Yaakov and Lavan's treaty through the ages
May this post be a merit for the success of our soldiers and the safe return of all of the hostages that are still alive, and the bodies of the deceased, and a refuah shlemah for Dror Yisrael ben Rut Miriam (דרור ישראל בן רות מרים).
As a friend of mine pointed out earlier today, it's somewhat ironic that on the week where we read of Yaakov and Lavan's treaty, Israel is signing a treaty with Hamas (ימ"ש).
An interesting midrash notes that the treaty was still valid many centuries later:
Midrash Tanchuma Devarim 3:1
"...מכתם זה דוד, שעשה עצמו מך, ותם על שהלך בתמימות עם קונו, אימתי בהצותו את ארם נהרים, מהון כשהלך יואב להלחם עם ארם נהרים, יצאו לקראתו, אמרו לו אתה מבני בניו של יעקב, ואנו מבני בניו של לבן, והרי תנאי שלהם [קיים], דכתיב עד הגל הזה (בראשית לא נב), כששמע יואב חזר אצל דוד, א"ל מה אתה אומר הרי תנאו שבועת יעקב אבינו, מיד הושיבו סנהדרין שושן עדות, [ללמד] למדוהו ואמרו באמת כך היה, אלא הם עברוהו תחילה, בלעם הרשע מפני מה עבר, לא כך אמר מן ארם ינחני בלק מלך מואב וגו' (במדבר כג ז), וכושן רשעתים לא שיעבד בנו, שנאמר ויעבדו בני ישראל את כושן רשעתים שמונה שנים (שופטים ג ח), הם הרשיעו עלינו שתי רשעיות, כיון (שהודו) ,שהורו] לו ב"ד, מיד חזר עליהם והרגן, שנאמר בהצותו את ארם נהרים וגו' (תהלים ס ב)..."
"'Mikhtam' refers to David, who made himself humble (Makh) and innocent (tam), because he walked in innocence with his Creator. When? (According to Ps. 60:2) "when he had struggled with Aram-Naharim" What does that mean? When Joab went to fight with Aram-Naharaim, they came out toward him. They said to him: You are one of the children of Jacob, but we are from the children of Laban. Now here is their confirmed agreement, as written (in Gen. 31:52): "This mound is a witness". When Joab heard [that], he returned to David. He said to him: What do you say to that? Here is our ancestor Jacob's sworn agreement. They immediately convened a Sanhedrin, (in the words of Ps. 60:1) "A Shushan Eduth" (i.e., a lily of witness) [for instruction]. They instructed him and said: It really was so, but they [the Arameans] transgressed it first. Why did Bilam the Wicked transgress it? Does it not say so (in Numb. 23:7): "It is from Aram that Balak has brought me, the king of Moab"? Moreover, did not Cushan-rishataim (of Aram-naharaim) enslave us, as stated (in Jud. 3:8): "And the children of Israel served Cushan-rishataim eight years"? [Thus] they have committed two wicked acts against us. When the court had so [instructed] him, he immediately turned back against them and slew them, as stated (in Ps. 60:2): "when he had struggled with Aram-Naharaim"..."
Interestingly, the Sanhedrin agreed that technically the treaty should have still been valid in the time of David, but since the Arameans were the first to transgress it, it was now null and void. And thus, David and Yoav set out for the first in a long series of battles between Yisrael and Aram (the midrash continues discussing whether the war was with Edom or Aram, but we won't get into that now).
Most famously, the Tel Dan Stele which explicitly mentions the House of David was apparently set up at Dan during one of the successful Aramean conquests of Dan (and likely other areas of the Kingdom of Yisrael). The stele was later smashed and used as pavement stones for the entrance to the city of Dan, which is where some of its fragments were eventually discovered by archeologists. The turning of the stone into pavement symbolizes the hatred of the people of Yisrael toward the Aramean iron fist-rule.
Unfortunately, until now Hamas have always transgressed their treaties, the Shmini Atzeret Massacre not being an exception. May we see the return of the promised 50 hostages speedily and safely, and may we merit to crush Hamas as David and Yoav crushed Yisrael's enemies in their time.
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