Parsha Halacha – Parshat Vayeitzei
Holy Thievery: Rachel and the Terafim
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At the end of the Torah portion of Vayeitzei, we read how Rachel took the terafim (oracle used for divination, see below) of her father and successfully hid them even while he searched her tent. This article will explore the details of this unusual incident.
The Story
After spending 20 years in the house of Lavan, Yaakov decided that it was time to leave with his family. Rather than inform his father-in-law of his plans, he fled with his family while Lavan was shearing his sheep. The Torah recounts that[1] וְלָבָן הָלַךְ לִגְזֹז אֶת צֹאנוֹ וַתִּגְנֹב רָחֵל אֶת הַתְּרָפִים אֲשֶׁר לְאָבִיהָ – “Lavan had gone to shear his flock, and Rachel stole the terafim that belonged to her father.” When Lavan eventually caught up with them, he berated Yaakov for stealing “my g-ds”[2] (as well as for leaving in a stealthy manner). Yaakov denied that any of his party had stolen them, declaring that if someone had stolen the terafim they would not live[3] and inviting him to search the tents. Despite multiple searches, Lavan was unable to find them as Rachel had put them in the camel’s saddle and was sitting on the saddle, claiming she could not get up for him because “the way of women is upon me.”.[4]
What Were the Terafim?
The commentaries differ as to what the terafim were. The discussion of the commentaries takes into account that terafim are mentioned on several other occasions in Tanach, one of them being the time King David’s wife Michal placed terafim in his bed to fool the messengers of her father King Saul into thinking that David was asleep when in truth he had fled.[5] They are also mentioned in Zechariah 10:2, where it says, “כִּי הַתְּרָפִים דִּבְּרוּ אָוֶן – For the terafim spoke delusion” and in several other places as accoutrements to idol worship that are used to predict the future.[6]
Here are various possible explanations as to what exactly they were:
● An Idol
According to Rashi, Rachel took them in order to prevent her father from worshipping idols. This seems to indicate that the terafim were worshipped as a fetish, which explains why Lavan called them his god. In the words of the Bereishit Rabbah (74:5), Rachel said to herself, “How can I depart and leave this old man with his corruption of idolatry?” (See Anaf Yosef that Lavan was more than 120 years old at the time of this event.) Rachel’s reasoning can be derived from the words אֲשֶׁר לְאָבִיהָ – “that belonged to her father” i.e., it bothered her that her father would continue serving this idol.[7] In fact, when Lavan confronted Yaakov and asked about “his gods,” the sons of Ya’akov said to themselves, “We are embarrassed for you, our mother’s father, that you still believe in idols.”[8] This is why Lavan didn’t check the tents of the tribes as, after hearing that they had no regard for his idol, he had no reason to believe that they had stolen it.
● Meaning of the Word
The Zohar (vol. 1, Page 164b) explains that the word תּוֹרֶף is an obscenity and that this word is therefore used to describe idols as an expression of contempt.
Alternatively, terafim can be related to the word הֶרֶף which means to desist, referring to the fact that the craftsman who would make the terafim would only do this work at certain times (based on astrology) and would desist at other times (ibid).
● A Timepiece or an Astrological Spokesman
The Ramban writes that the terafim were an ancient sundial which some people would also use as a divination tool (employing black magic). In this case, the word terafim comes from the word נִרְפִּים[9]– “weak” since the predictions given by this tool were weak and didn’t necessarily come true, as opposed to the prophecies of a true prophet about which it says,[10] “No word of his would fall to the ground.” This would explain why King David had terafim in his house (see I Samuel 19:13) as he only used it as a sundial. The Radak adds that the terafim were made of different panels (parts) which is why it is called “terafim” in the plural. Since astrology was used in the context of idol worship, this tool became associated with idol worship.
● Image of a Star or Constellation
The Ibn Ezra cites an opinion (which he rejects) that terafim were used to channel the information from the constellations (and perhaps were shaped like one of the constellations[11]) and that they had the power to speak at certain times. Although the terafim were not worshipped as a god, people believed that the answers they provided came from their gods. This is why Lavan called them “my god.”
● An Image of a Man
The Ibn Ezra offers his own opinion: The terafim were formed in the image of a man and were made to channel information from the higher (astrological) realms. We see that terafim were made in the image of a man from the fact that Michal fooled King Saul’s messengers into thinking that King David was asleep in his bed by putting a “terafim” in his place on the bed.[12] (The Ibn Ezra writes that he is unable to explain how the terafim would channel the information – presumably because this information could be misused by people to make a working terafim.) Rachel stole them so that Lavan wouldn’t be able to use them in order to figure out that Yaakov was leaving[13]or his whereabouts.
According to the Zohar (ibid), the terafim contained both a male and a female image, and it was only because Rachel took the terafim that it took Lavan three days to find out that Yaakov had run away. If the terafim had been in his possession, they would have told Lavan about Yaakov immediately.
● A Mummified First Born
According to the Pirkei DeRabi Eliezer (chapter 35) (quoted in the Da’at Zekeinim) and the Targum Yonatan, the terafim were made by killing a first-born person, mummifying him, placing a golden plate with an “impure name” (incantation) under his tongue, and encasing him inside a wall. When one would light candles in front of it and bow to it, it would tell future events.
Why Didn’t It Speak up?
The Hadar Zekeinim questions why the terafim didn’t speak up when Lavan was in Rochel’s tent and inform Lavan as to where they were hidden? He explains that it would have been degrading to the terafim to “admit” that they were under Rochel’s backside.
What Were Rachel’s Intentions?
As mentioned above, some say that Rachel wanted to prevent her father from serving the terafim or from using them to divine Yaakov’s escape route. Rabbeinu Chananeladds that Rachel was hoping that her father would realize the powerlessness of the idol in that it couldn’t even protect itself and would therefore give up idol worship completely.
The Tur questions why would Rochel not simply bury them instead of taking them with her? The Bechor Shor writes that Rachel wanted to make use of the power of divination which the terafim had, although, of course, she wasn’t planning to worship them as her father would.
The Aftermath
Although (according to most opinions) Rachel had good intentions when she took the terafim as explained above, the Zohar (ibid.) says that because she caused pain to her father, she was punished with (a premature death and) the (resulting) inability to rear her young son Binyamin or even be alive with him in this world for a short time.
Why Different than Avraham?
The question has been asked,[14] why should Rachel be punished for stealing the terafim if she did so to prevent her father from idol worship? After all, Avraham broke his father’s idols and wasn’t punished for doing so.[15]
● Yaakov’s Curse
According to Rashi (based on Bereishit Rabbah 74:4), Rachel’s premature death was a result of Yaakov’s curse that whoever had (taken) the terafim would not live. Although she wasn’t deserving of this fate (due to her good intentions), nevertheless the curse of a Torah scholar is fulfilled even if the person isn’t deserving of it.[16] Rabbeinu Bachaye writes that, for this reason one should be very careful with their treatment of tzadikim due to the punishments that can be caused by their words (or curses). (In addition, a scholar should be very careful with his speech as his curses may be more powerful than he realizes.) It’s noteworthy that Ibn Ezra rejects that Rachel died from Yaakov’s curse and instead maintains that she may have died for other reasons, just as the daughter-in-law of Eily Hakohen died in childbirth although she wasn’t cursed by a scholar.[17]
The Ritva explains that in addition to the curse of a Torah scholar, there must be some sin on the part of the person who was cursed in order for that curse to take effect. As, otherwise the verse says,[18] “A curse for no reason will not take effect.” (Instead, it boomerangs back to the one who gave it.) In this case, the (slight) sin was that Rachel had caused her father pain.
● Not Consulting
The Sefer Chassidim writes[19] that Rachel’s sin wasn’t the taking of the terafim per se, but rather that she did so without consulting her husband, the tzadik Yaakov.[20]
● Had Some Personal Gain
It has also been suggested[21] that, although Rachel’s main intention was to wean her father away from idol worship, since she also had a vested interest in taking the terafim (to prevent her father from finding them) she is (somewhat) to blame for the pain she caused him.
May we merit to prevent others from sin without causing them pain!
[3] The Meshech Chochma (on Gen. 32:32) writes that the reason Yaakov said that whoever stole the terafim would not live is because a Noahide is liable to death for transgressing any of the seven Noahide commandments including not to steal (Sanhedrin 57a).
[4] The Vilna Gaon says (Kol Eliyahu on verse 35) that Rachel claimed to be menstruating to allude to the fact that she was sitting on an idol which is ritually impure (tameh) like a menstruating woman. See Shabbat 82b.
[6] See also Judges 17:5, I Samuel 15:23, Ezekiel 21:26 and Hoshe’a 3:4.
[11] Ibn Ezra on Zechariah 10:2 in the Paris manuscript version (quoted in Ibn Ezra – Mossad HaRav Kook).
[14] See Shevet HaKehunah (by Rabbi Gamliel Rabinowitz), Cheshvan 5767, page 139
[15] See Bereishit Rabbah 38:13
[16] See Makkot 11a.
[19] Siman 1324 in the Mekitzei Nirdamim print.
[20] See Yoreh De’ah 242:4 as to rendering a halachic ruling without consulting one’s teacher.
[21] Eshkol Yosef by Rabbi Yosef Chai Siman Tov, Parshat VaYeitzei (Jerusalem 2013).
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom Umevorach!