with my mother being a hebrew school teacher, bible story books were a household fixture. with her sometimes working as a substitute, our bookshelf was filled with text books for all ages and grades. most repeated the same stories with varying levels of english and artwork. my entertainment time often was spent eitehr watching tv or pouring of books with titles such as “heroes of the bible”. the torah portion vayishlach, however, contains a torah story omitted from these texts; a very “adult” story which is foundational towards the ten commandments.
before discussing vayishlach, we must digress. the torah’s timing of events is impeccable. stories are surrounded by events offering context. an extreme example of this was a death sentence imposed for collecting wood on the sabbath. numbers 15:32. prior to this event, in numbers 14, there had been the betrayal by those charged to scout the promised land which created dissent. god confronts moses with respect to the children of israel’s lack of faith. moses convinces god to stay faithful and to forgive the children of israel. numbers 14:20. thus, this unnamed man’s sabbath violation can at one of the worst times imaginable. it was the time and the place to send an immediate harsh message.
in valishlach, jacob encounters difficult times. his beloved with rachel dies in childbirth. he is now to raise benjamin on his own. compounding this, the torah describes him burying his wife while on the road. at that time, jacob’s oldest son, reuben does the unthinkable; the torah states “and it was when israel was tenting in that land: and reuben went and lay with bilhah, his father’s concubine. and israel heard.” honoring one’s parents, adultery and coveting were concepts lacking in reuben at the time. professor richard elliot friedman, in his commentary on the torah, notes that with respect to that moment reuben will pay dearly.
the ten commandments’ uniqueness are that they contain no punishment for violations. reuben’s father jacob, in this matter, waited to the very end to exact justice. with his deathbed blessings, jacob deprives reuben of his right of the firstborn. jacob provides the reason being “for you ascended your father’s bed; then you defiled, going up to my couch.” genesis 49:3-4.
in sum, this “adult” episode is worthy of being included in a foundational event with respect to the ten commandments.
be well!!
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