HaMaayan/The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Parashat Vayetze Volume VI/Number 7 (241) 9 Kislev 5752/November 16, 1991 Parasha Overview This is the story of Yaakov's exile from Eretz Yisrael. He spends twenty years tending the sheep of his uncle Lavan; the seven years that Yaakov was to work for the right to marry Lavan's daughter Rachel turn into 14 years after Lavan surreptitiously exchanges Rachel for her sister Leah. Eleven of Yaakov's twelve sons are born in Lavan's house, and Yaakov then return to Eretz Yisrael. We saw last week that Yaakov accepted upon himself to fulfill Esav's spiritual mission, as well as his own. This, according to several commentaries, is why Yaakov had to go into exile. Hashem gives each person a unique test, and Esav's was to enter the world of material riches and emerge unharmed, having learned what is good and what is not. In order to accomplish this, Yaakov had to leave his tent of Torah (see B'reishit 25:27) and seek his worldly fortune. Unlike other Parashot, Vayetze is written in the Torah as one long paragraph. This suggests that Yaakov's strategy for succeeding in the outside world was to always remain attached to the Torah that he learned in the home which he leaves at the Parasha's beginning. When Yaakov returned to Eretz Yisrael he camped in a place which he named "Machanayim" - "Two Camps" - alluding to the fact that he had united two previously conflicting ways of life: spiritual and material. As was explained last week, this is what we mean when we say that Yaakov represents "Tiferet" - "harmony." [The preceding is based on Ohr Gedalyahu and Bedibur Echod.] Yaakov is also associated with the trait of "Emet" - "truth." R' Bachya writes in Chovot Halevavot that the ladder which Yaakov saw in his dream represents the connection between nature and Hashem, and therefore represents man's ability to reach the spiritual through the physical. The dream was a test for Yaakov, to see which end of the ladder he would be drawn to. Here we see a connection between the traits of "harmony" and "truth," testing whether Yaakov was truly interested in unifying the competing forces that Hashem created, or whether he would be dragged down the ladder and become mired in materialism. The Haftara read by the Sephardim this week (Hoshea 11:7-12:12) deals with the concept of truth. The prophet charges, "Ephraim surrounded me with lies, and the house of Yisrael with deceit" (12:1). Even Bnei Yisrael's repentance is deceitful: "My people wait expectantly for My return. Towards the heavens they call together, 'Do not rise further'." (11:7) The people, afraid of the advancing armies of Assyria, ask Hashem not abandon them further. But do they invite Him back into their lives? They do not! The Ashkenazim read the next section of Hoshea (12:13-14:10), one which deals primarily with the sin of idolatry. This, too, is a form of deceit, for Chazal teach, "Bnei Yisrael knew that idols were powerless, but worshipping idols allowed the Jews to commit adultery as well." In order to excuse their other sins, Bnei Yisrael acted as if they had accepted a new god. Bnei Yisrael also deceived themselves, the Haftara says, thinking that the wealth they had acquired reflected their own strength and accomplishments (13:6). In this respect, their behavior was contrary to that of their patriarch Yaakov. ************************************ From our Sages... "And Yaakov left Be'er Sheva..."" (28:10) Rashi comments: When a Tzaddik leaves a city, his absence is noticed. The Midrash writes that a miracle occurred, and Yaakov reached Charan in one day. (He then left there and had the dream described in the Parasha.) Why was this miracle necessary? Since Yaakov was trying to escape from Esav, he would have had to sneak out of town. However, when a Tzaddik leaves town, his absence is noticed, and Yaakov could not have escaped from Esav without this miracle. (Tiferet Yehonatan) ************************************ Upon meeting the sheperds of Charan loitering about the well, Yaakov told them, "It is not yet time to gather in the flocks. Water the sheep and let them graze." (29:10) R' Meir of Premishlan used to pray (taking off on this verse): "Master of the Universe! If it is not yet time to gather in the flock and take it to Eretz Yisrael, at least give it bountiful pastures in which to graze." ************************************ Leah called her third son, "Levi" saying "Now my husband will accompany ('Yilaveh') me." Why did she assume this? If one has one infant, he or she can carry him easily. If there are two babies, they can be carried in two arms. However, if there are three babies, a second person is needed to help. (Chizkuni) ************************************ From the Midrash..... "And Yaakov went on his way, and he was met by angels of G-d. And Yaakov said, upon seeing them, 'This is G-d's camp,' and he called the place 'Machanayim' ('Two Camps')." (32:2-3) The two camps were the angels of the diaspora who had been with Yaakov until now, and the angels of Eretz Yisrael who came to meet him. (Rashi quoting the Midrash) Rashi's interpretation is difficult, for at the beginning of the Parasha (regarding Yaakov's vision of angels ascending and descending the ladder) Rashi noted that when Yaakov left Eretz Yisrael, first the angels of Eretz Yisrael left him, and only then did the angels of the diaspora descend to accompany him. What has changed that the two groups of angels can now be with Yaakov at the same time? The difference between the earlier verses and our Psukim is that before Yaakov was leaving Eretz Yisrael, whereas now he is returning. When he was leaving, the angels who would accompany him on his journey were in no rush to join him, for as long as they delayed, he would remain in Eretz Yisrael. On his return, however, the situation was reversed; the angels of Eretz Yisrael were eager to hasten Yaakov's return. This is even implied in Rashi's language, for he writes, "The angels of Eretz Yisrael came out to meet him." They did not wait for him to arrive on his own. ************************************ Volozhin After R' Chaim R' Chaim of Volozhin died in 1821, and was succeeded as Rosh Yeshiva by his son, R' Yitzchak. As far as is known, R' Yitzchak instituted no major changes in either the administration or learning methods in the Yeshiva. Like his father, R' Yitzchak left few traces of his vast Talmudic or Halachic scholarship, but he did author a Torah commentary, Peh Kadosh, and a commentary on Pirkei Avot, Mili D'avot. Upon R' Yitzchak's death, in 1849, the mantle of Rosh Yeshiva was handed to his eldest son-in-law, R' Eliezer Yitzchak Fried. Unfortunately, the latter was in poor health and passed away only four years later. Under the leadership of R' Yitzchak's second son-in-law, R' Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin ("Netziv"), Volozhin enjoyed 40 "Golden Years." At first, Netziv shared his position with his wife's cousin, R' Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik (author of Bet Halevi), but the latter left the Yeshiva in 1857 after a dispute erupted between followers of the two sages over whose eay of leading the Yeshiva should prevail. Any suggestion of personal acrimony between the Netziv and the Bet Halevi was put to rest years later when R' Yosef Dov's son, the future R' Chaim "Brisker", married the Rosh Yeshiva's granddaughter and took a teaching position at the Yeshiva. Although R' Chaim Soloveitchik is best known for his years in the city of Brisk, some of his greatest students studied under him in Volozhin. These included R' Boruch Ber Leibowitz and R' Chaim Ozer Grodzenski. The Yeshiva of Volozhin closed its doors in 1892, rather than accept a Czarist-imposed curriculum. It reopened briefly a decade later, under the leadership of Netziv's son-in-law, R' Refael Shapiro, but it never regained its former glory. Unlike many European Yeshivot, which transplanted to Israel or America in the 1920's-40's, the Yeshiva of Volozhin no longer exists. Of course, many of Volozhin's students headed their own Yeshivot, including R' Isser Zalman Meltzer, R' Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook, and the students of R' Chaim Brisker mentioned previously. Netziv had two well-known sons - R' Chaim Berlin, Chief Rabbi of Moscow and later Yerushalayim, and R' Meir (Berlin) Bar-Ilan, a leader of the Mizrachi movement. NEXT WEEK: More on the "Netziv" Future issues will IY"H examine other sages mentioned here ************************************ The following is the learning schedule for this Shabbat: Daily Mishnah Midot 3:4-5 (Learn two Mishnayot every day) Daily Halacha Orach Chaim (Mishnah Berura) 320:9-11 (Learn three paragraphs each day) Daf Yomi Sukkah 18 (Learn two sides of a page each day) Shmirat Halashon: 8:5-6 or Guard Your Tongue: "Rechilus" 7:1-3 ************************************ The hard copy distribution of this week's HaMaayan is sponsored by: The Vogel family in memory of Aharon Yehuda ben Yisrael Vogel, A"H The Marwick family in memory of Samuel Sklaroff The Teichman family in honor of Mitchell's Bar-Mitzvah