All about the missing idols?

Torah Study 8/24

Genesis 31:25-37

Laban chased after Jacob... Accused Jacob.

Rachel stole Laban's gods.

Rachel sat on the gods to hide them...

Face to face confrontation.

How does it feel to be accused?

Justified or not.

V25 Laban caught up with Jacob.

Pitch tent... Wording Hebrew.

Taft kuf ayin ...to give a blast. As in the shofar takiah....

Thrust...relation to pitching a tent,

Confrontation between the two forces. (Arameans ve Hebrews)

"what have you done?"

Accusation of wrongdoing. Used several times in Torah in same words.

Laban says:

"You carried off my daughters like war captives."

Term is like cattle driven out...

Laban presenting himself as the innocent victim..

Dramatic irony..

V28: would have given the a party... Expresses sadness... Why did you sneak off?

And you stoke from me...his family,

Sons refer to grandsons.

Kimkee ... Grandchildren are like children.

Not let him kiss them.

Kiss in Gen 41:40 about Joseph ...idiom connected to household..through mouth all sustained.

Reference Laban not permitted to give them anything.

Robert Alter. Laban..presenting himself in an inappropriate way.

Parallel to the story about Esau...

Threat.. He can hurt them... If he wants to

Book...Growth thru Torah.

Threat is a sign of power... Contradicts his show of affection.,.

Then explains why he won't hurt them..

God of your fathers ... Warned Laban not to do anything to Jacob

Another accusation,,,you longed for your fathers house...why did he steal the idols.

Focus on the importance of the idols.

Do different religions borrow icons and symbols from each other... Is it stealing their "idols".

More radical way to look at it is that this is an internal dialog with himself...he is being accused of stealing... Again and again.