From Innocence to Accomplishment

Parshat Va’Yetze

To be honest, last week's parsha I found confusing and hard to grasp. We read in Parshat Toldot of the birth of Esav and Yaakov and the beginnings of the conflict between them, the birthright, the blessings and the deceptions. It is all very hard to understand.

We get a first glimpse of the 2 in Bereshit 25:27 which describes them thus:

וַֽיִּגְדְּלוּ֙ הַנְּעָרִ֔ים וַיְהִ֣י עֵשָׂ֗ו אִ֛ישׁ יֹדֵ֥עַ צַ֖יִד אִ֣ישׁ שָׂדֶ֑ה וְיַעֲקֹב֙ אִ֣ישׁ תָּ֔ם יֹשֵׁ֖ב אֹהָלִֽים׃

When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was innocent (simple), a man of the tent.

The general understanding regarding Yaakov is that he is a kind, simple individual immersed in his studies. He has removed himself from the difficulties and challenges of the outside world and found his place in learning.

However, in this week’s parsha, Va’yetze, we are introduced to an entirely different Yaakov. He has left the tent. He travels from one country to another. He sleeps under the stars and dreams of angels and speaks with Gd.

When he reaches his destination he encounters the local shepherds and almost immediately has something critical to say about their work ethic.

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הֵ֥ן עוֹד֙ הַיּ֣וֹם גָּד֔וֹל לֹא־עֵ֖ת הֵאָסֵ֣ף הַמִּקְנֶ֑ה הַשְׁק֥וּ הַצֹּ֖אן וּלְכ֥וּ רְעֽוּ׃

He said, “There is much daylight before you. It is not time to round up the animals. Water the flock and take them to pasture.” (Bereshit 29:7)

This from someone who only days ago was learning in his tent. And in the next sentence he jumps up and rolls the rock off the mouth of the well (which was the shepherds’ excuse for not watering their flocks in the 1st place as it required several people to move the stone).

From here follows the entire story of the building of Yaakov’s family, the deception of Lavan, his father-in-law, who switched his daughter’s under the marriage canopy, the indentured servitude that Yaakov entered into for each of the daughters and finally the incessant cheating of Lavan or changed the terms of his employment 100 times, as Yaakov says to his wives as they discuss leaving Lavan’s house:

וְאַתֵּ֖נָה יְדַעְתֶּ֑ן כִּ֚י בְּכׇל־כֹּחִ֔י עָבַ֖דְתִּי אֶת־אֲבִיכֶֽן׃

As you know, I have served your father with all my might;

וַאֲבִיכֶן֙ הֵ֣תֶל בִּ֔י וְהֶחֱלִ֥ף אֶת־מַשְׂכֻּרְתִּ֖י עֲשֶׂ֣רֶת מֹנִ֑ים וְלֹֽא־נְתָנ֣וֹ אֱלֹהִ֔ים לְהָרַ֖ע עִמָּדִֽי׃

but your father has cheated me, changing my wages 10 times 10 over. God, however, would not let him do me any harm. (Bereshit 31:6-7)

Finally, there is a last confrontation between Yaakov and Lavan, which had the potential to turn violent, as Lavan states:

יֶשׁ־לְאֵ֣ל יָדִ֔י לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת עִמָּכֶ֖ם רָ֑ע וֵֽאלֹהֵ֨י אֲבִיכֶ֜ם אֶ֣מֶשׁ ׀ אָמַ֧ר אֵלַ֣י לֵאמֹ֗ר הִשָּׁ֧מֶר לְךָ֛ מִדַּבֵּ֥ר עִֽם־יַעֲקֹ֖ב מִטּ֥וֹב עַד־רָֽע׃

I have it in my power to do you harm; but the God of your fathers said to me last night, ‘Beware of attempting anything with Jacob, good or bad.’ (Bereshit 31:29)

Instead, the confrontation ends with a covenant between the families, Lavan and his kin and Yaakov and what is to become the Family of Yisrael.

The completion of this story brings a great deal of clarity to the previous parsha, and indeed, to the continuation of Yaakov’s life.

In the original plan, it seems that Esau and Yaakov were to work together, continuing the mission of Avraham and Yitzhak. However, Esau let his desires control him, to the point where is willing to sell his birthright for a bowl of lentils because he is hungry, claiming:

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר עֵשָׂ֔ו הִנֵּ֛ה אָנֹכִ֥י הוֹלֵ֖ךְ לָמ֑וּת וְלָמָּה־זֶּ֥ה לִ֖י בְּכֹרָֽה׃

And Esau said, “I am at the point of death, so of what use is my birthright to me?”

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יַעֲקֹ֗ב הִשָּׁ֤בְעָה לִּי֙ כַּיּ֔וֹם וַיִּשָּׁבַ֖ע ל֑וֹ וַיִּמְכֹּ֥ר אֶת־בְּכֹרָת֖וֹ לְיַעֲקֹֽב׃

Jacob then gave Esau bread and lentil stew; he ate and drank, and he rose and went away. Thus did Esau spurn the birthright. (Bereshit 25:32, 34)

In other words, Esav’s philosophy was: “Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die!” That was anathema to the mission of Israel and Esav removed himself from the family.

Therefore, Yaakov out of necessity had to learn the hard way how to not just live in this world but to achieve, to fulfill the mission entrusted to him by Gd and how to deal with elements not so honest, not so kind and sometimes down right evil.

Rivka, Yaakov’s mother, understood this and therefore pushed Yaakov into tricking his father to receive the blessing, which was rightfully his after Esav sold it to him. Esav did not tell his father that the blessing was really Yaakov’s and was happy to get it under any circumstance.

And so it is today. We live in a world filled with people and nations that in many ways distort the truth, put fiction forward as fact, and cause grave harm to others. Yisrael, like Yaakov, cannot deal with them from the tent but must play their game in the field and not be afraid to use a little deception when necessary. For example a 60 day ceasefire.

Meir

Hebrew text from Sefaria.org

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay