[Avodah] truth

[via Avodah]

Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2015
From: Eli Turkel via Avodah  <avodah at lists.aishdas.org>

Yaakov is the epitome of truth (titen  emet le-yaakov)
Nevertheless from the parsha it would seem that is far from  Yaakov's
strength

[1] convincing Esav to sell the birthright when he  is starving and not 
just try
and make a deal under normal  circumstances

[2] Deceiving his father that he is Esav (Rashi splitting  Yaakov's words 
seems
to make matters worse then better)

[3] Yaakov's  dealing with Lavan and working to increase his share
[4] Running away from  Lavan without telling him

Note that any one instance can be always  explained however there appears a
pattern.

[5] One answer I saw was  that Yaakov improved over time.

[6] However, I find trouble with that  also when Yaakov finally meets Esav 
he
indicates that he will come to Edom  which Rashi explains as meaning in the
days of the Moshiach. Doesn't seem to  be the plain meaning of the words.
Again we have a case later where need to  explain away Yaakov's words

Looking for help


-- 
Eli  Turkel

 
 
>>>>
 
[1] Esav wasn't starving, he was just impatient and a baal taivah.   The 
Chumash testifies "vayivez es habechorah"  -- he readily gave the  bechorah 
away for a pot of chulent because he held it in contempt.   Later when he 
cries to his father "Vayakveni zeh pa'amayim" he thinks he is  voicing an 
additional grievance to his father, but to his father this revelation  -- that he 
had previously sold the bechorah to Yakov! -- comes as a great  relief, 
informing Yitzchak that the brachos were truly Yakov's by right.   It also 
speaks well of Yakov that he had never told Yitzchak about the sale of  the 
birthright -- had never humiliated Esav in his father's eyes.
 
(BTW there is SO MUCH that Yitzchak is literally "in the dark"  about!  He 
doesn't know what Rivka was told when she was pregnant with the  twins, he 
doesn't know that Esav sold the bechorah, he doesn't know that Esav is  
really evil and totally unsuited to the bracha he has in mind for him, and he  
doesn't know that Esav plans to kill Yakov after his father dies -- Rivka only 
 tells Yitzchak, "I can't stand our daughters-in-law, we have to send Yakov 
away  to get a better wife."  She never says, "He has to leave town because 
your  beloved son Esav plans to kill him.")
 
[2] Rashi's splitting Yakov's words only makes the point that even when a  
tzaddik is /forced/ to deceive, he /still/ is careful not to let an actual  
falsehood escape his lips.  And the deception that Yakov (and Rivka)  
carried out was a temporary one, to be uncovered within the hour -- its purpose  
was to prove to Yitzchak how easily he could be fooled!  Rivka had always  
warned him about Esav "ki tzayid befiv" but he never believed her.  When he  
realized how easily he could be fooled -- which was the whole point of the  
deception -- he realized that Rivka had been right all along and quickly  
reaffirmed the bracha mida'as saying "Gam baruch yiheyeh."  He could have  
withdrawn the bracha and said, "I had Esav in mind" but he did not do  that.  
(See Hirsch commentary on this whole story.)
 
[3] It was /Lavan/ who kept trying to steal from Yakov!  You've got it  
backwards!  Hashem simply did not allow Lavan's schemes to achieve their  
intended result!  Yakov worked very hard for Lavan and made Lavan a wealthy  man, 
and nevertheless Lavan kept trying to trick Yakov out of what was  
rightfully his, changing the terms of his employment over and over.
 
[4] Yakov explained to Lavan why he sneaked off with his family and  
property -- very eloquently.  He was dealing with a trickster who  would have 
stolen his wives and children from him!
 
[5] Yakov was always a tzaddik, he did not "improve over time"!  But I  
will concede that even though his (brief) deception of his father was 100%  
justified, nevertheless Hashem judges tzaddikim kechut hasa'arah and that is 
why  He allowed Lavan to succeed in pulling a similar fast one over him,  
changing the younger sister for the older one.
 
[6] "We will be together in the future -- beyemei haMoshiach" is not a lie, 
 it's a foreshadowing of the whole course of human history!
 
One thing you do see in the pattern of his life is that Yakov, an ish  tam, 
a straight and honest person, was forced to deal with liars, thieves,  
tricksters and murderers his whole life.  For a tzaddik to be put in such a  
position is a terrible hardship.  That is why he later tells Paroh that his  
life has been one trouble after another.  But it's also another  foreshadowing 
of Jewish history -- ma'aseh avos siman lebanim -- that we Jews,  who are 
the most upright and holy people in the world, will always be at the  mercy 
of tricksters and killers and will always have to use our smarts (with  
Siyata Dishmaya of course!) to overcome our wily enemies.
 
 

--Toby Katz
t613k at aol.com
..
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