The Stranger and the Dweller

Weekly Torah Lesson

Parasha:  va yeshev – and he dwelt
Torah:  Bereishit 37:1 – 40:23

And Ya’akov dwelled in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. (Bereishit 37:1)

This week’s Torah Lesson gives us a glimpse Into the lives of two men. The father, Yitzak, followed the tradition of his father, Avraham, and was known as a “stranger” in a land that he dwelt in his entire life.  He and his family lived in tents as he managed to stay separated from the local natives while living out the one hundred and eighty years of his life. His son, Ya’akov, was called a “dweller” even though he lived outside of the land  for more than forty years of his life. The Torah seems to be using the terms, “stranger” and “dweller” in a different way to teach us a lesson.

Here is an example of both men’s lifestyles:

Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. (Ge 26:17)

And he bought the parcel of land, where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money. (Ge 33:19 )

When Avraham was looking for a wife for Yitzak, he directed his servant, “..do not bring my son out of this land…  Avraham also directed his servant, “…do not take a woman from this land for my son’s wife..”.  Avraham was protecting Yitzak from “assimilating” the blood line with the people of Canaan. 

When Yaakov was forced to flee Canaan he went to his mother’s brother and dwelt with him for twenty years. In those twenty years Yaakov married two of Lavan’s daughters and took their “nurse maids” as concubines.     

Yaakov was immersed in his uncle’s idolatrous traditions.  When he fled Lavan, Rachel “stole” two of Lavan’s household idols which later cost her, her life. More idols showed up later when Avinu called Yaakov to build an altar in Beit El and Yaakov instructed his family to “..take off your sacred rings and give them to me along with the other idols..”. 

We also read where Yaakov,

And Yaakov journeyed to Succoth, built himself a house, and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth. (Ge 33:17)

There are other accounts of Yaakov and or his family mingled with the native inhabitants in the course of their everyday lives. The Scriptures seem to indicate that Yaakov was a little too friendly with the inhabitants.  This could be the reason why Yaakov was sent down to Mitzryim to wait for the iniquity of the inhabitants of Canaan to reach the point where Avinu would remove them from the land and establish Israel in their place.

My thought is that Avinu saw that Yaakov and his family were  not able to resist the assimilation that would completely ruin their ability to inherit the land and so He sent them to a place that would forcibly help them to preserve their generations until the time of the gentiles was fulfilled and the transfer of the land could be executed.