Torah Reading for Toldot

By inference from what it says, “daughter of Ishmael,” do I not know that she was the sister of Nevayot? Rather, these additional words teach us that Ishmael died after having betrothed her to Esau, before her marriage, and therefore Nevayot, her brother, gave her in marriage.

We can infer that Jacob was 63 years old at that time, for Ishmael was 74 years old when Jacob was born – for Ishmael was 14 years older than Isaac, and “Isaac was in his 60th year when Rebecca gave birth to Jacob and Esau,” 1 totaling 74 years – and he lived 137 years, as it says: “These are the years of Ishmael’s life….” 2 Thus, Jacob was 63 years old when Ishmael died.

We learn from here that Jacob was hidden in the study-house of Ever for 14 years and only afterwards went to Charan – for he was in Laban’s house for only 14 years before the birth of Joseph, as it says: “I worked for you 14 years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks,” 3 and he started to receive flocks as wages only after Joseph was born, as it says: “When Rachel gave birth to Joseph…”; 4 and Joseph was 30 years old when he became ruler of Egypt, and from then until Jacob descended to Egypt was nine years – seven years of plenty and two of famine – and at that time Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my sojourning have been 130.” 5 Make the reckoning of 14 years before Joseph’s birth, 30 years of Joseph, and 9 after he became ruler until Jacob arrived, and you have 53 years, and when Jacob left his father he was 63 years old, which makes only 116 years, yet he said to Pharaoh “130 years.” Thus 14 years are missing, from which you learn that after receiving the blessings he was hidden in the study-house of Ever for 14 years.

However, he was not punished for those years, in the merit of the Torah that he studied there. For Joseph was separated from his father for only 22 years – from age 17 until 39 – corresponding to the 22 years that Jacob was separated from his father and did not fulfill his obligation to honor him; and they were the 20 years he spent in Laban’s house and the two years he tarried on the journey home – as it says: “he built himself houses and made shelters for his livestock,” 6 and our rabbis of blessed memory 7 inferred from this verse that he stayed 18 months on the way – for a house is for the rainy season and shelters are for the sunny season – plus another six months in Bethel. Yet according to the calculation of the verses that we made before, from the time he left his father until he came to Egypt, when he was 130 years old, we find an additional 14 years! It must be, however, that he was concealed in the study-house of Ever on his way to Laban’s house, in order to learn Torah from Ever, but in the merit of the Torah he was not punished for those years, and Joseph was only separated from him for 22 years – measure for measure.