Genesis 29: Back to Lavan Land

YINR 929: Tanach Yomi · Oct 9, 2025 · 3m

Yaacov returns to the town where his grandfather’s servant made a match for his parents. As discussed in chapter 24, the commentators zero in on how evil they see Lavan, but the text does not match this vitriol. Rivka, who lived with her brother, would have known about his evil ways. Yet, she tells her son to seek safety in her brother’s home. Yitzchak also wants Yaacov to seek out one of Lavan’s daughters as a wife.

Verse 10 emphasizes the fact that Lavan and Rivka are related. The phrase “his mother's brother” appears three times in just one verse:

וַיְהִי כִּרְאוֹת יַעֲקֹב אֶת־רָחֵל…