Jacob had fled the corrosive atmosphere in Laban’s house. But secretly, his beloved Rachel took with her the teraphim — the statues of gods that her father worshiped. We are not told whether she did this to wean her father off idolatry, or whether she believed in their powers. But the culture of Laban’s house seems to have affected her.

Jacob then traveled to Esau, uncertain and then fearful of what his attitude would be. To his relief, when they met, the atmosphere was cordial. They embraced, and Esau seemed to bear no malice towards his brother anymore. Esau offered to accompany Jacob’s family back to Seir, where Esau now lived (and which was beyond the borders of Israel). But Jacob did not proceed towards Esau’s territory. Instead, he returned to the area of Shechem, which we now know as Samaria or Shomron, where his father had been based.

It seems that Jacob did not want to live too close to his brother. Near Shechem, Jacob bought some land to settle. But almost as soon as he arrived, his daughter Dinah, who was visiting the city, was raped. Two of Jacob’s sons took the law into their own hands. They pretended to negotiate a settlement with Shechem. But that was only a ruse. They killed the people of Shechem. Jacob remonstrated and expressed his anger.

Then Jacob told his family to go to Bethel, where Abraham and Isaac had built altars previously, and where the atmosphere was more conducive to his values. He commanded his sons to get rid of their pagan gods, and to purify themselves.

Therefore, we see that Rachel’s taking of Laban’s teraphim was not an isolated incident, but an indication of how profoundly they had all been influenced by the house of Laban.

All of this speaks about the danger and corrosive effect of bad company. We are so easily influenced by our peer group and social pressures, as well as by bad friends and partners. As the Mishna says, “Keep far away from bad neighbors and friends,” and “woe to bad people and woe to bad company.”

We might think that we are strong enough to resist foreign influences. But history shows that this is rarely the case. And that’s why we tend to prefer to live in communities of like-minded people. If Jews have been accused of being separatist, it is only because we have wanted to preserve a  supportive Jewish environment and maintain Jewish values for us and our children.

Shabbat Shalom.

The writer is an author and rabbi, currently living in New York.

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