Vayetzei

On his way to Haran, Yaakov stopped for the night. He dreamt of a stairway set on the ground with it's top in the sky. Malachim (angels/messengers) of God were going up and down. God says to Yaakov, "Your descendents will be spread to the west, east, north, & south...I will protect you and bring you back to this land." Yaakov awoke and said, "Surely, God is present in this place, and I did not know it." He named the place Bethel.

Yaakov continued on his journey, and came to a well, There, he saw Rachel, daughter of his uncle Lavan. She ran to tell her father of Yaakov's arrival, and Lavan took Yaakov into his house. Lavan had two daughters, Leah, the elder, and Rachel, the younger. After a month, Lavan asked Yaakov what he would like to be paid for his wages. Yaakov, who was in love with Rachel, said that he would work for 7 years in exchange for Rachel. Lavan agreed to this.

When the 7 years were up, Yaakov asked Lavan for Rachel to be his wife. Lavan had a party for them, and in the evening brought his daughter Leah to Yaakov as his wife. It was in the morning that Yaakov discovered that his bride was Leah, not Rachel. When he questioned Lavan about the deception, Lavan explained that it is their custom to marry off the older before the younger. He says that once the bridal week is over, he will give Yaakov the younger sister, as long as Yaakov works another 7 years for him. This Yaakov did.

Leah bore Yaakov 4 sons--Reuven, Shimon, Levi, and Judah. Rachel was barren, and envious of her sister. She gave Yaakov her maid, Bilhah as a concubine, saying, "...through her I too may have children." Bilhah bore Yaakov 2 sons--Dan and Naphtali. Leah then gave Yaakov her maid, Zilpah, as a concubine. Zilpah bore Yaakov 2 sons--Gad and Asher. Leah then bore Yaakov 2 more sons and a daughter--Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah. Rachel then bore Yaakov a son, Yosef.

After Yosef's birth, Yaakov told Lavan he wished take his family and return to his homeland. Yaakov work had caused Lavan's herd to greatly increase, and he did not want Yaakov to go. He asked Yaakov what could he pay him to stay. Yaakov asked not for payment, just to have every speckled and spotted and dark-colored animal. Lavan agreed to this, then took all the speckled, spotted and dark-colored animals, gave them to his sons and had them taken 3-days journey away from Yaakov. Yaakov put fresh shoots of poplar, almond, and plane, peeled them to their white parts and put them in the troughs of the goats. Any of the goats who mated by the rods brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted young. He continued this practice, making sure the strongest of the flocks mated in front of those troughs with the shoots. Thus the weakest of the flock went to Lavan and the strongest of the flock went to Yosef.

Tired of Lavan's duplicitness, Yosef decided to sneak away--take his wives and children and all he had amassed and return to his homeland. Before leaving, Rachel stole her father's household idols. Lavan took after Yaakov, and asked him why he fled in secrecy. He says he will not harm Yaakov because the God of Yaakov's father had appeared to him to warn him against that action. But Lavan wanted to know why Yaakov stole his gods. Without knowing that Rachel had stolen them. Yaakov says that anyone found with Lavan's gods will be killed. Lavan searched the tents of Yaakov and Leah, but did not find the idols. He entered Rachel's tent. Rachel was sitting on the idols. She explained she couldn't rise, "...for the period of women is upon me." The idols remained unfound.

Yaakov complained to Lavan about his mistreatment of Yaakov, while Yaakov did nothing but good work for him. Lavan suggests they make a pact. They set up a stone pillar, a mound of stones, and shared a meal. They swear to not go after each other with hostile intent. In the morning, Lavan left to return home, and Yaakov continued on his way.