Shabbat Parashat Vayeitzei 5784

Parashat Hashavua: An Inheritance without Borders

“Whoever ‘indulges Shabbat’ receives an inheritance without boundaries, as the pasuk says: “Then you will indulge with Hashem, and I will have you ride on the high places of the land, and I will feed you the inheritance of your father Yaakov” (Yeshayahu 58:14). Not like the [limited inheritance of] Avraham … or of Yitzchak … but of Yaakov, about whom it says: ‘You shall break forth, west and east and north and south’ (Bereishit 28:14)” (Shabbat 118a).

The three patriarchs each passed on to the nation, a special quality that he epitomized: Torah, service of Hashem, and acts of kindness. Avraham, as the pillar of kindness, was the most foundational of the patriarchs (see Rashi, Bereishit 12:2). Yitzchak, who allowed himself to be tied down as a sacrifice, was the pillar of service of Hashem. He revealed our power of self-sacrifice for the sanctity of Hashem. These two powers can have their full impact only when the light of Torah lights up one’s inner soul, and gives meaning to the self-sacrifice and kind deeds. That is the reason that Avraham was saved in the merit of Yaakov. All of these powers together form the basis of a Jew.

Some people talk of acts of kindness, but they primarily want to receive rather than give. The monks who swore off pleasures of the world are the ones who created the Inquisition. Only the Torah of Israel gives things proper balance.

Torah sets forth a special approach to life. Yaakov not only epitomizes Torah but an approach to life based on Torah in which simple necessities suffice (see Avot 6:4). In order to imprint into Israel the seal of Torah, Yaakov had to have his physical body tested as well. He had to undergo the fearful state of being a stranger in exile, and he indeed experienced difficulties from a young age. He bought the firstborn status and received the coveted blessings, but instead of making life easier, it just aroused Eisav’s wrath. While it was Eisav who was enjoying the pleasures of the Land, Yaakov had a humble existence on the other side of the Jordan (see Bereishit 32:11).

Although the Sons of Yaakov passed many “Jordans” on the way to exiles, they never become one with their countries of exile but remained in each only a few generations. While they are always a step away from the next expulsion, they survive. “If not for the enjoyment of the Torah, I would have been lost in my affliction” (Tehillim 119:92). This is what made us the Nation of the Book, and separated us from a permanent connection to the earth, as is common for nations. Because of this, Yaakov’s “inheritance” is unlimited. That is the idea of the ladder whose legs are on the ground but whose head is in the Heavens (Bereishit 28:12). There is a higher goal than the ground from which the ladder emanates. Yaakov had no one house, so the whole world was his house.

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