Vayeitzei 29:35 · unit 1

Parashas Vayeitzei · Passuk 29:35

The Complete Passuk

וַתַּ֨הַר ע֜וֹד וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֗ן וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַפַּ֙עַם֙ אוֹדֶ֣ה אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה עַל־כֵּ֛ן קָרְאָ֥ה שְׁמ֖וֹ יְהוּדָ֑ה וַתַּעֲמֹ֖ד מִלֶּֽדֶת׃

And she conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time I will thank Hashem”; therefore she called his name Yehudah. And she stopped giving birth.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to classical sources on the naming of Yehudah.

TT lemma: הפעם אודה את ה׳.

Sefaria — Genesis 29:35

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אָמְרוּ: מִכָּאן שֶׁצָּרִיךְ אָדָם לְהוֹדוֹת עַל הֶעָבָר וְלִבְקֹשׁ עַל הֶעָתִיד.

English: They said: From here [we learn] that a person must give thanks for the past and request for the future.

On the daf / in context: Leah’s expression of gratitude is taken as the model for the duty of thanksgiving.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (midrashic) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The naming becomes a paradigm for the obligation of hodaya.

What Is Learned

One must give thanks for past kindness and also petition for the future; Leah’s words model both.