These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Series on the weekly portion: #1358 – I’ve Davened Maariv; Other Minyan Still Davening Mincha – Can I Answer Kedusha? Good Shabbos!
Yaakov suspects that he will have trouble if he lets his father-in-law know that he is about to leave. Therefore, Yaakov picks up his entire family and leaves without telling Lavan (Bereshis 31:21). On the third day, Lavan finds out that Yaakov has run away and chases after him, finally catching up with him on Har Hagilad. Rashi comments that although Yaakov was a six day’s journey away from Lavan, Lavan caught up with him in a single day. In other words, in one day, Lavan travelled the distance that it took Yaakov and his family a week to travel. Rashi explains that Lavan accomplished this through the concept of “kefitzas haderech” (a Divine shortening of the way).
The Ohr Hachaim asks why Yaakov was not granted this miraculous attribute of “kefitzas haderech” to allow him to allude his pursuing father-in-law? According to Chazal, Eliezer had kefitzas haderech on the way to find a wife for Yitzchak. Likewise, Yaakov had kefitzas haderech on his way to Charan twenty years earlier. Why, now, when Yaakov could have really been helped by kefitzas haderech, was he not granted that mode of Divine transportation? On top of that, why is Lavan the Arami granted kefitzas haderech?
The Ohr Hachaim answers with a fundamental insight into how we understand hashgacha pratis (Divine providence) and how we understand history. Of course, the Ribono shel Olam knew exactly what He was doing, as He always does. The Ribono shel Olam, in fact, wanted Lavan to catch up with Yaakov. He wanted the interaction between Yaakov and Lavan to occur because this meeting laid the groundwork for the eventual salvation of Klal Yisrael.
Lavan catches up with Yaakov and protests to him: “Why did you steal my gods?” (Bereshis 31:30) Yaakov, not knowing that Rochel had taken these ‘terafim‘ assured Lavan that his claim was a false one and to buttress his denial he said that anyone who stole those ‘terafim‘ will die! Because of that, the Medrash says, Rochel died prematurely. The Ohr Hachaim says that the Divine plan was for this meeting and for this dialog between Yaakov and Lavan to occur. Why?
Yaakov’s statement during this dialogue caused Rochel to die soon afterwards, causing her to be buried there “on the road to Efras, which is Beis Lechem.” (Bereshis 35:19). Why? All of this happened so that when Klal Yisrael would be going into Galus Bavel (the Babylonian exile), they would pass Rochel’s gravesite in Beis Lechem and she would cry for her children and persuade the Ribono shel Olam to bring Klal Yisrael back from galus. (exile). As the moving Medrash at the beginning of Eicha says, all the giants of Jewish history came to the Ribono shel Olam and begged for the welfare of their exiled nation – Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe – but none of them were answered. Only in Rochel’s zechus (merit) – the zechus of saving her sister from embarrassment by sharing with her the secret identification code she arranged with Yaakov — did the Ribono shel Olam grant that the “Children will return to their borders” (Yirmiyahu 31:16). In the zechus of that self-sacrifice, the mercy of the Ribono shel Olam was aroused and He promised to eventually redeem his children from galus.
Rochel’s burial at the very spot where Klal Yisrael was destined to pass on their way to Galus Bavel happened through Yaakov unwittingly cursing her when Lavan charged him with having stolen his gods. And the entire dialogue only happened because Lavan was granted kefitzas haderech to catch up with Yaakov, who did not have kefitzas haderech at that time. Therefore, something that at the time appeared as a tragedy and an inexplicable application of Divine Logic, turned out to be an essential component of the future salvation of the Jewish nation.
There is an incredible teaching of the Rokeach (Elazar ben Shmuel Rokeach (1685-1742); Chief Rabbi of Amsterdam) in a sefer called Galyei Razah: Yaakov Avinu was supposed to live to be 180 years old, just like his father Yitzchak, however he only lived to age 147. Thirty-three years were somehow chopped off of Yaakov’s intended lifespan.
The Rokeach says that Yaakov lost those 33 years because when he and Lavan made this “peace treaty,” erecting a pile of stones, the two protagonists named the pile of stones differently. Yaakov called it “gal” and Lavan called it “yegar sahadusa” (Bereshis 31:47). Then when the next pasuk starts with “vihamitzpa,” the Rokeach uniquely interprets that as Yaakov also naming it “mitzpa,” which according to the Rokeach, is an Aramaic word. (Other meforshim disagree with both points.) The Rokeach says that this is the only Aramaic expression in all of Chumash. According to the Rokeach, there was some form of Divine irritation with Yaakov Avinu for causing Aramaic to sully the pure lashon hakodesh (holy tongue, i.e. – Hebrew) that appears throughout the Torah. The gematria of the proper Hebrew name “gal” that Yaakov originally used is 33. Therefore, Yaakov lost 33 years of his life, because of this incident with Lavan.
Consider what happened: Rochel died because of this incident with Lavan. Yaakov himself lost 33 years of his life because of this incident with Lavan. What a tragedy! The righteous suffer! The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh is explaining that this is the way the Ribono shel Olam set the stage for Rochel to cry for her children and guarantee their return from galus.
That which at the time appeared to be a terrible tragedy, was the Ribono shel Olam manipulating the strings of history. This is the story of history. So many times, incidents occur throughout history that seem to be incredible tragedies. This does not only happen in history but also in individual people’s lives.
I once heard from Rav Simcha Zissel Brodie, the Chevron Rosh HaYeshiva, who heard from Rav Mordechai Epstein that it is well known that the day of the Spanish Exile (when the Jews had to leave Spain in 1492) was the very day Columbus set sail for the “New World.” At that time, Spain was at the height of their power. Imagine how the Jews felt that day:
Ferdinand and Izabella were the worst of the worst. They gave Spanish Jewry the choice of converting to Christianity or banishment from the country. As we know, as a result of the fact that Columbus set sail for America and opened up a “New World,” eventually the United States of America emerged, which has been the refuge of Jews from throughout the world since the end of the 19th century. There are many in our audience for whom were there not America, their parents would have had no place to go. We are here because there was an America.
At the time, it seemed so unjust and so wrong and yet, it was also the Ribono shel Olam manipulating historical events to prepare for something that would happen three or four hundred years later. That is the story of Yaakov and Lavan. That is why Lavan had kefitzas haderech and Yaakov did not have kefitzas haderech. The Ribono shel Olam wanted this encounter to happen. As a result, Rochel died early. As a result, she had to be buried by Beis Lechem, and as a result when Klal Yisrael were marching into galus, Rochel cried for her children, and as a result, her children returned to their borders.
The ways of Hashem are far beyond our comprehension. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts and your ways are not My ways.” (Yeshaya 55:8). At the end of all days – “Hashem will be the King over all the land; on that day Hashem will be One and His Name will be One.” (Zecharia 14:9) Then we will all understand it. Until then, we must just have faith that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is always acting in our best interests and in the best interests of Klal Yisrael.
Transcribed by David Twersky; Jerusalem [email protected]
Edited by Dovid Hoffman; Baltimore, MD [email protected]
This week’s write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissochar Frand’s Commuter Chavrusah Series on the weekly Torah portion. A listing of the halachic portions for Parshas Vayetzei is provided below:
- # 032 – The Obligation to Give Ma’aser
- # 074 – Honoring Parents Who Are Not Observant
- # 123 – Tefilla B’tzibur: Is It Mandatory?
- # 170 – Marrying Off a Younger Child First
- # 216 – Maariv
- # 260 – “Ein Mearvin Simcha B’Simcha”
- # 306 – Making a Neder During Times of Trouble
- # 350 – Must Women Daven?
- # 394 – Accepting Tzedaka from Women
- # 438 – The Mitzvah of Mesameach Chasan V’Kallah
- # 482 – Davening to a Malach
- # 526 – A Million Dollars to Tzadaka If ..
- # 570 – Tuition and Maaser Money
- # 614 – The Tefilah of Baruch Hashem L’Olam Omein V’Omein
- # 658 – Lashon Aramis – Aramaic
- # 702 – The Marriage that Was Not a Joke
- # 746 – The Amazing Power of Saying Tehillim
- # 790 – May Women Always Attend Shul?
- # 834 – Talmud Torah Vs Kibud Av
- # 878 – The Baal Teshuva and the Family TV
- # 922 – Too Much Tzedakah?
- # 965 – The Proper Time for Maariv
- #1009 – Sheva Brachos Questions
- #1053 – The Younger Brother Who Says “I’m Getting Married First”
- #1096 – Davening With A Minyan – Obligation Or Just A Good Idea?
- #1139 – Can The Younger Brother Marry Before His Older Sister?
- #1182 – Chasan Going To Work During Sheva Brochos / Leaving Chasunah Early
- #1226 – Why Was Rochel Punished for Stealing Her Father’s Idols?
- #1270 – “It’s Just Too Hard”: Is That an Excuse Not to Fulfill a Mitzvah?
- #1314 – Is One Allowed To Shower Before Davening?
- #1358 – I’ve Davened Maariv; Other Minyan Still Davening Mincha – Can I Answer Kedusha?
- #1402 – Must One Wait For The Rabbi To Begin Chazaras HaShatz?
- #1446 – The All Too Common Dilemma of a Younger Sibling Marrying Before an Older Sibling
- #1490 – Can I Switch In the Middle of Shmoneh Esrei from Mincha to Maariv?
- #1534 – The Chasunah Musician Who Could Never Daven Maariv Bezibur
- (2022) – Are You Consistent With When You Daven Maariv?
A complete catalogue can be ordered from the Yad Yechiel Institute, PO Box 511, Owings Mills MD 21117-0511. Call (410) 358-0416 or e-mail [email protected] or visit http://www.yadyechiel.org/ for further information.