Parsha discussion

Question:  When Yaakov firsts wants to leave לבן, he doesn't demand or request payment. Why then does he insist on payment (which we later learn takes fully six years)? Approach: it seems that יעקב is somewhat forced into an economic partnership with לבן, who insists that it’s economical sensible for both parties to continue working together. Once the agreement is in place, יעקב insists that it be done properly and fairly - but he'd have much rather not entered the situation in the first place.

Question:  Why is יצחק told not to fear when he returns to באר שבע? What might he have been afraid of? Approach : On the most simple level, this would seem to refer to the actions of the פלישתים, and that יצחק needn't fear that their actions would reach him in באר שבע. Or perhaps, even if they did, we would still be successful, just as he had been in גרר.

Question:  Why does עבד אברהם take 10 camels on his journey? Specifically compare to Avraham when journeying to the עקידה (an unknown destination) taking a single donkey only. Approach:  the simplest explanation would seem to relate to the different purposes of the two journeys. Avraham was journeying on his own, and since he knew the ultimate purpose ahead of time, he would have thought that the journey would not be a long one. עבד אברהם though had a significantly longer journey ahead, as well as having to take enough wealth to tempt the girl and her family (as seems to happen in the end). Perhaps there was even an exaggeration in order to encourage the family to understand the extent of wealth that their daughter would be marrying into, and hence convince them that she would be alright at such a distance from her nuclear family.

Question:  How does סנורים work? If the Sdom townspeople were outside Lot’s house, how did they suddenly lose their sense of direction? Approach: We seemingly need to be helped in answering this question with the other instance in תנ"ך where סנורים is used. This is the story of אלישע using such a tactic to lead the soldiers of ארם from his house to the palace of the King of Israel. And again, the question seems to apply there as well since the soldiers were virtually outside his house. It therefore seems that the סנורים is less of a physical ailment, and rather an ailment relating to the ability to perceive and understand actions. As such, when both peoples were affected, they lost their understanding of why they were located where they were, and that disoriented them.