From Christina Mattison Ebert’s D’rash Designs series.

Parashat Vayetzei

(And He Went Out)

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Torah Reading

Genesis 28:10 - 32:3

Haftarah

Hosea 12:13 - 14:10

In this Torah portion, Jacob has a dream in which angels go up and down a ladder connecting earth to heaven. God appears before Jacob and renews the covenant that God had made with Abraham. Jacob sees Rachel, Laban’s daughter, tending sheep and wishes to marry her. Laban tricks Jacob into marrying his eldest daughter, Leah, after seven years of labor. In exchange for another seven years of work, Jacob is allowed to marry Rachel. Jacob has many sons with Leah, but Rachel is unable to conceive. Finally, God blesses Rachel, and she has a son, whom she names Joseph.

FULL SUMMARY
HAFTARAH SUMMARY

Featured Commentary

Parashat Vayetzei: Leah’s Hidden Blessing

Why does the Torah specifically mention the "weak eyes" of the matriarch Leah?

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More on this Torah Portion

Good Deeds, Bad Consequences

What goes around, comes around, even if you're Jacob.

The Place With No Name

Why is the Torah so mysterious about the locale where Jacob continues the covenant with God?

Jacob’s Contract with God

Jacob's covenant with God teaches us that our relationships with God must not be conditional, but rather should be built on trust.

Jacob’s Anxiety

Being forced to flee from his home, Jacob had little food and personal security.

Jacob, the Migrant Worker

What a forefather can teach us about human rights.

Jacob Out In The World

Jacob is a force for positive change in the midst of a frustrating material world.

Jacob and His Two Wives

The emotional struggles of our ancestors can help guide us today.

Sisterhood is Complicated

Rachel and Leah's complex relationship allows us to imagine new possibilities for strengthening our own relationships.

Laban’s Excuse: Labor Ethics and Community Standards

Laban and Jacob's business relationship teaches us about the importance of ensuring ethical working conditions.

Understanding Jacob’s Ladder

How the rabbis tried to make sense of this strange dream.

God Was In This Place And I Did Not Know

Jacob's response to his dream provides us with two models of discovering God's presence.

Children And Deferred Dreams

Reflected in the names of her children, Leah grows to recognize her own worth, independent of Jacob's feelings for her.

I Have A Dream…

Jacob's response to his dream teaches us to turn our dreams into visions and our visions into reality.

Awaken to Activism

We must stop being silent, sleepy observers of the AIDS pandemic.

Open-Ended Journeys

Like our ancestors, we are all on journeys throughout our lives.

Blaming Society

We should strive to emulate Abraham and Isaac rather than emulating Laban, who compartmentalized his values.

Parashat Vayetzei: Lonely but Not Alone 

While grief is an inherently lonely and individual journey, we need not experience it alone.

Why We Tithe

Like Jacob, we should not wait for a better day to help others.

Dealing With Dishonesty

We can communicate the importance of honesty to our children by being honest ourselves.

How Can We Improve?

Vayetze: A resource for families

Challah for Parashat Vayetze

Jacob's sheep.

Haftarah for Vayetzei

Hosea tells the Israelite kingdom: God's punishments will be harsh, but repentance is possible.

Parashat Vayetzei Quiz

Test your knowledge of this Torah portion.

Parashat Vayetzei: Summary

Jacob flees to his uncle Laban's household and lives there for several years, marrying Laban's daughters, Leah and Rachel, and building a large family.