Vayetze
Gen. 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 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. 29:7 “And he [Jacob] said [to the shepherds at the well], ‘Lo, it is yet high day, and it is not time to round up the cattle; water the sheep, and then go feed them.’”
It seems that once again I need to make reference to this verse due to the news of the day, as I have done before with regard to other then-current developments. The Sforno, the 16th century Italian commentator, states that in this story, Jacob, a stranger, chastises the workers for quitting early, thereby depriving their employers of a full day’s work for a full day’s pay. From this, the Sforno draws an ethical mandate: a righteous man objects to a wrong he observes, even if the wrong is done to others. Thus, one can’t stand idly by when a wrong is being done to another because one is not personally affected.
The current spate of reports about sexual harassment and assault seems to be part of a hopeful paradigm shift in how these allegations are regarded. As Senator McConnell said, “I believe these women.” This marks a 180 degree turn in what we have come to expect from public figures, be they politicians, actors, corporate leaders or business bosses.
This change is necessitated by the incredible pressure the harassed (usually but not always women) are under. To report or to complain or to sue invites retribution, both personal (loss of job) and public (ranging from shame and embarrassment to threats of violence). As suggested by the Sforno, we have an ethical mandate to act. We should not permit acts of harassment to take place in front of us without comment. We should support those who have endured harassment. And most importantly, we need to hold the harassers to account, regardless of political party and regardless of the positions they hold, from the least to the highest.
