This week’s Torah portion, Vayeitzei, shifts the narrative of the Book of Genesis by portraying the dreadful consequences of deceit.
The Book of Genesis routinely uses treachery to depict wit and sophistication. Abraham deceives the Pharaoh to survive and enrich his household. Isaac does the same when he resides with Abimelech. Jacob wrests both blessing and birthright from his more powerful brother, Esau, through trickery and deception. In each instance, dishonesty yields rewards from a more powerful foe without consequence.
However, in Parashat Vayeitzei, Jacob and his family discover the dreadful costs of living lives filled with deceit and treachery. Jacob, who must flee to Haran due to his treachery, is quickly betrayed by his kinsman Laban. After promising his daughter, Rachel, to Jacob in exchange for seven years of labor, Laban swaps Rachel with Leah at the altar, and Jacob must work an additional seven years for Rachel. Then, after agreeing to give Jacob the spotted and speckled sheep from his flock, Laban steals them at night, giving them to his sons. Jacob returns the favor by devising a plan to sire additional speckled and spotted sheep before departing for Canaan. Finally, Rachel steals Laban’s idols and hides them, leading to a heated confrontation between a distrustful Jacob and an exasperated Laban.
Once depicted as a means of securing safety and prosperity, treachery represents a source of conflict, frustration, and resentment in Parashat Vayeitzei. As the parashah illustrates, all of our interactions—commercial, communal, and familial—depend upon trust. However, in Jacob and Laban’s Haran—a world filled with deception and lies—trust is nowhere to be found.
As misinformation and propaganda intensify through the use of advanced technologies and as authors, reporters, businesspeople, and politicians alike appear content to employ deception and betrayal to their immediate advantage, we would be wise to remember the lesson of Jacob and Laban’s Haran: A world without trust ultimately benefits no one.
–Rabbi Josh Knobel