Vayetze
Genesis 28:10-33:3
Précis: As Jacob travels towards the household of his uncle Laban, he dreams of a ladder (some translate it as a ramp) to heaven, with angels ascending and descending. He vows to build a great House for God on the spot. Jacob meets and falls in love with Laban’s younger daughter, Rachel. Laban agrees to the match, provided that Jacob works for him for seven years. Laban switches the older daughter, Leah, for Rachel; Jacob works an additional seven years for Rachel’s hand. Jacob then works for Laban for another six years, and acquires great wealth and flocks through shrewd husbandry. During the stay with Laban, most of the children of Jacob are born. At the conclusion of the parasha, after tense negotiations with Laban, Jacob leaves with his possessions and family.
Gen. 29:25-26 “'And he said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why have you deceived me?’ And Laban said, ‘It is not done like that in our place, that we will give the younger girl before the firstborn.’”
Jacob deceived his father, and now he is now deceived by his uncle Laban who switches Leah for Rachel. Using the Hebrew word “v’nitnah” (a plural verb meaning “we will give”), he suggests that he is following the standards of his community. In other words, he is not personally responsible for the act of deceit. There is also the undertone which says to Jacob, “I know what you did to your father, and now you are getting what you deserve.” Laban tries to absolve himself from guilt by saying “what else can I do?”
We all face times when communal standards appear to be at odds with our sense of morality. The standards may be those imposed by our local circle of friends, our congregations, our extended families, or civil authorities. As my father, z’l, use to say, “just because everybody else does it doesn’t make it right.” And as my mother, z’l would say, “just because your friends jump off the George Washington Bridge doesn’t mean you have to!”
Our tradition demands that we take individual responsibility for our actions. The Sages remind us, “there is no agency for sinful acts” (BT Kiddushin 42b). This means that if another individual asks or demands that you transgress, you cannot avoid blame by claiming “he made me do it.”
In a class I teach on modern Israeli history, we were discussing the Eichmann trial, where his principle defense was that he was merely following orders, and therefore had no responsibility for his horrendous crimes against humanity. A single verb, used in the plural in this verse, is a reminder that such an excuse is never satisfactory.
