Laban

Laban begins by seeming like a friend. He offers Jacob refuge when he is in flight from Esau, who has vowed to kill him. Yet it turns out that his behaviour is less generous than self-interested and calculating.

Does Judaism truly have something to say about every aspect of our life, or are the rabbis who claim to have an opinion on everything simply intrusive and controlling? Should rabbis just stick to teaching Torah?

Jacob was the prototypical white-bearded Jew from the "old country." Laban was a worldly man and a crafty businessman. And Laban had some take-it-from-the-expert advice for his son-in-law

Explore multiple insights into this classic mystery.

Isaac had attained such a lofty nature that his body was a loyal agent of his soul.

When someone tells you, “You can’t,” don’t listen to them. Be like Jacob and say, “Who said? Watch me—I will!”

The border between Jacob and Laban is seen as the divide between the sacred and the profane. This distinction is important. One has to know clearly what represents the Jewish dimension of holiness, and what does not.

Laban was truly family! Yet, his anti-Semitism was legendary. In other words, attempts to break down the walls between Jews and non-Jews by assimilating and intermarrying will not fix anti-Semitism.

The Price of a Wife, Jacob’s Children, Jacob’s Wealth

Rebecca Sends Jacob to Haran, Jacob and Eliphaz, Jacob’s Dream, Jacob’s Vow, Jacob’s Arrival in Haran