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Perashat Vayetzeh - You got it back

Whenever we do something really bad it comes back to haunt us. If you stole something others might have heard. Years later the episode repeats itself but this time you are the victim. You go over to the guy who now stole from you and ask him, "How could you be so low to steal from me?" The frightening answer is, "How could you have stolen from your other friend all those years ago?"

According to Midrash Tanchuma Yashan this is exactly what happened to Ya'acov Avinu. He tricked his father and said that he was Eisav so that his father would give him the blessing. When he got married he was tricked in exactly the same way. He wanted to marry the younger Rachel but was tricked into marrying the older Leah.

The Midrash says that when he woke up in the morning and saw that he was lying next to Leah he said, "Why did you trick me?" She answered, "Why did you trick your father and say that you are Eisav the first born?"

This is why he hated Leah because she rebuked him.

When you are about to do something a little devious you should think about this story and realize that it will come back to haunt you.