Redeeming the Sparks Parsha Vayeitzei

[barbara1]

Lavan tries to get Yaakov to stay and "mix" in with his family.  He wants there to be one culture of his family and Yaakov's family - without any distinctions.  But Yaakov firmly rejects this offer because he knows that he must remain convicted to his values - the values he received from Avraham and Yitzchak.  He knows  that mixing with Lavan's family is not beneficial to his childrens' education.   This can be a very tricky situation when dealing with one's own family who may not be religious.   Family is family, no?  But knowing where to draw the line without insulting people or causing bad feelings can be very challenging.   If you are too "strict" about the values you don't want your children exposed to, you risk alientating your relatives.   I'm not saying this is impossible  -  I've been doing it myself for many years  -  but it is always a challenging situation.

[Jenna1]

This class was such a wonderful example of not taking anything taught in Torah at face value.  The story of the dudaim seems so strange at first (well it did to me...) but with the deeper understanding it's such a powerful story (and message).  But, because Rachel wanted to show it to Yaakov so strongly because of it's demonstration of how the next generation was learning and growing, she gave up quite a bit.  However, would Leah not have been proud to do the same thing?  Is Leah not considered as much of a "mother" as Rachel? 

Thank you!
Jenna

[Moderator]

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