These sources explore whether Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and other Avot observed the Torah before it was given at Sinai. They present various rabbinic interpretations ranging from claims that Abraham kept the entire Torah to arguments that the patriarchs observed only pre-Sinaitic commandments or followed spiritual principles rather than formal law.
קִיֵּים אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ כָּל הַתּוֹרָה כּוּלָּהּ
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Genesis 26:5
This verse states that Abraham obeyed God's voice, kept His charge, commandments, statutes, and laws, suggesting that Abraham adhered to divine commandments, which some interpret as allusions to Torah observance.
עֵ֕קֶב אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַ֥ע אַבְרָהָ֖ם בְּקֹלִ֑י וַיִּשְׁמֹר֙ מִשְׁמַרְתִּ֔י מִצְוֺתַ֖י חֻקּוֹתַ֥י וְתוֹרֹתָֽי׃
inasmuch as Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge: My commandments, My laws, and My teachings.”
Genesis 37:2
Yaakov transmits 'reports' (dibah) about his brothers' behavior, yet the Talmud (Pesachim 3b) notes this contrasts with prohibitions of lashon hara — one of many narrative details that suggest the Avot did not formally observe all rabbinic refinements of Torah law.
אֵ֣לֶּה ׀ תֹּלְד֣וֹת יַעֲקֹ֗ב יוֹסֵ֞ף בֶּן־שְׁבַֽע־עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה שָׁנָה֙ הָיָ֨ה רֹעֶ֤ה אֶת־אֶחָיו֙ בַּצֹּ֔אן וְה֣וּא נַ֗עַר אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י בִלְהָ֛ה וְאֶת־בְּנֵ֥י זִלְפָּ֖ה נְשֵׁ֣י אָבִ֑יו וַיָּבֵ֥א יוֹסֵ֛ף אֶת־דִּבָּתָ֥ם רָעָ֖ה אֶל־אֲבִיהֶֽם׃
This, then, is the line of Jacob: At seventeen years of age, Joseph tended the flocks with his brothers, as a helper to the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. And Joseph brought bad reports of them to their father.
Bereshit Rabbah 95:3
Midrash Rabbah presents interpretations of the patriarchs and their possible adherence to mitzvot, offering nuanced perspectives on their roles and spiritual practices before Matan Torah.
וְעַד עַכְשָׁיו לֹא נִתְּנָה תּוֹרָה וּכְתִיב בְּאַבְרָהָם (בראשית כו, ה):
What did Joseph do?
Yoma 28b:9
This passage discusses whether the patriarchs kept the entire Torah, suggesting that they observed certain commandments even before the Torah was given.
אָמַר רַב: קִיֵּים אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ כָּל הַתּוֹרָה כּוּלָּהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״עֵקֶב אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַע אַבְרָהָם בְּקוֹלִי וְגוֹ׳״. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַב שִׁימִי בַּר חִיָּיא לְרַב: וְאֵימָא שֶׁבַע מִצְוֹת? הָא אִיכָּא נָמֵי מִילָה! וְאֵימָא שֶׁבַע מִצְוֹת וּמִילָה! אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אִם כֵּן ״מִצְוֹתַי וְתוֹרוֹתָי״ לְמָה לִי?
Apropos the previous statement, the Gemara cites that Rav said: Abraham our Patriarch fulfilled the entire Torah before it was given, as it is stated: “Because [ekev] Abraham hearkened to My voice and kept My charge, My mitzvot, My statutes and My Torahs” (Genesis 26:5). Rav Shimi bar Ḥiyya said to Rav: And say that the verse means that he fulfilled only the seven Noahide mitzvot and not the entire Torah. The Gemara asks: But isn’t there also circumcision that Abraham clearly observed, which is not one of the Noahide laws? Apparently, Abraham fulfilled more than just those seven. The Gemara asks: And say that he fulfilled only the seven mitzvot and circumcision. Rav said to him: If so, why do I need the continuation of the verse, that Abraham kept: My mitzvot and My Torah? That is a clear indication that he fulfilled mitzvot beyond the seven Noahide mitzvot, and apparently fulfilled the entire Torah.
Sanhedrin 58b:3
The Gemara discusses which laws the Noahides and later Avot were obligated in before the Sinai revelation, implying that the full Torah corpus was not yet binding on the patriarchs.
תָּא שְׁמַע: ״וַיִּקַּח עַמְרָם אֶת יוֹכֶבֶד דֹּדָתוֹ״. מַאי לָאו, דּוֹדָתוֹ מִן הָאֵם? לֹא, דּוֹדָתוֹ מִן הָאָב. תָּא שְׁמַע: ״וְגַם אׇמְנָה אֲחֹתִי בַת אָבִי הִיא אַךְ לֹא בַת אִמִּי״ – מִכְּלָל דְּבַת הָאֵם אֲסוּרָה. וְתִסְבְּרָא אֲחוֹתוֹ הֲוַאי? בַּת אָחִיו הֲוַאי! וְכֵיוָן דְּהָכִי הוּא, לָא שְׁנָא מִן הָאָב וְלָא שְׁנָא מִן הָאֵם – שַׁרְיָא. אֶלָּא הָתָם הָכִי קָאָמַר לֵיהּ: קוּרְבָּא דְּאָחוֹת אִית לִי בַּהֲדַהּ, מֵאַבָּא וְלָא מֵאִמָּא.
Come and hear a proof for the opinion of Rabbi Akiva from the verse: “And Amram took Jochebed his aunt as a wife” (Exodus 6:20). What, was she not his maternal aunt? Presumably, Jochebed was the sister of Kohath, Amram’s father, from both of Kohath’s parents, and not from his father alone. Evidently, a descendant of Noah may marry his father’s sister. The Gemara rejects this proof: No, she was his paternal aunt, Kohath’s half sister. Since she was not Kohath’s sister from his mother’s side, she was not forbidden to Amram. Come and hear a proof for the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer from what Abraham said to Abimelech with regard to Sarah: “And moreover, she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and so she became my wife” (Genesis 20:12). By inference, the daughter of the mother of a descendant of Noah is forbidden to him. The Gemara rejects this proof: But how can you understand that Sarah was Abraham’s sister? She was his brother’s daughter. By tradition, it is known that Sarah was Haran’s daughter Iscah. And since that was so, there is no difference whether they were paternal relatives, and there is no difference whether they were maternal relatives; in any event she was permitted to him, even according to the halakha of Jews. Rather, this is what Abraham was saying to Abimelech there: She is related to me like a sister, as the daughter of my brother is like a sister, and our relationship is from the side of my father but not from the side of my mother.
Rashi on Genesis 26:5
Rashi explains that Abraham observed all of God's offerings, including the laws that would later be given to Moshe, indicating a form of Torah observance by the patriarchs.
וישמר משמרתי. גְּזֵרוֹת לְהַרְחָקָה עַל הָאַזְהָרוֹת שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה, כְּגוֹן שְׁנִיּוֹת לָעֲרָיוֹת וּשְׁבוּת לַשַּׁבָּת (יבמות כ"א): מצותי. דְּבָרִים שֶׁאִלּוּ לֹא נִכְתְּבוּ רְאוּיִן הֵם לְהִצְטַוּוֹת, כְּגוֹן גֶּזֶל וּשְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים: חקותי. דְּבָרִים שֶׁיֵּצֶר הָרָע וְאֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם מְשִׁיבִין עֲלֵיהֶם, כְּגוֹן אֲכִילַת חֲזִיר וּלְבִישַׁת שַׁעַטְנֵז, שֶׁאֵין טַעַם בַּדָּבָר, אֶלָּא גְּזֵרַת הַמֶּלֶךְ וְחֻקּוֹתָיו עַל עֲבָדָיו: ותורתי. לְהָבִיא תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה הֲלָכָה לְמֹשֶׁה מִסִּינַי (בראשית רבה):
וישמר משמרתי AND KEPT MY CHARGE — This refers to precautionary measures which are intended to make us avoid the infringement of Biblical prohibitions: such are the Rabbinical inhibition of marriage between relatives in the second degree and the Rabbinical regulations regarding not doing certain acts on the Sabbath (cf. Yevamot 21a). מצותי MY COMMANDMENTS — those matters which, had they not been written in the Torah, we would nevertheless hold that they are fitting matters to be the subject of a commandment, such as robbery and murder (cf. Yoma 67b). חקותי MY ORDINANCES — matters which our evil inclination and the heathen nations argue against the necessity of prohibiting, such as the eating of swine’s flesh and the wearing of garments made of a mixture of wool and linen — things for which there are no apparent reasons but which are the King’s decrees and enactments imposed on His subjects (Yoma 67b). ותורתי AND MY LAWS — The plural serves to include with the written Law also the Oral Law which prescribes commands that are an ancient institution given by God to Moses from Sinai (cf. Genesis Rabbah 64:4).
Ramban on Genesis 26:5
The passage discusses whether Abraham and the other Patriarchs observed the Torah before it was given at Sinai, presenting various interpretations of the verse "he kept my commandments, statutes, and teachings" and raising questions about how Jacob and other Patriarchs could have performed actions that seem to violate later Torah prohibitions.
וְיֵשׁ לִשְׁאֹל, אִם כֵּן אֵיךְ הֵקִים יַעֲקֹב מַצֵּבָה (בראשית כ"ח:י"ח), וְנָשָׂא שְׁתֵּי אֲחָיוֹת, וּכְדַעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (ב"ר עד יא) אַרְבַּע, וְעַמְרָם נָשָׂא דּוֹדָתוֹ (שמות ו כ), וּמֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ הֵקִים שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה מַצֵּבָה (שם כד ד), וְהַאֵיךְ אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיִּהְיוּ נוֹהֲגִים הֶתֵּר בַּתּוֹרָה בְּמַה שֶׁאָסַר אַבְרָהָם אֲבִיהֶם עַל עַצְמוֹ וְקָבַע לוֹ הַשֵּׁם שָׂכָר עַל הַדָּבָר וְהַנִּרְאֶה אֵלַי מִדַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁלָּמַד אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ הַתּוֹרָה כֻּלָּהּ בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ, וְעָסַק בָּהּ וּבְטַעֲמֵי מִצְווֹתֶיהָ וְסוֹדוֹתֶיהָ, וְשָׁמַר אוֹתָהּ כֻּלָּהּ כְּמִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְצֻוֶּה וְעֹשֶׂה, וּשְׁמִירָתוֹ אוֹתָהּ הָיָה בָּאָרֶץ בִּלְבַד, וְיַעֲקֹב בְּחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ נָשָׂא הָאֲחָיוֹת, וְכֵן עַמְרָם, כִּי הַמִּצְוֹת מִשְׁפַּט אֱלֹהֵי הָאָרֶץ הֵן
There the Sages also said that Abraham observed the details of the Torah, which he taught to his children, etc. The Sons of Noah were commanded concerning all of these matters, and Abraham observed and fulfilled the Will of his Creator, observing even the details and the strictures of their commandments, even as the Sages mentioned: “The tractate of idolatry of our father Abraham contained four hundred chapters.” They further expounded [on the verse referring to Isaac, which says]
Rabbeinu Bahya, Bereshit 26:5:2
The passage presents two interpretations of Abraham's observance of God's commandments: one literal interpretation that he kept only the Noahide laws, and another rabbinic interpretation that he kept the entire Torah with all 613 commandments through intellectual understanding even before it was given.
ע"ד הפשט יאמר זה על מצות שנצטוו בני נח, כי מצותי הם גזל ושפיכות דמים, וחקותי אבר מן החי וכלאים של בהמה והרכבת האילן, ותורותי דינין וע"ז, שאלו כולן נצטוו בהם בני נח והוא השומר והעושה רצון בוראו ומשמר אפילו דקדוקין וחומרות במצות שלהן, וכמו שאמרו רז"ל מסכת ע"ז דאברהם אבינו ד' מאה פרקי הוה, ומשמרתי שהזכיר תחלה יאמר על שניות לעריות של בני נח. אבל דעת רז"ל ששמר כל התורה כולה עד שלא נתנה וקיים תרי"ג מצות בשכל, וזהו שאמר מצותי חוקותי ותורותי כי לג' חלקים יתחלקו תרי"ג מצות, והם מצות קלות מקובלות הנקראות עדות, והמצות שהן גזרת המלך ואין לנו בהם טעם והם נקראים חקים, והמצות המושכלות הנקראות משפטים, וזהו לשון הכתוב (דברים ו׳:כ׳) מה העדות והחקים והמשפטים, גם לשון הכתוב בכאן מצותי חקותי ותורתי כי המשפטים נקראים תורה
The opinion of our sages is that the words וישמור משמרתי refers to Avraham observing voluntarily all the laws of the Torah which had not yet been legislated. The second category is called חוקים.
Tiferet Yisrael 19
The passage discusses whether the Patriarchs kept the Torah, citing rabbinic sources that Abraham observed all of the Torah, Isaac observed proper slaughtering methods, and Jacob observed the Sabbath, while raising the question of why Abraham specifically is described as keeping the entire Torah more than Isaac and Jacob.
ולמה נשא יעקב ב' אחיות, ועמרם דודתו, ולא היה נזהר בדבר שקבל האסור מאבותיו. ובאגדה בפרק ערבי פסחים (פסחים קיט:) אמרו, שלא היה רוצה יעקב לברך, מפני שנשא ב' אחיות. שאם כן, למה נשא אותן, אחר שלא היה ראוי שישא ב' אחיות בחייהן.
Rashi on Psalms 105:8
וְרָאָה שֶׁאֵין הָעוֹלָם מִתְקַיֵּם בְּלֹא תּוֹרָה, וְהֶעֱבִיר מֵהֶם תְּשַׁע מֵאוֹת וְשִׁבְעִים וְאַרְבָּעָה דּוֹרוֹת.
the word He had commanded to the thousandth generation The Torah, which He commanded to make known in the world after a thousand generations, but He saw that the world could not exist without Torah, so he skipped 974 generations of them.
Ramban on Genesis 38:2
The passage discusses the genealogy and lineage of Canaanite women who married into Jacob's sons, citing rabbinic sources about whether they were Canaanites or converts, and debating the identity and origins of these women based on textual and logical considerations.
וְדַעְתּוֹ לוֹמַר כִּי בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב יִשְׁתַּמְּרוּ מִלִּשָּׂא כְּנַעֲנִיּוֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה אֲבִיהֶם יִצְחָק גַּם אַבְרָהָם, וְכֵן הִזְכִּירוּ בַּגְּמָרָא בְּמַסֶּכֶת פְּסָחִים (פסחים נ'). וְרַבִּי אַבְרָהָם אָמַר (להלן מו י), כִּי בַּעֲבוּר הֱיוֹת הָאִשָּׁה הַזֹּאת כְּנַעֲנִית וְעָבַר עַל דַּעַת אֲבוֹתָיו, הָיוּ בָּנֶיהָ רָעִים וּמֵתוּ, וְלָכֵן הִזְכִּירוֹ הַכָּתוּב, וְשָׁאוּל לְבַדּוֹ הִזְכִּיר שֶׁהָיָה בֶּן הַכְּנַעֲנִית כִּי לֹא הֻצְרַךְ לְהַזְכִּיר כֵּן בְּשֵׁלָה.
And thus did the Sages mention in the Gemara of Tractate Pesachim. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra says that because this woman was a Canaanitess, and Judah had transgressed the opinion of his fathers, her children were evil and they died.
Akeidat Yitzchak, Toldot
Rav Yitzchak Arama addresses the theological difficulty of the Avot's conduct in light of the Torah's later laws, arguing that their mitzvot were self-imposed acts of devotion based on rational insight and divine tradition, not the same halakhic obligations that became binding at Sinai.
Guide for the Perplexed, Part 1 3:50
Rambam explains that many Torah commandments were given specifically in response to the idolatrous practices of Egypt and Canaan; the Avot lived in a different historical-spiritual context and their service of God was of a different nature, implying the mitzvot as formulated at Sinai were not the framework of their religious life.
Meshekh Chokhmah, Bereshit 26:5
Meshech Chochma suggests that the Avot kept the Torah spiritually rather than legally, as their deeds reflected innate divine wisdom more than legislated laws.
הענין מבואר כי הנחש בא במושכל לאמר להם כי אין כונת הבורא לבלי אכול ממנו, רק רצונו שתאכ
He will be able to do things against his more natural state, and against those things which are straight in the eyes of G-d.....
Or HaChaim on Genesis 26:5
Abraham observed all of God's commandments, laws, and teachings, guarding himself against transgression and ensuring they would not be forgotten.
שָׁמַע אַבְרָהָם בְּקוֹלִי – לְכָל אֲשֶׁר נִסִּיתִיהוּ, וַיִּשְׁמֹר מִשְׁמַרְתִּי – שָׁמַר עַצְמוֹ לְבַל יָבֹא לְיָדוֹ דָּבָר שֶׁצִּוִּיתִיהוּ לִשְׁמוֹר, וּכְמוֹ כֵן שָׁמַר הַמִּצְווֹת לְבַל יַעַבְרוּהוּ בְּהֶסַח הַדַּעַת. וְ״חֻקּוֹתַי״ הֵם מִצְווֹת שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם טַעַם, וּכְמוֹ כֵן תּוֹרָתִי שָׁמַר לְבַל תִּשָּׁכַח מִמֶּנּוּ, עַל דֶּרֶךְ אָמְרוֹ (דברים ד:ט) ״וּשְׁמֹר נַפְשְׁךָ וְגוֹ׳ פֶּן תִּשְׁכַּח אֶת הַדְּבָרִים״ וְגוֹ׳:
שמע אברהם בקולי, "Abraham hearkened to My voice." He successfully passed all the tests I subjected him to; וישמור משמרתי, he was careful not to transgress anything l had commanded him even unintentionally, through momentary carelessness. וחוקותי, these are the commandments that appear to be without logical foundations. תורתי, "he studied My commandments in order not to forget them," just as Moses commanded Israel in Deut. 4,9.
Nefesh HaChayim, Gate I 21:5
Rav Chaim of Volozhin discusses how the patriarchs' observance was not of the formal commandments but through spiritual justice and inherent truths, offering a different angle on Torah observance pre-Sinai.
לא שהיו מצווים ועושים כך מצד הדין. דא"כ לא היו מעמידים ח"ו על דעתם והשגתם אף שהשיגו שלפי ענין שרש נשמתם ההכרח להם לעבור ולשנות אף מקצת מאחת מכל מצות ה'. ולא היה יעקב אע"ה נושא ב' אחיות ולא היה עמרם נושא דודתו ח"ו. וזה ג"כ א' מהטעמים. שלא ניתנה התורה לנח והאבות הקדושים. שאם היתה ניתנת להם לא היה יעקב רשאי לישא ב' אחיות. ולא עמרם דודתו. אף אם היו משיגים שכן ראוי להם לפי שרש נשמתם. ובאמת זה היה כל בניית בית ישראל עם סגולה. ותיקון כל העולמות עליונים ותחתונים. כענין מאמרם ז"ל וא"ת קין נשא אחותו. עולם חסד יבנה:
It’s not that they were commanded and [thus] acting as they did from a legal perspective, for if it were so they would not have taken positions based on their own intellect and attainment, even if they had grasped that based on the context of the root of their soul-Neshama it would have been necessary to trespass and to change even a small part of one of all of God’s-YHV”H commandments. Yaakov the Patriarch (peace be upon him) would not have married two sisters, nor would have Amram married his aunt (heaven forefend). And this is also one of the reasons that the Torah was not given to Noakh or the holy Patriarchs, for if it had been given to them, Yaakov would not have been permitted to marry two sisters, nor Amram his aunt, even if they had grasped that it was worthy for them to do so according to the root of their souls-Neshama . And in truth, [the effect of these later-forbidden actions was] the complete erection of the House of Israel, the Chosen Nation, and the rectification of all upper and lower worlds. And also in this context is what they (OBM) stated (Sanhedrin 58b): “and if you should assert that Kayin married his sister, [this is an example of how] ‘the world is built on compassion’ (Tehillim 89:3)”.
Gevurot Hashem, Introduction to Gevurot Hashem 1
The Maharal explains that the patriarchs existed in a pre-covenantal state; the formal obligations of Torah law were not yet in force, and the Avot's divine service was of a qualitatively different and higher order than normative halakhic observance.
"כבוד אלקים הסתר דבר וכבוד מלכים חקור דבר" (משלי כה, ב). במדרש ב"ר (ט, א), רבי לוי בשם רבי חמא בר חנינא, מתחלת ספר בראשית עד "ויכלו" (בראשית ב, א) - "כבוד אלקים הסתר דבר", מכאן ואילך - "חקור דבר", עד כאן.
1 It is to God's honor that a thing (thing, word - דבר) is concealed and it is to their honor, that kings research a thing (Proverbs 25, 2). In Midrash Rabbah (9,1) Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Hama Bar Hanina: "From the first word of the Book of Genesis, 'בראשית' until 'ויכלו': "It is for God's honor that a thing is concealed," and from there ('ויכלו') and onwards, it speaks of "the honor of kings is to research a thing..."
Sefat Emet, Leviticus, Emor 2:1
Sefat Emet presents a chassidic view that the patriarchs' spirituality transcended the formal Torah, as they embodied a spiritual archetype, aligning inherently with divine will.
תרל"ג
Sefat Emet – Rabbi Yehudah Leib Alter of Ger, translated by Rabbi Arthur Green
Likkutei Sichos Vol. 15, Parshat Vayeira
The Lubavitcher Rebbe elaborates on differing approaches to whether the Avos observed mitzvot in strict halachic sense or through divine spirit, focusing on their roles as archetypes of Jewish values.
Kedushat Levi, Genesis 26:5
Kedushat Levi provides a chassidic interpretation that the Avot's lives inherently aligned with Torah's spiritual essence although they didn't formally keep Jewish law.
Noam Elimelekh, Sefer Bereshit, Vayetzei
The Noam Elimelekh explains that Yaakov's marrying two sisters (later forbidden as incest under Torah law) was not a transgression because the Avot operated through the supernal root of the Torah, above the level of specific commandments, drawing down divine light in ways that transcend the literal law.
"וירא והנה באר בשדה", דהנה הכתוב הורה לנו את הדרך אשר יבוא בו הצדיק אל המדרגה הנ"ל, הוא ע"י שהצדיק רואה תמיד על הפנימיות התורה הקדושה, דהתורה נקראת "באר", באר חפרוה שרים, והפנימיות נקרא "שדה" שהוא חקל תפוחים, וזהו "וירא והנה באר בשדה", ר"ל שעיקר התורה היא בשביל השדה שהוא הפנימיות הנקרא שדה חקל תפוחים כנ"ל, והסיבה אשר על ידו ישיג פנימיות התורה הוא ע"י ג׳ בחינות שנתן השי"ת באדם, דהיינו נפש רוח ונשמה והיינו אחר שישבר האדם הנפש הבהמיות יזכה לנפש השכליות, ואח"ז יזכה לרוח, ואחר אשר יחזיק במעוזו בעבודת הבורא באמת יזכה לנשמה, וע"י ג׳ בחינות אלו יזכה להשיג פנימיות התורה הקדושה.
Kedushat Levi, Genesis, Vayetzei 1
Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev addresses Yaakov's marrying two sisters and explains that before Sinai the Torah had not yet descended into the material world; the Avot lived at the spiritual source of the Torah where its restrictions had not yet taken form.
רק שרמז יעקב במחשבתו וכוון על דבר אחר על אבן הרוחני היא ראשית המחשבה הוא פינת יסוד העולם להיות מקושר אל המעשה בכל ענפיו ופרטיו להיות בנין מפואר מחדרים ומפלטרין שממנו כמה וכמה צדיקים ולומדי תורה זה היה עבודת יעקב והסתכל באחדות של כנסת ישראל עד סוף כל הדורות ואחר כך ראה יעקב ברוח קדשו הירוס של כנסת ישראל וחורבן בית המקדש וגודל החרון אף והדינים שעברו על ישראל:
Perhaps this very fact qualified him for experiencing the first of his many Divine visions, although this time he was not certain for 34 years that it had indeed been a divine vision. According to our sages, during this night Yaakov’s mind foresaw the ruins of two Temples and the great anger that the Jewish people, his descendants, would provoke in G’d’s mind on numerous occasions.
Toldot Yaakov Yosef, Vayeshev
The author (a prime disciple of the Baal Shem Tov) addresses the seeming transgressions in the stories of Yaakov's sons, teaching that the Avot and Shevatim operated at the level of shoresh (the root) of the Torah's soul, which supersedes the particulars of its enacted law.
ותכלית הבריאה והתולדה לעשות מן חומר צורה כנודע. ובזה יובן אלה תולדת יעקב, החומר היורד עקב, שיעשה צורה הנק' יוסף, שמוסיף והולך, וק"ל.
Tanya, Iggeret HaKodesh 26
The Alter Rebbe discusses how the Avot performed their divine service through an entirely different spiritual mechanism than post-Sinaitic Jews, connecting this to the idea that the formal obligations of Torah only took effect with the covenant at Sinai, not before.