In this week’s reading, Vayishlach, Jacob returns to Canaan, but is fearful of his brother Esau. They meet and make peace following Jacob sending many gifts to Esau. Jacob wrestles with God, and his name is changed to Israel. Jacob’s daughter Dinah is abducted by the prince of Shechem. Shimon and Levi destroy the city of Shechem and liberate Dinah. Rachel dies while giving birth to Jacob’s twelfth son, Benjamin. Isaac dies.
Please stand with me while I read from the parsha:
Gen 32:3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom,
Gen 32:4 instructing them, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now.
Gen 32:5 I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.'”
Gen 32:6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him.”
The following is based on an article by Yossy Goldman.
In this week’s parshah, the dreaded encounter between Jacob and Esau finally comes. After decades of separation, the twin brothers who are anything but identical meet up once again. Jacob, who fled the wrath of Esau 34 years earlier, is returning home with a large family and much wealth. Esau is fast approaching with four hundred armed men. Will it be all out war or will they make peace? Jacob prepares for all eventualities and also sends a message to his brother:
Jacob declares, “I have sojourned with Laban.” Rashi interprets Jacob’s message to mean that though he lived with a notorious trickster for more than 20 years, he “did not learn from his evil ways” and remained committed to the Godly way of life.
But this seems rather boastful of Jacob? The same man who will soon be praying for deliverance and claiming that, “I have been humbled” by all of God’s kindnesses to him, now seems to be pointing proudly to his piety, telling Esau how religious he has been?
The Chofetz Chaim (Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan, 1838-1933) offers a novel interpretation of this passage. He explains that Jacob’s words should not be understood as a boast but rather as a lament. “I sojourned with Laban, but did not learn from his evil ways” means that Jacob is bemoaning the fact that he did not learn from the way Laban did evil. How did Laban do evil? Enthusiastically! With vim and vigor. His wicked ways were embarked on with a passion and energy, and Jacob regrets that his own good deeds were not performed as passionately as Laban’s evil deeds.
It is for sure a novel interpretation, but there is a lesson in it for us.
If the good guys were as incentivized as the bad guys, crime would be dramatically down. If the security forces were as passionate about putting an end to terrorism as the terrorists are to perform it, we would have wiped it out long ago. If the police and justice systems of the world operated with the same commitment and drive as the drug lords, we would all be better off. The trouble is that the forces of evil are enthusiastic and highly motivated. They plan their evil deeds down to the last detail. The forces of good are reactionary. They for the most part wait until the crime happens and then try to figure out who is to blame.
Nikita Khrushchev was once addressing a large public meeting in Russia during the anti-Stalinist period. He was blasting Stalin’s cruel and unforgivable atrocities, when a voice in the crowd suddenly spoke up and asked, “If Stalin was such a villain, why didn’t you do anything about it then?“
“Who said that?!” thundered Khrushchev. There was absolute silence in the hall. Not a sound, not a movement. People froze in fear.
“Now you understand why I didn’t do anything,” was Khrushchev’s convincing answer.
This interesting interpretation of Jacob’s lament reminds us that the voice of morality must be at least as loud as the voice of evil. Too often the voice of justice is soft and still while the voice of corruption and degeneracy is loud and clear.
In the book of Isaiah, God asked in the presence of the prophet, “ Who shall I send and who will go for us?” We can ask now who will amplify the sweet, silent sound of goodness?
We should try to become as passionate and assertive for the cause of Godliness and goodness as the other side is for evil and injustice. I’m not saying to pronounce it on the street corners, but each day we are confronted with ideas and attitudes that are clearly un-Godly. Take a stand. Be different. Point out that there is a better way. The world would be better balanced, much nicer, and a lot safer.
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