So when the ewes went first to ram, Jacob put the rods in the troughs of water before the eyes of the rams, and of the ewes, that they might conceive while they were looking upon them.
וְהָיָ֗ה בְּכָל־יַחֵם֮ הַצֹּ֣אן הַמְקֻשָּׁרוֹת֒ וְשָׂ֨ם יַעֲקֹ֧ב אֶת־הַמַּקְל֛וֹת לְעֵינֵ֥י הַצֹּ֖אן בָּרֳהָטִ֑ים לְיַחְמֵ֖נָּה בַּמַּקְלֽוֹת׃
4 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Those who belong to Christ are distinct; they abandon all worldly connections, are liberated from all forms of fleshly desires, and their lives are marked not by deprivation but by an appointment to righteousness. It is stated, “the weak cattle were delivered to Laban, and the strong to Jacob” (Gen. 30:42).
Jacob did not create the distinctive spots on the sheep; instead, he placed the rods with markings in front of the livestock at the water troughs and observed them as they mated. The mottled offspring did not originate merely from this act but rather from the fact that the sight of the spotted rods left vivid impressions on the souls of the sheep. These impressions inevitably influenced their physical form, transferring the markings to the colors of their young during this receptive and impressionable stage. Soul and body interact mentally and physically in harmony as they reflect the supreme wisdom of God, who is boundless. The reason the sheep produced lambs instead of rods is due to the steadfast and unseen order of God's wisdom, which governs creation. Moreover, the specific coloration of the lambs conceived results from the pregnant ewe's soul, which was affected externally by the sight of the rods and internally by the nature of the developing embryo, as conceived by the Creator.
This is absent in the Seventy, but rather than using terms like ‘lagging behind’ and ‘keeping up,’ they have instead provided a translation that lacks clarity. Scripture conveys the following: Jacob, a man of resourcefulness and cleverness, once again acts with fairness and justice through another stratagem. Had the cattle produced motley lambs and kids, suspicions of deceit would have arisen, leading the jealous Laban to openly contest it. Therefore, Jacob devised a plan that secured the results of his labor for himself while leaving Laban with some gains. When the sheep and goats were to be bred early on, he placed branches in front of them to encourage them to bear diverse offspring, as the produce of spring is superior.
Conversely, when the sheep and goats sought male partners later, he refrained from placing branches before them, ensuring the birth of uniform cattle. The firstborn animals, which were Jacob's due to their two-toned and varied appearance, contrasted with those born later, which belonged to Laban, as they were of the same color, appearing either black or white. The Hebrew text states that they should conceive before the branches, using the term jeamena (לְיַחְמֵ֖נָּה). I can only describe the essence of this Hebrew term. Indeed, jeamena denotes the peak of physical desire during mating, a moment when the whole body experiences agitation, and the act of passion is reaching its climax and final stages.
He seeks to accomplish the change of white cattle into multicolored cattle primarily within the strongest and finest segment of the herds (Gen. 30:41-42). These cattle exhibit great strength. This strength is signified by the term המקשרות, as understood by Kimhi, which derives from the root קשר meaning to bind. Cattle possess greater strength in the autumn season, while they tend to be less robust in the spring.
THEOSIS