Jacob travels to Harran from his hometown of Beersheba. He stops at “the site” along the road and spends the night there. While sleeping, he has a dream about a stairway that connects heaven and earth, with angels ascending and descending it. God then arrives and declares that the land where he is lying will be handed to his descendants. Jacob promises that the stone on which he laid his head would become the temple of God and raises it as an altar and monument in the morning.
Jacob lives with his uncle Laban in Harran and tends to Laban’s sheep while working for him. In exchange for seven years of labor, Laban promises to give Jacob his younger daughter, Rachel, in marriage. Jacob adores Rachel. But instead of giving him his younger daughter, Leah, on the wedding night, Laban delivers her to him instead—a trick that Jacob learns about in the morning. A week later, after agreeing to continue working for Laban for an additional seven years, Jacob also weds Rachel.
While Rachel is still unable to conceive, Leah gives birth to six sons—Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun—as well as a daughter named Dina. Two more boys, Dan and Naphtali, are born as a result of Rachel giving Jacob her handmaid, Bilha, as a bride to carry children in her place. Similarly, Leah gave birth to Gad and Asher through her handmaid Zilpa. Finally, Joseph is born as a result of Rachel’s prayers.
After fourteen years in Harran, Jacob is ready to go back home. Laban, though, convinces him to stay by now providing him lambs in exchange for his labor. Despite Laban’s continuous attempts to con him, Jacob is successful. After six years, Jacob stealthily flees Harran out of concern that Laban would stop him from taking the family and possessions for which he toiled. God issues a warning to Laban in a dream not to harm Jacob as he pursues Jacob. Jacob travels to the Holy Land and is greeted by angels after Laban and he agree to something on Mount Gal-Ed, which is evidenced by a group of stones.
In a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah), the parashah is composed of 7,512 Hebrew letters, 2,021 Hebrew words, 148 verses, and 235 lines. The seventh Sabbath following Simchat Torah, usually in November or December, is when Jews read it.
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