© 1996-2007 Torah Tots, Inc. When Yaakov first saw Rachel, he bawled like a baby. That's right! And with good reason... A few good reasons to be exact: When Yaakov laid eyes on Rachel, he knew she was destined to be his wife, so he kissed her. The shepherds that gathered at the well grumbled about the immorality of this stranger kissing one of their women. They didn't realize that Yaakov and Rachel were cousins. Yaakov was saddened that he was judged to have committed an immoral act. Yaakov immediately knew that though Rachel was destined to be his wife, she would die at a young age and they wouldn't be buried together. When Eliezer had come to Charan seeking a wife for Yitzchok, he brought camels loaded to the hilt with lots of precious jewels and gifts for the Machatanim (In Laws). But Yaakov was about to face Lavan empty-handed. Here's why: Originally, Yaakov started off with plenty of money, jewels and gifts. But moments after Yaakov cleared the Brachot from Yitzchok, he zoomed off towards Charan before Esav could catch him. Esav ordered his son, Elifaz, to catch Yaakov and kill him. Elifaz did eventually track down Yaakov. Now Elifaz had a dilemma. Even though he was Esav's son, he grew up in Yitzchok's house and learned 'some' decent things from his grandfather. He knew it was wrong to kill Yaakov. But he also wanted to do the Mitzvah of Kibud Av (honoring one's father) and carry out Esav's orders. Yaakov came up with a creative solution. According to the Torah, a poor man is equivalent to a dead man. Therefore, Yaakov told Elifaz to take all his possessions and Elifaz would be able to go back and tell his father that Yaakov is dead. Now, Yaakov would have to face the diabolical Lavan with no gifts, jewels or cash and ask for Rachel's hand in marriage. (That's enough to make any grown man cry!) top of page home |  about us | parsha on parade  | jewish holidays | learning is fun | hear the music | gift shop | guestbook   links | site map "TORAHTOTS" is a trademark of/and © 1996-2007 by Torah Tots, Inc. All rights reserved. World Wide Web address..... http://www.torahtots.com Email address.....info@torahtots.com Designed by R.A. Stone Design Associate and HI-TECH Computers, Inc. (718) 253-9698 Email address.....info@hitechcomputers.com Page last updated -11/04/2007

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