Early Retirement
When we tackle the obstacles that surround us we liberate the sparks of holiness that is hidden within every physical object and experience. This will then lead us to the Final Redemption and eternal peace.
No Peace!
Jacob has returned to his father’s land after the travail he endured from being away for 22 years. His conflict with his brother Esau, the hardships he experienced with his uncle and father-in-law Lavan and the potential disaster that his confrontation with Esau might have generated, were the parts of his life, Jacob hoped were in the past. Alas, that was not to be. This week’s parsha highlights the turmoil brought on by the rivalry that existed between Joseph and his brothers.
Why was the peace, Jacob sought so elusive?
Our sages in the Midrash, cited by Rashi, provide an enigmatic response to this question. On the opening words of this week’s Torah portion VaYeishev-and he settled, they comment: “Jacob wanted to dwell in peace and the tragedy of Joseph was sprung upon him. The tzadikim-righteous want to live in peace and tranquility, says G-d. Is it not sufficient that the tzadikim have a reward awaiting them in the next world? And they want to dwell peacefully in this world!”
Commentators explain that Jacob’s desire to enjoy peace in this world was out of place, for it is an indication that he was according greater importance to the physical world, referred to as a “vestibule,” than to the next world, that is likened to the palace itself.
It is difficult to comprehend, however, how a man, the caliber of Jacob – whose entire life was one saga of absolute devotion to G-d – should consider this material world more important than the spiritual world in the afterlife.
Furthermore, if Jacob’s desire to dwell in peace was wrong, why did G-d grant him this request at the end of his life? Did he not live in peace with his son Joseph the last seventeen years of his life, as recounted later at the end of Genesis?
No Distractions
Upon deeper reflection it is apparent that Jacob wanted peace for the most noble of reasons, not simply for his pleasure and enjoyment. His quest for tranquility was to enable him to devote his life to serving G-d without any obstacles and distractions.
Indeed, this is how Maimonides describes the motivation that our sages had for the Messianic Age. It is not the physical pleasures and material delights that they sought and for which they yearned. Rather it is because Moshiach is associated with a peaceful existence in which one will be free to pursue spirituality that the Sages looked forward to his arrival.
Jacob, however, realized that he could not have expected to settle down until he achieves his life’s work of making a difference in this world.
Only when we tackle the obstacles that surround us, and in doing so, we liberate the sparks of holiness that is hidden within every physical object and experience, can we expect to retire to a life of peace.
Jacob thus thought that the efforts he had made at refining the world in his dealings with Lavan and Esau, should have generated enough spiritual light that he could now bask in it.
Why was Critical of Jacob’s Desire for Peace?
Now, the question reverses itself. Why was G-d critical of his desire for peace?
The answer is that Jacob had one more hurdle that G-d wanted him to clear before he would be ready to reap the benefits of his work in refining the world. G-d wanted him to be involved with Joseph’s descent into Egypt, because this would have represented a decline, and thus a challenge, that was even greater than his involvement with Lavan and Esau.
In Kabbalah we are taught, that the “lower” a situation is, the more powerful are the spiritual forces contained within that situation. And when one lives through that experience and resists becoming influenced and degraded by it, they can generate far more positive energy than when they live through relatively easy situations.
Even though Jacob had already dealt with the lowest of the low – Lavan And Esau – and managed to “extract” the sparks of holiness that they contained, Joseph’s descent into Egypt – through Jacob’s involvement – was even a greater challenge.
Jacob had never become a slave to his adversaries and was never under their domination, Joseph, on the other hand, did become a slave to an Egyptian official and then a subject of Egyptian royalty, under Pharaoh. This was a qualitatively lower descent, and Joseph’s ability to withstand the temptations and pressures to change, he was able to introduce a far more spiritual energy into the world. Thus when Jacob’s son Joseph met the challenge of Egypt, Jacob had reached his life’s goal and was ready to reap the benefits, a sampling of the life of the world-to-come.
What has happened to Jacob is a sign for his children, the
Jewish people. They too sought and cherished peace more than anything in the world; yet it was an elusive goal.
G-d wanted us to accomplish the ultimate in bringing holiness to the entire world. This goal could only be accomplished by the thousands of years of our history; through all the travail and challenges of our existence in Galus-exile.
Now, however, as we stand on the threshold of the Final Redemption, we can come to G-d with a respectful demand:
“We have struggled through thousands of years of hardship and sacrifice. We are ready to live in total peace. Bring us Moshiach Now!
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Vayeishev by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
