INCONSOLABLE AND
IMPOVERISHED: PARSHAT VAYEiTZEI
Shira Smiles shiur – 2020/5781
Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
Parshat
Vayetzei brings us to the third and final set of Patriarchs and Matriarchs.
Yaakov Avinu flees from his brother Esau and arrives in Charan, hometown of his
uncle Lavan. He comes to the outskirts of town where the town well is located.
Seeing some shepherds at the well, he asks if they know Lavan. [This is the
first recorded case of the game of Jewish Geography. CKS] Right on cue, Rachel,
Lavan’s daughter, emerges with the sheep. The other shepherds point her out to
Yaakov. When Yaakov saw Rachel at the well, Yaakov rolled the protective stone
cover off the well and watered Rachel’s flock. Then he introduced himself to
her, kissed her and wept bitterly.
We
can certainly recognize Divine Providence in this meeting of Yaakov with his
intended, Rachel. One would expect Yaakov to be elated. Why then does he cry?
Rashi
offers two seemingly disparate explanations for Yaakov’s tears. First, Rashi
says, Yaakov foresaw with Divine insight that Rachel would not be buried with
him, and he therefore cried that they would not share eternal rest together.
Alternately, Yaakov cried because he remembered that when Eliezer came for
Rivkah, Yitzchak’s bride and his mother, Eliezer came with ten camels laden
with gifts. He, on the other hand, came empty handed.
The
Divrei Yisroel reminds us of an important principle in studying Rashi.
When Rashi presents two possible explanations to a difficulty, there is usually
some connection between the two possibilities. And why would Yaakov be thinking
about death at their first meeting? Further, adds Rabbi Twerski in Yiram
Hayam, how could such a tzadik be concerned with material gifts for his
intended bride, especially to the degree of crying bitterly for lack thereof?
However, explains Rabbi Bloch in Peninei Daas, as long as the spiritual
soul is connected to the physical body, man inhabits the physical world. Yaakov
sensed that something was missing, and he cried. There is a minhag Yisroel,
a custom, to give gifts to your betrothed, whether a ring or something else of
value, writes Rabbi Gifter. If a man cannot give his bride a customary gift, it
will naturally pain him.
Obviously,
Yaakov did not leave his parents’ home empty handed when fleeing from Esau. The
Medrash provides the missing event that led to this state. When Esau realized
Yaakov had fled, Esau sent his son Eliphaz to pursue Yaakov and kill him. Like
His father Esau, Eliphaz was also meticulous in honoring his father, and so he
was determined to kill Yaakov. However, having grown up in Yitzchak’s home, he
also learned from his grandfather that murder was wrong. How could he solve
this conundrum and honor both his father and his grandfather? When Eliphaz reached
Yaakov, Yaakov Avinu provided the solution. If Eliphaz would take all Yaakov’s
possessions, leaving Yaakov destitute, Eliphaz would have fulfilled both
commands. Although Yaakov would still be physically alive, a destitute man is
considered as if he were dead. Leaving Yaakov destitute would thereby fulfill
his father’s command while not transgressing on the sin of murder. And so,
Yaakov arrived in Charan empty handed.
Becoming
a righteous person is a twofold process, reminds us the Netivot Shalom.
It involves first sur meira/leave the evil [ways] and then asei tov/do
good by building up your positive characteristics. Doing either without the
other becomes counterproductive and is insufficient. For example, you may stop
hating your fellow Jew, but you may not yet love him.
One
must first recognize what is inherently evil in order to be able to uproot it.
Eliphaz could not differentiate between the two directives. He could murder
Yaakov and rationalize it by saying he was honoring his father by carrying out
his command. This corruption and distortion of truth and values, mixing light
with darkness so that all is a blur is the hallmark of Amalek, a son of
Eliphaz, observes Rabbi Chaim Shmulevitz. When one does not uproot the evil,
the evil infects the good, and what is created is a monster more evil than evil
alone. The evil will continue to exert power over the good and corrupt it.
Eliphaz is the paradigm for such rationalization and corruption.
Yaakov’s
pain at not having gifts for his intended came from a completely different
perspective according to Rabbi Twerski. The gifts that Eliezer gave to Rivkah
were not just gifts of gold and silver, but were gifts of symbolic spiritual
value and were meant to gauge Rivkah’s willingness to take on the responsibility
and self sacrifice necessary for continuing the legacy of Avraham Avinu. Yaakov
had no such gifts to convey this important message. He wondered how he would be
able to test the young lady’s commitment to the principles of Avraham Avinu,
principles predicated on middos/character. This void is what pained
Yaakov Avinu.
In
Olam Hamiddos, Rabbi Kastenbaum explains that indeed the Torah was given
to Man because man has flawed characteristics and must learn to overcome them,
problems angels do not have. In fact, continues Rabbi Kastenbaum, One who
studies Torah all day but does not work on his middos is not considered
on who is osek baTorah/toiling and constantly involved in Torah.
Citing
Rav Chaim Vital, Rabbi Kastenbaum notes that man has two souls, a base soul
attached to his body and a lofty soul based with his soul from Heaven. However,
man can observe Divine mitzvoth only through using his physical body.
Therefore, for proper mitzvah observance, it is incumbent upon man to perfect
his middos. This is the ultimate purpose of life, for through our
perfected middos we emulate Hakodosh Boruch Hu and walk in His ways.
Because
a tzadik already lives his life on such a lofty plane, there is minimal
difference between life and death, writes Rabbi Wolbe. As such, a tzadik never
dies. Therefore, Yaakov wants to be buried with Rachel for eternity in an
eternal relationship. Seeing with Divine prophecy that Rachel would not be
buried with him, Yaakov cries bitterly. But that is not an appropriate comment
to make to your bashert on your first meeting, adds Rabbi Schlesinger in Eileh
Hadvarim. Therefore Yaakov says that he’s crying because he has no gifts to
give Rachel.
However,
why did this prophecy of Rachel’s untimely death come to Yaakov now? Rabbi
Ezrachi in Birkat Mordechai suggests that this foreshadowing was a
warning to Yaakov Avinu to be careful, for, in fact his beloved Rachel would
die as a result of his own curse on anyone who stole Lavan’s idols.
But
the prophecy does not tell Yaakov why Rachel will die. Yaakov understands that
Rachel will be the Matriarch and cornerstone of the home he will be building
and the nation of God. That she will not be buried alongside the parallel
Patriarch must be a sign of divisiveness within the nation, severing the
eternal bond between himself and Rachel Imeinu, speculates Yaakov. This thought
of divisiveness within the family and nation so saddens Yaakov Avinu that he
cries bitterly.
There
seems to be a pattern of a missing piece in the relationship, suggests Rabbi
Weinberg in Shemen Hatov. In the beginning, the gifts were missing, and
at the end their burial sites would also be separate.
Both
Rabbi Weinberg and Rabbi Mintzberg in Shemen Hatov note a relationship
between the loss of possessions and the separate burial places. If Yaakov had
had material possessions, he could have gone to Lavan and “bought” Rachel, as
was the custom of the day [and still persists in many societies]. Then Lavan
would not have been able to implement his ruse of substituting Leah, and Rachel
would have been buried alongside Yaakov in Meorat Hamachpelah. [In a previous
shiur, Rebbetzin Smiles discussed how Yaakov could have married both Rachel and
Leah, and all three would have been buried in Meorat Hamachpelah for eternity.
CKS]
Our
Patriarchs and Matriarch were more than our physical ancestors, continues Rabbi
Wolfson. They represented the vehicles through which God’s presence would be
revealed on earth. The Patriarchs carried the Divine energy [Kudsha Brich Hu]
while the Matriarchs received that energy and reflected God’s presence [Shechinah]
outward on earth. For God’s presence to be fully actualized on earth required
both Rachel and Leah. Rachel Imeinu represented Hashem’s overt presence. She
was the one who went out into the world as the shepherdess, and she would be
buried on the open road. Through her, God’s presence would be manifest, and all
would recognize Hashem in every blade of grass and in every historical event.
Leah Imeinu carried within her the lofty, imperceptible aspects of Shechinah,
those aspects too lofty for human perception on the physical earth. Leah,
representing this hiddenness, is buried deep in the double cave.
But,
while Hashem’s overt, perceptible presence departs when Bnei Yisroel goes into
exile, Leah’s imperceptible aspect of Hashem’s presence never leaves. It
is hidden somewhere like a husband who has left his wife but has not divorced
her. That is why the Prophet Yirmiyahu describes the forlorn and seemingly abandoned
Bat Zion not as being a widow, but as seeming to be a widow – hoytah ke’almanah,
for the loving relationship was never fully severed.
When
Yaakov kisses Rachel at their first encounter, he recognizes her as a vessel of
the holy shechinah, one who will be a shepherdess of his descendants. He kisses
her in reverence, as one kisses the Siddur or the mezuzah, but he cries because
he knows that God’s revealed presence will leave his descendants when they are
exiled. Had Rachel been buried with Yaakov, along with Leah, both Hashem’s
revealed and hidden presence would have remained with Bnei Yisroel forever.
It
is within these roles that Rachel, representing Hashem’s revealed presence, is
a symbol of Yerushalayim where God’s presence was openly manifest, while Leah
represents the hidden presence of Chevron, writes Rabbi Wolfson. Indeed, we
each carry within ourselves both these sources of holiness. When we are
privileged to feel Hashem’s presence so near us, we have symbolically ascended
our personal Har Moriah/Temple Mount, but when we feel depressed and alone, we
can still connect to Hashem in the Chevron model, through our prayers and
faith.
Building
on Rachel Imeinu’s symbolic role, the Breslover Rebbe in Lemachar A’atir
gives us a beautiful interpretation for the cause of Yaakov’s tears. Yaakov
Avinu foresaw the role Rachel Imeinu would play in trying to mitigate the
harshness of the exile as Bnei Yisroel is deported from its land. As the
Prophet Yirmiyahu writes, Rachel’s voice is heard on high, Rachel is crying for
her children, refusing to be comforted. Yaakov Avinu’s prayers from Meorat
Hamachpelah will not be effective. Yaakov cries now, so that in the future his
tears will mingle with hers for the return of their children.
But
Rachel Imeinu is not crying only by herself; she is bringing others along to
cry with her. [Rachel mevakah = causative.] Our tears should join with
hers and inspire us to do teshuvah to hasten our teshuvah/return
to the land. The tzemach David, the sprout of David, Moshiach, grows
through watering, and it is the water of our tears in heartfelt prayer that
give it life adds Rabbi Schwab.
Rabbi
Wolfson makes some interesting observations that should give us hope. While
Rachel Imeinu represents the revealed Divine presence, it is becoming more and
more difficult to access it. Not only is visiting Kever Rachel becoming more
difficult as it gets hidden behind concrete barricades and needs to be arrived
at through steel reinforced buses, but the surrounding culture is bringing more
and more layers of desecration to our lives, so that we find it harder and
harder to seek out Hashem even in His revealed presence. This is an unnatural
state, and should encourage us to hope for the imminent arrival of Moshiach.
We
are told that the events of our forefathers’ lives are precursors to the events
that will occur in the history of Bnei Yisroel, their descendants. Ohel
Yehoshua, writes that just as Yaakov Avinu went into his exile empty handed
and poverty stricken when fleeing from Esau, so did Bnei Yisroel also go into
exile in poverty.
The
redemption hasn’t come yet, but we can pray for it, like Rachel Imeinu prays
for her children. In our current situation, COVID 19 has distanced us not only
from each other, but also from Hashem Who has kept His face hidden from us. Let
our prayers and tears join with those of Yaakov and Rachel and bring us total
salvation bimheirah biyomeinu/quickly, in our day.