Those engaged in commerce, must sustain those engaged in Torah, and, further, they themselves are thereby deemed to be engaged in Torah too!
We read in our Parasha, that, Yaakov Avinu, on his death-bed, (49:1-14) "called for his sons and said: ’Assemble yourselves and I will tell you what will befall you in the End of Days, Gather yourselves , O sons of Yaakov, and listen to Israel your father...Zebulun shall settle by seashores. He shall be at the ship’s harbor, and his last border will reach Zidon.
‘Issachar is a strong-boned donkey; he rests between the boundaries. He saw tranquility that it was good, and the land that it was pleasant, yet he bent his shoulder to bear and became למס עובד: an indentured laborer.’"
Rashi - based on the Midrash Tanchuma, comments: 'Zebulun will settle on seashores’: His land will be on the seacoast..He will constantly frequent the harbor of the ships..where the ships bring their merchandise, for Zebulun will engage in commerce and provide food for Issachar...(who) will engage in the study of Torah.
‘Issachar is a strong-boned donkey’: He bears the yoke of the Torah, like a strong donkey which is laden with a heavy burden. ‘Lying between the boundaries’:like a donkey, which toils night and does not lodge in a house, but when it lies down for a rest, it lies between the boundaries, in the boundaries of the towns where it transports merchandise.
‘He bends his shoulder to bear: The yoke of Torah, ‘and he became’: for all his brother Israelites, ‘an indentured laborer’: to decide for them the instructions of the Torah.’
HaKtav veHakabalah expounds: Alluding to our Sages comment on (Zot haBracha 33:18):’Rejoice, Zebulun, in your departure, and Issachar, in your tents’, that they entered into a partnership, Zebulun would dwell at the seashore and go out in ships, to trade and make profit. He would thereby provide food to Issachar, do they could sit and occupy themselves with the study of the Torah.
The first requirement for acquiring Torah is to limit worldly pleasures, in indulgence in food and drink, in touring fields and vineyards.
Issachar, who chose to toil in Torah, cast aside all these pursuits which prevent engaging in Torah, and is therefore likened to ‘a strong-boned donkey’, meaning: he broke his natural desire for pleasures, which are termed ‘donkey’, by our tomes.
This is why wine is called חמר, and the basest people are likened to a donkey.
Whilst Issachar strove to break the desires of his animal side, since it is not good for man to completely separate from all physical desires, he still has to indulge in them for his health.
To fulfill this need, it says:’he rests between the boundaries’, to teach that, while he has greatly weakened his animal side, he left a little room for this side, giving it a place to rest.
Zebulun, on the other hand, was always on the move, lacking rest due to his constant fear fom the waves and the raging seas, his mind always occupied in thoughts of his business affairs, and was therefore unable to engage in Torah, as required, as when your soul is captured by thoughts of business, how can it be engaged in toil in Torah, which requires a clarity of mind?
Issachar chose the tranquility of the land, as it enabled him to acquire the real treasure, the Torah.
The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh comments that the מס of Issachar, is : He himself - he was as indentured, fully occupied in serving Hashem.
He adds: In saying: ’became למס עובד' that all the beings will proffer to him an offering for his sustenance, and serve this Ben Torah as we find, in regards to Issachar himself, that Zevulun served him, and so in every generation.
Rav Zalman Sorozkin adds:’ Rests between the boundaries’: from this we learn of the historical role of our people, that Issachar represents: not having our own inherited field nor vineyards, but always ‘resting’ between the borders of the fields of others.
And yet, he disdains the pleasures of this world - not because of his laziness; rather, he is ‘a strong-boned donkey’ - not because he is unaware of the outside world, nor because he does not have a yearning its pleasures, No!: ‘he saw tranquility that it was good, and the land that it was pleasant’, yet, despite this, because of the love of Torah, which burned in his heart, ‘he bent his shoulder to bear’ - the yoke of Torah, and ‘became an indentured laborer’, willingly paying a great מס tax to Zebulun, for the ‘piece of bread dipped in salt’, which he receives from him - the great מס tax being half of his reward for toiling in Torah - as per the condition of the partnership agreement between Issachar and Zebulun.
The Ktav Sofer also expounds in a similar vein: Issachar dwells in the tents of Torah and does not yearn to the attractions of this world, being likened to ‘a strong-boned donkey’, which Rashi expounds as being bare-boned, since he limits his food and drink, to the minimum, yet Hashem gives him strength in these bones to bear and tote loads.
To those who do not understand the affairs of this world, and did not see the festivities and the feasts of our chagim, when we eat and drink and rejoice, there is no novelty in those who toil in Torah, as they are removed from the affairs of this world.
However, one who observes all this and understands how pleasant and goodly these activities are to the body, yet conquers his desires, this is extremely difficult.
This is what is said:’He saw tranquility that it was good’, that he understands its goodness, that rest is good, unlike sleepless nights, and not having to toil all dat, ‘and the land that it was pleasant’, producing bountiful crops for its owners, and yet bends his back to bear the yoke of Torah, he is truly likened to ‘an indentured laborer’, yet he does not envy them.
The Kli Yakar, comments on Issachar being termed ‘a strong-boned donkey that rests between the boundaries’, expounds:’Like a donkey who is bound to his load, and is inseparable from it, so too is the Torah acquired is not separated from him.
This is unlike Zebulun, who, since he and his dwelling and his possessions are, separate - as he is constantly on the move.
But Issachar’s load is always on him, the yoke of Hashem’s Word, and he ‘rests between the boundaries’, as all the successes of the body surround him, as it is written, regarding the toilers in Torah, ( Mishlei 3:16 ):’Length of days is in its right hand; in its left hand, riches and honor’., which accompany him wherever he should go.
This is unlike those who are simply engaged in trade, as at times they have to go to dangerous place, which clearly can negate a long life, and at times, when he is unsuccessful, and far from wealth, honor is not his lot - so that on the whole he is ‘not between these two boundaries’, unlike the toiler in Torah and its yoke who is always ‘between the two boundaries’.
‘’And he saw tranquility that it was good’: as the acquisition of Torah is not dependent on movement like the pursuit of wealth, but is dependent on toil of the body and tranquility of the soul - which is why the Torah was given on Sabbath, the day of rest
‘’And the land that it was pleasant’: because the air of Land of Israel is conducive to wisdom, ‘and yet he bent his shoulder to bear’ the yoke of Torah, as it is more precious than any other goods.
Yet we find that the Torah here precedes Zevulun to Issachar, as ‘if there is no flour, there is no Torah’, and should one not eat and drink, how will his body be strong enough to toil in Torah?
This is why Zevulun precedes Issachar in our psukim, as he travels far and wide to bring bread, so that Issachar can dwell in the tents of Torah - and Issachar also shares part of his portion of Torah, to Zebulun, is likened to being ‘an indentured laborer’, true toil, as the Torah writes.
The Alshich Hakadosh comments that the psukim relating to Issachar demand exposition, and we can do so from the teaching of our Sages (Brachot 5.):’Three goodly presents were given by way of יסורין: affliction: the Torah, the land of Israel and the world-to-come’, and those who aspire to one of them, cannot escape from affliction - and whoever desires more than one, certainly if he desires all three, his affliction will be trebled.
Therefore, we read that Issachar was ‘a strong-boned donkey’, like the bony donkey whose load is always on it, crouching on the ground to sleep.
Why did he do so, did Zebulun not sustain him with an open hand, so that he could be engaged in Torah? Therefore it says that ‘he rests between boundaries’, telling us that he saw that these three things can only be acquired through affliction, and he chose all three of them - this is why ‘he rested between the boundaries’, like a bony donkey he slept on the ground, for the sake of the Torah.
Second, though ‘he saw tranquility that it was good’, that being rest in the world-to-come, which is ‘good’, he still chose toil in this world.
‘Third, he also ‘saw the land that it was good’, the land being Eretz Israel, and he therefore chose to toil and be afflicted, knowing that each of the three could only be acquired through affliction - more so, if one desired all three.
What was his reward fo doing so? ‘He became an indentured laborer’; our Sages teach ‘man is born to toil, and fortunate is the man whose toil is in Torah’, so that there is no person who does not toil on this world - but some toil and see no return, and there are those who toil, and are rewarded: those who toil in Torah.
Therefore, since one way or another, all toil, it is surely good to toil in Torah, and be ‘rewarded’, for serving Hashem, his מס being teaching Torah to all Israel, as we are told was the role that the sons of Issachar fulfilled,
A parting gem from Rav Pinchas Friedman:’It is well known in all lands, and in all generations, that the wondrous partnership between Issachar and Zevulon, is the rock foundation of the eternal existence of the community of Israel - as our Sages say ( Avot 3:17):’ If there is no flour, there is no Torah; if there is no Torah, there is no flour’.
That being the case, how can those who have accepted the yoke of the Torah, and distanced themselves from the mundane world, engage in Torah, when ‘if there is no flour there is no Torah’?
Likewise, those engaged in commerce, to sustain their families, how can they be successful when ‘if there is no Torah, there is no flour’?
Both these questions can be answered in one: those engaged in commerce, must sustain those engaged in Torah, and, further, they themselves are thereby deemed to be engaged in Torah toil!
Therefore, Zevulun, who is engaged in commerce, supports Issachar by providing him ‘with flour’, and both become partners in Torah, and, through them, the Mishna we have brought, is fulfilled: the ‘flour’ of Zebulun enables the ‘Torah’ of Issachar, and, in exchange, the ‘Torah’ of Issachar assists the ‘flour’ of Zebulun.
‘We can expound that Leah, in calling her son ‘Issachar’, intended to allude to this partnership.
As a prelude, let us bring the Mishnah (Okazin 3:12): ’The Holy one is destined to bestow on each tzaddik three hundred and ten worlds, as we read (Mishlei 8:21): There is substance to give inheritance to those who love Me, and I will fill their treasuries.’
Elucidates the Ktav Sofer: the calculation of 310 worlds, is that there are 613 Torah Mitzvot, and seven Rabbinic Mitzvot - in total: 620: Mitzvot, and for each Mitzvah, we merit the reward of a complete world.
Therefore, for the 620 Mitzvot that the righteous perform in their completeness, he merits the reward of 620 worlds.
Since he is required to give half of the reward for his Mitzvot to Zebulun -who sustains him - he is left with only half of the reward of 620 worlds, which is alluded to in the words of the Mishnah we brought, on the word יש - the gematriya of which is 310!
Leah, in her ruach hakodesh, alluded to this in naming her son יששכר, which can be read as יש-שכר: ‘there is reward’, but it is ‘only יש’: 310, half of the 620 worlds , as the other half - also 310:- he, Issachar, is obligated to give to his partner: Zebulun.
The paramount importance of Zebulun, by whose merit of supporting Issachar, the pillar of Torah, Torah exists in Israel, can be seen in the precedence he is given in our parsha, as Issachar can only engage in Torah thanks to his support.
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