In this week's parsha, we read about Jacob's journeys, joys, and woes. It's all quite vivid, even though we have already learned that the Torah leaves out a lot of details to get to what we call the "tachlis," the essence of the matter. That is why we don't see a lot written on Isaac's life. Scratching the "Pshat" or "Simple Narrative" surface and digging a bit deeper, we learn of many nuances that often explain strange happenings mentioned in the literal text of the Torah, giving us a more "oh, so that's why that happened"-context.
Something interesting from Sefer Yashar (the Book of Jasher), which is mentioned three times in the TANAKH, is that we learn that all three patriarchs were considered and addressed as kings in their lifetimes. Besides the point that I love to read about the battles the forefathers and the sons of Jacob fought. They were a force to be reckoned with.
We get a bit of a taste of that when we read about Abraham journeying to the North to rescue his nephew Lot, who happens to get into trouble a lot. Abraham conquers four powerful kings. In the end, he just wants to get Lot back and is not too phased by the booty. Abraham, the embodiment of Chesed (lovingkindness), has bigger things on his mind.
Interestingly, a scarab seal dating back to when Jacob was in the land of Canaan (circa 1730 BCE) was found in Tel-Shikmona near Haifa. The scarab's hieroglyphs spell out Y’qb-HR, the Egyptian transliteration of the Semitic "Yaqub" (Jacob), and are enclosed by a cartouche, an oval indicating a royal name and lineage.
You can learn more about the seal and Jacob's story HERE.
Besides being considered warriors and kings, the patriarchs embodied Chesed (lovingkindness), Gevurah (Restraint of Power) and Tiferet (a harmonious balance) - the pillars of true peace. May we strive to emulate them daily.
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