RITSS HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTS

A D`VAR TORAH

ON VAYISHLACH

By Rabbi Moshe Heigh

FOUR HUNDRED HOSTILE MEN DID NOT SCARE YAACOV

Yaacov was returning from the land of Aram to Canaan. He had tried to make peace with his brother, Aisav, but he was told by his messengers that Aisav was headed toward him with an army of 400 men (32:7). After taking some strategic precautions, Yaacov began doing what every Jew must do in situations of anxiety - davening. "Rescue me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Aisav. I am afraid of him (oso), for he can come and kill us all - mothers and children alike" (32:12).

The Ksav Sofer notices something strange. Yaacov stated that he was afraid of "him" - of Aisav. What about Aisav's ARMY, which was also marching toward him with bloodshed in mind? Yaacov never expressed any fear about this ominous situation. It must be that Yaacov did not fear them. Why did he only dread his encounter with AISAV?

Based on the Midrash Rabba on our parsha (76:2), the Ksav Sofer makes a powerful remark. Yaacov was not at all afraid of human beings. Rather, the MERITS - the zechuyos which Aisav might have possessed - these caused great trepidation for Yaacov. "Yaacov was frightened of Aisav, who had in his hand the mitzvah of kibud av v'aim", states the Ksav Sofer. Yaacov felt no anxiety regarding the army of 400 men who accompanied Aisav, but he WAS concerned about Aisav himself, because of his mitzvah merit. Remember, for the last years, Yaacov had been living in Aram, marrying Rachel and Leah, and building the shevatim - the tribes of Yisroel. All this time, Aisav did have an advantage over him, namely, the mitzvah of being near home to honor Yitzchok, plus the merit of living in Eretz Yisroel - Canaan. It was this that instilled Yaacov with fear. Using the midrash, the Ksav Sofer explains Yaavo's terminology, "because I am afraid of HIM, lest HE [himself, with his zechuyos] come and kill us.."

In order to follow through with this idea, we must consult the Oznaim L'Torah in next week's Parshas Vayaishev. That parsha begins by recounting a latter part of Yaacov's life, when he resided once again in Canaan. This was after Rachel died giving birth to the youngest of the shevatim, Binyamin, which occurred in our parsha (35:18). The pasuk at the start of Vayaishev tells us that Yaacov dwelt in the land where his fathers had lived, in the land of Canaan. Again, this was happening AFTER he finished establishing the twelve shevatim of Yisroel. What is the message? We will discover that it is connected to the theme we began with, that Aisav DID have a mitzvah advantage over Yaacov until Yaacov moved back to Canaan. In fact, Aisav had to his name TWO mitzvos which Yaacov was unable to fulfill for awhile. As you already know, those two mitzvos are kibud av (being close to Yitzchok to serve him, albeit for ulterior motives) and yishuv ha'aretz - living in Eretz Yisroel. When Yaacov returned to Canaan, he regained these two, but Aisav simultaneously rejected them.

Based on this, let us explore the words of Rav Zalman Sorotzkin on 37:1. While Yaacov was in Padan Aram establishing his family of shevatim, Aisav had the edge over him in the two above mentioned mitzvos - kibud av and yishuv ha'aretz. But the Torah informs us: no one should believe that Aisav remained devout in these deeds right until the day of his death. "And Aisav took his wives, sons, daughters, and all the members of his household, plus his herds, all his livestock, and all his property which he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and he went to [dwell in another] land, because of Yaacov his brother....and Aisav dwelt in Har Seir; Aisav is [the father of the nation of] Edom" (36:6-8). Oznaim L'Torah remarks that Aisav forsook kibud av and yishuv Eretz Yisroel (Canaan), the only two mitzvos to his name, because the yaitzer hora demands "perfection" when it comes to doing evil and neglect of mitzvah observance. Once a person has fallen into the clutches of wicked behavior, the evil inclination will give him no rest until he becomes more and more entrenched in that decadent lifestyle. The yaitzer hora insists that NO mitzvos remain with a person, if such a dreadful goal is within his reach, as in the case of Aisav.

Yaacov, on the other hand, was lacking ONLY these two mitzvos while he lived near Lavan in Aram. Therefore, once he had fathered the twelve shevatim, he completed his nearly perfect record of mitzvah observance by returning to the holy land AND regaining the opportunity to honor his parents in person. Thus, the two "missing mitzvos" were again fulfilled by him.

Incidentally, Rav Sorotzkin reminds us of something very crucial. Yaacov's original trip to Aram to marry Leah (and Rachel) was upon the command of his parents (Toldos 27:43 and 28:2)! So, in a sense, he was not even missing the mitzvos of kibud av and yishuv ha'aretz during this time. [Therefore, there was not really any reason for him to fear Aisav's merits over him.] I would like to add that at worst, the EXTRA time he spent there might have been some sort of violation of kibud av, as we see in Rabainu B'chaya on 28:5. There, this early commentary remarks that even though Yaacov left Canaan upon the directive of his parents, so they were obviously "mochel" him the mitzvah of honoring them in person, he might have been punished later because he tarried too long in Aram. You see, they might have intended that he simply marry Leah and return right away, states Rabainu B'chaya. He felt it appropriate to marry Rachel INSTEAD, even though she was younger than Leah, and this ended up occupying many years, causing him to be away from his parents for awhile. That is why Yaacov was punished later by suffering the temporary loss of Yosef for twenty two years, the same number he himself stayed away "unneccesarily" from his parents. (This Rabainu B'chaya is also quoted by the Sifsai Chachamim on 37:34, but a misprint in the Maor Chumash - a rare occurrence - cites it as being on 28:1; it is actually on 28:5.)

The bottom line is, however, that Yaacov DID regain the mitzvah of honoring his parents, plus he began living again in Israel. Despite his expectation to do so while on his way back from Aram to Eretz Yisroel (Canaan), he feared Aisav. Why? We explained above, using the words of the midrash and Ksav Sofer's interpretation, that Aisav's advantage over him during the years past instilled him with trepidation. Yaacov's lack of fulfillment of kibud av and yishuv ha'aretz frightened him.

From all this, we get a glimpse at the righteousness of Yaacov Avinu. People did not scare him; mitzvos were foremost in his mind. He was concerned that perhaps Hashem would favor his wicked brother in a confrontation because his brother had two mitzvos to his name which Yaacov had temporarily put on hold. We can all benefit from mitzvah merit to sanctify our lives in this world and the next, and to protect us from adversaries. Let us gather as many mitzvos as we possibly can, always keeping in mind our purpose in the world.

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