My Musing
The midrash begins with a teaching about the ir miklat, the city of refuge to which a person guilty of negligent homicide flees. This refuge is practically for life and becomes a defacto exile. From ths idea of exile, the midrash quickly refocuses on Yaakov, who is seen as going into exile. Like the person who committed negligent homicide, Yaakov flees for his life. Eisav, like the goel hadam, the avenger, is seeking to right a wrong and will do so with the life of Yaakov.
But where a negligent murderer is to spend his exile contemplating his sin in fear of retribution, God appears to Yaakov in a dream. The dream leaves Yaakov with a sense of foreboding but hope.
I believe the real message is that the midrash, while recognizing the apparent guilt in Yaakov’s actions, is making clear that Yaakov is not guilty. Otherwise, why would God visit Yaakov with such brilliance that the rocks melt together?
The midrash begins with a teaching about the ir miklat, the city of refuge to which a person guilty of negligent homicide flees. This refuge is practically for life and becomes a defacto exile. From ths idea of exile, the midrash quickly refocuses on Yaakov, who is seen as going into exile. Like the person who committed negligent homicide, Yaakov flees for his life. Eisav, like the goel hadam, the avenger, is seeking to right a wrong and will do so with the life of Yaakov.
But where a negligent murderer is to spend his exile contemplating his sin in fear of retribution, God appears to Yaakov in a dream. The dream leaves Yaakov with a sense of foreboding but hope.
I believe the real message is that the midrash, while recognizing the apparent guilt in Yaakov’s actions, is making clear that Yaakov is not guilty. Otherwise, why would God visit Yaakov with such brilliance that the rocks melt together?
מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת ויצא סימן א
(בראשית פרק כח:יא) " וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם וַיָּלֶן שָׁם כִּי בָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וַיִּקַּח מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם וַיָּשֶׂם מְרַאֲשֹׁתָיו וַיִּשְׁכַּב בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא"
ילמדנו רבינו:
Our Rabbi will teach:
If one kills through negligence, where does he flee?
The Rabbis taught: One who kills by mistake, is exiled to the city of refuge, three on this side of the river and three within the boundaries of the land of Canaan.
If one kills through negligence, where does he flee?
The Rabbis taught: One who kills by mistake, is exiled to the city of refuge, three on this side of the river and three within the boundaries of the land of Canaan.
ההורג את הנפש בשגגה להיכן היה גולה?
כך שנו רבותינו: ההורג נפש בשגגה גולה לערי מקלט, לשלש הערים שבעבר הירדן ושלש שבארץ כנען.
It is on the idea of exile that the midrash transitions to our weekly Torah reading and Yaakov. Yaakov was exiled. He ran for his life, and feared that Eisav would kill him. When God saw how distressed Yaakov was, He appeared to Yaakov in a dream. (The midrash assumes that the reader knows the dream).
ויעקב אבינו גלה לחרן. בורח בנפשו ונתיירא שלא יהרוג אותו הרשע עשו אחיו. מכיון שראהו הקדוש ברוך הוא בצרה גדולה, נגלה עליו בחלום.
Here the midrash moves to a tangential discussion. Rabbi Abahu said in the name of Resh Lakish, that when the stones under Yaakov's head "saw" (read 'perceived') the glory of The Holy One blessed be He, they melted into one rock.
אמר רבי אבהו בשם רבי שמעון בן לקיש, כיון שראו האבנים שהיו תחת מראשותיו כבודו של הקדוש ברוך הוא, נמחו כלם ונעשו אבן אחת.
From where do we know this? From the apparent contradiction in the text. At the outset the scripture details that Yaakov "took from the stones of the place" before he went to sleep and upon arising it details that he took the (single) stone that was under his head.
מנין?
שעד שלא ישן כתיב "וַיִּקַּח מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם" אבנים הרבה כיון שננער כתיב (בראשית כח:יח) "וַיִּקַּח אֶת הָאֶבֶן אֲשֶׁר שָׂם מְרַאֲשֹׁתָיו" אבן אחת.
אין תגובות:
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