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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Jacob's Practical Side


13 October 2012
  • Genesis 32:12 – Jacob fears seeing his brother again; he prepares for this encounter with gifts (appeasement), prayer (humility?), and anticipating war (dividing the camp)
  • Naomi Rosenblatt on this episode: Unlike Abraham and Sarah -- who did a few morally questionable things for survival -- Jacob takes practical measures to protect himself and his family.  Is Rosenblatt exaggerating the differences between Abraham and Jacob?
  • Samson Rafael Hirsch on 32:12-13, where Jacob gets no response to his prayer; it comes later (32:30, blessing from the wrestling being?)
  • Then Jacob does the gift thing starting in 32:14 ff – “offering” in the JPS translation.
    • Robert Alter on מִנְחָה, mincha [which he translates as “tribute”] – gifts of a vassal to his Lord, who has the power.  Alter writes, “everything about the narrative … indicates that this ‘gift’ [was] conceived as a payment of a tribute.”  See verses 19ff on Jacob’s language of deference.
    • Giving gifts and paying special taxes were survival methods for medieval Jews.  Jacob’s tactics foretell the story of Jews as a people without territory, army, and government.  Consequently, they coped by staying under the radar, being useful, and paying bribes.  Did this tactic work?  Not in 1930s Germany.
  • 32:15-16, 550-580 animals were offered
    • Rashi on proportion of females to males; from this he derives marital duties, as in Exodus 21:10, based on rules for servants.  Females have conjugal rights.  Specifics are given in Midrash Rabbah 76:7.  Rashi also cites Mishnah Ketubot.
[Rashi] Two hundred she-goats require twenty he-goats, and so all of them, the males according to what are required by the females. In Genesis Rabbah (76:7) the Rabbis derive from here the conjugal duties stated in the Torah: 
  • Men of leisure, every day
  • laborers, twice a week
  • donkey-drivers, once a week
  • camel-drivers, once in thirty days; 
  • sailors, once in six months. 
I do not know, however, how this midrash arrives at exactly these requirements. Nevertheless, it appears to me that we learn from here that conjugal duties are not uniform with every person, but according to the burden he must bear, for we find here that he (Jacob) gave each he-goat ten she-goats, and so for each ram. Since they are free from work, they generally mate frequently and [each male] can impregnate ten females, for as soon as an animal conceives, she does not accept a male [and he is compelled to seek another mate]. With the bulls [oxen], however, since they are occupied with work, he gave each male only four females, and for a donkey, which goes long distances, two females for a male; and for camels, which go longer distances, one female for a male.
Bizarre!
  • Obligations for conjugal rights are based on nature of the man’s work – how often he’s away from home.  The parallel is the proportion of male animals to females and the work done by those males.
  • Jeffrey Rubenstein (Skirball Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, New York University) on Talmudic scholars – origin of these rules was in polygamy and potential neglect of some of the wives.  Sages were faced with obligations to study, to fulfill conjugal duties, and be fruitful. Some could study near home, but what about those who leave home to study?  From the Mishnah, the limit was 30 days, but later it was permitted to leave for several years.  Though a long absence satisfies mandate to study Torah but leaves the wife abandoned.  Today, this issue is about work that can take you away from family [workaholics and stress].
  • However, there is no mention of the number of male camels.  Was it 30 total or 30 females + colts?  
Rashi - According to the Midrash Aggadah, the word וּבְנֵיהֶם means בַּנָאֵיהֶם, their builders [those who impregnate them], a male corresponding to a female, but since it (the camel) is discreet in mating, Scripture did not publicize it (Genesis Rabbah 76:7).
  • 32:17, Jacob divides the flock so that Esau gets his gifts in installments, increasing the blessing for Esau and maximize the efficacy
    • Sforno – each group was distinct, designed to yield maximum productivity (breeding), thus pleasing Esau
    • Ramban – allusion to future; when Jacob’s children have troubles, let God make these troubles come at intervals.  Ramban cites Beresheit Rabbah 75:13: “If misfortunes come upon my descendants, do not bring them on after the other in immediate succession; rather, grant them a respite between their misfortunes!”
  • 32:19, Munk on language of deference – a precedent for the future of the Jews.

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