Vayetze – Yaacov’s Perseverance

By Rabbi Ezra Friedman

Once an ethics professor from a prestigious college was caught doing something very unethical. Following the matter, he was approached by a student who asked him “how could one who spends his time teaching ethics, commit such a crime?” The teacher looked at his student with a smirk and said “Why not! Does a math professor have to be a triangle”. The moral of the story is that, one may teach or learn something but can completely disconnect himself from his teaching. In Judaism, such an idea is incomprehensible. The pillar of Judaism is our Torah and its observance. The study of Torah is not enough. Rather, a Jew must live and abide by the Torah’s teachings. Without practice, the pursuit of knowledge carries no meaning. A Jew’s life and and all his actions must embody Torah and its values. In this week’s Parsha, as we take a look at Yaacov‘s journey we can better understand the depth of this idea.

Last week’s Torah portion concluded with Yaacov running away from his brother after fear of being harmed. Yaacov searches for shelter by his uncle Lavan who lived in the land of Charan. However, rather than being a secure place to take refuge, Charan was a very dangerous place for Yaacov both spiritually and physically. The town was filled with paganism and dishonesty and above all Lavan himself was known as one of the more evil people in the town. Throughout his stay, Yaacov went through many trials and tribulations. He was deceived numerous times. He was tricked into marrying Leah instead of Rachel, and wasn’t paid for his hard work. Yaacov had to deal with the very dishonest and ruthless atmosphere for more than twenty years! Yet despite all this, Yaacov remained true to his values. According to our Sages, Yaacov himself mentions that the time in Lavan‘s house was a challenge (Breishit 32, 5 with Rashi):

“כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ עַבְדְּךָ֣ יַעֲקֹ֔ב עִם־לָבָ֣ן גַּ֔רְתִּי וָאֵחַ֖ר עַד־עָֽתָּה” – כלומר עם לבן הרשע גרתי ותרי”ג מצות שמרתי ולא למדתי ממעשיו הרעים.

‘Your servant Yaacov said, “I have been living with Lavan and have stayed until now”- (Commentary) Meaning I have been living with the evil Lavan and even so I kept the 613 commandments.

Yaacov had the perseverance to be able to overcome the hardships of living with Lavan. From this tough experience, he came out a stronger individual and was able to raise a great family of twelve children. It is interesting to note the different terminology used in regards to Yaacov‘s journey, which gives us insight into his personal growth. Prior to his arrival in Charan, Yaacov is described as a simple “man of the tent”. He doesn’t get out very much, remains to himself, and is unaware of his surroundings. When his mother tells him of his mission to receive his father’s blessing instead of Esav, Yaacov trembles with fear. Yet with Lavan, he seems stronger and is prepared for anything thrown in his path. How did Yaacov acquire this quality of determination? The answer is that Yaacov went through a transition. We see, through close examination of the verses, that when Yaacov ran away he was sixty-four years old and when he arrived at Lavan‘s house he was seventy-seven. The journey could not have taken him fourteen years. The Sages say that before going on to Charan, Yaacov visited his ancestors Shem and Eiver‘s home, and studied Torah there for fourteen years. He immersed himself in intense study as preparation for the challenges that approached him. He studied and practiced with fervor to become completely dedicated to Hashem‘s path. With all this in mind, we see that learning Torah is not just an intellectual pursuit. When deep study of Torah is paired with practice, we internalize its ideals and values, ready to face anything in our path.

An Israeli poet once said “Over the generations the Jewish nation strived to observe and preserve the holy Shabbat, but more than the Jews guarded Shabbat, Shabbat guarded the Jews”. The same is true with the Torah, the more we keep and immerse ourselves in Torah the more it provides us the determination and strength to fulfill our destiny.