Towards the end of Parashat Vayetze, the Torah records the fiery exchange of words between Yaakov and Lavan, and their ultimate reconciliation. After Lavan searches through Yaakov's belongings in vain looking for his missing terafim (statues, or oracles), Yaakov frustratingly complains to his father-in-law, noting his impeccable integrity over the last twenty years of service and his tireless devotion to his job as shepherd. Lavan responds by claiming that everything Yaakov has – including his family and his wealth – had all been given to him from Lavan, and Lavan therefore had every right to chase after Yaakov and search through his belongings. Lavan then offers a truce, and Yaakov and Lavan indeed pronounce a mutual treaty and erect a monument testifying to their agreement.
Why does the Torah elaborate in such great detail on this dispute between Yaakov and Lavan and their eventual reconciliation?
Rav Yehuda Leib Ginsburg, in his work Yalkut Yehuda (Denver, 1936), suggests that the Torah recorded this exchange because of its importance with regard to the age-old struggle between labor and management. Since time immemorial, employers and workers have often harbored mutual feelings of resentment. Employees feel that all their employers' profits and success were earned through their efforts, by the sweats of their brows, and they deserve more than what they are given. The employers tend to feel a sense of "ownership" over their workers, as they provide the workers with their livelihood, without which they could not survive. Naturally, employers feel justified in demanding perfect compliance and absolute devotion on the part of their workers, who depend on them for their daily bread.
This ongoing conflict is very clearly manifest in the bitter exchange between Yaakov and Lavan. Yaakov argues that he has worked tirelessly for his wives and fortune, and Lavan therefore has no right to restrain him. Lavan, for his part, observes that Yaakov had come to his home empty-handed and now leaves with a large family and vast assets, all of which he received from Lavan. This exchange thus encapsulates the age-old struggle between labor and management, between workers and their employers.
The Torah recognizes both the rights of the workers as well as those of the employers. Halakha strictly forbids withholding wages and delaying full payment for services rendered. Furthermore, as the Gemara (Kiddushin 22a) indicates in discussing the laws relevant to the eved ivri (indentured servant), employers must treat their workers with respect and ensure their comfort during their period of service. By the same token, strict guidelines apply with regard to a worker's obligations towards his employer, to the point where day workers were allowed to recite an abridged text of birkat ha-mazon so as not to deprive the employer the time needed for the recitation of the full text. As the Rambam famously discusses in the final passage of Hilkhot Sekhirut, workers are obligated to work every moment of the hours for which they are paid, and to invest maximum effort in performing their duties.
According to Rav Ginsburg, the truce between Yaakov and Lavan is to serve as an eternal reminder of the mutual responsibilities of employers and employees, the agreement that employees must provide faithful and devoted service, and employers must treat them with respect and dignity and pay all the workers' wages in full and on time. The Torah found it necessary to eternalize this account due to its importance and ongoing relevance, in underscoring the need for mutual understanding and respect between workers and their employers.
Towards the end of Parashat Vayetze, the Torah records the fiery exchange of words between Yaakov and Lavan, and their ultimate reconciliation. After Lavan searches through Yaakov's belongings in vain looking for his missing terafim (statues, or oracles), Yaakov frustratingly complains to his father-in-law, noting his impeccable integrity over the last twenty years of service and his tireless devotion to his job as shepherd. Lavan responds by claiming that everything Yaakov has – including his family and his wealth – had all been given to him from Lavan, and Lavan therefore had every right to chase after Yaakov and search through his belongings. Lavan then offers a truce, and Yaakov and Lavan indeed pronounce a mutual treaty and erect a monument testifying to their agreement.
Why does the Torah elaborate in such great detail on this dispute between Yaakov and Lavan and their eventual reconciliation?
Rav Yehuda Leib Ginsburg, in his work Yalkut Yehuda (Denver, 1936), suggests that the Torah recorded this exchange because of its importance with regard to the age-old struggle between labor and management. Since time immemorial, employers and workers have often harbored mutual feelings of resentment. Employees feel that all their employers' profits and success were earned through their efforts, by the sweats of their brows, and they deserve more than what they are given. The employers tend to feel a sense of "ownership" over their workers, as they provide the workers with their livelihood, without which they could not survive. Naturally, employers feel justified in demanding perfect compliance and absolute devotion on the part of their workers, who depend on them for their daily bread.
This ongoing conflict is very clearly manifest in the bitter exchange between Yaakov and Lavan. Yaakov argues that he has worked tirelessly for his wives and fortune, and Lavan therefore has no right to restrain him. Lavan, for his part, observes that Yaakov had come to his home empty-handed and now leaves with a large family and vast assets, all of which he received from Lavan. This exchange thus encapsulates the age-old struggle between labor and management, between workers and their employers.
The Torah recognizes both the rights of the workers as well as those of the employers. Halakha strictly forbids withholding wages and delaying full payment for services rendered. Furthermore, as the Gemara (Kiddushin 22a) indicates in discussing the laws relevant to the eved ivri (indentured servant), employers must treat their workers with respect and ensure their comfort during their period of service. By the same token, strict guidelines apply with regard to a worker's obligations towards his employer, to the point where day workers were allowed to recite an abridged text of birkat ha-mazon so as not to deprive the employer the time needed for the recitation of the full text. As the Rambam famously discusses in the final passage of Hilkhot Sekhirut, workers are obligated to work every moment of the hours for which they are paid, and to invest maximum effort in performing their duties.
According to Rav Ginsburg, the truce between Yaakov and Lavan is to serve as an eternal reminder of the mutual responsibilities of employers and employees, the agreement that employees must provide faithful and devoted service, and employers must treat them with respect and dignity and pay all the workers' wages in full and on time. The Torah found it necessary to eternalize this account due to its importance and ongoing relevance, in underscoring the need for mutual understanding and respect between workers and their employers.