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26 Old Mill Road, Great Neck, NY 11023 (516) 487-6100 Shabbat Announcements Ki Teitzei 5781
run. This is how the Torah describes Jacob’s feelings for Reuben and Simeon. (Gen. 48:5) Later in the same chapter,
Rachel: Jacob loved Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you he says: “I am about to die; but God will be with you and
(Laban) seven years in return for your younger daughter bring you back to the land of your fathers. And now, I
Rachel.” So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, but they assign you one portion more than to your brothers, which I
seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for wrested from the Amorites with my sword and bow” (Gen.
her…And Jacob cohabited with Rachel also; indeed, he loved 48:21-22). There are many interpretations of this verse,
Rachel more than Leah. And he served him (Laban) another but according to Rashi, “This refers to the birthright, that
seven years. (Genesis 29:18-30) And this is its description Joseph’s children should receive two portions when Canaan
of the impact it had on Leah: When the Lord saw that Leah would be divided amongst the tribes.” Jacob’s other children
was hated, He enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained would receive one portion, while Joseph would receive two,
childless. Leah conceived and bore a son, and named him one for each of his sons Ephraim and Manasseh.
Reuben; for she declared, “It means: ‘The Lord has seen my
affliction’; it also means: ‘Now my husband will love me.’” It is against this practice that the law in our parsha is
She conceived again and bore a son, and declared, “This is directed. That is what is extraordinary. Jacob/Israel is the
because the Lord heard that I was hated and has given me father of our people. But specifically in this respect, his
this one also,” so she named him Simeon. (Gen. 29:31-33) conduct must not be taken as a precedent. We are
forbidden to act as he did. The Torah is not telling us that
I have translated the word senuah here as “hated” simply to Jacob did wrong. There are all sorts of explanations that
give a sense of the shock of the text as it is in Hebrew. We reconcile his behavior with later law. Jacob did not keep the
also understand why this word is used. Leah was, as the Torah except in the land of Israel (Ramban), and his gift of
text says, loved less than Rachel. Jacob did not hate her, a double portion to Joseph happened in Egypt. We are
but she felt hated, because less loved, thus unloved. This forbidden to transfer the birthright on grounds of love
feeling dominated her marriage as we see in the names she alone, but we may do so if we believe that the firstborn has
gave her eldest children. The rivalry continues and significant character deficiencies, which Jacob believed to be
intensifies in the next generation: When his brothers saw true of Reuben (Gen. 49:3-4; Abarbanel).
that their father loved him (Joseph) more than any of his
brothers, they hated him and could not speak a peaceful But the law is telling us something very profound indeed.
word to him. (Genesis 37:4) Less loved, the brothers felt Love is the highest of emotions. We are commanded to love
hated, and so they hated the more loved Joseph. Love God with all our heart, soul and might. But it is also, in
generates conflict, even though none of the parties want family contexts, fraught with danger. Love ruined Jacob’s
conflict. Jacob didn’t hate Leah or her sons or the sons of life, time and again: in his relationship with Esau (Isaac
the handmaids. He did not deliberately decide to love Rachel loved Esau, Rebecca loved Jacob), in the relationship
and later Joseph. Love doesn’t work like that. It happens to between Leah and Rachel, and in the relationship between
us, usually not of our choosing. Yet those outside the Joseph and his brothers. Love brings joy. It also brings
relationship can feel excluded and unloved. This feels like tears. It brings some people close, but makes others feel
being hated. The Torah uses the word senuah to tell us how distanced, rejected. Therefore, says the Torah, in our
serious the feeling is. It is not enough to say “I love you command: when love is likely to be the cause of conflict, it
too,” when every act, every word, every look says, “I love must take second place to justice. Love is partial, justice is
someone else more.” impartial. Love is for someone specific; justice is for
everyone. Love brings personal satisfaction; justice brings
Which brings us to inheritance. Joseph was the eleventh of social order.
Jacob’s twelve sons, but the firstborn of Jacob’s beloved
Rachel. Jacob proceeded to do what our parsha tells us not Judaism is the most effective attempt in history to provide
to do. He deprived Reuven, his and Leah’s firstborn, of the the proper balance between the particular and the
birthright, the double portion, and gave it instead to Joseph. universal. It is both. It worships the universal God by way
To Joseph he said: Now, your two sons, who were born to of a particular faith. It believes in a universal connection
you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, shall between God and humanity – we are all in God’s image
be mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine no less than (Gen. 1:27) – and a particular one – “My child, My firstborn,
Israel” (Ex. 4:22). It believes in a universal covenant with
Noah, and a particular one, with Abraham and later the
Great Neck Synagogue Israelites. So, it believes in the universality of justice and
26 Old Mill Road, Great Neck , NY 11023 the particularity of love and the importance of both. When it
516-487-6100 comes to the relationship between humans, there is an
order of priority. First create justice, then express love. For
Rabbi Dale Polakoff, Rabbi if we let those priorities be reversed, allowing injustice in
Rabbi Ian Lichter, Assistant Rabbi the name of love, we will divide and destroy families and
Rabbi Yehoshua Lefkowitz, Intern Rabbi groups and suffer the consequences for a long time. A
Dr. Ephraim Wolf, z”l, Rabbi Emeritus
Yitzy Spinner, Cantor seemingly minor law about inheritance is in fact a major
Eleazer Schulman, z”l, Cantor Emeritus statement of Jewish values. I believe that Judaism got it
Rabbi Sholom Jensen, Youth Director right by placing love at the heart of the religious life – love
Zehava & Dr. Michael Atlas, Youth Directors of God, neighbor and stranger – but at the same time
Mark Twersky, Executive Director recognizing that without justice, love will not save us. It
Dr. James Frisch, Assistant Director may even destroy us.
Jordan Wolf, President
Dov Sassoon, Chairman of the Board