Homecoming Delayed

After the tragedy with Dina and Shechem, Yaakov receives a prophecy. 

"Rise up and go to Beis El, dwell there and make there an altar to the God that appeared to you when you fled from before your brother Eisav" (Bereishis 35:1).  

This directive has a backstory. After stealing the Berachos from Eisav, Yaakov fled to Charan. Enroute, Hashem came to him in a dream and promised to be with him, protect him, and return him to the Land of Israel. When Yaakov awoke, he set up a stone as a monument and took an oath. 

"If Hashem will be with me and protect me on this road that I am traveling on, [if He] gives me bread to eat and clothes to wear and I return in peace to my my father's home... This stone which I have placed as a monument shall be a house of [service for] Hashem" (28:15, 20-22). 

Yaakov promised to build a house for Hashem, and now, over twenty years later, Hashem is telling Yaakov to fulfill his promise. More than a mere reminder, this prophecy is actually a devastating rebuke, for the promise is past-due. 

"Because you delayed in fulfilling your promise, you were punished and this [raping by Shechem] happened to your daughter [Dina]" (Rashi to 35:1). 

Ignoring a promise to God is obviously a serious sin, but why this horrific punishment? It does not seem to fit the crime. Hashem always responds measure for measure, so we must first understand the nature of the sin. Why did Yaakov delay? 

While the forefathers of the Chosen Nation were righteous beyond comprehension, they were not infallible and the Torah points out their mistakes. Invariably, however, their "sins" are subtle. Here we are confronted with what appears to be a failure of trustworthiness, from none other than Yaakov Avinu, the Man of Truth!

Why did Yaakov delay the fulfillment of his promise? And why was the family punished specifically with the tragedy of Dina? The Midrashim and commentaries are uncharacteristically silent on these basic questions.

II

When I presented these questions to my father, Rabbi Noam Gordon of Yerushalayim, he offered the following explanation. In his oath, Yaakov pledged that if Hashem brings him back home to his father's house in peace, he would build a בית אלקים - a "House of God." What exactly does it mean to build a terrestrial home for the infinite creator? Yeshayahu HaNavi described it thus: "My House is a house of prayer for all nations" (Yeshayah 56:7). God's House is a place where every human being feels comfortable to come and speak to Him. 

The builder of such a house would obviously need to be a universally respected leader, a person capable of uniting all of humanity. Yaakov understood this; he knew that before he could build a House of God, he must first build a following. This is why Yaakov settled in Shechem and bought a field. His intention was to forge relationships, engage in outreach, and inspire the Canaanites with monotheism, continuing the work begun two generations earlier by his grandfather Avraham. Avraham functioned as a "chariot" - delivering the Shechinah into the consciousness of humanity - and he was successful because he was recognized as a "Prince of God" (Bereishis 23:6). Yaakov set out to build the very same reputation. Only after establishing himself as Avraham's successor would Yaakov be able to build a House of God for all nations.

Best intentions aside, Hashem expected Yaakov to fulfill his promise as soon as he was able. Even if his following consisted of no more than the members of his own household, Yaakov should have headed straight to Bais El to build the Bais Elokim. It was wrong to delay, but at least now we can understand Yaakov's thinking.

My father's explanation of Yaakov's sin enables us to understand what happens next. The kidnapping and violation of Dina is just the beginning of the story. In response, Shimon and Levi take revenge and annihilate the entire town of Shechem. Yaakov then fears for the safety of the family, expecting a counterattack from the other Cannanite villagers in the area (34:30).

In short, Yaakov's move to Shechem backfired. Instead of gaining a following, he is now persona non grata, an enemy of the people - and it is at this very moment that Hashem tells him to go build the promised Bais Elokim. Hashem set this all up, orchestrating events in order to make a critical point about His priorities. 

As the Man of Emes, Yaakov naturally yearns for perfection. He wants to build the ultimate House of God for all nations, yet that holy yearning is fraught with danger, as it leads to delays. The service of Hashem needs to be beautiful and the Avos are held to the highest standards, but perfection not attainable, nor is it desirable. "The Torah was not given to angels." A packed sanctuary honors the King - ברוב עם הדרת מלך - but it is more important for Yaakov to expedite his promise, even if the result is a humble house of God serviced only by his twelve sons. 

When it comes to Mitzvos, enhancements must never compromise timeliness (see Nefesh HaChaim 1:22, perakim 8).

III

There are additional mysteries here. By the time Yaakov returns to Israel from Charan, over two decades have passed since his departure. Yaakov's parents, Yitzchok and Rivkah, have never met his wives or his children. We would expect Yaakov to head straight home and reunite with his parents, but no. Inexplicably, he settles down in the town of Shechem. Yaakov is only about seventy miles away from his parent's home in Chevron, but he lets at least a year and half go by before he gives them a visit (cf. Rashi to 33:17).

In the original oath, Yaakov expressed his yearning for home. "If... I return in peace to my father's home... then this stone which I have placed as monument will be a house for Hashem." The feelings did not fade with time. Even his father-in-law Lavan knew why Yaakov was in a rush to get back to Israel. "You left because you missed your father's home" (31:30). 

If Yaakov missed his parents so much, why didn't he go see them? 

The tragedy of Yaakov's delay is compounded by the death of his mother. Rivka never gets to see her grandchildren, as she passes away just shortly before Yaakov arrives (cf. Rashi to 35:8). With his mother gone and his twin brother estranged, the blind and widowed Yitzchok is the sole remaining family member to welcome Yaakov when he finally comes home (35:27). 

Another question. As soon as Yaakov settles in Shechem, he builds an altar. "He established an altar there and called it Kel Elokei Yisroel" (33:20). Rashi explains. "Not that the altar itself was called Elokei Yisroel (God of Israel), but rather in recognition of the fact that Hashem was with him and saved him, he named the altar after the miracle."

Safe and sound back in Israel, Yaakov is blessed with wives, children and wealth. The saga with Eisav is over and the time has come for him to express his appreciation with an altar. But instead of building an altar in Beis El as promised, Yaakov builds one in Shechem?! How do we explain this? 

IV

The key to resolving these mysteries lies in a linguistic distinction. Yaakov's original promise to build an altar was conditional, first and foremost, on divine protection. אם יהיה אלקים עמדי ושמרני בדרך הזה - "If Hashem will be with me and protect me..." A careful reading of Rashi reveals that Yaakov's altar in Shechem was not in thanks for protection, but for something else: על שם שהיה הקב"ה עמו והצילו - "because Hashem was with him and saved him." Salvation is what Yaakov prayed for (32:12) and salvation is what he received, but it is not the same as protection. A person who is protected does not need saving. 

Hashem saved Yaakov from both Lavan and Eisav, and in appreciation, Yaakov builds an altar in Shechem. However, regarding his promise to build an altar in Beis El, Yaakov was unsure how to proceed. That altar was designated for divine protection, and frankly, Yaakov did not feel protected. 

Yaakov arrived in Charan empty handed and Lavan took advantage of him, tricking him into marrying Leah, working him for fourteen years, and repeatedly cheating him in business. Subsequently, Yaakov was pursued by Lavan, ambushed by Eisav, and attacked and wounded by an angel. Hashem saved his life, and Yaakov acknowledges that Hashem was "with him" (31:42), but could it be said that Hashem protected him? 

Although long ago Hashem had promised to protect Yaakov, ושמרתיך בכל אשר תלך, sins can cause Hashem's promises to evaporate, שמא יגרום החטא. A humble Tzaddik, Yaakov was unsure of his spiritual standing and, in light of all that had transpired, he feared he no longer deserved nor received divine protection. Yaakov's uncertainty explains how he could be afraid of being killed by Eisav (Rashi to 32:11) and at the same time attempt to call in Hashem's old promise of protection (Rashi to 32:10). Yaakov did not know where he stood.

This uncertainty also explains why Yaakov did not return home to see his parents. If Hashem had been protecting him, then returning home in peace would complete the last remaining condition he had set on his promise, triggering an obligation to build a מזבח in בית אל. On the other hand, if Yaakov had lost divine protection, then he cannot build a מזבח in בית אל, for one cannot thank Hashem for something Hashem did not do (especially if it was something Hashem had wanted to do, but couldn't due to sins). Yaakov therefore stays away from home, so as not to enter into a Halachic conundrum.

Failure to build the promised altar was a grave error and Yaakov is punished with the rape of Dina. This punishment provided Yaakov with an answer of painful clarity. To paraphrase Hashem's response: "You avoided build the altar because you question if I have been protecting you? Yes, you have had a difficult life, but watch what happens to your family when I remove my protection for just one moment!"

הקב"ה מדקדק עם סביביו כחוט השערה

Hashem deals most stringently with those who are closest to Him.

Like Uncle, Like Nephew

Eisav is out for revenge and Yaakov must flee.

Yitzchok calls in Yaakov, blesses him, and gives him instructions. "Do not marry a Canaanite woman. Get up and go to Padan Aram, to the home of Besuel your mother's father and take for yourself there a wife from the daughters of Lavan your mother's brother." (28:1) 

Yitzchok sent Yaakov off. He went to Padan Aram, to Lavan, son of Besuel the Aramite, brother of Rivkah, the mother of Yaakov and Eisav. (28:1,5)

It is strange indeed that the Torah felt it necessary to reiterate, at this late stage of the family saga, the painfully obvious fact that Rivkah is the mother of Yaakov and Eisav. Our greatest commentator shrugs his shoulders. "I do not know what this teaches us" (Rashi ad loc.). 

Although Rashi freely admits when he is at a loss (cf. Bereishis 35:13, Gilyon HaShas to Berachos 25b), in the absence of a pressing question, it is unheard of for Rashi to make such a comment. When a commentator has no useful insight, surely he has the right to remain silent.   

In his supercommentary Maskil L'Dovid, Rabbi Dovid Pardo (d. 1792) offers a delightfully creative rereading of Rashi's words. He argues that Rashi is not throwing in the towel. On the contrary, when Rashi wrote "I do not know what this teaches us," he was presenting a brilliant explanation of this difficult verse.

As we can well imagine, before Yaakov departed for Padan Aram, he had a question for his father. 

"You have instructed me to go and marry one of my cousins, a daughter of Uncle Lavan. I have never met Lavan. What kind of man is he? Tell me about him." 

Although Yaakov's question is not recorded in the Torah, Yitzchok reply is. The Torah's seemingly superfluous description of Lavan as the "brother of Rivkah, the mother of Yaakov and Eisav" is actually an abbreviated quote of Yitzchok's response to Yaakov, and Rashi, in typical fashion, fleshes it out. To paraphrase:

"My dear son Yaakov, I wish I could answer your question. I don't know Lavan personally. Ordinarily, we can infer a man's personality from his nephew, for sons always take after their mother's brother (Yevamos 62b). However, my brother-in-law Lavan has two very different nephews, you and your brother Eisav. This presents a conundrum and I do not know what this teaches us about your uncle!"

II

When Yaakov first meets Rachel, he introduces himself by saying כי אחי אביה הוא, "he is her father's brother" (29:12). This is technically false, as Yaakov is not Lavan's brother but rather his nephew. Rashi defends Yaakov's usage by citing a precedent: Avraham called his nephew Lot a "brother" (13:8). However, this interpretation is unsatisfying, for the parallel is not direct. In the case of Lot, he was Avraham's brother's son. In line with the Talmudic dictum, בני בנים הרי הם כבנים, "the sons of sons are considered like sons" (Yevamos 62b), Lot can be considered a son of Terach and thus a brother of Avrahom. This is not applicable in the case of Yaakov's relationship with Lavan, for Yaakov was not the son of Lavan's brother, he was the son of Lavan's sister. 

Presumably, this is why Rashi offers an alternative interpretation, which has Yaakov making an assertive statement regarding his father-in-law to be:  

...אם לרמאות הוא בא, גם אני אחיו ברמאות 

If he attempts to trick me, I am his equal ("brother") in trickery. And if he is an אדם כשר, an honest man, than I am also [honest, for I am] the son of his honest sister Rivkah. (Baba Basra 123a)

Yaakov is not postering. Rachel is Yaakov's wife-to-be and she has a right to know the personality of her future husband. Yaakov would love to give a straight answer, but he is confused and does not know what to say. 

Yaakov originally thought he was destined for the tents of Torah, but Hashem seems to have other plans. After outsmarting a suspicious father and a shrewd brother, Yaakov is confronted with his hitherto unknown God-given potential. It is frightening realization. Trickery is not compatible with Yaakov's self image as a proudly naive man of truth. 

So what kind of person is he? Well, men always take after their mother's brother, so Yaakov tells Rachel that everything depends on the dubious character of "brother" Lavan. If Lavan is honest, then so am I. And if not, not. 

Yet Yaakov is mistaken. His identity is not tied to Lavan at all. On the contrary, the Torah testifies that Yaakov was born an איש תם, "a simple man" (25:27) and Rashi (ad loc.) defines that to mean מי שאינו חריף לרמות, "someone who lacks the shrewdness necessary to be a trickster." 

How can this be? If Lavan is a scoundrel (29:25) and a swindler (31:7), how could his sister's son be an איש תם, the polar opposite of his uncle?

III

Rivkah was barren (25:21), childless for the first twenty years of her marriage (25:20,26). The Midrash famously states that all four of the foremothers started off barren because "Hashem desires the prayers of the righteous." The Netziv offers a different explanation.

Children naturally take after their mother's brother, and in the case of Rivkah that would mean her children would be born with negative character traits. In order to prevent this eventuality, Hashem made Rivkah incapable of bearing children naturally. She could only have a child supernaturally, in which case the child would not take after her wicked brother.

Describing her husband's prayers during this difficult period, the Torah tells us that Yitzchok pleaded לנכח אשתו, "opposite" his wife (25:21). In light of the Netziv's commentary, we can can take these words literally. Afraid of Lavan's genes, Yitzchok davened "against" his wife, praying that she would not give birth to a child naturally. Yitzchok only wanted a child if the birth would be supernatural, free of his brother-in-law's influence. 

Hashem answered Yitzchok's plea (25:21) and the result was an איש תם, the antithesis of Lavan. However, Yaakov was not born alone. Rivkah gave birth to twins. 

IV

Yaakov was conceived first (Rashi to 25:26) and his birth was Hashem's response to Yitzchok's tefillah. The question is Eisav. If Rivkah was incapable of conceiving naturally, does that mean Hashem performed a special miracle to create a monster?

A generation earlier earlier, when the barren Sarah gave birth to Yitzchok at age ninety, "many barren women were remembered with her, many sick people were healed that day, many prayers were answered with her; there was a great rejoicing in the world" (Rashi to 20:6). 

When it rains, it pours, and when Hashem opens the gates, He showers blessings on the whole world. It follows that when Hashem answered Yitzchok's prayer for a miracle child, many barren women were healed of their disability, including Rivkah herself. This is why Rivkah is able to conceive another child. As opposed to Yaakov, this second child was conceived naturally and should therefore take after his mother's brother. 

The Torah tells us that Yitzchok loved Eisav because ציד בפיו, Eisav had "game in his mouth" (25:28). Rashi quotes the Midrash, "Eisav trapped [Yitzchok], tricking him with his words." Like uncle, like nephew. Eisav was a trickster, just like Uncle Lavan. 

V

Unaware of his father's preconception prayer, Yaakov naturally assumes his birth was natural and he is "blessed" with the trickster traits of Uncle Lavan. Yaakov's negative sense of self is reinforced by his native talent as an voice impersonator (cf. Ramban to 27:12), and also by Eisav's twisted take on his name. "So that's why they called him Yaakov - he tricked me twice! He took my birthright and now he took my blessing!" (27:36). Yaakov is wrong about himself, but the misconception is central to Hashem's plan.

Skillsets are overrated; self image is what matters. Thinking he was חריף לרמות, shrewd enough to outsmart anyone, Yaakov faced down Lavan, Eisav, and Shechem with confidence. In reality, Yaakov was an איש תם, but he was better off not knowing it.

On the Trail of Blessings: Honoring Parents vs. Learning Torah

Dedicated in memory of my grandfather

RABBI YEHUDA LEIB GORDON z"l

on the occasion of his 50th Yorzteit

When Rivkah orders her son Yaakov to deceive his father, present himself as Eisav, and steal the Berachos, Yaakov is nervous. "My bother is a hairy man and I am of smooth skin. Maybe my father will feel me and discover that I am an impostor. I will have then brought a curse upon myself, not a blessing!" 

Rivka responds by saying, "Your curse will be on me, my son. Now go and listen to my voice..."

Yaakov brings the goats and Rivka prepares the meat. She then dresses Yaakov in Eisav's clothes and puts the furry goat skin on his arms and neck, just in case Yitzchok would try to feel him. The plan works perfectly and Yaakov gets the Berachos.

Rivkah's response to Yaakov's question is difficult to understand. Her flippant comment about accepting Yitzchok's curse does little to alleviate Yaakov's fear; if anything, it gives the impression that she has no plan at all. Instead of explaining herself, Rivka tells Yaakov to be obedient and follow orders. However, Rivkah does have a plan, and it's a good one. Why doesn't she tell Yaakov what it is upfront? 

THE RIGHTEOUS EISAV

Eisav's strong point was his performance of kibbud av, honoring his father. Presumably, Eisav's claim on the Abrahamic birthright and its associated Beracha was not merely due to the fact that he was the eldest son; it was also in the merit of this most fundamental mitzvah, a mitzvah that was a core family value in the house of Avraham.

Eisav's great-grandfather Terach was a kibbud av innovator, the first man in history to name his son (Nachor) after his father (Nachor). This helps us understand why Hashem chose Terach's son Avram to be the father of the Torah Nation, for the survival of Judaism generation after generation depends on kibbud av. Parents are obligated to teach their children Torah, but that is obviously predicated on their children's respect and trust.

Moreover, respect for parents is a basic building block in the education of a child to respect his Creator. This principle finds expression in the Ten Commandments, where kibbud av is bundled on the first tablet together with the laws governing the God/man relationship. 

The centrality of kibbud av also explains why Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov all insisted on marrying nieces and cousins: kibbud av was a core value in all of Terach's descendants. Only on a foundation of kibbud av could the Torah Nation be built. 

Yitzchok elevated kibbud av into his guiding light in life. In virtually everything he did, Yitzchok followed his father's lead. In the end, Yitzchok's life matched Avraham's life. "The two of them walked together." Yitzchok's firstborn son Eisav had his challenges, but he excelled in kibbud av. Undoubtedly, this was a primary factor in Yitzchok's election of Eisav as the next patriarch. 

Now we understand why Rivkah did not reveal her plan to Yaakov. Rivkah knew that in order to successfully transfer the Berachos to Yaakov, Yaakov would have to compete with Eisav and prove his commitment kibbud av. Explaining her plan would undermine the challenge! Yaakov must submit to his mother's inexplicable command and follow orders faithfully, without protest. Only after performing a sacrificial act of kibbud eim could Yaakov take on the mantle of leader of the Abrahamic dynasty.

II

At the end of Parshas Toldos, Rashi does some elementary math and discovers that fourteen years are missing from Yaakov's life. When Yaakov meets Pharaoh in Egypt, biblical chronology indicates that he was one hundred and sixteen years old - but Yaakov tells Pharaoh that he is one hundred and thirty. Rashi explains that before going to Charan, Yaakov spent fourteen years learning in the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever.

Rashi goes on to cite a disturbing teaching of the sages. From the time of his arrival in Charan, it was twenty-two years before Yaakov returned home. During this entire period Yaakov failed to observe the mitzvah of kibbud av - and he was punished for that failure. Yaakov's own beloved son Yosef went missing for the exact same amount of time: twenty-two years. However, continues Rashi, Yaakov was not punished for the additional fourteen years he spent in the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever. Although he failed to observe kibbud av for that period, the merit of Torah learning protected him from suffering any consequences (Rashi to 28:9).

This entire teaching is difficult to fathom. Yaakov's parents explicitly told him to leave home and go to Charan to find a wife. Yaakov arrived penniless and had no choice other than to agree to Lavan's terms and work for fourteen years for the hands of Rochel and Leah in marriage. How could he be punished for his inability to honor his parents when he was busy fulfilling their wishes? Wouldn't that itself be the highest form of honoring parents?!

Another question: Why was Yaakov penniless? His parents were wealthy; why didn't they give him money? When Avraham sent his servant Eliezer to find a wife for Yitzchok, he sent him off with ten camels laden with gold and silver. More than that, Avraham formally gifted Yitzchok with his entire estate to make the shidduch more attractive (Rashi to 24:10). How could Yitzchok send off Yaakov empty handed?  

Rashi quotes a Midrash. Yaakov actually left home with plenty of money. However, Eisav sent his son Elifaz to pursue and assassinate Yaakov. Elifaz caught up with Yaakov, but he couldn't bring himself to kill him. Trapped between his father's command and morality, Yaakov offered a solution. "Take my money!" A poor man is compared to dead man; by making Yaakov poor, Elifaz could report back that he had "killed" Yaakov (Rashi to 29:11).

Was it really necessary for Yaakov to give away all his much-needed money? Why didn't he just explain to Elifaz that there is no mitzvah of kibbud av when your father asks you to commit a crime? 

There is a deeper level of meaning here. Eisav undoubtedly told Elifaz the whole story of how Yaakov lied to their father and stole the blessing of wealth. Elifaz was coming to revenge his father and kill Uncle Yaakov for his inexcusable crime. Yaakov knew this and was defending himself against this accusation. He explained to Elifaz that there are circumstances in life when misleading your own father and stealing from your own brother is actually the right thing to do - even if it results in great personal gain. However, it must be done in a way that is technically honest. A case in point: The right thing for Elifaz to do right now is to steal from his brother (i.e. uncle, cf. Bereishis 12:8) and tell his father that he killed him.

A very different explanation for Yaakov's poverty is proposed by the Ibn Ezra: Yitzchok actually was broke. Somehow he had lost the vast wealth he inherited from his father and he had nothing to give Yaakov. 

According to either of these explanations, Yaakov had no choice but to spend years working for Lavan, making it difficult to understand how this would be a violation of kibbud av. However, what if Yaakov chose to be poor? What if Yitzchok did in fact offer Yaakov ten camels laden with gold, but Yaakov turned him down. Strange as it sounds, there multiple rationales for this. 

Firstly, taking money from his elderly father would further enrage Eisav. Eisav maintained his claim on the birthright. Taking even a single penny from the estate would be viewed by Eisav as an act of theft from his own forthcoming inheritance. An additional consideration: the Halacha requires that the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, must be the wealthiest Kohen. If the most qualified candidate is not the wealthiest, then his brethren, his fellow Kohanim, are obligated to chip in and make him the wealthiest. As Yaakov explained to Eisav years earlier, the birthright includes the privilege of offering sacrifices. If Yitzchok would give his wealth to Yaakov, the vindictive Eisav would construe that as the election of Yaakov as the new Kohen Gadol! Sensitive to Eisav's feelings, Yaakov refused to take any money from their father.

Secondly, Yaakov may have wanted the Beracha of wealth to come directly from Hashem, in fulfillment of Yitzchok's words, "God will grant you the dew of heaven and the fat of the earth, and abundant grain and wine..." If Yitzchok gifts Yaakov with wealth, that could potentially undermine and downgrade the divine flow of blessings from heaven. 

There is a precedent for this perspective. When Avram was offered the spoils of his own military victory, he refused it. 

Avram said to the king of Sodom, "I raise my hand [in an oath] to Hashem, the exalted God, owner of heaven and earth: From a string to a shoelace, would I take anything that is yours?! You shall not say, "I made Avram rich!" (14:22-23)

Avram wanted the blessing of wealth to come from Hashem himself and not through a human intermediary; his grandson Yaakov may have felt the same way. (For a fuller treatment of this principle, see this post.) 

It is also possible that Yaakov chose to be poor because he did not want to be tested with the challenge of wealth. (For more on this idea, see this post, this post, and this post.)

Regardless of his motivations, if it was Yaakov's own decision to be poor, it becomes a lot easier to understand why he is held accountable for the years spent abroad working for Lavan. Had Yaakov accepted Yitzchok's gold, he could have brought his fiancee Rachel straight back to Israel (just as Eliezer brought Rivkah home one generation earlier) where he would have been able to properly fulfill the mitzvah of kibbud av for twenty-two additional years. 

III 

Earlier we explained why kiddud av - Eisav's forte - is the pillar upon which the Mesorah rests. A tradition is only as strong as the respect and honor children have for their parents. "Listen, my son, to the lessons of your father; do not abandon the Torah of your mother." The torch of Torah is passed from one generation to the next through the intermediary of parents.

There is another way for the Mesorah to survive and thrive generation after generation: through a person's own learning. One who labors in Torah merits to be taught Torah by Hashem Himself. "Blessed are you Hashem Who teaches Torah to His nation Israel!" This was the path of Yaakov. Yaakov "sat in the tents" of Shem and Ever and received Torah directly from the source. For Yaakov, honoring parents is secondary.

However, when Yaakov stole Eisav's Beracha, Yaakov's destiny changed. It was not only his brother's blessing that he took; he also took on his brother's mission, and now Yaakov must become the world's leading proponent of kibbud av. It is critical that Yaakov model this path for future generations - ma'aseh avos siman l'bonim - and there is zero tolerance for failure. Observing his parent's instructions to find a wife may be a technical fulfillment of kibbud av, but it is not the kind of kibbud av that Yaakov needs to focus on. Yaakov must serve his father and become his father's student, in the model of Avraham's servant Eliezer, who "drew and gave others to drink from his master's Torah." To accomplish this, Yaakov must be home.

Nonetheless, as long as Yaakov remains in the tents of Shem and Ever studying Torah, he is exempt from kibbud av. In the Beis Medrash, Yaakov's original identity comes to the fore. There Hashem teaches him Torah, and the need to learn from his father fades. But the moment Yaakov leaves the Beis Medrash and sets out to do Eisav's work in the fields abroad, the service of kibbud av becomes imperative, and no excuses are accepted.

Enroute to Charan, Yaakov offers a prayer: "If God will be with me... and return me in peace to my father's house..." (28:20-21). It is noteworthy that while Hashem always speaks of Yaakov's return to "this land" (28:15) or the "land of your birth" (31:13), Yaakov specifies his father's house. Years later, when Yaakov finally heads home, his father-in-law Lavan knows exactly what is on his mind. "You left because you yearned for your father's house..." (31:30). 

For Yaakov, returning to Israel is more about homecoming than dwelling in the Holy Land, and that is because Yaakov's new role requires him to focus on kibbud av. Yaakov thus yearns for his parent's house, where he can care for, and learn from, his father and his mother.

Continue the trail here.

On the Trail of Blessings: Yitzchok's Wisdom, Eisav's Appetite & Yaakov's Mission

Occasionally old posts get refined and sometimes a post develops and grows to the point that warrants a reposting. Rare indeed is when it happens at just the right time. This week's parsha, in fact. (The new paragraphs follow the quote from Rav Hirsch.)

[This is the second installment in the series. It can be read independently or, for maximum reading pleasure, begin the Trail here.]

Yitzchok was no fool. His desire to bless Eisav was not driven by blind love for his son but by a compelling vision for Israel: Yaakov would be master of spirituality and Eisav would be master of physicality.

Do not misunderstand - Yitzchok has only the highest regard for Eisav. In Yitzchok's plan, Eisav has the awesome responsibility of sanctifying this world by harnessing it for the Creator's purposes. This is why Yitzchok tells Eisav to serve him a meal before he blesses him; it is Eisav's job to dedicate the physical in support of the Tzaddik - and it is only in this merit that he gets the Beracha.

Yitzchok wanted to bless Eisav in the spirit of his future calling...
The savage craft of hunting must be elevated and used for exalted humane purposes. For it seems that Eisav did not usually hunt in order to provide a nourishing meal for his aged, feeble father. He enjoyed hunting for its own sake, for the sight of the steaming blood of his prey...
Yitzchok therefore tells Eisav: "Please take your gear, hunt some game for me, and prepare a tasty dish for me" (27:4). You yourself, this time, use the tools of your trade to perform an act of kindness...

Rabbi S.R. Hirsch

Expanding on Rav Hirsch's insight, we can say that before granting Eisav his mandate, Yitzchok wants to see him perform. Yitzchok understands Eisav and he is training him in the appropriate use of his God-given gifts. 

Avraham and Yitzchok were not hunters; they were shepherds. For this family descended from Noah, the love and care of animals was a central tenet, as evidenced by Eliezer's test of Rivka. Coming from this tradition, we would expect Yitzchok to abhor Eisav's sport of choice, but Yitzchok is bigger than that. He does not attempt to quash Eisav's native talent; on the contrary, he embraces it and encourages his son to pursue it. On one condition: it must be elevated.     

Eisav was born to hunt and this defines his mission: to conquer the animal - both the external prey and the internal drive - and dedicate it for a higher purpose. In this way, unbridled physicality is tamed, sanctified and elevated. Eisav is thus privileged to play the central role in the ultimate purpose of creation: bringing down the divine presence and its accompanying blessings into our physical world. 

Yitzchok's directive to Eisav carries a deeper meaning. It is the birthright of the firstborn to serve as Kohen and offer sacrifices (cf. Rashi to 25:31,32). On its most basic level, animal sacrifice is the elevation of the animal soul before God, כי הדם הוא הנפש. In order for this to be accomplished, it is critical that the Kohen has the right intentions. If the Kohen has his own personal agenda in mind - for example, if he plans to eat the meat at the time and place of his own choosing - the offering is rendered invalid, פיגול הוא לא ירצה. 

The fundamental principle of sacrifice is thus the total subjugation and dedication of life itself to God - קודש להשם. The physical act is the easy part; the real challenge occurs within the human mind. This is what Yitzchok was telling Eisav: "In order for you to succeed in the offering of sacrifices, you must first learn to transcend your self. Let's try a practice run. Use your hunting talent selflessly. Do it for me and follow my instructions precisely. If you pass this test, you will qualify to be a Kohen."

Eisav failed. He does deliver game to his father, but he can't get his mind under control. Yitzchok instructed Eisav, "Capture for me" (27:3), i.e., be sure to find an ownerless animal and don't steal one (Rashi). However, Eisav heads out "to bring it" (27:5) - he said to himself, "If I don't find an animal on the hunt, I will steal one" (Rashi). Eisav will not submit to his father's instructions. Success must be achieved, by hook or by crook. Eisav's mind is warped and wrapped into itself and instead of sacrifice he is only willing to serve his own interests. Eisav will never be Kohen. (See Kli Yakar 27:3.)  

II

Understanding Eisav's mandate to transcend himself and do for others allows us to reconcile Yitzchok's blessing with the prophecy that Rivkah received before the boys were born:

ויתרצצו הבנים בקרבה ותאמר אם כן למה זה אנכי ותלך לדרש את יקוק
ויאמר יקוק לה שני גיים גוים בבטנך ושני לאמים ממעיך יפרדו ולאם מלאם יאמץ ורב יעבד צעיר

...and the elder will serve the younger.

Assuming Yitzchok knew this, how could he attempt to bless Eisav (27:29) הֱוֵה גְבִיר לְאַחֶיךָ וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְךָ בְּנֵי אִמֶּךָ? The Ramban (27:4) concludes that Rivka never told him, but in light of the above, there is no contradiction here. Yes, Yitzchok foretells that Eisav will be more powerful than his brother; he even says that Yaakov will bow to him. But the elder will still serve the younger, for this is Eisav's role - to support his younger brother, the Tzaddik. Yaakov bows before Eisav not in servitude but in recognition of Eisav as the גביר - the source of his support!

Since selfless giving is Eisav's mandate, he is uniquely challenged in this regard - "blessed" with  impulsiveness, self-centeredness and the need for instant gratification (cf. Vilna Gaon on Rus; Reb Tzadok, cited in Ali Shor). He trades his birthright for a bowl of soup and is prepared to kill his brother in an act of vengeance. He was a rapist and a murderer (Baba Basra 16b). Most tellingly, Eisav strove towards paganism from the womb (Rashi to 25:22). Paganism is equated with hedonism - "the Jews knew that paganism had no substance; they only worshiped it in order to permit for themselves sexual immorality in public!" (Sanhedrin 63b) - but in Eisav's case it ran deeper than that. He pursued paganism before he was born!

A prenatal interest in sin would seem to contradict the Talmudic teaching that the evil inclination enters man only after birth (Sanhedrin 91a), but Eisav is different. For Eisav, paganism and its accompanying hedonism was no ordinary "Yetzer HaRa." Eisav's paganism was not ideological, nor was it "sinful" in the usual sense of the word, for man has no evil inclination before he is born. Rather, Eisav had a natural affinity for paganism (Gur Aryeh to 25:22). Eisav was predispositioned to be attracted to the forces of nature and obsessed with power because Eisav's life-mission is to subdue, transcend and channel his physicality, sanctifying it to the One God. If subjugating nature is your mission, God isn't going to make it easy.

Eisav failed. Instead of controlling himself, he indulges in all things physical. In the end, his head is buried in the Machpela Cave, but his body is not (Sotah 13a). His head was in the right place; the problem was his body, the negative drives he could never get under control.

In contrast, Yaakov's primary mission addresses not his body, but his mind and heart. Yaakov must elevate himself in the tents of Torah, and God therefore challenges him not with an appetite for hedonism, but with ethical dilemmas, crises and tragedy: 

• Can he "steal" the birthright and blessings from his older brother? 
• Should he honor his mother and delude his father? 
• May he outwit his father-in-law Lavan? 
• How will he deal with Dina's rape, Rachel's death and Yosef's disappearance? 
• According to the Rambam, Yaakov's struggle with the angel was fought on the battlefield of the mind, in a prophetic state. 
• Even Yaakov's assertion that he took Shechem with his "sword and bow" is an allegory for his prayers and supplications (cf. Targum and Rashi to 48:22). 

For Yaakov the issue is not battling a Yetzer HaRa but exercising his Yetzer Tov. Is his faith strong enough to weather a life of aggravation? This is why Yaakov placed stones around his head when he slept (28:11). He is not worried about his body; if a problem were to arise it would be a challenge to his head.

It is as Yitzchok said: "The voice is the voice of Yaakov, but the hands are the hands of Eisav" (27:22). Yaakov perfects the universe of thought and Eisav perfects the physical universe. If Eisav cooperates, that is.

[Continue the Trail with part-three here.]

On the Trail of Blessings: Two Sisters for Two Brothers

[This is installment 6 1/2 of the series. Begin the trail here.]

The Torah tells us that Leah's eyes were “soft” (29:17) and this was caused by incessant crying. Leah was depressed because she was destined – doomed – to marry Eisav.

Everybody said, “Rivka has two boys and Lavan has two girls. The older girl is for the older boy and the younger girl is for the younger boy.” (Rashi ad loc. from Baba Basra 123a)

Given this understanding of her destiny, Leah's barbed words to Rachel make no sense. When Rachel asks Leah for the jasmine that Reuven found, Leah retorts, “You have almost taken my husband; you’re also going to take my son's jasmine?!” (30:15). But if Leah was supposed to marry Eisav, then Leah is the intruder here! Leah is guilty of taking Rachel’s husband, not the other way around! How could Leah have the chutzpah to accuse Rachel of taking her husband, when she is herself guilty of that very crime?

Based on what we have learned, the answer is clear. Leah was correct about her destiny: Eisav’s mission as firstborn includes the arranged marriage to his firstborn cousin. However, when Yaakov stole his brother’s blessings, Yaakov usurped the mission of the firstborn – and that includes Eisav’s wife to be! If Yaakov is now the firstborn, then Leah is no longer Eisav's wife, Leah is Yaakov's wife.

When Yaakov awoke in the morning and discovered that he had been tricked into marrying Leah, he rebuked her.

“Trickster, daughter of a trickster! How could you respond when I called ‘Rachel’ last night?”

“Can there be a teacher without students?” Leah replied. “When your father called for Eisav, didn’t you respond?” (Bereishis Rabba 70:19)

Leah wasn’t being snarky; she was stating a profound truth. This is what she was saying to Yaakov: “You used trickery to pose as Eisav and take the blessings of the firstborn – and that act turned you into my fiancé. So why can't I follow your lead and use trickery to fulfill our destiny?” (cf. Nachshoni).

However, none of this solves our problem with Leah's attack on Rachel. Even if it is true that Yaakov is now supposed to marry Leah, that doesn't give Leah an exclusive claim. Yaakov and Rachel were destined for each other from birth. The two wives are not mutually exclusive; Yaakov can, and does, marry both sisters. To return to our question, how can Leah accuse Rachel of taking her husband?

The answer is that Leah has a different perspective. Leah thinks that when Yaakov took Eisav’s blessings, Yaakov transformed into Eisav – and left his old self behind. The original Yaakov, the man that was to be Rachel’s husband, no longer exists.

It sounds strange, but the facts on the ground do seem to support Leah point of view. She is the one building the nation, child after child. Rachel is barren. Rachel tried to get Yaakov to pray for her, just as Yitzchok prayed for Rivka (30:1; Rashi ad loc.), but that didn't work. She tried Sarah’s tactic of giving her maidservant to her husband (30:3; Rashi ad loc.), but that didn't work either. Leah saw all this and concluded the obvious: maybe once upon a time Rachel was supposed to be Yaakov’s wife, but now that Yaakov has taken on Eisav’s role, Rachel is no longer meant to be the mother of the Jews. The old Yaakov is gone and Rachel has no place with the new Yaakov.

II

“God remembered Rachel. God listened to her and opened her womb…” (30:22). What exactly did God remember about Rachel that led Him to bless her with a child? According to the Midrash, there were actually two different divine memories that served Rachel here. Firstly, Hashem remembered that when Lavan deviously put Leah under the chupah, Rachel gave her sister the secret signs she had arranged with Yaakov so as to save Leah from embarrassment. Second, Hashem remembered that Rachel was worried that if she didn't produce a child, Yaakov would divorce her and she would end up as the wife of Eisav. Indeed, this is exactly what Eisav was planning. Hashem was “moved” by Rachel’s distress and blessed her with a child (Rashi ad loc.). 

Rachel’s distress was so intense, she even named her child for it. When her son is born, Rachel says, “God has gathered in my humiliation” (30:23). Rashi explains, “I was humiliated by my barrenness; people said that I was destined for the wicked Eisav.” It wasn't just empty gossip; Rachel and Eisav took the idea seriously.

This is all very strange. The thought that Yaakov would divorce his beloved Rachel sounds like paranoia, and the idea that Eisav would travel to Charan to marry Yaakov’s barren ex-wife is downright bizarre. Moreover, by what right could Eisav marry Rachel against her will?

The answer is inescapable. When Yaakov became firstborn, his old self didn't disappear. It transferred over to Eisav! For why should Yaakov take all? Even if he has acquired the status of the firstborn, it does not follow that Eisav is out of the family. Eisav remains a son of Yitzchok and is certainly entitled to a piece of the inheritance and all the rights that come with it.

Unsurprisingly, Eisav also thinks this way. After his parents send his brother to Charan to find a wife from within the family, Eisav does the same, marrying the daughter of Yishmael (28:29). Eisav thinks he lost the berachos because of his Canaanite wives (26:34); to his mind, all he needs to do is to marry a cousin and he will receive his inheritance (Rashbam ad loc.). In contrast, despite Avraham’s insistence that Yitzchok marry a relative (24:3-4), Yishmael had no qualms about marrying an outsider (cf. 21:21). The difference is that Yishmael knew that he was out. Eisav felt he was still in.

As we have learned, the original plan for the twin sons of Yitzchok was for them to build the nation together. Selling the birthright and stealing the berachos may switch things around, but Eisav remains a family member. If Yaakov takes Leah, then Eisav should take Rachel – and the proof is Rachel’s inability to have a child with Yaakov. If Rachel doesn't conceive, Yaakov will have no choice but to divorce his beloved wife and hand her over to her rightful husband, his brother Eisav.

It turns out that the two things Hashem remembered about Rachel are one and the same. By giving the signs to her sister and enabling the marriage of Yaakov to Leah, Rachel validated Yaakov’s acquisition of Eisav’s destiny and jeopardized her own shidduch in the process. With the birth of Reuven, Yaakov’s hold on the birthright, and Leah, is consummated and there’s no turning back. Terrified by the implications of her own righteousness, Rachael’s destiny is now in limbo; she may now belong to Eisav. Hashem thought about all of this and, to our great relief, Hashem grants Rachel a child.

III

It was not only Rachel’s righteousness that inspired divine compassion. Leah was also a key player.

“Afterwards, she bore a daughter, and she named her Dina” (30:21). The word “Dina” literally translates, “her judgment,” but unlike every other child, no explanation is given for the choice of the name. Rashi quotes the Midrash:

Our sages explained [the name]. [When she conceived,] Leah judged the matter herself. “If this is a boy, my sister Rachel won’t even be like the maidservants.” She prayed for her and it turned into a girl.

It was known to Yaakov’s wives that the Jewish people were destined to be made up of twelve tribes (Rashi to 29:34). Leah already had six sons, Bilha had two and Zilpa had two. That leaves only two remaining unborn sons. When Leah conceived, she realized that if she has a boy, Rachel could, at best, be the mother of only a single tribe. Rachel would then be inferior to Bilha and Zilpa. Leah prayed and the fetus in her womb was changed from a boy into a girl.

We should appreciate the significance of Leah’s prayer. Rachel was barren and there was no reason to think she could ever have a child with Yaakov. Everyone assumed she was destined for Eisav. That may have indeed been Rachel’s sorry fate, but Leah fought against it. With the power of her prayers, Leah gifted Rachel with Yosef. By doing so, Leah sacrificed her exclusive claim on Yaakov and granted her sister a place in the pantheon of imahos.

Rachel is often extolled for being mevater and surrendering her husband to Leah, but Leah’s self-sacrifice is no less extraordinary, for she too sacrificed her relationship with husband in defense of her sister’s honor. 

Leah’s prayer resurrected the original Yaakov. Now Yaakov is the undisputed father of the nation and the sole recipient of all the varied and challenging blessings of Avraham and Yitzchok. This is why Yaakov waited for the birth of Yosef before he returned to Israel to face Eisav (cf. 30:25). Yosef’s birth makes it a fait accompli. All the imahos are accounted for. Rachel is in, Eisav is out, and Yaakov takes all. All the mothers, all the children, all the blessings are his.

Continue the trail here.

The Stones of Yaakov

In a rare alignment of the celestial spheres, my studies of the weekly Parsha and Sefer Mesilas Yesharim are enjoying a conjunction. The Ramchal makes interesting use of Yaakov's stones and so I posted my thoughts on my other blog, Paving a Path.

As the issue deals with the impact of Tzaddikim, I thought it appropriate to dedicate the piece L'Ilui Nishmas the four Kedoshim of Har Nof, זכרונם לברכה.

For more on Parshas Vayeitzei, click the label below. 

Escape to Yeshiva

If you work out the years of Yaakov's life, there are fourteen years unaccounted for. Tradition tells us that between Parshas Toldos and Vayeitzei Yaakov spent  fourteen years hiding out in yeshiva (cf. Rashi at the end of Toldos citing Megillah 17a).

This is difficult on several levels. Firstly, wouldn't that be the first place Eisav would look? Secondly, long ago Yaakov was described as יושב אוהלים, "one who dwells in tents." Rashi explains, "the tent of Shem and the tent of Ever." Yaakov was always in yeshiva, and now he goes there to hide?! What did he do, change his seat? Thirdly, when Rivka was having a difficult pregnancy, she went לדרוש את השם to find out what was going on. Rashi explains that she asked Shem, which means the Yeshiva was in her neighborhood! (In her condition, she could not have traveled far.) So Yaakov hid from Eisav for fourteen years in a yeshiva down the block? The very same yeshiva he had been learning in his whole life?!

I believe the answer can be found in the Gemorah itself. The Gemorah does not say Yaakov went to hide in the Yeshiva of Shem. Nor does the Gemorah say he went to the Yeshiva of Shem & Ever. The Gemorah says Yaakov went to hide in בית עבר. (See מהרש"א מגילה שם.)

There were two different Yeshivos! Shem had a Yeshiva and Ever had a Yeshiva. This is indicated by the very first reference - יושב אהלים - "tents." "The tent of Shem and the tent of Ever." The Midrash is unequivocal: "[Yaakov] left the Beis Medrash of Shem and went to the Beis Medrash of Ever" (Tanchuma Yashan, Vayishlach 9).

There was never "one big Jewish tent." There were always (at least) two different tents.

Yaakov spent his entire life studying under his master, the Alter Zeide Shem. The Midrash says he served Shem for fifty years. When Shem passed away thirteen years earlier, Yaakov undoubtedly became the Rosh Yeshiva of Beis Shem. But now he had to hide. Where to run? To the last place Eisav would expect him to be. As a rank-and-file student in the competing, second-tier Yeshiva, the Yeshiva of Ever, Shem's great-grandson.

It never occurred to Eisav that Yaakov would go to Ever, for Eisav's arrogant mind could never understand the humility that Torah study engenders. But it was this humility that saved Yaakov's life, broadened his outlook by exposing him to a different דרך הלימוד, and - מעשה אבות סימן לבנים - became the hallmark of the true בן ישיבה.

On the Trail of Blessings: Yaakov Abroad

[This is part 5 1/2 of the series. Begin the Trail here.]

To sum up what we have learned thus far: Eisav's life-mission, as Yitzchok understood it, was to be מקדש שם שמים outside the the Land of Israel by subjugating all natural forces before the One God. These forces are manifest in God's intermediaries, the angels. Eisav failed miserably, worshiping the very forces that he was supposed to dominate, and Yaakov is forced to commandeer his brother's mission. It follows that Yaakov must now confront angels, and that, indeed, is exactly what happens.

The development of Yaakov's relationship with angels makes for a fascinating study. Soon after Yaakov heads out for Charan, ויפגע במקום - Yaakov encounters the gate to heaven, a place of angels. Here Yaakov sees angels for the first time. The angels are ascending and descending a ladder connecting heaven to earth, attending to their business - and ignoring him (28:11-12). Still in Israel, Yaakov deals only with Hashem Himself. But that is soon to change.

Now a successful rancher, Yaakov is engaged in ongoing financial conflicts with his father-in-law Lavan. One night in a dream, Yaakov has a vision of angels taking sheep from Lavan and carrying them over to Yaakov's corral! (31:10; Rashi ad loc.) The angels are working for him! A clear sign that Yaakov is succeeding in getting the natural world under his control. Indeed, earlier in the story we find Yaakov  manipulating the laws of nature through the use of practical Kabbalah, genetically engineering the offspring of his flock (30:37-39; Rashi to 38). Avraham and Yitzchok never engaged in this kind of mystical practice, nor did Yaakov once he returned to Israel. But becoming an איש שדה, gaining mastery over nature, is central to Yaakov's mission abroad.

His third meeting with angels at the end of the Parsha is described this way: ויפגעו בו מלאכי אלהים - "God's angels encountered him" (32:2). In contrast to the beginning of the Parsha where ויפגע במקום, he encountered them, now, on his return to Israel, ויפגעו בו, they encounter him! Yaakov has gained supremacy over nature and the angels, and now he is the point of reference. His prowess knows no limits. וישלח יעקב מלאכים, "Yaakov sent angels..." (32:4). Incredibly, angels are subservient to Yaakov and do his bidding. More, ויאבק איש עמו, he wrestles an angel - and wins! (32:25-26). But the climax is yet to come.

When Eisav and Yaakov finally meet, Eisav asks, מי לך כל המחנה הזה אשר פגשתי, "What is your relationship with this whole encampment that I encountered?" (33:8). Rashi quotes the Midrash:

[Eisav] met up with groups of angels that pushed him and his men. [The angels] asked them, "Who are you with?" "We are Eisav's men," they responded. "Attack!" yelled the angels. The men said, "Leave us alone. He is the son of Yitzchok!" They paid no attention. "He is the grandson of Avraham!" They payed no attention. "He is the brother of Yaakov!" "If so," said the angels, "then you are one of us." 

Yaakov reached a level of dominance over nature that Avraham and Yitzchok never achieved, for this is a mission Yaakov inherited from Eisav, a mission for the Diaspora. When the Jew lives in a world ruled by nature and is forced to be an איש שדה, then his physical and spiritual survival depend on remaining on top of his game - physically and spiritually. He cannot become subservient or worshipful of the forces - natural or market - that define his world; on the contrary, his mission is to be מקדש שם שמים by demonstrating that he will not bow nor surrender before anything other than the One God. This is the definition of success: איזהו עשיר השמח בחלקו. It is a mindset: nature is God's agent and it serves the Tzaddik, not the other way around. The Beracha that Yaakov stole and the mission that came with it are thus one and the same. And, unlike his brother Eisav, Yaakov aces it.

איתא בכתובות דף סו ע"ב, "בכה רבן יוחנן בן זכאי ואמר אשריכם ישראל, בזמן שעושין רצונו של מקום אין כל אומה ולשון שולטת בהם..." וכתב המהרש"א באמ"ד, "כי כל אומה יש לה שר ומזל בשמים משא"כ ישראל שאין להם שום מזל אבל הם חלק ה' עמו כי יעקב חבל נחלתו (יעקב דייקא - י.ג.) וע"כ כשעושין רצונו הם למעלה מכל האומות ושריהם, כמ"ש "הבט נא השמימה" שדרשו שהוציא את אברהם החוצה למעלה מכל צבא השמים דאין הבטה אלא ממעלה למטה..." ע"כ. ויש להוסיף שהקב"ה אמר שם לאברהם "כא יהיה זרעך" ונראה דכוונתו ית' ליעקב, דביעקב אנו רואים קיום הבטחה זו שהוא למעלה מכל צבא השמים, כנ"ל. ואולי י"ל דהיינו מש"כ בחלום הסולם, "והנה ה' נצב עליו", ה' דוקא, אמנם הסולם ומלאכי אלוהים אינם עליו, שהוציאו למעלה מכל צבא השמים  

[Continue the Trail here.]

On the Trail of Blessings: Yitzchok's Wisdom, the Land of Israel & the New Yaakov

[This is the fourth installment in the series. Begin the Trail here.]

As we have seen, it was Eisav's job to subjugate all the forces of the physical world - both the inner negative drives and the outer pagan belief systems - to the One God. Surprisingly, the place for this important work is not in Israel. For when Hashem created the world, he placed each land and each nation under the influence of an angel through which he guides and directs their affairs. But not so Israel. Israel - both the land and its people - have no intermediary between them and God. They relate directly to God Himself (cf. Ramban, Vayikra 18:25). "Outside the Land of Israel, although it belongs to God, yet its purity is not perfect, because of "the servants" who hold sway there, and the nations go astray after their princes to worship them as well" (Ramban ad loc., trans. Chavel).

This explains why, when Hashem wants to debunk Paganism - He does it not in Israel, but through the Ten Plagues in Egypt. For in Israel there is nothing other than the One God.

This is also explains why Yitzchok refused to give Eisav the Land of Israel. Eisav's mission to subjugate the "gods" can only be done where the gods hold sway, i.e., outside the Holy Land.

Malbim compares Yitzchok's vision of Yaakov and Eisav to the relationship between Levi and the rest of the tribes, but the Yesachar/Zevulun relationship seems a better match. Zevulun leaves Israel to do business abroad, "Zevulun will settle the seashore, he shall be a harbor for ships..." (49:13), in support of his brother Yesachar (Rashi ad loc). "Rejoice Zevulun in your excursions and Yesachar in your tents" (Devarim 33:18). Like Eisav - the איש שדה - Zevulun is not bound to Israel, and like Yaakov - the יושב אהלים - Yesachar is in his tent.

Although Avraham was never supposed to leave Israel (cf. Ramban to 12:10), Hashem does let him go. This is because Avraham received the first Beracha of Lech Lecha, the blessings of materialism, as an independent Beracha before he came to Israel. Avraham can therefore exist outside of Israel and, interestingly enough, it is there that this Beracha is fulfilled - Pharaoh enriches him. (This explains Avraham's acceptance of Pharaoh's gifts outside of Israel verses his rejection of the gifts of the king of Sodom inside of Israel, as described in this post.) Unlike his father, Yitzchok was born into both Berachos as a unified package; this is why Hashem does not allow him to leave Israel at all (26:2). But when Yitzchok breaks the Berachos in two, he creates a New Jew - an "Eisav" who is not tied to Israel and whose destiny is on the international stage: "יעבדוך עמים וישתחו לך לאמים".

This resolves a difficult point in our story: Why does Yitzchok tell Yaakov to leave Israel? The need to find a wife is no excuse - Avraham sent Eliezer to find a wife for Yitzchok; Yitzchok could have easily done the same for Yaakov. If Avraham's sole departure from Israel to escape a famine was criticized by the Ramban and if  Hashem (and, earlier, Avraham) explicitly forbade Yitzchok from leaving, then how could Yitzchok, unaware of Eisav's murderous intent, instruct Yaakov to leave?

In light of the above, the answer is obvious. Yitzchok designed a Beracha for Eisav which described his vision for his firstborn son: an international Jew whose mission lies outside the Land of Israel. When Yaakov steals these Berachos, he is not merely stealing blessings - he is stealing a mandate. And so, immediately afterwords, Yitzchok commands Yaakov to leave Israel and fulfill Eisav's role abroad, just as Yaakov's son Zevulun will do in the future.

The Torah is very clear about Yaakov's new role. Upon arrival in Charan, the יושב אהלים spends precious little time in tents. Instead, we find him in Eisav's favorite place, the שדה:

ל:טז - ויבא יעקב מן השדה

לא:ד - וישלח יעקב ויקרא לרחל וללאה השדה

  

Yitzchok immediately grasped the consequences of Yaakov's theft. He tells Eisav, והיה כאשר תריד ופרקת עולו מעל צוארך - "When he [Yaakov] falls, then you can cast off his yoke" [cf. Rashi] (27:40). Why should Eisav's submission before Yaakov be conditional on Yaakov's success? The answer is that Yitzchok is not referring here to Yaakov's traditional role as the יושב אהלים; Yitzchok is referring to Yaakov's new role as the איש שדה, the role he just usurped from Eisav. Yitzchok is telling Eisav, "Your brother has taken over your role as the גביר and you are therefore now subservient to him, but whenever he fails in that role, if he fails to do your job right, then there will no longer be any reason for you to be under his yoke." (כן העיר ר' צבי יונגר) 

This explanation enables us to understand the prophecy Rivka received when she was pregnant with her two sons: ולאם מלאם יאמץ - "Each nation will get its strength from the other." Rashi  explains, "when one rises the other falls... Tyre was not filled but from the ruin of Jerusalem" (cf. Megillah 6a). Another example of this phenomenon appears at the end of Parshas Vayishlach where the Torah lists eight Edomite kings which descended from Eisav. Rashi cites a Midrash, "Correspondingly, [eight kings] also came from Yaakov and the kingdom of Edom ceased to exist during that period..." (Rashi to 36:31).

History shows that Yaakov and Eisav cannot succeed simultaneously, but there is more here than a mere seesaw.

If "when one rises the other falls" is the sole point, then the original prophecy would have limited itself to those words. Instead, the prophecy states, "Each nation will get its strength from the other." This foretells Yaakov's "theft" of Eisav's destiny and explains their symbiotic relationship. When Yaakov successfully blends his new-found worldly power and Kingship with his original destiny of sitting in the tents of Torah then Eisav loses his raison d'être and his very existence as a nation begins to fade. But if and when Yaakov fails, then Eisav shall rise again.

This idea was foreshadowed by the very birth of the the two twin brothers. Eisav came out first, immediately followed by Yaakov "his hand grasping the heal of Eisav" (25:26). As the Alshich asks, why is Yaakov named for this seemingly meaningless event? (See Abarbanel, cited by Malbim.) In light of the above, the meaning is clear. Yaakov's grasping Eisav's heal illustrates not only the fact that Eisav will fall when Yaakov rises, but also tells us why: Yaakov is destined (doomed?) to seize his elder brother's very mission of power and destiny as the firstborn. Just as the prophecy foretold: ולאם מלאם יאמץ - Yaakov will get his strength from Eisav.

Eisav failed to live up to his destiny and Yaakov takes all. With both blessings securely in his pocket, Yaakov heads out of Israel for Charan - leaving his brother behind. But in this, their third generation, the Berachos of Avraham have evolved. En route, Yaakov receives this prophecy:

וְהִנֵּה יְהוָה נִצָּב עָלָיו וַיֹּאמַר אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם אָבִיךָ, וֵאלֹהֵי יִצְחָק הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה שֹׁכֵב עָלֶיהָ לְךָ אֶתְּנֶנָּה וּלְזַרְעֶךָ. וְהָיָה זַרְעֲךָ כַּעֲפַר הָאָרֶץ וּפָרַצְתָּ יָמָּה וָקֵדְמָה וְצָפֹנָה וָנֶגְבָּה וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ כָּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה וּבְזַרְעֶךָ. וְהִנֵּה אָנֹכִי עִמָּךְ וּשְׁמַרְתִּיךָ בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵךְ וַהֲשִׁבֹתִיךָ אֶל הָאֲדָמָה הַזֹּאת. כִּי לֹא אֶעֱזָבְךָ עַד אֲשֶׁר אִם עָשִׂיתִי אֵת אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתִּי לָךְ

There is a new element here, a blessing that we have not seen before: ופרצת... Hashem is confirming what Yitzchok already understood: The Berachos fiasco was the only way compensate for Eisav's failure to live up to his destiny. A new Yaakov has been created - a hybrid of the יושב אהלים and the איש שדה. Spiritual Man is now vested with the mission of bringing the Beracha of Israel to the rest of the world! The ונברכו בך כל משפחות האדמה of Avraham - part of the physical blessing at the beginning of Lech Lecha - must now be realized by way of ופרצת - direct interaction with the nations, on their turf. This is what you get when you patch together the Avraham that Yitzchok divided in two. Yaakov leaves Israel, and in Charan he is fruitful and he multiplies - both physically and spiritually.

[Continue the Trail here.]