Family Parshah
Ki Tavo Q & A

An Aramean [Laban] tried to destroy my forefather [Jacob]. And he descended to Egypt (26:5)

Question: How did Laban's evil intentions cause Jacob to go down to Egypt?

Answer: When Jacob came to the home of Laban, he stated clearly that he was ready to work for him for seven years so that he could marry Rachel his younger daughter. Laban fooled him and gave him Leah instead. After seven days of celebrating his marriage with Leah, he was given Rachel as wife and had to work an additional seven years. Leah was the first to bear children and afterwards Rachel gave birth to Yosef. Jacob showed Yosef special love, and so the brothers were envious of him, finally selling him as a slave, which ultimately brought about Jacob's descent to Egypt.

Had Laban not fooled Jacob and given him Rachel immediately, he would not have married Leah at all. Rachel would have been the mother of all his children and Yosef would have been the firstborn. Hence, his younger siblings would have had great respect for him, and no jealousy whatsoever would have prevailed.1

You shall inscribe on the stones all the words of this Torah (27:8)

Question: Why on stone and not on any other material?

Answer: The great sage, Rabbi Akiva, was an illiterate shepherd up to the age of forty. He once came across a stone which water had dripped on for a long time, eventually boring a hole in it. From this he concluded that if water can penetrate a hard stone, surely Torah could penetrate his heart of flesh and blood.2

By instructing Moshe to write the Torah on hard stone, G-d implied that even if a person possesses the poorest faculties (a head as hard as a rock), if he learns Torah diligently it will definitely have an indelible effect on him and refine him physically and spiritually.3

You will be left few in number, instead of having been like the stars of heaven in abundance. (28:62)

Question: Sometimes the number of the Jewish people is compared to the dust of the earth,4 and sometimes to the stars of the heaven.5 Why, in our verse, is the analogy of the stars used?

Answer: The number of stars and the number of dust particles are both very large, but there is a major difference between them. The dust particles of the earth are mingled together and in close contact. The stars, however, are separated by vast distances. When there is unity among the Jews, they are compared to the dust of the earth, and when they are divided they are compared to the stars of the heaven.

The Hebrew word for instead (tachat) can also mean because.6 The Torah is saying, "You will be left few in number, because you were [disunited] like the stars of the heaven."7