(1) And Jacob settled in the land of his father's sojournings, the land of Canaan. (2) These are the generations of Jacob: At seventeen years of age, Joseph tended the flocks with his brothers, as a helper to the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. And Joseph brought bad reports of them to their father. (3) Now Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons—he was his “child of old age” and he had made him a coat of many colors.
~ What is the difference between settling and sojourning?
~ Who is the father of Yaakov? Did he sojourn in the land of Canaan?
~ Are these the generations of Yaakov? What would you expect the text to say?
~ What do you make of the transition between Yaakov and Israel, in this text?
(1) אלה תלדות יעקב THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF JACOB — And these are an account of the generations of Jacob: these are their settlements and the events that happened to them until they formed a permanent settlement. The first cause is found in the narrative, “Joseph being seventeen years old, etc. etc.” — it was through this incident that it came about that they went down to Egypt. This is the real explanation of the text and in it each statement finds its proper setting. The Midrash, however, explains that by the words, “These are the progeny of Jacob — Joseph”, Scripture regards all Jacob’s sons as secondary to Joseph for several reasons: first, the whole purpose of Jacob in working for Laban was only for Rachel, Joseph’s mother, (and all his children were born only in consequence of this); then, again, Joseph’s facial features bore a striking resemblance to those of Jacob. Further, whatever happened to Jacob happened to Joseph: the one was hated, the other was hated; in the case of the one his brother wished to kill him so, too, in the case of the other, his brethren wished to kill him. Many such similarities are pointed out in (Genesis Rabbah 84:5-6; Genesis Rabbah 84:8). Another comment on this verse is: וישב AND HE SETTLED — Jacob wished to live at ease[shalva], but the trouble with Joseph suddenly came upon him. When the righteous wish to live at ease [shalva], the Holy One of Blessing says to them: “Are not the righteous satisfied with what is stored up for them in the world to come that they wish to live at ease in this world too! (Genesis Rabbah 84:3)
~ What are Rashi's answers to some of our questions?
~ What theological statement does Rashi add, in connection with the righteous and ease?
Chizkuni, aka Hezekiah ben Manoah, france, 13th century.
~ What is he adding in terms of the family dynamics?
וישראל וגו׳. ר״ל דכ״מ דכתיב ישראל זה ר״ל על האומה הישראלית, לא על הפרט יעקב אבינו, והנה על האומה היה מוטל חוב גלות ברית בין הבתרים [ואז נעשו לאומה בפ״ע ונבדלו מכל האומות], ויעקב אבינו קבל זה על עצמו והוציא עשו הרשע מזה, ולכך יצא מא״י, וביצחק, נדרים דף ל״א וכ״מ, והתחלת הסיבה מהקנאת אחיו בין יוסף, שנה בן בין הבנים, לכך ע״ז כתב ישרא׳ כי זה הו׳ זה ע״י שיהי׳ גלות. ...
And Israel loved etc - It is important to notice that in several places it is written Israel, and this means the people of Israel, and it is not about the particularities of Yaakov our father. And behold, on the people Israel the exile was imposed in the covenant between the parts [when they were made into a separate people]. And our father Yaakov accepted that on himself, and took this away from Esav the evil one, and therefore he went out of the land of Israel. And "in Itzchak", see Nedarim 31a and other places (where it is explained that the promise is on some of Abraham's descendents, but not all). The reason for the envy of the brothers regarding Yosef is the selecting one brother out of the brothers, and therefore the Text says "Israel" since this is what brought about the exile. ...
~ Tzafnat Paneach are the notes of Rabbi Joseph Rosen, aka the Rogatchover Gaon, composed between 1905-1935 in Dvinsk (Russia/Latvia).
~ How does he understand the change of name from Yaakov to Israel?
וישראל אהב. כבר אהב אותו קודם יוסף בן שבע עשרה שנה, ולכן לא נאמר ויאהב ישראל את יוסף כמו (כה) ויאהב יצחק את עשו, ועיין לעיל (כז) על הכתוב ורבקה אמרה. וסדר הדברים הוא: אהב את יוסף ועשה לו כתונת פסים וישנאו אותו, ורעה את אחיו בצאן והביא דבתם ויחלום חלומות ויקנאו בו. כי בן זקנים הוא לו, דרך הזקנים לשבת בבתיהם ולהשתעשע עם התינוקות, ולכן אהב יעקב את יוסף, כי סיים לרעות את צאן לבן סמוך ללידת יוסף והניח צאנו שלו בידי בניו ועבדיו וישב בביתו ונתחבב יוסף עליו. פרוש אחר, כיון שנזדקן יעקב נחלשה עליו דעתו וזהו בן זקנים מלשון זקנה, כי אהב את יוסף בגלוי ועשה לו כתונת פסים והשניא אותו על אחיו, והלך בטעותו של אביו ויאהב יצחק את עשו, ויעקב סבל מזה בצעירותו והיאך עשה כן בזקנותו? אלא שנחלשה דעתו. ונרמז בבן זקנים מלשון זקן וסב, כי נהג עם יוסף כדרך יצחק סבו של יוסף שביכר בן אחד על משנהו, למרות שיעקב חשב בצעירותו שהוא שונה מאביו ועיין לעיל (לב) על הכתוב ואלקי אבי יצחק.
And Israel loved - he loved [ahav] him before Yosef was seventeen years old, and therefore it is not written 'and Israel loved [yeahev] Yosef', as it is written 'And Yitzchak loved [yeahev] Esav', compare to 'Rivkah said [amrah]'. The order of the facts is such: he loved Yosef, and made him a colorful tunic, and they hated him, and he checked his brothers on how they treated the sheep, and brought the evil tiding, and he dreamed the dreams, and they had envy towards him. Because he was a child of his old age - the way of the old people is to stay at home and take care of the babies, and this is why Yaakov loved Yosef, because he stopped shepherding Lavan's sheep around the time Yosef was born, and he could leave the sheep in the hands of his sons and servants, and he settled in his house, and Yosef became his preferred. Another possibility: since he aged, his mind became more feeble, and this is "son of old age", from the expression 'aging', since he preferred Yosef in public, and made him a colorful tunic, and made him hated by his brothers. And it did not occur to him that "and Yitzchak loved Esav" and he himself suffered from this in his young age? How could he do this in his old age? The only answer is that his mind had become feeble. And the hint in "child of old age" is the expression "old man and a grandfather", since he behaved towards Yosef like his grandfather Yitzchak, preferring one over the other, even though when he was young Yaakov thought that he was hated by his father, and see what I wrote above regarding "and the God of my father Isaac".
~ The Chibbah Yeterah are the notes of Rabbi Yehudah Herzl Henkin on the Torah. Composed in Jerusalem between 1988 and 1992.
~ How does he review the timeline of the events?
~ What surprise does he add, regarding Yaakov's behavior?
And Yaakov settled in the land where is father dwelled etc. (Gen. 37:1) It seems to me that in combination with the verse "may there be peace in your fortresses, harmony [shalva] in your palaces" (Ps. 122:7) that there is in the Gemarah "From the day that the Holy One of Blessing created the world there was no person who called him “Adon” until Abraham came and called him Adon" (Berakhot 7b) - and at the surface, why is it remarkable in that that he called God "Adon"? Yet, see that we need to unify the names Havaya"h and Ad-nai and then God's Blessed Name is called Adon, through what we sing "El Adon over all His Deeds", that "El" is Chesed as it is written "El's faithfulness [chesed] never fails" (Ps. 52:3), and through our unifying of the Blessed Name we cause and continue lovingkindness [chasadim] and compassion to the world, and this is "El", meaning, when we arouse lovingkindnesses through our unifying of God's Blessed Name then God is "Adon over all His deeds". And this is "and YHV'H in His holy abode— be silent [has] before Him all the earth" (Habakuk 2:20), that the name Adona'i is the abode for the name Havaya'h, Blessed, as known. And at the moment that we unify God's great name in the holy abode, that is, the unification in the name Adona'i, "all the earth is silent", that is "has" [silent] in gematria is 'Adona'i' that is, then God was called Adon over all the earth.

~ Siddur Matok Midvash

~ Siddur with the kavvanot of the Ariz"l, publ. by the Kabbalah Center

~ Part of a meditation device on Psalm 67, Lamenatzeach.
אַהֲבָה רַבָּה אֲהַבְתָּֽנוּ ה' אֱלֹקֵֽינוּ חֶמְלָה גְדוֹלָה וִיתֵרָה חָמַֽלְתָּ עָלֵֽינוּ: אָבִֽינוּ מַלְכֵּֽנוּ בַּעֲבוּר אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ שֶׁבָּטְ֒חוּ בְךָ וַתְּ֒לַמְּ֒דֵם חֻקֵּי חַיִּים כֵּן תְּחָנֵּֽנוּ וּתְלַמְּ֒דֵֽנוּ: אָבִֽינוּ הָאָב הָרַחֲמָן הַמְ֒רַחֵם רַחֵם עָלֵֽינוּ וְתֵן בְּלִבֵּֽנוּ לְהָבִין וּלְהַשְׂכִּיל לִשְׁמֹֽעַ לִלְמֹד וּלְ֒לַמֵּד לִשְׁמֹר וְלַעֲשׂוֹת וּלְקַיֵּם אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵי תַלְמוּד תּוֹרָתֶֽךָ בְּאַהֲבָה: וְהָאֵר עֵינֵֽינוּ בְּתוֹרָתֶֽךָ וְדַבֵּק לִבֵּֽנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתֶֽיךָ וְיַחֵד לְבָבֵֽנוּ לְאַהֲבָה וּלְיִרְאָה אֶת־שְׁמֶֽךָ: וְלֹא נֵבוֹשׁ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד כִּי בְשֵׁם קָדְשְׁ֒ךָ הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא בָּטָֽחְנוּ נָגִֽילָה וְנִשְׂמְ֒חָה בִּישׁוּעָתֶֽךָ: וַהֲבִיאֵֽנוּ לְשָׁלוֹם מֵאַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת הָאָֽרֶץ וְתוֹלִיכֵֽנוּ קוֹמְ֒מִיּוּת לְאַרְצֵֽנוּ: כִּי אֵל פּוֹעֵל יְשׁוּעוֹת אָֽתָּה וּבָֽנוּ בָחַֽרְתָּ מִכָּל־עַם וְלָשׁוֹן. וְקֵרַבְתָּֽנוּ לְשִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל סֶֽלָה בֶּאֱמֶת לְהוֹדוֹת לְךָ וּלְיַחֶדְךָ בְּאַהֲבָה: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' הַבּוֹחֵר בְּעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאַהֲבָה:
[With] unbounded love You have loved us Adonoy, our God; [With] great and abundant pity have You pitied us. Our Father, our King! for the sake of our forefathers who trusted in You, and whom You taught statutes of life, so too, be gracious to us and teach us. Our Father, merciful Father, Who acts with compassion have compassion on us and put into our hearts to comprehend, and to be intellectually creative, to listen, to learn, and to teach, to preserve, to practice, and to fulfill all the words of instruction in Your Torah with love. And enlighten our eyes in Your Torah, and cause our hearts to hold fast to Your commandments, and unify our hearts to love and fear Your Name; and may we never be put to shame, for in Your holy, great, and awesome Name— have we trusted; may we exult and rejoice in Your deliverance. And bring us to peace from the four corners of the earth and lead us upright to our land. Because, You are the Almighty, Who performs acts of deliverance, and You have chosen us from among all peoples and tongues, and You have brought us close to Your great Name, forever in truth; that we may give thanks to You, and proclaim Your Oneness, with love. Blessed are You, Ad-nay, Who chooses His people Yisrael with love.
~ What are the two names present in the Shema?
~ The unification of the Shema is a basic one: expansion and constriction; good news and bad news; and so forth. The unification spoken about is a little more advanced.
~ How does the translation simplify what the Noam understands this blessing to be?
וזהו "ואדם אין לעבוד האדמה", פירוש "אדמה" הוא לשון "אֶדַּמֶּה לעליון" (ישעיהו יד, יד), שצריך האדם לדמות הצורה ליוצרו, ליחד כל העולמות למעלה ליחדם לאחד ית"ש ויתעלה, וזהו "ואדם אין לעבוד האדמה", פירוש שלא היה עדיין אדם שיוכל ליחד העולמות כנ"ל, לכן "ואד יעלה מן הארץ", רמז שלא היה נקרא הקב"ה אז אדון, ולזה רמז "אד", שהוא רק ב' אותיות משם "אדושם", עד שבא אברהם אבינו ע"ה והשכיל בשכלו הזך ועבד את השם באהבה וזכה ליחד שמו ית"ש הוי"ה באדושם כנ"ל, ואז היה נקרא "אדון" כנ"ל.
And this is "And there was no human to work the land" (Genesis 2:5), the explanation for "land" is that adamah [land] comes from the expression "I will be similar to the High One" (Isaiah 14:14). It means, that a person needs to make one's form similar to one's Creator (lit. Giver of Form), to unify all the worlds above to make them one with the One, Whose Name is Blessed and Exalted, and this is "there was no human to work the land", meaning, there was no person able to unify the worlds, as explained. and therefore, "a flow [ed] would come up on the earth" (Genesis 2:6). And this is the hint of ed - alef dalet - only has two of the letters of the Name "Adoshem", until Abraham our Father PBUH came and thought with his clear mind , and served the Name in love, and merited to unify Havayah, the Blessed Name, with Adoshem, as explained, and then he was called Adon, as explained.
~ What is the difference between Adam and Avraham in terms of connection to God, according to the Noam Elimelech?
והנה עיקר העבודה שעל ידה יתיחד שמו יתברך, הוא ע"י הסתכלות ברוממות אל יתברך וגדולתו במורא ופחד הבא לאדם ממילא בהסתכלו נוראותיו ונפלאותיו, ואם תאמר למה נתן השי"ת כל התרי"ג מצוות לעסוק בהם, נעבוד אותו במורא ופחד ע"י הסתכלות ברוממותו ית"ש כיון שזה היא עיקר העבודה במחשבה? אך אם היה האדם מסתכל ברוממותו תמיד בלי הפסק, היה בטל מהמציאות מהמורא ופחד ורעדה הבא לאדם עי"ז, לכן השם ברחמיו נתן לנו התרי"ג מצוות שנעסוק בהם בגופינו לעבודתו, והם תועלת לאדם שיהיה אפשר לו לקיים בדביקותו יתברך.
And this is the essence of the service through which the Blessed Name is unified, through seeing that greatness of God, Blessed, and God's greatness, with the awe and fear that come automatically when a person pays attention to God's miracles and wonders. And if you ask: 'why did the Blessed Name give [us] all the 613 mitzvot to deal with? Let us just serve God with awe and fear through looking at God's exaltedness since this is the essence of service in the mind!' [The answer is that] Nevertheless if a person would pay attention to God's exaltedness at all times with no interruption, that person would cancel themselves from reality, due to the awe and fear and trembling that would come to a person through this, and therefore the Name, due to Their Compassion gave us the 613 mitzvot to deal through our bodies to serve the One, and they are a benefit to a person, they enable a person to sustain clinging to the Blessed One.
~ What are mitzvot for, and why are they necessary?
~ How does one unify God through mitzvot?
וזהו "וישב יעקב בארץ מגורי אביו", "מגורי" לשון "ויגר מואב", דהיינו שהיה לו ישיבה ועכבה במדריגה זאת תמיד להיותו ביראה ופחד, יראת ה' אביו שבשמים, "בארץ כנען", ר"ל ע"י שהיה עובד בגופו ועסק בתורתו ובמצוותיו יתברך תמיד, "ארץ כנען" רמז להגוף, עי"ז היה באפשר לו שיתקיים בדביקותו והסתכלותו ברוממות אל יתברך במחשבה.
And this is "and Yaakov settled in the land of the sojournings of his father" (Genesis 37:1). "Sojournings" is an expression of "and Moav was terrified" (Numbers 22:3), meaning, that he had a settlement and a hindrance on this level, always, that he had awe and fear, the awe of Hashem, his Father in heaven, "in the land of Canaan", meaning to say that through the service of his body and his dealing with God's Torah and mitzvot, he was always blessed, "land of Canaan" is a hint to the body, through which [Yaakov] was able to sustain himself in his clinging and in his seeing of the Blessed God's exaltedness in his thoughts.
~ What is the function of the body?
~ What is the connection between the body and the land of Canaan?
~ How does the Noam re-read the question of settling the land?
וזהו "יהי שלום בחילך", ר"ל שתראה שיהיה השם שלם ליחדם לאחד כנ"ל, "חילך" רמז לעולמות העליונים נקראים "חיל", על שם ששם כל חיל צבא מרום, "ושלוה בארמנותיך", ר"ל ע"י שיהיה "שלוה בארמנותיך" דהיינו בגופך בכל אברים לעסוק במצוותיו יתברך, עי"ז תהיה דבוק בו יתברך ליחד שמו יתברך ויתעלה לעד ולנצח נצחים אמן. והבן.
And this is ""may there be peace [shalom] in your fortresses, harmony in your palaces" (Ps. 122:7), meaning, that you should see that the Name be complete [shalem], to its unification in One, as explained above. "Your fortress" is a hint to the Higher Worlds, that are called "fortress", since all the Upper Holy Armies [angels] are found there. "Harmony in your palaces" meaning, in your body, in all members to deal with the mitzvot of the Holy Blessed One, through this you will cling to the Blessed One to unify the Blessed and Exalted Name, for ever and eternally. Amen. And sit with this to understand.
~ How do our actions affect the upper realms?
~ Once you are "settled" into your body, how does harmony happen?