Parshat Vayishlach -
What is Yaakov Doing in Shechem?

(To prepare for this shiur,
see the questions for self study.)

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Upon his arrival in Eretz Canaan, why doesn't Yaakov go home immediately? After all, he has been away from his parents for over twenty years!

Secondly, why doesn't Yaakov return immediately to Bet-El to fulfill his "neder?" Hadn't he promised God that 'should he return home safely' he would establish a 'Bet Elokim' in Bet-El (see 28:20-22)!

The first thing Yaakov does when he reaches Canaan is buy property and establish his household in Shechem. He moves on to Bet-El only much later, after the incident with Dena, and only after God commands him to do so! [See 33:18-35:1.]

What's going on?

In this week's shiur we suggest a very simple answer, based on a rather intricate analysis.

Introduction
We begin our shiur by charting out the flow of topics from parshia to parshia within Parshat Va'yishlach. See Board #1. (It is highly recommended that you click on the chart in Board #1 in order to open it in a separate browser window, so you can easily refer to it throughout the shiur.)

A careful study of this series of events raises several serious questions.

When Yaakov first left Eretz Canaan on his way to Padan Aram, God promised to 'be with him' and see to his safe return (28:15). In response to this divine promise, Yaakov made a "neder" (vow) that, should God keep His promise, he will return to Bet-El and establish a Bet-Elokim (see 28:18-22). Undoubtedly, Yaakov's safe return from Padan Aram requires his fulfillment of that neder. In fact, God Himself mentions Yaakov's promise when He commands him to 'return home':

"I am the God of Bet-El, where you anointed a matzeyva, to whom you vowed a neder. Now get up and leave this land and return to the land of your fathers." (see 31:11-13)
Therefore, upon his return, we should expect Yaakov to go immediately to Bet-El to fulfill his "neder." (See Board #2) However, for some reason, he travels first to Shechem and stays there (parshiyot B and C). (See Board #3)

Honor Thy Father...
Even more troubling is the fact that Yaakov doesn't immediately go home to Hebron, at least to say hello to his parents whom he hasn't seen in over twenty years! To prove that this was indeed Yaakov's original intention, we need only quote the Torah's description of his departure from Padan Aram:

"Yaakov got up and took his children and wives on the camels. Then he led his sheep ... and everything he acquired in Padan Aram to go to Yitzchak his father to the land of Canaan." (31:17-18)
Instead, Yaakov settles down in Shechem. In fact, we learn of Yaakov's return to his father's house only in the final pasuk before Yitzchak's death (parshia F - see 35:27-29)! (See Board #4.) For some reason, we never hear the details (or the date) of this reunion.

Only a 'Short Stop?'
At first glance, one could answer that Shechem was nothing more than a short stop along the way to Bet-El. As we know, Yaakov's young children and immense cargo forced him to travel slowly (see 33:12-15). Thus, Yaakov's 'brief stay' in Shechem could be considered no different than his 'brief stay' in Succot (see 33:17). [See "Further Iyun" regarding Yaakov's stay in Succot.]

But this approach is difficult to accept for two reasons:

1) Yaakov travelled the distance from Padan Aram to Har ha'Gilad in only seven days (see 31:21-23 and read carefully). Now that journey is much longer than the trip from the Gilad to Bet-El. (See Board #5.) Therefore, there seems to be no reason why Yaakov cannot complete the remainder of his journey to Bet-El in two or three days, a week at most!

2) Even if Yaakov does plan to 'rest' in Shechem for a few days, why would he buy a parcel of land? Furthermore, the overall impression from chapter 34 is that Yaakov and his family have pretty much settled down in Shechem (see 34:7, 34:10, 34:21 etc.).

In fact, when we consider everyone's ages according to "pshat," we are almost forced to conclude that the incident with Dena took place several years after Yaakov's arrival in Eretz Canaan! Let's explain why.

Bar-Mitzah Boys or Grown Ups?
From the Torah's description of the incident with Dena in Shechem (parshia C - 34:1-31), at least according to "pshat," Shimon and Levi must be at least in their late teens, while Dena must be at least twelve. [Even though Shechem refers to her once as a "yaldah" (see 34:4), the Torah consistently refers to her as a "na'arah" (see 34:3, 12).]

Now, let's do a quick calculation of the maximum age of Yaakov's children upon their arrival in Eretz Canaan:

Yaakov lived with Lavan for twenty years (see 31:41), but he only married Leah after working for seven years (see 29:18-23), i.e. thirteen years before his return home. Therefore, Reuven cannot be much older than 12, Shimon - 11, Levi - 10, and so on. Furthermore, Dena - Leah's seventh child (and remember - there was a break between Yehuda and Yisachar - see 30:9) - cannot be much older than five, and most probably even younger!

Even if Yaakov stayed in Succot for 18 months, as the Midrash writes (see Rashi 33:17), the problem still remains. Could the incident with Dena have taken place when she is in 'kindergarten' and Shimon, Levi, and the rest of the brothers have yet to celebrate their 'bar-mitzvahs?'

Thus, the incident at Shechem must have taken place at least five years later! This conclusion strengthens our original question. Why would Yaakov remain in Shechem for over five years without returning to Bet-El, without going home to visit his elderly parents?

'A Call for Order'
Whenever we arrive at this kind of dilemma the temptation is to 'tamper' with the chronological order of the narrative. In Chazal, this is better known as the principle of "ein mukdam u'muchar ba'Torah" - the narrative in Chumash does not necessarily progress in chronological order. Clearly, the principle of "ein mukdam u'muchar" does not mean that the stories in Chumash are recorded in purely random sequence, nor should it be understood as just a 'wildcard' solution for difficulties in pshat. Nonetheless, the Torah often records certain parshiot out of their chronological order for the purposes of development of theme and the like. [How often this phenomenon occurs is subject to a major controversy among the various commentators.]

It is important to note that "ein mukdam u'muchar" operates only at the parshia level. This means that events within a given parshia are always recorded in chronological sequence. Only a parshia in its entirety may be presented before an earlier event or vice-versa. [This style is sometimes referred to as "smichut parshiot."]

Let's see now if we can employ this principle to solve the problems raised in our shiur thus far.

We'll start by taking a closer look at the various stages of Yaakov's journey.

In the Footsteps of Avraham Avinu
We really should have begun our shiur with a more basic question: why does Yaakov stop in Shechem at all (parshia B)? Why doesn't he go directly from Succot to Bet-El or Hebron?

The answer lies in the obvious parallel between Yaakov's return to Canaan and Avraham Avinu's initial journey from Aram. He, too, first stopped in Shechem and built a mizbayach:

"And Avram passed through the land, to the place of Shechem ... and God appeared to Avram and said: 'I am giving this land to your offspring,' and he built there a mizbayach to the Lord who appeared to him." (12:6-7)
[Compare also 12:5 with 31:17-18!!]
In a very similar manner, Yaakov also makes Shechem his first stop, and he too builds there a mizbayach (see 33:18-20). However, in contrast to Avram, Yaakov also invests in some 'real-estate' - he buys a field (see 33:19). Soon we will explain why.

If Yaakov is indeed following in his grandfather's footsteps (as his arrival in Shechem suggests) then he too should continue directly to Bet-El, just as Avraham Avinu did (see 12:7-8). Of course, Yaakov had another reason to proceed directly to Bet-El - to fulfill his "neder." We would have then expected him to continue from Bet-El on to Hebron to see his parents.

Why then does he stay in Shechem? Just because he bought some 'real-estate?'

One could suggest exactly the opposite. Yaakov did not stay in Shechem! He stopped there only to build a mizbayach, thus thanking God for his safe arrival. [Read 33:18 ("shalem") and 33:20 ("Kel Elokei Yisrael") carefully!] He stayed there only briefly, purchasing a plot of land as an investment for the future. Immediately thereafter, he continued to Bet-El (parshia E), just as Avraham Avinu had, and just as Yaakov had promised in his "neder." (See Board #6.)

For some reason (which we will soon explain), the Torah records this part of his journey (E) only much later (in 35:9). [Note the "pey" before pasuk 9, which indicates the beginning of a new parshia.]:

"And God 'od' ['had already' or 'again?'] appeared unto Yaakov upon his arrival from Padan Aram, and blessed him ... then Yaakov set up a matzeyva at this site ... and called the name of this site Bet-El. Then they travelled towards Efrat [i.e. on the way toward Hebron], and Rachel gave birth with complications [and then died]..." (see 35:9-19)
Our claim is that this entire parshia (E - 35:9-22) actually took place immediately upon Yaakov's arrival from Padan Aram (as its opening pasuk suggests - compare with 33:18!), several years before the incident with Dena in Shechem (parshia C - 34:1-35:8).

A very strong proof to this claim may be drawn from the words of Yaakov himself (to Yosef) before his death:

"... when I was returning from Padan, Rachel died on the road, while still a long distance from Efrat, and I buried her on the way..." (see 48:7)
Yaakov himself states that Rachel died during his original journey from Padan to Eretz Canaan. He would not have spoken of her death (parshia E) as having occurred "when I was returning from Padan" if she died only after Yaakov had spent several years in Shechem (parshiyot B and C).

Furthermore, why did Yaakov travel from Bet-El southward, towards Efrat? Most likely, he was on the way home to his father in Hebron! In other words, Yaakov did return immediately to visit his father, just as we expected him to. (See Board #7.)

[For some reason, the Torah does not record the details of this encounter. But this question remains no matter how we explain the order of the parshiot, for only in the final summary psukim (i.e. 35:27-29) are we told that Yaakov had returned to Yitzchak, and even there it appears to be only for Yitzchak's burial. Obviously, Yaakov must have gone to visit his father much earlier.]

The New Order
Before we continue, let's review the order of events (and hence the order of the parshiot) according to this interpretation.

After successfully confronting Esav (parshia A), Yaakov continues on to Eretz Canaan, stopping first in Shechem to build a mizbayach and thank God (parshia B), just as Avraham Avinu had done. While in Shechem, he buys a parcel of land for 'future use,' hoping to one day return to this area with his family. After buying the field and building a mizbayach, Yaakov continues to Bet-El to fulfill his "neder" (parshia E). There, God confirms the blessing of "bechira" and changes his name from Yaakov to Yisrael (see 35:9-12). [According to our suggestion, Yaakov had been blessed by the "malach" only several days earlier! See 32:26-28 and Shiur #1 on Vayishlach]. Even though he is not in a position at this time to build the actual Bet-Elokim that he promised, he re-affirms his promise by once again anointing the matzeyva and calling that site Bet-El (see 35:14-15). (See Board #6, again.) [See "Further Iyun" section for a more complete discussion.]

Next, Yaakov travels toward Hebron to see his parents. Along the way, Rachel dies and is buried on the roadside (still parshia E - see 35:16). (See Board #7, again.) Then, he sets up tent in Migdal Eder (see 35:21), most likely in an area not too far from Yitzchak's home. It is here that the incident with Reuven and Bilha takes place (35:22). Although we may reasonably assume that Yaakov sharply criticized Reuven, the Torah for some reason abruptly curtails this story, right in the middle of a sentence! [See 35:22! See also 49:4!]

Some time later, maybe a year or two (or even five), Yaakov moves with his family to Shechem - after all, he did purchase a parcel of land there specifically for that purpose. By now, the children are older - old enough for the incident with Dena (as detailed in parshia C - chapter 34) to occur. (See Board #8.) Now, it also makes sense that the people of Shechem see Yaakov as a permanent neighbor, rather than a transient, and they therefore seek marital and economic ties with Yaakov's family. Finally, this also explains why specifically Shimon and Levi take leadership roles at this time; Reuven had most likely been 'demoted' from his position as firstborn after the incident with Bilha (35:22).

After the brothers wipe out Shechem, Yaakov fears the revenge of the neighboring population. God therefore commands him to move from Shechem to Bet-El for protection (parshia D - see 35:1-7). Just as Bet-El had protected Yaakov when he was faced with the threat of his brother Esav, so will Bet-El protect Yaakov now from his latest crisis. [Note how specifically this point - danger from Esav - is mentioned over and over again in this parshia (i.e. 35:1-8, see 35:1,3,7!). Note also that these psukim imply a recent, immense expansion of Yaakov's family and possessions (see 35:6 - "v'chol ha'am asher imo" and 35:2 - "v'el kol asher imo"). This may also explain why Yaakov must remind these 'newcomers' to rid themselves of their idols before ascending to Bet-El (35:2).]

So Yaakov now moves his permanent residence to Bet-El, which had already been established as his Bet Elokim (back in parshia E, which had already happened), and accordingly builds a mizbayach (parshia D - see 35:1,3,7, and see Board #9). [It makes sense that the matzeyva, marking the spot (in parshia E), should be set up before the mizbayach (in parshia D), for the matzeyva is the symbol of God's presence and the mizbayach is set in front of it (see Shmot 24:4!). Again, this fits nicely if we place 35:9-15 (E) before 35:1-8 (D)!]

Finally, Yaakov returns to Hebron before Yitzchak's death (parshia F - see 35:27-29). (See Board #10.)

Let's use a chart once again to show the 'new order' of the parshiot - see Board #11. (Contrast with Board #1.)

Thus, by simply changing the location of a single parshia, nearly all our questions are solved. However, our approach raises a much bigger question: why isn't this parshia (E - 35:9-22) recorded where it belongs? As stated above, the Torah will present events out of chronological sequence only when there is a compelling reason to do so.

As usual, we must return to the primary theme of Sefer Breishit - the process of "bechira" and "dechiya" to answer this question.

Recall from previous shiurim that the theme of Sefer Breishit progresses with each set of Sifrei Toladot. Throughout the progression, someone from among the "toladot" is 'chosen' while the others are 'rejected.' Recall also that in Parshat Va'yishlach we are still under the 'header' of "toldot Yitzchak" (see 25:19). The story of "toldot Yitzchak" clearly reaches its conclusion with the parshia of 35:23-29 (F), which describes Yitzchak's death. [Note also that "toldot Esav" (parshia G - 36:1) follow immediately afterward.]

This parshia, 35:23-29 (F), must therefore appear at the conclusion of "toldot Yitzchak." But why was parshia E transplanted from its chronological location to here, immediately preceding parshia F? The answer lies in the somewhat innocuous though very telling statement that introduces F:

"And the children of Yaakov were twelve..." (see 35:23-26)
Unlike Avraham and Yitzchak, all of Yaakov's children are 'chosen' - even his children from the maidservants, even Reuven who had most likely been cursed, etc. One could suggest that the Torah takes the entire parshia E - which ends with the incident with Reuven and Bilha (that most likely took place much earlier) - from its chronological location and intentionally places it here - directly before the concluding statement of 35:22 - to stress that all of Yaakov's children are chosen - even Reuven! [See Ramban 35:22! See also Rashi, Chizkuni and Radak 35:22.]

This interpretation may also explain why 35:22 ends mid-sentence. It would seem that the pasuk should end with Yaakov's curse of Reuven, which becomes apparent in 49:4. However, because the whole point is to show that Reuven remains part of the 'chosen family,' the second half of the sentence is 'cut off.' Instead, the entire parshia is attached to the statement "and the children of Yaakov were twelve - the children of Leah: the firstborn of Yaakov = Reuven, and Shimon, Levi..." (i.e., the beginning of parshia F - 35:23-24).

[One could suggest further that once the Torah informs us that Yaakov had purchased a parcel of land in Shechem (parshia B - 33:19), Chumash continues with what later took place in Shechem as a result of this purchase, i.e. parshiyot C and D - 34:1-35:8. Then, after completing that story, Chumash returns to the story of Yaakov's first 'return' to Bet-El (parshia E - 35:9-22), which in fact took place much earlier.]

In closing, I must admit to having some reservations regarding the conclusions of this shiur. Hopefully it provides some 'food for thought' worthy of your consideration. Your comments are welcome!

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For Further Iyun
A. Rashi on 33:17 quotes the Midrash that Yaakov spent 18 months in Succot! This does not appear to be "pshat." In any event, this pirush only strengthens the question of why Yaakov did not return earlier. It does, however, slightly raise the age of Yaakov's children by the time the Shechem episode occurs, rendering this story a bit more feasible.

B. It is unclear whether Yaakov ever builds the Bet-Elokim as he had promised in 28:21. See the meforshim on that pasuk who deal with this question, as well as the meforshim here on 35:14. Nonetheless, anointing the matzeyva and calling that site Bet-El (see 35:14-15) clearly reveal Yaakov's intention to eventually build the Bet-Elokim, even though the final goal may not be realized until Bnei Yisrael conquer Eretz Canaan in the time of Yehoshua. See Devarim 12:8-12, "v'akmal."

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