Parashat Vayetzei
28thNovember 2025
Week 22-29 November 2027
Torah portion: Genesis 28:10-32:3 Haftarah: Hosea 11:7-12:12
Theme: The Journey Within
Genesis 4:1 and 4:25 have always intrigued me because of Eve’s awareness of God in childbirth as stated in 4:1: “I have obtained a son from the Lord.” (NCB); “Both I and the LORD have made a man” (‘Women’s Commentary’); and 4:25 “God has granted me another child to take the place of Abel whom Cain killed.” ‘The Women’s Commentary’ p. 157 states concerning Parashat Vayetzei that “Genesis acknowledges that conception ensues from sexual relations; but that the subtext for the female journey cycle indicates that its success requires not only intimacy between the man and the woman but also between the woman and God.” It is also note-worthy that the naming of the children, mainly sons in this Parasha, by the mother encodes the memory of her journey from barrenness to fertility, e.g.: 23 She (Rachel) conceived and bore a son and said, “God has removed my dishonor.” 24 She named him Joseph saying, “May the Lord grant me another son.” (chapter 30).
We also note in this Parasha the competition between Leah and Rachel for the love of both Jacob and the LORD God, “while simultaneously birthing the people of Israel” (Ibid). We shall see the regard shown these two Matriarchs in Ruth 4:11: “All the people who were in the gateway and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman (Ruth) who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, both of whom built up the house of Israel. May you prosper in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem.”
‘The Women’s Commentary’ gives the theme to this Parasha as ‘The Journey Within’. We have looked at the women’s growth from barrenness to fertility as their growth in intimacy with God by recognizing his love and generosity towards them. Rachel and Leah come to some reconciliation when they agreed with Jacob when he told them about their father’s rejection of him and the father’s continued cheating of him though God has not forgotten his promise to Jacob at the beginning of this Parasha (31:4-12). They agree that they no longer belong with their father but with Jacob and ‘the God of Beth El’.
The following is the footnote on 28:1 from the NCB which demonstrates God’s journey with the refugee, Jacob, in preparation for his plan for him as the one who is to become Israel: “God does not delay in giving the refugee signs of his goodwill toward him, and the Mesopotamian period of Jacob’s life is set between two important theophanies (the second is in 32:25-31). Upon him is to be built the ladder that he saw in a vision and that unites earth with heaven. The Mesopotamian temple towers were monuments of this kind; by means of them human beings expressed their dream of making the divinity come down to them. Jacob honors the place of the unexpected vision; it will become a sanctuary visited by people until it begins to rival the official sanctuary in Jerusalem (1 Ki 12:26-32; etc.). Jesus Christ, a descendant of Jacob, will tell his first apostles that the heavens will open and that the ladder of the vision is becoming a reality in his person (Jn 1:51). Our liturgy makes the patriarch’s exclamation (Gen 28:17) its own when it celebrates the dedication of a church, which is the sign of the Christian community that prolongs the presence of the Savior on earth.”
For Reflection and Discussion:
1) What has been a peak experience of God for you? How have you grown in your closeness to the Triune God or a particular Person of the Trinity?
Bibliography: Eskenazi, T. C. Weiss, A.L. A Women’s Commentary (New York: 2008); https //www.biblegateway.com. NCB translation and notes.
This week’s Parasha Commentary was prepared by
Bernadette Teresa Chellew, KZN, South Africa, Bat Kol Alumna: 2008
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