This week we read Parashat Vayetze, it continues the story of Parashat Toledoth, read last week.  As you will remember, Iaakov escapes from his brother Esav, who threatens to kill him because he deceived Esav.  Iaakov takes refuge in his uncle Laban’s house.

            Laban had two daughters, Leah and Rahel.  Leah’s eyes were soft (or sad) while Rahel was beautiful.  Iaakov falls in love with Rahel.

            Iaakov remains living with Laban and works for him, his uncle offers to pay him for his job.  Iaakov propose to receive Rahel as wife in exchange for his work.  For many commentators this means that his salary would become the dowry he will offer to the bride’s father.  And Laban accepts.

            Up to this point everything seems reasonable, what calls our attention is the following:  Iaakov offers Laban to work for seven years for his daughter Rahel.  Seven years!  It’s as if to say that until seven years pass Iaakov could marry his beloved Rahel.

            The question that arises immediately is, why so much time?  Seven years seems to be too much.

            The commentator Hizkuni believes that Iaakov should have proposed to work one or two years, nevertheless he offered seven years because he believed Laban would not give his beautiful daughter for so little work.

            Another commentator, Sephorno, believes that seven years is the time Iaakov estimated would take him to stabilize economically.  According to him, Iaakov wanted to accomplish the Talmudic maxim (Iebamot 68a) which establishes that a man should marry a woman only if he has means to maintain a family.  By the way, Sephorno, understands that the payment for Iaakov would be used to cancel the Moar, the dowry the groom delivers to the bride’s father in biblical times.

            Seven years seems to be too much time, however we read:  “And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.”  For Iaakov, seven years went so fast as they were few days.  The Torah tell us that the cause of this perception was the love Iaakov felt for Rahel.  That’s true, love makes the time go either faster or slower.

            However, for me it seems there’s another reason:  Iaakov is a man from another time, a different time.  The man in the Bible could wait, he had the gift of patience.  We, modern men, are different, we have lost the ability to wait.   Everything has to be now, immediately.

            A long time ago we could wait for days, even months to receive a letter, today we get so nervous if an e-mail delays more than a day to be answered.  We strive to the limit of our ability to react, we demand immediate answers.   We get desperate when daily things delay a little more than expected.  Modern life has become faster and faster; running is a natural habit in each one of us.  Sometimes we not even notice that time is running, because we try to run faster than the clock.

            How much time do we give to our children to change and improve themselves?  How much time do we grant ourselves to change, to receive an answer, to forgive, to love?