[Avodah] Lavan falsely accused?

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, Sep 09, 2012 at 02:24:16AM -0400, David Wacholder wrote:
: Do Chaza"l attribute such destructive  intentions to Lavan?  Certainly
: that is the "common" way to explain the Hagada passage...

Bereishis 21:20,21. Yaaqov is secretly boreiach, and Laven -- vayirdof
acharav (in v. 23). 24 Hashem warns ("hishamer lekha", v. 24) Lavan not
to speak to Yaaqov. And his reaching Yaaqov (v. 25) is "vayaseig" in
contrast to "vayifgash".

...
: Ibn Ezra begs to disagree - and he is correct.

: IBN EZRA stresses the verb  Oveid -  It is the same language as the lost
: wandering cattle of Hashavat Aveidah.  Yaakov was deprived of his family
: and servants, alone, isolated, impoverished and afraid.  That easily
: qualifies as "Aveidah". He was Oveid, wandering. In passive mood he was
: lost and abandoned and impoverished.

He disagrees with who is the Arami being referred to and what oveid means,
but not that Lavan was out to get Yaaqov.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             When you come to a place of darkness,
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