Author	Thread: Question about Genesis: Rachel stealing idols
Admin	Question about Genesis: Rachel stealing idols Posted : 1 Oct, 2013 01:37 PM Why did Rachel steal her father's household gods? If she didn't intend on using them for worship, what caused her to sin in this manner? It's something I have wondered on. Post Reply
One_Sojourner View Profile History	Question about Genesis: Rachel stealing idols Posted : 1 Oct, 2013 03:57 PM My uneducated comment is likely going to sound silly here but your question is interesting and having read the chapter and ESV notes it seems there is only speculation as to why she took the idols... this brought to mind something that happened in my kid's not too far past. I was divorced and living south of here working and surviving at that time about 4-5 years ago, my 3 kids were living with their mom then. Their mom had began drinking a lot and my kids would see her fill a cup with ice then walk out to the garage or the bedroom or out back and knew something was fishy. Soon mom's personality changed, and calls to me were made late night about an argument or fight they'd had with her because the kids knew she was hiding liquor. So when mom was passed out they'd hunt for it and dump it or dump the vodka and fill it with water. Of course this was only a temporary fix and mom would realize they knew and find new hiding places. My kids took it upon themselves to do something about changing their mom's behavior which was causing so much grief in their lives Sooo, the point I was going to make is that could Rachel's stealing these idols have been partly out of protecting and caring for Laban knowing God had greatly blessed Jacob and was truly God that these idols were nothing? A child protecting a parent from their misguided actions... see? told ya it might sound silly...:dunce: Post Reply
View Profile History	Question about Genesis: Rachel stealing idols Posted : 1 Oct, 2013 04:02 PM Thank you for your answer. I suppose it was silly to ask a question that could only be speculated upon. Post Reply
One_Sojourner View Profile History	Question about Genesis: Rachel stealing idols Posted : 1 Oct, 2013 04:12 PM hopefully someone more knowledgeable will add a biblical comment to what was not silly at all, but a very interesting and good question MsMarvel :peace: Post Reply
teach_ib View Profile History	Question about Genesis: Rachel stealing idols Posted : 1 Oct, 2013 04:33 PM I never gave it much thought nor did my teachers that I recall. A quick look at some of the online commentaries (I reference Biblehub.com), gives a couple possible reasons. One being hiding them from her father because he shouldn't be worshipping them, another being because she was superstitious that they could tell her father where they were heading, and another that they could have been family momentos, like pictures not necessarily idols. Post Reply
mcubed View Profile History	Question about Genesis: Rachel stealing idols Posted : 1 Oct, 2013 04:55 PM Well, Torah doesn�t tell us. What we do know is While Jacob is making preparations to leave Lavan, the Torah tells us, �Meanwhile Lavan had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father�s household teraphim [idols].� When Lavan returns and discovers that Jacob and his family have left, he pursues them. And when he meets up with them, Lavan demands an explanation for their secret departure and concludes his speech, �Very well, you had to leave because you were longing for your father�s house, but why did you steal my gods?� Jacob is enraged by the accusation and replies, �Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not remain alive!� The Torah adds, parenthetically, �Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.� Jacob�s lack of knowledge had dire consequences. He pronounced his curse believing that while it might be possible that some idolatrous servant had stolen Lavan�s teraphim, there was no way that his curse would fall upon his beloved wife, who would die in childbirth soon after these events. The following comes from a Messianic Rabbi Newmark: Midrash Bereishit Rabbah explains that Rachel stole her father�s idols to prevent him from worshiping them anymore and thus turn him away from idolatry. Perhaps, but this strikes me as a bit too pious. It�s more likely that Rachel stole the teraphim because she wanted them for herself. And, if so, that raises the very interesting question of why she wanted them so much that she would not only steal them, but also hide them from both her husband and her father. One possibility is that she wanted them because she believed in their power. The teraphim were thought to provide protection for the home and to protect the well-being of the family. It�s possible that in spite of 20 years of Jacob�s influence, Rachel still believed on some level that she could not rely solely on Jacob�s God, but that she needed the teraphim of her childhood to ensure the welfare of her family. This is surely a distressing portrait of our matriarch, but there is another possibility. Perhaps, as she left for a new home in a strange land, Rachel wanted a comforting symbol of her home and her childhood, much like a college freshman who keeps a bedraggled stuffed animal on her bed in the dorm to remind her of home. Perhaps Rachel thought these familiar objects would give her strength and courage to embrace the changes in her life. Because Rachel died soon after this episode, we don�t know if the teraphim and the memories they represented would have allowed Rachel to move forward confidently or if they would have anchored her to the idolatrous ways of her father�s people. We hope that she would have viewed these artifacts with nothing more than a sense of nostalgia and fond memories as she went about her new life � but we don�t know. The past is powerful. We can�t escape it; in fact, we can�t live without our memories, which help to define our place in the world. But we do have a choice about how we use the past. It can become a foundation, fertile ground on which to build new experiences, new relationships, and new realities, or it can become an idol, paralyzing us and preventing any change. A number of years ago, a colleague posted a question on our rabbis� e-mail list. His congregation was remodeling its sanctuary and wanted to place a Hebrew quotation on the wall, perhaps a biblical verse or a saying from the Talmud. The rabbi had some ideas, but wondered if anyone could suggest something particularly appropriate. Another colleague, well-known for his sense of humor, immediately replied, �How about, �That�s not the way we do it here.�� I�m sure every rabbi who saw his answer had a good laugh, because we have all seen ideas for exciting programs and initiatives sacrificed on the altar of �that�s not the way we do it here.� It�s true for institutions and it�s true for individuals. Sometimes the old ways work, and it makes no sense to change them simply for the sake of change. But clinging to a past that doesn�t work anymore is a form of idolatry. Each of us has a rich and complex past � as individuals, as a community, and as a people. The challenge we face is to make sure that the past serve as a foundation and not as an obstacle, that it be a blessing and not a curse. Post Reply
View Profile History	Question about Genesis: Rachel stealing idols Posted : 1 Oct, 2013 06:10 PM I want thank each and every one of you for your responses. You have helped me think of other explanations add to why she could have taken the idols. I was wondering myself, if they had some monetary value (not that it makes it any more right.) It is a bit upsetting thinking that they had sentimental value or any emotional, spiritual or other value to her. For we ought to value the living God, the creator over hunks of wood and metal. Mcubed, thank you for expounding in detail your feelings about the subject. I wonder if Jacob's words could be regarded as a curse? Many women died during childbirth in those days. I didn't think curses could be uttered against the Lord's chosen people. Post Reply
mcubed View Profile History	Question about Genesis: Rachel stealing idols Posted : 1 Oct, 2013 06:28 PM For what it is worth it is Jewish tradition she died early as result of Jacob's curse. She was still punished for sin. G-d Himself calls blessings and curses on His people Deuteronomy 28. Post Reply
View Profile History	Question about Genesis: Rachel stealing idols Posted : 2 Oct, 2013 02:35 PM Thank you again, mcubed. That explanation makes a lot of sense. Post Reply