Genesis 30: Lavan on the Edge

After 11 children are born, Yaacov approaches Lavan and asks to leave:וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר־יָלְדָה רָחֵל אֶת־יוֹסֵף וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב אֶל־לָבָן שַׁלְּחֵנִי וְאֵלְכָה אֶל־מְקוֹמִי וּלְאַרְצִי׃“Jacob said to Laban, ‘Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country.’” (30:25)Lavan responds that he knows that God has blessed his house because Yaacov dwells there: אִם־נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ נִחַשְׁתִּי וַיְבָרֲכֵנִי ה בִּגְלָלֶךָ׃“‘If I have found favor in your eyes, I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.’” (Genesis 30:27)Lavan attributes his success to Yaacov and God. Lavan then asks Yaacov to name a wage to stay: וַיֹּאמַר נָקְבָה שְׂכָרְךָ עָלַי וְאֶתֵּנָה׃“ ‘Name your wages, and I will give it.’” ( 30:28)This is the second time that Lavan has asked Yaacov to name his price. We have yet to see Lavan set any wages for Yaacov. Yaacov confirms that God is responsible for everything that Lavan has gained:וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר עֲבַדְתִּיךָ וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר הָיָה מִקְנֶךָ אִתִּי׃ כִּי מְעַט אֲשֶׁר־הָיָה לְךָ לְפָנַי וַיִּפְרֹץ לָרֹב וַיְבָרֶךְ ה אוֹתְךָ לִרְגָלִי וְעַתָּה מָתַי אֶעֱשֶׂה גַם־אָנֹכִי לְבֵיתִי׃“ ‘You know how I have served you and how your livestock has fared with me. For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?’” (30:29–30)In response, instead of attacking Yaacov or denying this, Lavan again asks Yaacov to name his price. Yaacov responds with a plan to remove all speckled and spotted sheep and goats from Lavan's flock:אֲעַבְּרָה בְכָל־צֹאנְךָ הַיּוֹם הָסֵר מִשָּׁם כָּל־שֶׂה נָקֹד וְטָלוּא וְכָל־שֶׂה חוּם בַּכְּשָׂבִים וְטָלוּא וְנָקֹד בָּעִזִּים וְהָיָה שְׂכָרִי׃“Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep and every black lamb, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages.” (30:32)All newly born speckled animals will be Yaacov’s, and white sheep will be Lavan’s. If Lavan intended to swindle Yaacov, he would not have allowed him to remove the spotted sheep, let alone set the price. Yet, Lavan does exactly what Yaacov suggests:וַיָּסַר בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אֶת־הַתְּיָשִׁים הָעֲקֻדִּים וְהַנְּקֻדִּים וְאֵת כָּל־הָעִזִּים הַנְּקֻדּוֹת וְהָעֲקֻדּוֹת כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־לָבָן בּוֹ וְכָל־חָוָם בַּכְּשָׂבִים וַיִּתֵּן בְּיַד־בָּנָיו׃“So that day he removed the male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every black lamb, and put them in the charge of his sons.” (Genesis 30:35)Yaacov then devises a plan to place spotted wood stakes by the animals' troughs. He makes sure that only the sturdy animals drink in front of the stakes. They in turn mate and produce sheep that are spotted and speckled:וַיִּקַּח לוֹ יַעֲקֹב מַקַּל לִבְנֶה לַח וְלוּז וְעֶרְמוֹן וַיְפַצֵּל בָּהֵן פְּצָלוֹת לְבָנוֹת מְחַשֵּׂף הַלָּבָן אֲשֶׁר עַל־הַמַּקְלוֹת׃“Then Jacob took fresh sticks of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the sticks.” (Genesis 30:37)Under his agreement with Lavan, these sheep are Yaacov’s. Yaacov keeps the weaker ones away from the stakes, and those offspring go to Lavan: וְהָעֲקֻדִּים וְהַנְּקֻדִּים יָלֹד וַיָּשֶׂם עַל־פְּנֵי הַצֹּאן וְהִפְרִיד עַצּוֹן לְעַצּוֹן וְלֹא שָׂם אֹתָם עַל־צֹאן לָבָן׃“And the flocks bore striped, speckled, and spotted young. Jacob separated the lambs and made the flocks face toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban. He put his own droves apart and did not put them with Laban’s flock.” (Genesis 30:40). Chapter 30, therefore, continues the trend of Lavan asking Yaacov to set the price and then agreeing to whatever Yaacov offers. Furthermore, Yaacov is the one who seems to be tricking Lavan, and despite all of this, Lavan does not seem to care. Why? More on that in chapter 31…