Vayetze: And He [Jacob] Left

​By Richard Sison | 2017

Introduction

Vayetze, Vayeitzei, or Vayetzei ( וַיֵּצֵא†is the Hebrew for "and he left," referring to Jacob leaving his family. It is the first word in the Parsha and it is the seventh weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It covers the passages between Genesis 28:10–32:3. This Parsha narrates Jacob's travels to, life in, and return from Haran. It recounts Jacob's dream of a ladder to heaven, Jacob's encounter of Rachel at the well, Jacob's time working for Laban and living with Rachel and Leah, the birth of Jacob's children, and the departure of Jacob's family from Laban.

And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If G-D will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the L-RD be my G-d:  And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be G-d's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
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Genesis 28:20-22

The message