Chasidut do Rodzaju 31:27
לָ֤מָּה נַחְבֵּ֙אתָ֙ לִבְרֹ֔חַ וַתִּגְנֹ֖ב אֹתִ֑י וְלֹא־הִגַּ֣דְתָּ לִּ֔י וָֽאֲשַׁלֵּחֲךָ֛ בְּשִׂמְחָ֥ה וּבְשִׁרִ֖ים בְּתֹ֥ף וּבְכִנּֽוֹר׃
Czemu potajemnie uciekłeś, a wykradłeś się odemnie, i nie mówiłeś mi nic, abym mógł puścić cię z radością i pieśniami, z bębnami i z cytrami?
Kedushat Levi
Genesis 31,27. “Why did you flee in secrecy and mislead me and not tell me? I would have sent you off with festive music, with timbrel and lyre.” [The author’s approach is dictated by his unwillingness to believe that Yaakov deliberately mislead Lavan, instead of merely allowing him to draw erroneous conclusions. Ed.]
It is a fact that although on the surface the relations between Yaakov and Lavan were civil, Yaakov appearing to be at peace with him, the fact is that Yaakov concealed his activities as much as possible, engaging in conversation only vis a vis G’d. Lavan was under the impression that words spoken to his face by Yaakov were addressed to him, whereas in reality they were addressed to G’d. Lavan was under the impression therefore that Yaakov’s attitude toward him had not undergone a change in spite of his cheating him constantly. The basic facts of life are that the wicked hates the just even while aware that he is the beneficiary of the just residing in his house. Lavan having been told by G’d that Yaakov was just and that he must not therefore dare harm him, asks Yaakov that if this was so he should have been up front about what he thought, and he, Lavan would have given him a farewell that reflected his esteem of him.
Being wicked himself, Lavan cannot get out of his skin, revealing that he preferred to do without the “good” Yaakov’s G’d had bestowed upon him to being in debt to Yaakov’s G’d. Lavan tries to twist Yaakov’s uprightness to his advantage by challenging him when he said he was afraid of Lavan stealing his wives and children, since if he, Yaakov, was so certain of his honesty, how could he doubt that G’d would protect him against Lavan’s tricks? Yaakov replies that the very fact that he was afraid of Lavan had convinced him that his uprightness was not absolute, otherwise he would not have felt these pangs of fear.
It is a fact that although on the surface the relations between Yaakov and Lavan were civil, Yaakov appearing to be at peace with him, the fact is that Yaakov concealed his activities as much as possible, engaging in conversation only vis a vis G’d. Lavan was under the impression that words spoken to his face by Yaakov were addressed to him, whereas in reality they were addressed to G’d. Lavan was under the impression therefore that Yaakov’s attitude toward him had not undergone a change in spite of his cheating him constantly. The basic facts of life are that the wicked hates the just even while aware that he is the beneficiary of the just residing in his house. Lavan having been told by G’d that Yaakov was just and that he must not therefore dare harm him, asks Yaakov that if this was so he should have been up front about what he thought, and he, Lavan would have given him a farewell that reflected his esteem of him.
Being wicked himself, Lavan cannot get out of his skin, revealing that he preferred to do without the “good” Yaakov’s G’d had bestowed upon him to being in debt to Yaakov’s G’d. Lavan tries to twist Yaakov’s uprightness to his advantage by challenging him when he said he was afraid of Lavan stealing his wives and children, since if he, Yaakov, was so certain of his honesty, how could he doubt that G’d would protect him against Lavan’s tricks? Yaakov replies that the very fact that he was afraid of Lavan had convinced him that his uprightness was not absolute, otherwise he would not have felt these pangs of fear.
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