... אַרְבַּע עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה בִּשְׁתֵּי בְנֹתֶיךָ וְשֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים בְּצֹאנֶךָ וכו' (בראשית לא, מא).
Yaakov never planned to stick around with Lavan for more than seven years. The original plan was that he would work seven years for Rachel and then leave. The number seven was proposed by Yaakov himself, Lavan did not ask him to work that long. Theoretically, if Yaakov had offered six or five, Lavan might also have accepted. R' Bachyei says that the reason Yaakov offered precisely seven years is because at the time Rachel was only five-years-old and Yaakov wanted to wait until she was of childbearing age before they were married.
Everyone knows the story and what happened next. Lavan switched Rachel with Leah and Yaakov was forced to work an additional seven years.
At the end of the fourteen years, Rachel gives birth to Yosef and Yaakov decides this is the time to leave. Why did he not leave earlier? The Mefarshim give many reasons. Firstly, he made a deal with Lavan. Even though Lavan was a scoundrel who repeatedly violated their contract giving Yaakov every right to renege, Yaakov was not dishonest and was adamant on fulfilling his part of the deal. A second reason is that Yaakov waited for Yosef to be born before returning home and confronting Eisav. Yosef is Eisav's nemesis וּבֵית יוֹסֵף לֶהָבָה וּבֵית עֵשָׂו לְקַשׁ (עובדיה א, יח) and Yaakov did not want to risk a confrontation with Eisav before he had the protection of Yosef.
Yaakov says to Lavan שַׁלְּחֵנִי וְאֵלְכָה אֶל מְקוֹמִי וּלְאַרְצִי (בראשית ל, כה). Presumably Yaakov was doing this with HKB"H's consent or even at HKB"H's command (?), although it does not say it explicitly in the pssukim.
What happens next is perhaps the greatest conundrum of the parsha.
Lavan is reluctant for Yaakov to leave. By virtue of Yaakov's presence Lavan has been blessed and if Yaakov leaves now, this prosperity will cease. Lavan manages to convince Yaakov to remain - in return for sheep. In the first fourteen years, Yaakov remained penniless. His only recompense was his marriage to Leah and Rachel. Lavan now agrees to give Yaakov fiscal remuneration (in the form of sheep) as an incentive to remain.
Incredibly Yaakov agrees and the parsha goes on to tell how, with Siyata di'Shamaya, Yaakov became exceedingly wealthy. HKB"H shows Yaakov how to legally "siphon" sheep from Lavan's flock – using all kinds of, what on the surface appears to be "black magic" (sticks of different colors, speckled, spotted sheep etc.) Yaakov is doing very well, much to the dismay of Lavan and his sons, who see their fortune dwindling before their very eyes.
Just to give you an idea of how successful Yaakov was, the Midrash (ילקוט שמעוני בראשית לב, ב) says that Yaakov had 600,000 sheep dogs to tend his sheep. If each sheep dog tends 100 sheep … you can do the math.
Then the passuk says וַיַּרְא יַעֲקֹב אֶת פְּנֵי לָבָן וְהִנֵּה אֵינֶנּוּ עִמּוֹ כִּתְמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם (לא, ב) – the classic form of antisemitism. The goyim are comfortable with the subjugated Jews living amongst them, until the Jews start to become more successful than them.
Theoretically, if such animosity would not have existed from Lavan, Yaakov might have continued to stay with him (indefinitely?), but no. The next passuk says וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל יַעֲקֹב שׁוּב אֶל אֶרֶץ אֲבוֹתֶיךָ וּלְמוֹלַדְתֶּךָ, a direct communication from HKB"H telling Yaakov – "Leave and return home!"
One might say that Yaakov was waiting for HKB"H to tell him to leave and only when HKB"H told him – he would leave. Yaakov wouldn't do anything unless HKB"H told him, right?
However, this does not seem to be the case. After fourteen years, after Yosef is born, Yaakov says to Lavan – "I am outa here!" Why at that point did Yaakov not wait for HKB"H to first tell him? Why would Yaakov say that to Lavan without waiting for HKB"H to tell him? Either HKB"H did tell him, or Yaakov was not waiting for HKB"H to tell him!
HKB"H's direct communication with Yaakov six years later seems on the surface to be a kind of "Nu nu! Enough is enough – leave already!" Seemingly, if HKB"H did not command Yaakov to leave, Yaakov might have continued to stay!?
It is a conundrum, because it is so totally out of character for Yaakov. The very thought that Yaakov wanted to stay with Lavan in order to accumulate material wealth is ludicrous. When Yaakov left Eretz Yisrael for Charan all he asks HKB"H is אִם יִהְיֶה אֱ-לֹקִים עִמָּדִי וּשְׁמָרַנִי בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ וְנָתַן לִי לֶחֶם לֶאֱכֹל וּבֶגֶד לִלְבֹּשׁ. Yaakov did not ask for wealth or riches, neither did HKB"H promise him any (like He did with Avraham וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ. Breishit Rabba says וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ means money). All Yaakov wanted was bread to eat and clothes on his back, c'est tout.
So why would Yaakov agree to stay? Why did he eventually warrant a "Nu nu" from HKB"H to get him to move?
You may say "It was not really a Nu nu. HKB"H uses the word וַיֹּאמֶר to tell him to leave, a softer form of speech. If it was a Nu nu, HKB"H would have used וַיְדַבֵּר, a harsher form!"
So, what is going on here?
Obviously, Yaakov's decision to remain after the fourteen years of his deal with Lavan and after Yosef was born – had nothing to do with money or materialism. There was something much more critical to Yaakov that made him stay.
There are two obvious possibilities.
The first is that Yaakov wanted to wait for Binyamin to be conceived before meeting with Eisav, because that would mean that Yaakov had successfully achieved his purpose in life – establishing the Twelve Tribes. Theoretically, even if his confrontation with Eisav went badly and Yaakov died in the process chalila, his mission would have already been accomplished.
The second reason is because Yaakov knew that the minute he set foot in Eretz Yisrael, Rachel, the love of his life – would die. Yaakov had seemingly "contravened" a Torah law וְאִשָּׁה אֶל אֲחֹתָהּ לֹא תִקָּח לִצְרֹר לְגַלּוֹת עֶרְוָתָהּ עָלֶיהָ בְּחַיֶּיהָ (ויקרא יח, יח), to not marry two sisters while they are both alive. The Mefarshim give various reasons explaining how Yaakov could do this … the Torah had not yet been given … it only applies to Eretz Yisrael, etc.
Even if Yaakov did not "directly" disobey this commandment, there was a "bad smell" to it. According to the opinion that this isur only applies in Eretz Yisrael, Yaakov knew that as soon as he returned home, if Rachel remained alive, he would be culpable - unless she died. Yaakov did not want to lose Rachel, so he delayed his return. This is in fact what happened. As they entered Eretz Yisrael in next week's parsha, Rachel dies giving birth to Binyamin.
I heard a very thought-provoking shiur by HaRav Tamir Granot שליט"א from Yeshivat Har Etzion who brings a detailed analysis of how Yaakov's marrying both Leah and Rachel is in fact equivalent to the case of an אֵשֶׁת יְפַת תֹּאַר mentioned in parshat Ki Teitzei - replete with the loved wife, the hated wife, the בֵּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה etc.
Regardless of what the reason was, the fact that Yaakov remained with Lavan for an additional six years (after the fourteen years for Rachel and Leah), played on his mind and tormented him. In next week's parsha we read about the confrontation of Yaakov with Eisav. As Yaakov enters Eretz Yisrael he sends scouts ahead to see what Eisav's reaction to his return is. The scouts return with their report וְגַם הֹלֵךְ לִקְרָאתְךָ וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת אִישׁ עִמּוֹ (בראשית לב, ז) – this is not a welcoming party, it is an army coming to attack you!
The next passuk says וַיִּירָא יַעֲקֹב מְאֹד וַיֵּצֶר לוֹ, that Yaakov was very afraid. Why would Yaakov be afraid? Yosef, Eisav's nemesis, had already been born. Yaakov himself was no walkover. He had Herculean strength – he flipped the huge rock covering the well when he first met Rachel, like flicking a cork off a bottle. Yaakov had nothing to fear physically from Eisav. Later, after the episode with Dina, when Shimon and Levi killed the male inhabitants of Shchem, we read that all the surrounding populous – including Eisav - came to attack Yaakov, and he triumphed over them in battle. So, what was Yaakov afraid of?
Yaakov was afraid because he had stayed an additional six years with Lavan, accumulating sheep! Meir Panim (פ' טו, עמ' קסג) says that this is hinted at in the passuk. The sofei teivot of וַיִּירָא יַעֲקֹב מְאֹד וַיֵּצֶר לוֹ are "אָב דָּר ו'" – Yaakov Avinu lived with Lavan six (extra) years. Instead of returning to Eretz Yisrael and meriting observing the מִצְווֹת הַתְּלוּיוֹת בָּאָרֶץ, Yaakov remained in galut. Instead of meriting six extra years of כִּבּוּד אָב וָאֵם with Yitzchak and Rivka, Yaakov was with Lavan and not with his parents. In that time (in all the 20 years Yaakov was away) Eisav was keeping the mitzva of כִּבּוּד אָב וָאֵם. This is why Yaakov was afraid.
Yaakov Avinu is a real "paradox" in the Torah. On the one hand Yaakov is reportedly an אִישׁ תָּם יֹשֵׁב אֹהָלִים, but on the other hand, the "life story" of Yaakov in the Torah is anything but תָּם. It is filled with seeming deception, intrigue, family secrets, spousal rivalry, sibling rivalry, etc. Masquerading as his older brother to steal Yitzchak's bracha, marrying two sisters instead of only one in a seeming violation of a Torah commandment, dabbling in "hocus pocus" with colored sticks and speckled/spotted sheep, accumulating vast wealth at Lavan's expense, fleeing from Lavan in the dark of night, his wife secreting Lavan's idols under her pillow, exhibiting flagrant favoritism towards one son at the expense of the others, hopping between the tents of his wives, etc. etc. It all seems to be the exact opposite of תְּמִימוּת.
The question is – "Why does it have to be this way?" Why couldn't Yaakov's life have been plain, clear and straightforward, an open book – as it was with Avraham and Yitzchak? With them there was no intrigue. It was all in the open, nothing hidden, all above board – both in reality and also in perception.
There is much to learn from the pshat of the psukkim relating to Yaakov's life, but it is impossible to fully understand only on a pshat level. With so much going on behind the scenes, it is essential to study the "story" of Yaakov using a "behind the scenes" methodology, תּוֹרַת הַסּוֹד.
The following is an "explanation" of what is going on behind the scenes as described by the חיד"א (R' Chaim Yosef David Azulai), the נזר הקודש (R' Yechiel Michael ben Uziel of Glogau), the מגיד משירים (R' Yosef Karo), the אמרי נועם (R' Meir Horowitz of Dzikov) and others, all great gedolim and mekubalim. It deals with Torat HaGilgulim of which I have very little understanding, but nevertheless I will attempt to simplify it as much as possible, so that it makes at least some sense on a level we can understand.
Adam HaRishon was the pinnacle of HKB"H's creation and embodied all the neshamot of mankind ever to be. After Adam HaRishon and subsequent generations sinned, these holy neshamot fragmented/shattered and were dispersed into 600,000 parts. These fragments of holy neshamot came under the control of the forces of טֻמְאָה which were represented by Lavan (Ben Yehoyada, Sanhedrin 105a). These 600,000 neshamot were reduced in stature and were mitgalgel into the neshamot of animals – Lavan's sheep.
This is the reason that Yaakov had to go to Lavan's house in the first place, to set these 600,000 neshamot free. Yaakov himself was a gilgul of Adam HaRishon and was the tikkun for Adam HaRishon. This is why Yaakov took the role as shepherd of Lavan's flocks. The first time Yaakov saw Rachel with Lavan's sheep, he realized the task that lay ahead of him, he had pity on the sheep and rushed to give them water, as it says in the passuk וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאָה יַעֲקֹב אֶת רָחֵל בַּת לָבָן אֲחִי אִמּוֹ וְאֶת צֹאן לָבָן אֲחִי אִמּוֹ וַיִּגַּשׁ יַעֲקֹב וַיָּגֶל אֶת הָאֶבֶן מֵעַל פִּי הַבְּאֵר וַיַּשְׁקְ אֶת צֹאן לָבָן אֲחִי אִמּוֹ (בראשית כט, י).
When Yaakov arrived in Charan Lavan had very few sheep. Lions would eat his flock and the sheep would die of plagues. When Yaakov arrived, Lavan had only 70 sheep. Under Yaakov's care, these 70 sheep multiplied into 600,000, in much the same way as the 70 souls of Yaakov who later went down to Egypt multiplied into 600,000. By caring for Lavan's sheep and causing them to multiply, Yaakov managed to extract all the 600,000 fragments of Adam HaRishon's neshama.
Why davka did Lavan have to have control of these neshamot? Because he was the origin of the forces of טֻמְאָה. Lavan's neshama was later to mitgalgel into Bilam. Although, in the first 14 years, Yaakov managed to concentrate all the 600,000 neshamot in Lavan's sheep, he had not yet managed to set these neshamot free. That only happened in the final, extra six years he remained with Lavan.
The whole episode with the sticks and spots/speckles conceals something far more profound than simple "conjuring" with fertility. The three colors of the sticks correspond to Chessed, Din and Rachamim. Yaakov was, on a spiritual level, doing what was necessary to release these trapped neshamot fragments of Adam HaRishon and set them free.
Just as his mother Rivka's neshama was trapped in the house of Lavan and was set free, so too did Yaakov understand that he had to release the trapped neshamot of the daughters of Lavan, Rachel and Leah and their maidservants Bilhah and Zilpah and set them free as well. These freed neshamot eventually entered the twelve sons born to these four mothers.
After fourteen years and Yosef was born, Yaakov though his job was complete, because all twelve tribes were in place (Yosef was in fact two tribes – Ephraim and Menashe), so he wanted to leave, but HKB"H told him to wait another six years until Binyamin was conceived.
Lavan tried to prevent Yaakov from achieving his goal. Lavan offered Yaakov money וַיֹּאמַר נָקְבָה שְׂכָרְךָ עָלַי וְאֶתֵּנָה (בראשית ל, כח), but Yaakov adamantly refused to accept anything except "sheep". The six years is symbolic of the 600,000.
Once Yaakov had succeeded in his task, HKB"H told him – "Now is the time to leave!" Yaakov fled in secret, to prevent Lavan from trying to reverse his work. Lavan, the master magician, realizing what Yaakov had done, pursued him. Only because HKB"H directly intervened, appearing to Lavan in a dream and threatening him, did Lavan not follow through with his evil plan to reclaim these neshamot.
Rachel, unaware of HKB"H's intervention, tried herself to stop her father, by stealing his terafim, with which he worked his magic. As a result of her action, Lavan "rifled" through all of Yaakov's כֵּלִים, i.e touching them, trying to recover these freed neshamot to his control. Although he did not succeed, he did manage to damage them somewhat, which necessitated them having to descend to Egypt to do tikkun. This is why we say in the Hagadah אֲרַמִּי אֹבֵד אָבִי וַיֵּרֶד מִצְרַיְמָה.
When Yaakov returned to Eretz Yisrael for his confrontation with Eisav he was afraid, and rightly so. In order to save his family and the 600,000 neshamot he had rescued from Lavan, Yaakov had to temporarily relinquish control over them to Eisav. Later, he succeeded in redeeming them once more from Eisav, when he arrived at Sukkot and built "Sukkot" for his "sheep", the neshamot of the future Am Yisrael.
It is not incidental that all the leaders of Am Yisrael were shepherds, Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, David, etc. because the neshamot of Am Yisrael, the fragments of Adam HaRishon's shattered neshama, were repeatedly rescued by the leaders of Am Yisrael. Am Yisrael are called "sheep" וְאַתֵּן צֹאנִי צֹאן מַרְעִיתִי אָדָם אַתֶּם אֲנִי אֱ-לֹקֵיכֶם נְאֻם ה' אֱ-לֹקִים (יחזקאל לד, לא).
When we understand this principle from תּוֹרַת הַסּוֹד, everything begins to fall in place. Nothing is incidental, nothing is out of place or improper. It is all the guiding hand of HKB"H ensuring that His Chosen People survive and fulfil their destiny.
Sometimes to triumph over the deceptive forces of טֻמְאָה, deception from the opposite direction is needed. This is what Yitzchak finally realized when he gave Eisav's bracha to Yaakov. Yitzchak originally thought that Yaakov was merely an אִישׁ תָּם יֹשֵׁב אֹהָלִים, but when he saw that Yaakov also possessed the strength to counter the forces of טֻמְאָה with their same "tricks", he realized that Yaakov was the true son, the true bechor.
We learn many lessons from all of this, especially relating to living in galut. If our sojourn in galut is primarily for the purposes of making money and living in comfort, then it will not have a happy ending. Eventually, after the Jews inevitably do make more money than the goyim, because they are blessed by HKB"H, this causes a boomerang effect and expels the Jews from their midst.
If our sojourn amongst the goyim, however, is solely for the purpose of "saving neshamot", then it will end well. It will end with the savers and the neshamot they save, eventually ending up where they belong, in Eretz Yisrael, to fulfil our destiny as a nation.
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Shabbat Shalom
Eliezer Meir Saidel
Machon Lechem Hapanim
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