Comentario sobre Génesis 29:14

אך עצמי ובשרי SURELY THOU ART MY BONE AND MY FLESH — Really, I have no reason to take you into my house, since you have brought nothing with you; but because of our relationship I will put up with you for “the space of a month”. Thus, indeed, he did, but even this was not for nothing, for he tended Laban’s sheep.

אך עצמי ובשרי, you have therefore done well in coming to me.

אך עצמי ובשרי אתה, even though you are no doubt able to make a living without me by undertaking to look after the flocks or in some other manner, the fact remains that you are my flesh and blood and it is therefore appropriate that you should stay under my roof.

ויאמר לו…אך עצמי ובשרי אתה, He said to him…"after all you are of my bone and flesh, etc." The word אך which is always a diminutive here serves to restrict the identification of Jacob with Laban.

ויאמר...אך עצמי, the word אך in this instance means “truly!” It appears in this meaning in several other passages in the Scriptures, as for instance, Psalms 73,1 אך טוב לישראל”G’d is truly good to Israel.” Or, Isaiah 63,8 אך עמי המה, “truly, they are My people!” Essentially, what Lavan said to Yaakov was that he should not worry about having left home seeing that all he needed would be provided for him by Lavan.

אך עצמי ובשרי אתה, “after all, you are of my own flesh and bone.” The word אך usually denotes an expression of pain, regret, i.e. in this instance: “how sad it is that you are penniless; but seeing you are my flesh and bone, etc.” Alternately, Lavan meant:: “although seeing that you deceived your brother, and I should by rights keep my distance from you, the fact that you are my own flesh and blood causes me to deal with you differently.”

Now I have no reason to take you into the house... I.e., every אך comes to exclude something. What does it exclude here? Therefore Rashi explains, “Now I have no reason...”

אך עצמי ובשרי אתה, “Lavan said that legally speaking he should not have given Yaakov shelter, just as his other relatives had not protected him and forced him to flee after he had cheated his brother on two separate occasions. However, “seeing that you are my own flesh and blood,I will make an exception and not kick you out.”

וישב עמו, during which time he looked after Lavan’s livestock. The expression ישב implying more than just being a tourist, a visitor in someone’s house for an extended period is found elsewhere also, as for instance in Exodus 2,21 when Moses is described as ויואל משה לשבת את האיש, where it means not merely that Moses agreed to stay at the house of Yitro but that he undertook to become a shepherd for him. When Lavan, in verse 19 of this chapter asks Yaakov שבה עמדי, he did not merely offer hospitality but meant that Yaakov would continue to mind his flocks. The fact that Lavan himself refers to Yaakov working for him without wages makes it clear that during the first 30 days he was not merely sitting around, but had been more than earning his keep.

I will put up with you for a month. You might ask: How does Rashi know [that Lavan said] specifically for a month? The answer is: Since he actually did so, as it says, “Yaakov lived with him for a month,” this surely is [what he said] at the beginning.

On the one hand Laban considered Jacob as his bone (self), on the other hand, he was well aware of the difference between them. Laban represented darkness rather than light. Perhaps he wanted to specify that all they had in common was flesh and bone.

וישב עמו חדש ימים, “he stayed with him for a month.” The Torah uses this opportunity to teach us for how long a person must practice hospitality with his relatives. (B’reshit Rabbah 70,14) An alternate exegesis: When Lavan had heard what Yaakov had done to Esau, he was afraid to hire him until he had at least assured himself of his skills and suitability.

וישב עמו חודש ימים. He stayed with him for a month. He waited for a whole month, hoping that Jacob's possessions might arrive during that period. When he realised that there was no hope of that he had to decide how to relate to Jacob. Inasmuch as Laban had wanted Jacob to work for him from the moment he set eyes on him, he concealed this from him for a period of thirty days during which time Jacob worked without compensation. After that time he arranged working conditions with him for reasons which I shall explain later. During those thirty days he wanted to see if Jacob would prove to be an asset to him, if he would be successful. As a result of all this he had made a servant of Jacob from the very day he arrived; this is why he used the expression ועבדתני חנם, "you have already served me without compensation." Laban had satified himself during that month that Jacob was very successful in his work.