Friday, November 19, 2010

Daily Aliya for Vayishlach, Shishi (6th Aliya)

Aliya Summary: Jacob's family continued on towards Chevron. While en route, Rachel, Jacob's beloved wife, passed away while giving birth to her second son, Benjamin. Jacob buried her on the spot, on the roadside leading to Bethlechem. They traveled yet further, and Jacob's eldest son, Reuven, interfered with his father's marital life. At long last, Jacob arrived in Chevron. Isaac died, and was buried in the Cave of Machpelah alongside his wife and parents. The Torah now lists the wives and descendents of Esav, who left Canaan and settled in Se'ir.

Some say that Reuven moved Yakov's bed from the tent of Bilha - where Yakov had placed it after Rachel's death - into his mother's tent. The Torah's cryptic description of what he did is considered a sharp rebuke for his actions, which were disrespectful to his father. What type of "rebuke" is it for us to read it thousands of years later? Unless the legacy of Reuven takes a hit when we think of him negatively (as does anyone's legacy), to which the Torah is (and by extension we should be) sensitive to.

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