A Torah Portion Vayetze passage ignites a literary journey that leads to one of the primary aspects of both divine relationships and covenants. In Vayetze, while Jacob is fleeing to Harran to avoid his brother Esau’s wrath, he experiences a life-changing dream. This transformative event —upon review —surprisingly shares similarities to the Exodus. Some of these shared aspects deal with basic human interests.
The particular Vayetze passage’s theme addresses a central part of human-deity relationship. This interest’s significance can be measured by its further references in both the Torah’s commandments and in a famous prophetic declaration.
To appreciate, one must initially delve into Jacob’s journey.
The Tale
Jacob, after stealing his brother Esau’s blessing from their father Isaac, flees out of the country to Harran. During this flight, his dream of a ladder reaching into the sky occurs. Within it, Jacob receives his Patriarchal Covenant from God. This God being the God of Abraham and Isaac; and now, the God of Jacob. See Genesis 28: 13:15.
After the dream, there is the passage of interest: “And Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me and watch over me in this way that I’m going and give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, and I come back in peace to my father’s house, the Lord will become my God, and this stone that I set as a pillar will be God’s house and everything that you’ll give me I’ll tithe to you.'” Genesis 28:20-22.
For the Torah-fluent, this passage gives pause. God providing bread to eat and clothing to wear has an Exodus connection. In Deuteronomy, Moses speaks of God feeding the Children of Israel manna. Deuteronomy 8:3. Further, Moses, in addressing apparel, notes to the Children of Israel that during their wandering that: “Your garments didn’t wear out on you.” Deuteronomy 8:4. (Note: Moses also noted to the Children of Israel that: “[y]our shoe did not become worn on your foot.” Deuteronomy 29:4)
In essence, what Jacob asked for in his journey to Harran, his progeny— the Children of Israel — received during their forty years in the wilderness.
Food and clothing as being a focal part of humanity’s relationship with God goes back to creation. With Adam and Eve, they are placed in the Garden of Eden with plenty to eat. Genesis 2:16. (“You may eat from every tree of garden” but not from the tree of knowledge of good and bad.) Once their nakedness became an issue after eating from the tree of knowledge of good and bad, God made them garments and dressed them. Genesis 3:23.
The deity’s interest in Humans’ access to both food and clothing is expressed within the commandments. There are commandments addressing both food and clothing.
The Commandments
Beyond the deity’s connection to being a source of food and clothing, the Torah Commandments have specifically addressed them as well. Provisions were made for individuals to own land.
Provisions were made for certain individuals to have access to fields and vineyards for sustenance. “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God.’” Leviticus 23:22
Other provisions were made concerning clothes. “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest. 26 If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, 27 because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. See Exodus 22:26-27; Also, see Deuteronomy 24:12-13, 13 Return their cloak by sunset so that your neighbor may sleep in it. Then they will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the Lord your God.v Also also, Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this. Deuteronomy 24:17-18
The Prophet
The Prophet Isaiah echoed the divine concerns pertaining to food and clothing. With this, there is a divine call for those to assist others: “Surely you should break bread for the hungry and, bring the moaning poor [to your] home; when you see a naked person, clothe him; do not hide yourself from your kin.” Isaiah 58:7 ???????
With the commandments and prophetic inspiration, there appears to be a partnership between God and those covenanting with him to not only benefit a divine concern over food and clothing but also to act in a delegated form to provide these items to those in need. These efforts, arguably, inspired and directed by the Lord’s interest in providing such services.
Conclusion
From the Garden of Eden to the Exodus, God, as being the provider for the most basic of life’s necessities, is a theme that not only became integral to covenants, but also was incorporated into both commandments and prophetic cries to action. In doing so, there was divine delegation to the populace to take care of those in need of their necessities. This assertion was punctuated by Jacob in the Torah Portion Vayetze when he noted that his vow for fealty to the Lord was conditioned upon him receiving both food and clothing during his journey to Harran. On a sidenote, is there a reason why Jacob’s life story contains many parallel features to the Exodus? e?
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