamed still another dream and related it to his brothers, and

said, “See, I have dreamed another dream, and see, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” And he related it to his

father and his brothers. And his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall we, your mother

and I and your brothers, indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” And his brothers envied him, but his father guarded the word.

(Genesis 37:9-11)It was Jacob who interpreted the dream and the eleven stars were his other sons, who would become, along with Joseph, the tribes of Israel. He  knew what  this meant,  quite  possibly  from his  having  placed  the stones around his head here at Beth El.  9

THE LADDERAnd he dreamed and saw a ladder set up on the earth, and its top

reached to the heavens, and saw messengers of Elohim going up and coming down on it. (Genesis 28:12)

Jacob  sleeps  and  he  has  a  dream.  He  sees  a  “ladder”;  in  Hebrew “sullam”, Strong’s #5551 which is from #5549, “salal” meaning to “lift-up” or  “exalt”.  This  ladder was  “mutzav eretz”, or was “rooted in the land” and “reached to Heaven”. It didn’t  just  reach  from the earth  to Heaven;  it  was  “rooted”  in  the  land.  It  was  connected  to  the  Land. Now,  the  “messengers”  (“malaki”)  of  Elohim  were  ascending  and descending upon it. This brings us to at least two questions: 1. Why  does  it  state  that  the  messengers  were  “ascending” and

“descending”  in  that  order?  Logic  would  say  that  the  descended from Heaven, then ascended back. 

2. Who or what is the Ladder? 10

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ANSWERS1. The  rabbis  teach  that  the  ladder  being  rooted  in  the  land 

means  that  first,  our  prayers  are  carried  up  to יהוה by  the messengers  that  He  has  placed  to  guard  us.  Then,  they will return with His provision. 

2. And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, from now on you shall see the heaven opened, and the messengers of Elohim ascending and descending upon the Son of Adam.” (John 1:51) The  ladder  represents  the  Tree  of  Life.  As  the  Tree  of  Life,  is יהושע the  head  of  the  assembly  of  believers  (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 5:23). The Jewish sages say that Jacob’s ladder is Torah. The Torah is the pathway of righteousness leading to a  deeper walk with יהוה in  his  heavenly  kingdom  (Matthew 19:16-19). The ladder (Torah) is a bridge from heaven to earth. In the same way, יהושע, the Living Torah or the Word of יהוה made flesh, is the Way to the Father, the Way of Salvation, the Source  of  Eternal  Life,  and  the  One  who  redeems man  and reconciles him to the Father through His Body, “the Ladder”.

Mt SINAI AND THE LADDERNow in gematria, we also see a connection between Mt. Sinai and the ladder:

Ladder - ~L's:: 60 (s) + 30 (l) + 40 (~) = 130Sinai - yn:ys: 60 (s) + 10 (y) + 50 (n) + 10 (y) = 130

Another  word  with  the  value  of  130  is  the  Hebrew  for  “appointed times” (moed - d[eAm): 40 (m) + 6 (A) + 80 ([) + 4 (d) = 130

Three times a year, the Israelites were commanded to come to “this place” to meet with יהוה to celebrate His “appointed times”.

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AND THE LADDER יהושעThe ladder itself is described in almost human terms. It begins on the ground, but its head reaches to the heavens. יהושע links Himself with this ladder in His conversation with Nathaniel: saw Nethanĕ’l coming toward Him, and said of him, “See, truly a יהושעYisra’ĕlite, in whom is no deceit!” Nethanĕ’l said to Him, “From where

do You know me?” יהושע answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nethanĕ’l

answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of Elohim! You are the Sovereign of Yisra’ĕl!” יהושע answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? Greater than that you shall see.” And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, from

now on you shall see the heaven opened, and the messengers of Elohim ascending and descending upon the Son of Adam.” (John 1:47-

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COMUNICATION LINEThe  dream  of  the  ladder with  angels  ascending  and  descending  is  a picture of יהוה establishing a  line of communication between heaven and earth.  In  the Garden of  Eden, Adam and Eve were able  to  come directly to their Creator. But sin broke that connection, and the Father removed  Himself  back  up  to  heaven.  His  ministering  angels  still continued  on  with  His  work  for  those who  believed.  The wilderness Tabernacle  established a  similar  connection between  the earthly  and the heavenly. All of these pictures pointed to the Messiah. Because  of יהושע,  we  can  now  have  access  to  the Most  High  in  the Heavenlies. How do we do this? Prayer is one way, and the keeping of the  commandments  is  another  earthly  way  of  making  a  spiritual connection.

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THE DREAMLegends of the Jews

He  dreamed  a  dream  in  which  the  course  of  the  world's  history  was unfolded  to  him.  On  a  ladder  set  up  on  the  earth,  with  the  top  of  it reaching  to  heaven,  he  beheld  the  two  angels  who  had  been  sent  to Sodom. For one hundred and thirty-eight years they had been banished from  the  celestial  regions,  because  they  had  betrayed  their  secret mission  to  Lot.  They  had  accompanied  Jacob  from  his  father's  house thither, and now  they were ascending heavenward. When  they arrived there, he heard them call  the other angels, and say, "Come ye and see the  countenance  of  the  pious  Jacob,  whose  likeness  appears  on  the Divine throne, ye who yearned  long to see  it," and then he beheld the angels descend from heaven to gaze upon him. He also saw the angels of the four kingdoms ascending the ladder. The angel of Babylon mounted seventy  rounds,  the  angel  of  Media,  fifty-two,  that  of  Greece,  one hundred and eighty, and that of Edom mounted very high, saying, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High," and Jacob heard a voice remonstrating, "Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell,  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  pit."  God  Himself  reproved  Edom, saying, "Though thou mount on high as the eagle, and though thy nest be set among the stars, I will bring thee down from thence."

THE BLESSINGAnd see, יהוה stood above it and said, “I am יהוה Elohim of Abraham

your father and the Elohim of Yitshaq. The land on which you are lying, I give it to you and your seed. “And your seed shall be as the dust of the

earth, and you shall break forth to the west and to the east, to the north and the south. And all the clans of the earth shall be blessed in

you and in your seed. “And see, I am with you and shall guard you wherever you go, and shall bring you back to this land. For I am not

going to leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” (Genesis 28:13-15)

Here יהוה repeats the promises made to Abraham and Isaac, with the addition of prophesying of  the  future dispersions of  both  “Houses of Israel” in that they will break forth in all directions. He tells Jacob that He  is with him,  guarding him and will  bring him back  to  Eretz  Israel. And,  that He will  not  leave  Jacob until  all  is  done.  The  Stone  Edition TaNaK ends it this way from the Hebrew, “…. for I will not forsake you until I will have done what I have spoken about you.” This  has implications for Jacob personally and for us, his seed.  16

EXILE“And see, I am with you and shall guard you wherever you go, and shall bring you back to this land. For I am not going to leave you until I have

done what I have spoken to you.” (Genesis 28:15)Jacob does  indeed return  from exile; not once, but  twice. He  returns from Haran 21 years  later a wealthy man with eleven of his sons and the twelfth on the way. Then, while still in Mitzrayim, as he is dying, he asks  Joseph  to  promise  to  bring  his  body  home  to  Eretz  Israel  to  be buried with Abraham and  Isaac. So, he  is  taken  from his grave  in  the world and brought back to Eretz Israel. 

This is once again a prophetic picture! Where God will take the dead back to the promised land. “Therefore prophesy, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “See, O My people, I am opening

your graves, and shall bring you up from your graves, and shall bring you into the land of Yisra’ĕl. “And you shall know that I am יהוה, when I

open your graves, O My people, and bring you up from your graves. (Ezekiel 37:12-13) 17

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GATE OF HEAVENAnd Yaʽaqob awoke from his sleep and said, “Truly, יהוה is in this place,

and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of Elohim, and this is the

gate of the heavens!” And Yaʽaqob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a standing column,

and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bĕyth Ěl, however, the name of that city had been Luz previously.

(Genesis 28:16-19)Now, Jacob calls this place the “House of Elohim” or “Beit El” and the “Gate of the Heavens”. This place, Scripture says, was previously called “Luz”. Now Luz (Strongs #3870) means “almond tree”. The almond tree was where Aaron’s staff came from and is the sign of the authority of the  Levites  and  the  priesthood  to  be  the  spiritual  leaders  of  Israel. Also, the golden Lamp stand (menorah) was fashioned to represent the almond tree. 

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THE STONEWe read that Jacob takes “the stone” that had been around his head all night and stands it up as a standing column and pours oil on top of it.  In  the Hebrew Torah,  the  “stone” here  is  singular  in  verse 18, but plural back in verse 11. The rabbis teach that he placed twelve stones around his head. Now, we’re not given the exact number of stones that Jacob placed around his head but somehow, these stones united  into one stone. Legends of the Jews: Jacob took twelve stones from the altar on which his father Isaac had lain bound as a sacrifice, and he said: "It was the purpose  of  God  to  let  twelve  tribes  arise,  but  they  have  not  been begotten by Abraham or  Isaac.  If, now, these twelve stones will unite into a single one, then shall I know for a certainty that I am destined to become  the  father  of  the  twelve  tribes."  At  this  time  the  second miracle  came  to  pass,  the  twelve  stones  joined  themselves  together and made one, which he put under his head, and at once  it became soft  and  downy  like  a  pillow.  It  was  well  that  he  had  a  comfortable couch. 

THE STONEWe see the following representations through the stone: • Within these stones are father and son, you can see יהוה and יהושע; or, we get a picture of Abraham and Isaac establishing the genealogy of Jacob and the tribes.

• The Stone is the title for יהוה (Genesis 49:24). Stone is also the title of the Messiah (Isaiah 28:16). Correspondingly, rock refers to יהושע; He is the Rock that gives Life. As the children of Israel were taken out of  Egypt  and  led  into  the  wilderness,  the  Stone  provided  “living water.”

Jacob named  the  place  (ha maqowm) Beit  El  (House of  Elohim).  The Son,   the יהושע Stone  the  builders  rejected  that  became  the  Chief Cornerstone of  the House of  Elohim and  the Stone of  Stumbling.  So, when these smaller stones, “living stones” unite  in Mashiach, we see that they become a column, or as יהושע said in “He who overcomes, I shall make him a supporting post in the Dwelling Place of My Elohim, and he shall by no means go out. ..(Revelation 3:12)

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HOUSE OF GODLegends of the Jews: From this wondrous dream Jacob awoke with a start of fright, on account of the vision he had had of the destruction of  the Temple. He cried out, "How dreadful  is  this place! this  is none other  but  the  house  of  God,  wherein  is  the  gate  of  heaven  through which  prayer  ascends  to  Him."  He  took  the  stone  made  out  of  the twelve,  and  set  it  up  for  a  pillar,  and  poured  oil  upon  the  top  of  it, which  had  flowed  down  from  heaven  for  him,  and  God  sank  this anointed stone unto the abyss, to serve as the centre of the earth, the same stone, the Eben Shetiyah, that forms the centre of the sanctuary, whereon the Ineffable Name is graven, ..Symbol of the House of God (New Bride) united as one:And I, Yohanan, saw the set-apart city, renewed Yerushalayim, coming down out of the heaven from Elohim, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the heaven saying, “See,

the Booth of Elohim is with men, and He shall dwell with them, ... having ... high wall, having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve

messengers, and names written on them, which are those of the twelve tribes of the children of Yisra’ĕl: (Revelation 21:2-12)

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EBEN SHETIYAHAnd Yaʽaqob made a vow, saying, “Seeing Elohim is with me, and has kept me in

this way that I am going, and has given me bread to eat and a garment to put on – when I have returned to my father’s house in peace, and יהוה has been my Elohim, then this stone which I have set as a standing column shall be Elohim’s house, and

of all that You give me, I shall certainly give a tenth to You.” (Genesis 28:20-22)There  is  the  following  picturesque  saying  in  TanḦuma,  Ḳedoshim,  x.:"Palestine  is  the  center  of  the  world,  Jerusalem  the  center  of  Palestine,  the Temple the center of Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies the center of the Temple, the Ark the center of the Holy of Holies; and  in front of the Ark was a stone called  , the foundation stone of the world." Legends of the Jews: The construction of the earth was begun at the centre, with the foundation stone of the Temple, the Eben Shetiyah, for the Holy Land is at the central  point  of  the  surface  of  the  earth,  Jerusalem  is  at  the  central  point  of Palestine,  and  the  Temple  is  situated  at  the  centre  of  the  Holy  City.  In  the sanctuary  itself  the Hekal  is  the centre, and  the holy Ark occupies  the centre of the Hekal, built on the foundation stone, which thus is at the centre of the earth.

CORNERSTONEThus we read that both Abraham and Isaac built altars, whereas Jacob set up a pillar. WHY? The  Hebrew  word  for  stone  (even  -!b,a,) is  a  contraction  of  father (ba') and son (!Be), pointing to the authority of יהושע and His Father. This  stone  is  set  up  as  a  pillar  and  becomes  the  cornerstone  of  the “House of El”. These concepts of a cornerstone and a house are made so clear to us by Paul:So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens

with the set-apart ones and members of the household of Elohim, having been built upon the foundation of the emissaries and prophets,

Messiah Himself being chief corner-stone, in whom all the יהושעbuilding, being joined together, grows into a set-apart Dwelling Place in

(Ephesians 2:19-21) ,יהוה

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HEROD RAISES THE FOUNDATION SIX CUBITS

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“In the Second Temple the foundation was raised six cubits making the floor of the Hekal, the Holy Place, level with the floor of the Holy of Holies. In other words, in Solomon’s Temple the floor of the Holy of Holies was at least six cubits higher than the floor of the Holy Place. Therefore, on Yom Kippur the High Priest had to ascend a ramp or short stairway to enter the Holy of Holies. But not so in Herod’s Temple because both floors were made the same height. The problem? By raising the floor of the Holy Place and making it level with the Holy of Holies, Herod erased forever the figure of Jacob sleeping at Bethel and using a stone for a headrest; for as the graphic at right shows, the ramp or stairway relates to Jacob’s neck, and the elevated Holy of Holies to his raised head. Hence, the rock upon which Isaac was bound earlier by Abraham (Genesis 22:9) –the Eben Shetiyah , the Foundation Stone– corresponds to Jacob’s ‘pillow stone’ at Bethel. But in Herod’s Temple, because of the new and higher foundation, only three finger breadths of Isaac’s rock could be seen, a paltry few inches.” The Jewish Encyclopedia

SIDE NOTEEven though the Tabernacle was in Shiloh for 369 years, the Ark of the Covenant was in Beit El for a number of those years:  

And all the children of Yisra’ĕl, even all the people, went up and came to Bĕyth Ěl and wept, and sat there before יהוה and fasted that day until evening. And they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings

before יהוה. And the children of Yisra’ĕl asked of יהוה – the ark of the covenant of Elohim was there in those days, and Pinehas son of Elʽazar,

son of Aharon, stood before it in those days – saying, “Should I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother Binyamin, or should I cease?” And יהוה said, “Go up, for tomorrow I give them into

your hand.” (Judges 20:26-28)Pinehas being at Beit El and the end of the time of the Judges in Israel, means that he lived to be over 300 years old, at a time when 110 was a ripe old age, as that was Joshua’s age at his death.

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ONE TENTH..and of all that You give me, I shall certainly give a tenth to You.” (Genesis

28:22)Whenever  the  Covenant  was  initiated  or  reconfirmed  the  tithe  was  also present, as we see with Abraham and Melchizedek. The tithe is eternal and is  a  glimpse  of  life  in  the  Garden.  The  Garden  represented יהוה’s  house which man  enjoyed  before  the  fall.  Jacob  came  across יהוה’s  house  that evening.  He  knew  he  had  been  in  a  place where  heaven  and  earth met; therefore  when  the  covenant  was  confirmed  to  him,  as  it  was  with Abraham,  Jacob  gave  the  tithe  as  his sacred portion,  in  obedience  to  the holiness of the word spoken to him (Genesis 14:18-20). In Hebrew tradition the thought is that this evening had fallen on a Sabbath or a Feast of יהוה.Legends of the Jews: Then he vowed to give the tenth of all he owned unto God,  if He would but grant his petition. Thus Jacob was the first  to take a vow upon himself, and the first, too, to separate the tithe from his income.

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“IF” AND “WHEN”And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep

me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, (Genesis 28:20 KJV)

And Yaʽaqob made a vow, saying, “Seeing Elohim is with me, and has kept me in this way that I am going, and has given me bread to eat and

a garment to put on – (Genesis 28:20)According to the KJV it appears that Jacob is questioning the promises  has already given him. With everything he’d seen and heard, how יהוהcould  he  doubt  the  Almighty?  The  answer  hinges  on  the  word translated  as  “if”.  This  little  word  has  a  variety  of  meanings  and  is occasionally translated as “when”. If we exchange the “if” for a “when” in  verse 20, we understand  that  Jacob  is  simply  stating  that “WHEN” the Almighty fulfils His promises, “then” he will be in a position to build this “House of El”. He understands the importance of waiting for יהוה’s promises. 27

THE LAND OF ORIGINAnd Yaʽaqob moved on and came to the land of the people of the East.

And he looked and saw a well in the field, (Genesis 29:1-2)Legends of the Jews: His prayer at an end, Jacob set out on his way to Haran,  and  the  third wonder happened.  In  the  twinkling of  an eye he arrived  at  his  destination.  The  earth  jumped  from  Mount  Moriah  to Haran. A wonder like this God has executed only four times in the whole course of history.East: Jacob comes  to  the  land of  the people of  the ancestral home of Abraham  and  of  Jacob’s mother  Rebecca. Why would Torah say East? The Hebrew word used here is “qedem”. It is Strongs #6924 and is more often  used  to mean  “that which was before” or “from ancient time”, “antiquity” or “from of old”. This would describe the land of Abraham’s origin.The field:  Isaac  sent  Jacob  to  Paddan  Aram,  which  is  where  Haran  is located.  Now  Paddan  Aram  literally  means  “field of exaltation”  or “exalted field”. This was  indeed a  special place,  this well, where  Jacob meets Rachel is the same well where Eliezer met Rebecca. 28

SYMBOLS – FLOCKS OF SHEEPAnd he looked and saw a well in the field, and saw three flocks of sheep

lying by it, for out of that well they watered the flocks, and a large stone was on the well’s mouth. (Genesis 29:2)

Four symbols: Jacob sees three flocks of sheep (1)  lying near the well (2) and a  large stone (3) was on the well’s mouth. We also hear how the flocks are watered (4). FLOCKS OF SHEEP: When Jacob arrives, there were only three present. One  thought  on  this  number  we’re  given  is  that  these  three  flocks represent  the flocks,  or  children,  of  Shem, Ham and  Japheth  (Noah’s sons),  since  they  repopulated  the  world.  These  were  people  of “qedem” or “antiquity” and have the authority to open the well. The rabbis also point out that the Hebrew words used to describe the three flocks “lying by the well”, or “beside it”, carries the connotation that  they were  fully dependent on  it.  “Wisdom”  is  symbolized by  the water underground.  It  is buried, hidden, and accessible only to those willing to go to the effort to bring it to the surface.  29

SYMBOLS – HEAVY STONEThis type of well closure was common. The rabbis point out that in the Hebrew, it is stressed that the stone used to close the well was indeed very large. The residents make sure that the water is fairly distributed by  ensuring  that  it  is  only  when  all  the  shepherds  of  the  city  are gathered  together  that  they will  be  able  to water  their  flocks.  It was probably the only source of water for the city and they wanted to keep it  secure.  It  was  owned  by  Laban,  in  that  this  city  was  founded  by Abraham’s father Terah and Laban was the patriarch at this time. We understand  that  the Messiah  is our “stone”. He  is also  the “living waters” or  the  Torah,  which  is  flowing  in  the  well.  The  heavy  stone serves  as  sort  of  a  “lock” for  the  well,  preventing  unauthorized  and uncontrolled  use  of  its  water.   came יהושע to  unlock  the  Torah  by properly interpreting it: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets. I did not

come to destroy but to complete. (Matthew 5:17) 30

SYMBOLS – WELLThe word  “well” (ba’er) appears  seven times  in  the first 12  verses of chapter 29. It is a key word, but it also should be noted that beginning with  the  3rd  appearance  of  the word  “well” and  continuing  through the 7th, well is mentioned together with the “stone” that lies upon its mouth. Our drama revolves around rolling the “stone” off of the mouth of the well. A “well” is a metaphor for a wife in both Proverbs and Song of Solomon:Drink water from your own cistern, And running water from your own well. .. Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your

youth (Proverbs 5:15-18)A garden locked is my sister, my bride, A fountain locked, a spring

sealed up. .. A garden spring, A well of living waters, And streams from Lebanon. (Song of Solomon 4:12-15)

The “well” becomes the bride, the one with whom the bridegroom is intimate with.  The  pleasure  derived  from  drinking  the  cool  water  of one’s well  is  an  image  of  the  love  of  a man  for  the wife who  is  his, alone. It is also interesting that the word “Torah” is a feminine word, so we can make the connection of drinking from the living waters of the Torah, the Living Word.

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SYMBOLS – LIVING WATERThe  weight  of  the  stone  ensured  that  it  was  only  when  all  the shepherds  of  the  city  are  gathered  together  (i.e.  all  tribes  restored) that  they  would  be  able  to  water  their  flocks.  Thus  we  see  Jacob (Israel), is like a key who is able to singlehandedly unlock the secret of the well  (stone  is Messiah) and make available  the “living water” for the bride. It is through Jacob that יהושע the Messiah would come. The “stone” can also  be  a  reference  to  the  large  “stone” that was placed over the mouth of יהושע’s tomb. We know that the “stone” was rolled away so the good news could pour forth like “living water”: answered and said to her, “Everyone drinking of this water shall יהושעthirst again, but whoever drinks of the water I give him shall certainly

never thirst. And the water that I give him shall become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

(John 4:13-14)32

FLOCKS OF THE EARTHWhile he was still speaking with them, Rahĕl came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. And it came to be, when Yaʽaqob saw Rahĕl the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Yaʽaqob went near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. (Genesis 29:9-10)When Rachel showed up with her  fathers  flock,  Jacob  rolls away  the  huge  stone  and waters  the  sheep.  Laban’s flock  contained  all  of  Israel, through  his  house  (Leah, Rachel  and  the  two  hand-maidens),  from  his  flock, would  come  all  Twelve  Tribes of  Israel.  So,  when  these sheep are gathered among all the  flocks  of  the  earth,  the well-spring of יהוה opens and gives them “Living Water”.

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FINAL WONDERS Legends of the Jews

Now,  when  Jacob  saw  the  daughter  of  his  mother's  brother approaching, he rolled the great stone from the mouth of the well as easily  as  a  cork  is  drawn  from  a  bottle--the  fourth  wonder  of  this extraordinary day. Jacob's strength was equal to the strength of all the shepherds;  with  his  two  arms  alone  he  accomplished  what  usually requires the united forces of a large assemblage of men. He had been divinely endowed with  this  supernatural  strength on  leaving  the Holy Land. God had caused the dew of the resurrection to drop down upon him, and his physical strength was so great that even in a combat with the angels he was victorious.The fifth and last wonder of the day was that the water rose from the depths of  the well  to  the very  top,  there was no need  to draw  it up, and there it remained all the twenty years that Jacob abode in Haran.

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KISS AND TEARSLegends of the Jews: Rachel's coming to the well at the moment when Jacob  reached  the  territory  belonging  to  Haran  was  an  auspicious omen. To meet young maidens on first entering a city is a sure sign that fortune  is  favourable  to  one's  undertakings.  Experience  proves  this through Eliezer, Jacob, Moses, and Saul. They all encountered maidens when  they  approached  a  place  new  to  them,  and  they  all  met  with success.

And Yaʽaqob kissed Rahĕl, and lifted up his voice and wept. (Genesis 29:11)

Legends of the Jews: Jacob treated Rachel at once as his cousin, which caused significant whispering among the by-standers. ..The talk of the men  reduced  Jacob  to  tears.  Scarcely  had  he  kissed  Rachel when he began to weep, for he repented of having done it. There  was  reason  enough  for  tears.  Jacob  could  not  but  remember sadly that Eliezer, his grandfather's slave, had brought ten camels laden with presents with him to Haran, when he came to seek for a bride for Isaac,  while  he  had  not  even  a  ring  to  give  to  Rachel. Moreover,  he foresaw that his favourite wife Rachel would not lie beside him in the grave, and this, too, made him weep.

ELEAZER AND JACOBEleazar  and Jacob both had to select wives although Eleazer’s selection was for Isaac. Eleazar’s method was  to  pray  and  ask יהוה to  direct  him  in  finding  a wife  of  suitable  character  for  Isaac.  He  takes  his  time  as  he  watches Rebecca water the camels and is confident of her being the answer to his prayer.  In our current reading, we do not see anywhere that Jacob prays for guidance in his selection of a wife.  Instead, Jacob appears to react to Rachel’s beauty and even kisses her. We  also  notice  something  else  in  the  order  of  their  developing relationships.  Isaac  marries  Rebecca,  then  he  loves  her.  Jacob  loves Rachel  apparently  from  the  moment  he  lays  eyes  on  her.  Then  he marries her. Isaac’s order of marriage, then love, is probably not the advice you will give your son   or daughter, but  it does speak of  the commitment to a spouse chosen by the Almighty verses a spouse chosen by attraction. 36

LABANAnd when Yaʽaqob told Rahĕl that he was her father’s relative and that

he was Ribqah’s son, she ran and told her father. And it came to be, when Laban heard the report about Yaʽaqob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his

house. Then he told Laban all these matters. (Genesis 29:12-13)Legends of the Jews: In  great  haste  Laban  ran  to  receive  Jacob.  He reflected,  if  Eliezer,  the  bondman,  had  come  with  ten  camels,  what would not the favourite son of the family bring with him, and when he saw  that  Jacob  was  unattended,  he  concluded  that  he  carried  great sums of money in his girdle, and he threw his arms about his waist to find out whether his supposition was true. Disappointed in this, he yet did not give up hope that his nephew Jacob was a man of substance. Perhaps he concealed precious stones in his mouth, and he kissed him in order to find out whether he had guessed aright. But Jacob said to him: "Thou thinkest  I have money. Nay,  thou art mistaken,  I have but words." Then he went on  to  tell him how  it had come about  that he stood before him empty-handed.  37

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JACOB’S WIVESAnd Laban had two daughters, the name of the elder was Lĕ’ah, and the name of the younger was Rahĕl. And Lĕ’ah’s eyes were weak, but Rahĕl was lovely of form and appearance. And Yaʽaqob loved Rahĕl, so he said, “Let me serve you

seven years for Rahĕl your younger daughter.” And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.” So Yaʽaqob served seven years for Rahĕl, .. Then Yaʽaqob said to Laban, “Give me

my wife, for my days are completed, and let me go in to her.” And Laban ... took Lĕ’ah his daughter and brought her to Yaʽaqob. .. And Laban gave his female

servant Zilpah to his daughter Lĕ’ah as a female servant. And in the morning .. he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rahĕl that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?” And Laban said, “It is not done this way in our place, to give the younger before the first-born. “Complete the week of this one, then we give you this one too, for the service which you shall serve with me still another seven years.” And Yaʽaqob did so and completed her

week. Then he gave him his daughter Rahĕl too, as wife. And Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rahĕl as a female servant. (Genesis

29:16-29)

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SOWING AND REAPING..“What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rahĕl that I served you?

Why then have you deceived me?”(Genesis 29:25)Jacob, whose name means ‘sup planter,’ duped his father Isaac with a case of ‘mistaken identity’. The exact same way,  Jacob  is now duped with a case of ‘mistaken identity.’Our  actions  are  like  sowing  seeds. Whatever  we  do  to  others,  we  reap  a harvest of that action.  It comes back on us, whether for good or for evil. It’s a law—the law of sowing and reaping. said: “Give, and it shall be given to you. A good measure, pressed down יהושעand shaken together and running over shall be put into your lap. For with the same measure with which you measure, it shall be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38)This law is about our actions, “What goes around, comes around.” If we give out lies, trickery and deception it is going to come back into our lives one way or  another. However,  if we  give out  love,  kindness  and mercy, we will  also receive these precious qualities given back in return.

LEAHLeah’s name means “weary” or “grieving”. Popular English translations say that  Leah’s  eyes were weak.  The Hebrew words here are  “rak”  (tender) and “Ayin” (eye), as in “tender-hearted”. The  rabbis  interpret  her  name  as  an  abbreviation  of  “M’Leah”,  which means “full”. Leah is spelled “Lamed-aleph-hey”, lamed means to “learn” or “teach”,  aleph  is  the  “ox”,  meaning  “strength” or “master” and  hey means  “to behold” or “revelation”.  This  adds  great  depth  to  her  name; Leah’s name relates to “being taught the Master’s revelation”. If you add “Mem”  (as  in  M’Leah)  or  water,  symbolizing  the  Word,  to  one  who  is weary, or grieving, they become full. Also, the numeric value of her name is 36 which equals the phrases “in His hands” and “with His power”. Leah is  a  name  worthy  of  a  Matriarch,  as  she  would  give  birth  to  six  of Ya’aqob’s 12 sons (Reuben, Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, Yissakar and Zebulun) and to Dinah, their daughter.The rabbis  teach that Leah was not “hated” by Ya’aqob.  It’s  just  that his love  and  passion  for  Rachel  was  so  intense  that  she  felt  hated.  The Hebrew  word  used  here  is  a  form  of  the  word  “sane`”  which  implies “unloved” as in not loved as much as another. 40

RACHELRachel means  “ewe” or “sheep”. Torah  tells  us  that  she was  “yapheh to’ar” or  “beautiful of form” or  shape  and  that  she  was  “yapheh mar’eh” or “as beautiful as a vision”. We’re told that Jacob loved her, the word  is  “ahav” and  it means “to love”, “desire” and  the Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon says to “breath after”. Rachel  is  spelled  “Reish-chet-lamed”. Reish  means  “head”  or “beginning”,  chet  means  “fear of יהוה ” or  “life”.  And  lamed  is  the “shepherd‟s staff” and means to “learn” or “teach”. So, Rachel’s name would  mean  “the beginning of fear (life) is learning (knowledge or wisdom)”. As Psalms 111:10a says; “The fear of יהוה is the beginning of wisdom, ... and Proverbs 1:7 says; “The fear of יהוה is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and discipline. Rachel,  the  sheep,  is  our  mother;  the  mother  of  Joseph,  as  well  as Benjamin.  Her  name’s  numeric  value  is  238  which  equals  “and He blessed”, “and multiply you”, “first-fruits” and “and will bless”.  These are  the  words  that  Jacob  would  later  use  to  bless  Ephraim  and Manasseh. 41

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LEAH AND RACHELLegends of the Jews

Jacob  married,  Leah  and  Rachel,  for  Leah,  like  her  younger  sister,  was beautiful of  countenance,  form, and  stature.  She had but one defect, her eyes  were  weak,  and  this  malady  she  had  brought  down  upon  herself, through her own action. Laban, who had two daughters, and Rebekah, his sister, who had  two  sons,  had  agreed by  letter, while  their  children were still young, that the older son of the one was to marry the older daughter of the other, and the younger son the younger daughter. When Leah grew to  maidenhood,  and  inquired  about  her  future  husband,  all  her  tidings spoke  of  his  villainous  character,  and  she  wept  over  her  fate  until  her eyelashes  dropped  from  their  lids.  But  Rachel  grew  more  and  more beautiful day by day,  for all who spoke of  Jacob praised and extolled him, and "good tidings make the bones fat."In  view of  the  agreement  between  Laban  and  Rebekah,  Jacob  refused  to marry the older daughter Leah. As it was, Esau was his mortal enemy, ..Esau would never forgive his younger brother. Therefore Jacob resolved to take to wife Rachel, the younger daughter of his uncle.

ZILPAH AND BILHAHZilpah,  whose  name  literally  means  to  “trickle as myrrh” a  way  of gently adding a strong spice, a little at a time. Zilpah is spelled “Zayin-lamed-pey-hey”.  The numeric  value of her name  is  122 which equals “and they shall flee”, “in its appointed season”, “and they went up” and “He will make wonderful”.  Zilpah  bore  Ya‟aqob  two  sons,  Gad  and Asher. 

Bilhah means “troubled” or “to trouble”. Bilhah is spelled “Beit-lamed-hey-hey”.  The  numeric  value  of  Bilhahs  name  is  42  which  equals “Eloah”, “My esteem” and “in his heart”. She bore two sons to Jacob; Dan and Naphtali.

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JACOBS CHILDRENGenesis  30  deals  with  the  bearing  of  Jacob’s  children;  all  except Benjamin, as he would come a  little  latter. Here’s a brief  look at their names: 1. Reuben - Behold, a son (named this as a reminder of the firstborn 

son). 2. Shimon – Hearing  (named this because יהוה heard the prayer  for 

another son). 3. Levi – Joining of the Heart (named because Leah thought this child 

would join her and Jacob). 4. Judah – Praise (named this as the family praised יהוה for another 

boy). 5. Dan  –  Judge  (named  this  as יהוה judged  in  Rachel’s  favour  and 

gave her a child). 6. Naphtali  -  Wrestling  (named  this  as  a  symbol  of  the  wrestling 

between Rachel and Leah for Jacob s favour and love). 44

JACOBS CHILDREN7. Gad  –  Fortune  (named  this  as  a  testimony  to  good  fortune,  or 

blessing, found by Zilpah, Leah’s  handmade). 8. Asher  – Happy  (named  this  because  this  child would bring much 

happiness to Leah). 9. Issachar – Hire or Reward (named this as a testimony to יהוה that 

he  rewarded  Leah  forgiving  her  handmade  to  Jacob  to  have relations with). 

10. Zebulon – Living Together (named this as hope that this son would cause Leah and Jacob to live together).

11. Dinah – Judgment (the 7th child of Leah). 12. Joseph - May He Add (named this as a prayer to יהוה “Elohim has 

taken  away  my  reproach”  that  another  son  would  be  added  to Rachel). 

13. Binyamin  –  Son  of  the  Right-hand  (named  this  by  Jacob  at  the death  of  Rachel  [the  curse  of  Gen.  31:32  fulfilled  in  Gen.  35:16-17]).

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MANDRAKESAnd Re’ubĕn went in the days of wheat harvest and found love-apples (Mandrakes) in the field, and brought them to his mother Lĕ’ah. And Rahĕl said to Lĕ’ah, “Please give me some of your son’s love-apples.”

(Genesis 30:14)Mandrakes grow wild in fields. Its small, yellow, tomato-like fruit ripens in late spring. Chemical analysis shows it to contain narcotic substances, which  explain  its  widespread medicinal  use  in  ancient  times.  Because the fruit exudes a distinctive and heady fragrance, folklore associates it with aphrodisiac powers. Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and  sex,  was  given  the  name  “Lady of the Mandrake.” The  root  of mandrakes which means “love” or “beloved”. Both words are found in a verse in Song of Solomon:The love-apples have given fragrance, And at our gates are all pleasant

fruit, New and old, which I have laid up for you, my beloved. (Song of Solomon 7:13) 46

MANDRAKE STORYAnd Re’ubĕn went in the days of wheat harvest and found love-apples in the field, and brought them to his mother Lĕ’ah. And Rahĕl said to Lĕ’ah, “Please give me some of your son’s love-

apples.” But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s love-

apples too?” And Rahĕl said, “Therefore let him lie with you tonight for your son’s love-apples.” And when Yaʽaqob came out of the field in the evening, Lĕ’ah went out to meet him and said, “Do

come in to me, for indeed, I have hired you with my son’s love-apples.” And he lay with her that night. And Elohim listened to

Lĕ’ah, and she conceived and bore Yaʽaqob a fifth son. And Lĕ’ah said, “Elohim has given me my hire, because I have given my

female servant to my husband.” So she called his name Yissaskar. (Genesis 30:14-18)

Leah’s  son,  Reuben,  who  brings  her  the  mandrakes.  Reuben’s name  means  “see, a son”. Five  times  in  our  story  Reuben  is associated with the mandrakes…that’s the number associated with grace, and also five is the number of books in the Torah. 47

MANDRAKE STORYRachel is asking for the “mandrakes” (love), but it  is quite obvious that what she really wants  is a “son”. She  is  in fact desperate for a “son” whom she associates with “love”. Rachel ends up with the mandrakes (love), but the beloved son she so desired will not come from her womb. Prophetically, Reuben (see a son) points to that Son.  In fact,  it will be through Leah’s son Judah that יהושע the Messiah will be born. Some time later, Elohim remembers Rachel and she bears a son:And Elohim remembered Rahĕl, and Elohim listened to her and opened her womb.

And she conceived, and bore a son, and said, “Elohim has taken away my reproach.” So she called his name Yosĕph, and said, “יהוה has added to me

another son.” (Genesis 30:22-24)Joseph will be the son who becomes a shadow picture of the Messiah for most of the rest of Genesis. A descendent of Leah’s son, Judah, will birth the Messiah….He will  be  the  head.  But  the  Messiah  also  has  a  “body”, and  that  “body” will  be pictured through Rachel’s son, Joseph:

And you are a body of Messiah, and members individually. (1 Corinthians 12:27)Leah has pre-eminence, but Rachel is not forgotten. 48

BREEDING“Give my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go, for you yourself know my service which I have done for you.” And Laban said to him, “If I have found favour in your eyes, please stay, for I have diligently watched that יהוה has blessed me for your sake.” And he said, “Name me your wages, and I give it.” So he said to him, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been with me. “For the little you had before I came has increased greatly, and יהוה has blessed you since my coming. But now, when am I to provide for my own house too?” And he said, “What do I give you?” And Yaʽaqob said, “Give me naught! If you do this for me, I shall again feed and guard your flocks: “Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the black ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. And these shall be my wages. ... Laban said, “See, let it be ... Thus the man increased very much, and had many flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys. (Genesis 30:26-43) Jacob agrees to work six more years for  his  wages,  or  flocks.  Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum points out that Jacob’s  main  work,  and  that  of  his wives,  is  “breeding”.  They  breed children and flocks. 

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SHEEPOver and over the Scriptures refer to shepherds and sheep. So who are sheep? WE ARE!  Remember  that  Jacob  is  still  in  the  exile,  and what would better describe us  (in our exile)  than a bunch of  speckled and spotted  sheep!  Few of us  could describe ourselves as pure,  sheep of Israel.  Most  likely,  we  have  a  few  spots  and  specks.  This  is  the description of the sheep that Jacob asks to “feed and keep”.In another move of deception, Laban  removes  the spotted,  speckled, and  striped  sheep,  puts  them  in  his  own  sons’  hands,  and  separates them by a  three day  journey  from Jacob.  Jacob  is  left  to care  for  the “pure” sheep  of  Laban,  apparently  without  real  hope  of  additional spotted and speckled sheep. 

And on that day he set aside the male goats that were speckled and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the black ones among the lambs,

and gave them into the hand of his sons. And he put three days’ journey between himself and Yaʽaqob, and Yaʽaqob fed the rest of

Laban’s flocks. (Genesis 30:35-36) 50

THE PLANAnd Yaʽaqob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond

and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods. And he set the rods which he had peeled before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came

to drink, and they conceived when they came to drink. So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked,

speckled, and spotted. (Genesis 30:37-39) Jacob  has  positioned  these  sheep  in  front  of  the  watering  troughs. Water is very symbolic of the “Word”. These sheep are not only thirsty, but they are eager to proliferate….to be fruitful. Jacob takes advantage of  their  eagerness  and  their  thirsty  condition  by  placing  in  front  of them peeled rods (from green poplar, hazel, and chestnut trees) which exposes white strips. As Jacob peels these rods, he removes some of the outer covering to reveal what’s inside. First, what words are used to describe these rods?51

THE PLAN• GREEN POPLAR - translated as “fresh white”. White  is the feminine form  of  Laban.  We  have  seen  before  that  Laban  pictures  a  false purity.

• HAZEL – means “to depart” or “to be perverse”• CHESTNUT – its assumed root means “to be subtle”, “to be shrewd”All of these words seem to point to some form of deceitfulness. Jacob appears to have learned his lesson, and as a shepherd he is now ready to share what he has learned with the flock. Did the sheep learn? Well, they are eager to be fruitful and check out the result:

So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted. (Genesis 30:39)

Those sheep in the exile, that thought of themselves as pure and white have come to an understanding of their identity. The fact is, they never were pure and white.  52

SOURCE OF THE PLANLater, as Jacob explains Laban’s continued deceit to his wives, he tells them how the Almighty had revealed the true condition of the sheep to him in a dream:“And it came to be, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and looked in a dream and saw the rams which leaped upon

the flocks were streaked, speckled, and mottled. (Genesis 31:10)Jacob, the deceiver, came 20 years ago to Haran. He met up with a trait of  his  own  character…Laban,  a  deceitful man who was manipulative, possessive, and selfish. You have to come face to face with your own flaws  before  you  can  deal  with  it.  Jacob’s  separation  from  Laban pictures his separation from his own character flaw. This must happen before Jacob (and us) can return to the Land and leave the exile. The same goes with the sheep that Jacob is taking with him their true colours have come to the surface, now you can  work with them. 

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GET OUT OF THIS LANDAnd he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, ... And Yaʽaqob would look at the face of Laban and see that it was not toward him as before. And יהוה said to Yaʽaqob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives. And I am

with you.” And Yaʽaqob sent and called Rahĕl and Lĕ’ah to the field, to his flock, and said to them, .. the Messenger of Elohim spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘... ‘I am the Ěl of Bĕyth Ěl, where you anointed the standing column

and where you made a vow to Me. Now rise up, get out of this land, and return to the land of your relatives.’ ” And Rahĕl and Lĕ’ah answered and said

to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance in our father’s house? “Are we not reckoned by him as strangers? For he has sold us, and also

entirely consumed our silver. “For all the wealth which Elohim has taken from our father are ours and our children’s. Now then, do whatever Elohim has told you.” So Yaʽaqob rose and put his sons and his wives on camels, and he drove off all his livestock and all his possessions which he had acquired, his property

of the livestock which he had acquired in Paddan Aram, to go to his father Yitshaq in the land of Kenaʽan. (Genesis 31:1-18)

DON’T SAY ANYTHINGAnd he fled with all that he had. And he rose up and passed over the

river, and headed toward the mountains of Gilʽad. And on the third day Laban was told that Yaʽaqob had fled. Then he took his brothers with him and pursued him for seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in

the mountains of Gilʽad. But in a dream by night Elohim came to Laban the Aramean, and said to him, “Guard yourself, that you do not speak to Yaʽaqob either good or evil.” Then Laban overtook Yaʽaqob. .. Laban said to Yaʽaqob, ... “It is in the power of my hand to do evil to you, but

the Elohim of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Guard yourself, that you do not speak to Yaʽaqob either good or evil.’

(Genesis 31:21-29) circumvents Laban to bless Jacob and calls him to go home with יהוהhis  wives  and  children.  And,  Jacob  does  not  tell  Laban  that  he  is leaving, causing one more confrontation between them. However, יהוה visits Laban ahead of their meeting and warns him not to do harm or speak either evil or good to Jacob. God wanted only His blessing over Jacob. 55

RACHEL CURSEDAnd when Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rahĕl stole the house

idols that were her father’s. .. but why did you steal my mighty ones?” And Yaʽaqob answered and said to Laban, .. “With whomever you find your mighty ones, do not let him live. In the presence of our brothers, see for yourself what is with me and take it with you.” For Yaʽaqob did

not know that Rahĕl had stolen them. (Genesis 31:19-32)Legends of the Jews: That her father might not learn about their flight from his teraphim, Rachel stole them, and she took them and concealed them upon the camel upon which she sat, and she went on. And this is the manner they used to make the  images: They took a man who was the first-born, slew him and took the hair off his head, then salted the head, and anointed it with oil, then they wrote "the Name" upon a small tablet of copper or gold, and placed it under his tongue. The head with the tablet under the tongue was then put in a house where lights were lighted before it, and at the time when they bowed down to it, it spoke to  them on all matters  that  they  asked of  it,  and  that was due  to  the power of the Name which was written upon it. 56

TWO CAMPSAnd Yaʽaqob went on his way, and the messengers of Elohim met him.

And when Yaʽaqob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of Elohim.” And he called the name of that place Mahanayim. (Genesis 32:1-2)

On his way home with his  large family and herds, he was met by the angels  of  Elohim. "He named that place Mahanaim." Mahanaim means  "two hosts",  or  double  defense,  one  in  front  and another behind. "And he went out" (Va Yetze) so he could come back  richer,  stronger, more compassionate, changed. Jacob returned from his assignment a different man.

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