Parsha Va-Yetzi is a chronicle of Jacob’s life filled with years of familial discord, deceit, contempt and lying while living with his father-in-law Laban. While there is much negativity in this parsha, I want to focus on an incident that is mentioned only in passing. There are only two lines of text dedicated to the event, yet I believe it is a pivotal turning point for Jacob. I am referring to the birth of Jacob’s son, Joseph (Gen 30:23-24).
I love reading and watching biographies about all kinds of people: historical figures, successful businessmen, entertainers, inventors, scientists, etc. You name it, I love biographies. Why? Because I love discovering that one moment that changed the trajectory of an otherwise average person’s life (assuming that person was not brilliant like Einstein and destined for greatness anyway). Was it a chance encounter, a hardship endured, a stroke of luck or a combination of things that allowed a person to leave behind their unassuming existence and become a figure worthy of a one-hour documentary special on the BIO channel?
In parsha Va-Yetzi I see the birth of Jacob’s son, Joseph, as a pivotal moment in Jacob’s life. Until the birth of his son, Jacob has never stood up for himself. The torah tells us that Jacob reluctantly deceives his father at the encouragement of his mother, Jacob does not contest the underhanded bride swap on his wedding night, he works as an indentured laborer, without complaint, for an extra seven years, he consorts back and forth between two wives and their servants to try and make these desperate women happy (although I’m sure there were no complaints from Jacob on this matter) and Jacob has never confronted Laban who cheats him and changes his wages numerous times (Gen 31:7). Jacob is passive and non-confrontational. Definitely a Type-B personality….until the birth of Joseph.
The Torah mentions the birth of Joseph in Gen 30:23-24 and then the very next line reads, “After Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, ‘Give me leave to go back to my own homeland. Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served you, that I may go; for well you know what services I have rendered you.’” (Gen 30:25-26). Jacob has found his voice. He is empowered. FINALLY! Why now? What is it about the birth of Joseph that finally makes Jacob “man-up”?
Joseph is the first child borne by Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife. After so many frustrating years of trying to have a baby with Rachel… and after Jacob has fathered eleven children through Leah (a wife he did not love) and two concubines… Jacob and Rachel finally have a son of their own! Perhaps those echoes from the past - something about a covenant, a great nation, and descendants as numerous as the stars – begin to pull at Jacob. Jacob knows it’s time “to make provision for (his) own household” (Gen 30:30). It’s time to return to the land of Abraham and Isaac and prepare the next generation to carry on the covenant. Initially Jacob realizes he can’t just pack up the tent and camels and go. He can’t just run off like he did when he left his parent’s home. Jacob has built a life in Haran. He has two wives and numerous children. And more importantly, his livelihood is intertwined with that of his father-in-law, Laban. Jacob is forced to speak up. He is forced to confront. He is forced to take a stand. Of course, we all know that Jacob’s best intentions to negotiate a separation from Laban fall short and Jacob resorts to his old patterns of running away. But finding his voice is an important first step toward empowerment for Jacob.
But there may be a more subliminal reason the birth of Joseph is a turning point for Jacob. When Rachel gives birth she says, “God has taken away my disgrace.” (Gen 30:23). Perhaps this is how Jacob felt as well, but for very different reasons. Perhaps the birth of his beloved son allows Jacob to begin confronting the disgrace that has been hanging over him all of these years for the deceit of his blind father and for stealing the blessing of the first born. Maybe the new life borne by Rachel allows Jacob to envision a new spiritual life for himself. One not marred with disgrace. Perhaps Jacob realizes the amends he must begin to make. It will be a long journey, for sure. But it appears to be a path on which Jacob seems ready to take the first steps.
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