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Home -> 5779 -> Vayeitzei

ויצא יעקב מבאר שבע

Sruly Schnair
In Vayeitzei, 5779

Yaakov departed from Beer Sheva. (28:10)

Chazal (Talmud Megillah 17a) deduce that Yaakov Avinu was sixty-three years old when he left his parents’ home. Fourteen years later, when Yaakov was seventy-seven, Yosef was born. When Yosef stood before Pharaoh, he was thirty years old – making Yaakov one hundred and seven years old. We add to this seven years of plenty and two years of famine to reach a sum total of one hundred sixteen, which should have been Yaakov’s age when meeting Pharaoh. When Yaakov stood before Pharaoh, however, he stated his age as one hundred and thirty – leaving us with a discrepancy of…

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ויעבד יעקב ברחל שבע שנים ויהיו בעיניו כימים אחדים באהבתו אותה

Sruly Schnair
In Vayeitzei, 5779

So Yaakov worked seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him a few days because of his love for her. (29:20)

For some people life is far from a bed of roses. Yet, they persevere and forge ahead, often joyfully. Why? They believe that achieving their intended goal far outweighs any form of hardship they have been forced to endure. Pain is relative. If the goal means enough to the person, the pain, discomfort, anxiety are all worth it. Yaakov Avinu was an extraordinary masmid, diligent student of Torah. He did not waste a minute from Torah learning. During the fourteen years that he studied in the yeshivah of Shem and Ever, he did not lay down to sleep, so great…

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ויהי בערב ויקח את לאה בתו ויבא אתה אליו

Sruly Schnair
In Vayeitzei, 5779

And it was in the evening that he took Leah, his daughter, and brought her to him. (29:23)

True to his reputation as a swindler, Lavan did not keep his word to give Rachel Imeinu to Yaakov Avinu. He substituted Leah Imeinu for Rachel. This ruse would not have worked had Rachel not given over to her sister the designated signs that Yaakov had arranged with her. The Patriarch knew what kind of thief his prospective father-in-law was. He did not, however, count on the extraordinary love that Rachel harbored for Leah. The relationship between siblings should serve as a paradigm for the relationship between friends. When we speak of a relationship between two friends, the friendship between…

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ויזכור אלקים את רחל וישמע אליה אלקים ויפתח את רחמה

Sruly Schnair
In Vayeitzei, 5779

Hashem remembered Rachel; Hashem hearkened to her, and He opened her womb. (30:22)

Hashem remembered the extraordinary empathy that Rachel Imeinu manifested for her sister’s plight. Lest she be discovered as Leah, Rachel gave her the predesignated signs that Yaakov Avinu (sensing that Lavan would pull off such a stunt) had originally given to her. Rashi explains that now that she was aware that she was barren, Rachel feared that Yaakov would divorce her, and she would be compelled to marry Eisav. (This is based upon the commentary that quoted people as saying that Lavan had two daughters, and his sister Rivkah Imeinu had two sons; the older son (Eisav) would marry the…

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ויען לבן ויאמר אל יעקב הבנות בנתי והבנים בני... וכל אשר אתה ראה לי הוא

Sruly Schnair
In Vayeitzei, 5779

Then Lavan spoke up and said to Yaakov… “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children…And all that you see is mine.” (31:43)

With an arrogance that is simultaneously astounding and becoming, Lavan lashes into Yaakov Avinu with a diatribe, asserting himself to be the victim and Yaakov to be the aggressor. We are accustomed to it. Throughout the generations, we have contributed to the success of our host nations and, at the end of the day, not only did we not receive our due, but we were also blamed for attempting to undermine them. In Maamar Yechezkel, authored by Horav Yechezkel, zl, m’Kuzmir, he cites his father, Horav Tzvi Hirsch, zl, who explains the word roeh (v’chol asher atah roeh, “All that…

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Home -> 5779 -> Toldos

ויתרוצצו הבנים בקרבה

Sruly Schnair
In Toldos, 5779

The children agitated within her. (25:22)

The Maharal explains that the struggle between Eisav and Yaakov in their embryonic stage was not influenced by their personal proclivities to good and evil, since these inclinations had not manifested prior to their births. Yaakov Avinu and Eisav represented cosmic forces in Creation, Heavenly ordained forces that transcended the normal course of personal development, a phenomenon that predated and existed even before their births. Chazal (Midrash Rabbah 63:6) teach that Eisav hated Yaakov while they were still in the womb. The Brisker Rav, zl, derives from Chazal that Eisav’s hatred for Yaakov is non-dependent on any specific circumstance, incident…

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Home -> 5779 -> Toldos

ויהי עשו איש יודע ציד איש שדה ויעקב איש תם יושב אהלים

Sruly Schnair
In Toldos, 5779

And Eisav became one who knows trapping, a man of the field; but Yaakov was a wholesome man, abiding in tents. (25:27)

The Torah’s characterization of the differences between Yaakov Avinu and Eisav ha’rasha seems minor in contrast to the actual stark differences between the two. Yaakov was holy, righteous, the pillar of Torah and truth, the third leg of the Heavenly chariot. Eisav was the epitome of evil, the archenemy of our people. Yet, the Torah chose to underscore the fact that Eisav was a man of the field, yoshev batel, did nothing all day, wasted his time. Yaakov, however, was a wholesome man who spent his day in spiritual ascendance, studying Torah. Apparently, herein lay the difference between the two….

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Home -> 5779 -> Toldos

על כן קרא שמו אדם

Sruly Schnair
In Toldos, 5779

He, therefore, called his name Edom. (25:30)

Certainly the name Edom/Eisav evokes question. Referring to a bowl of red bean soup as “red” is not cause for one to be named “Red,” unless this reference to red soup defines the person. Rashbam says that Eisav had a ruddy complexion, and he sold his birthright for a bowl of red soup. That is a pretty contemptuous act. Hence, Edom/Red is a reference, not so much to color, but to contempt, which describes Eisav quite well. Sforno views the red color of the soup as a description of Eisav’s values and outlook on life. He was so consumed with…

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Home -> 5779 -> Toldos

ויבז עשיו את הבכורה

Sruly Schnair
In Toldos, 5779

Eisav spurned the birthright. (25:34)

Eisav saw no value whatsoever in the birthright. Thus, when he was hungry, he quickly sold the birthright for a bowl of red soup. Apparently, selling the birthright is held against Eisav. The fact that he committed five grave sins that day does not seem to carry as much weight as his selling the birthright. Why? The Brisker Rav, zl, explains that concerning the other sins which Eisav committed, he always had the excuse that he was provoked by the yetzer hora, evil inclination. The other sins may have brought him some sort of perverse satisfaction. Selling the birthright was…

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Home -> 5779 -> Toldos

ויאמר לאביו יקם אבי ויאכל מציד בנו בעבר תברכני נפשך

Sruly Schnair
In Toldos, 5779

He said to his father, “Let my father rise and eat of his son’s game, so that your soul will bless me. (27:31)

The commentators (Midrash Tanchuma) note the stark disparity between the manner in which Yaakov Avinu addressed his father and the way that Eisav spoke to him. Yaakov spoke to his father with the words, Kum na shvah v’achlah mitzeidi; “Rise up, please, sit and eat of my game” (Bereishis 27:18). Eisav ha’rasha said, Yakum avi v’yochal mitzeid bno; “Let my father rise and eat of his son’s game” (ibid. 27:31). Yaakov said, “Please;” Eisav demanded, “Get up.” Yaakov spoke with humility. Eisav arrogantly commanded, insisting that his father eat. We are well aware that the mitzvah of Kibud av, honoring…

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