A Thousand-Fold Blessing

The purpose G-d had intended for all the nations of the world is to bring perfection to the natural order of the world. By virtue of their observance of the Seven Noahide commandments that are geared to preserve the civility of the world, they ensure that the world is a perfectly natural one. The Jewish people’s role is linked to introducing the Other worldly into our world. Our existence has therefore never been bound by the natural historical forces. Despite all odds, the Jews have survived and flourished.

This week’s Torah reading, Vayeitzei relates that after the birth of Joseph, Jacob seeks to take his family and return home. His uncle Lavan wants Jacob to continue working for him. In the exchange that follows, as they negotiate over wages, G-d’s blessing is mentioned twice. First Lavan declares, “I have observed the signs, and the L-rd has blessed me for your sake.”

Jacob, for his part, asserts that the disproportionate increase in Lavan’s herds is due entirely to the blessing given for the sake of Jacob.

“You know how I have served you, and how your cattle have fared with me. For you had little before I came, and it has increased abundantly; the L-rd has blessed you wherever I turned.”

100 or 1,000 fold

The Midrash cites two opinions concerning the extent of the increase. By how much did Lavan’s herd grow? According to one opinion, it was a hundred times; according to Rabbi Abba, it was a thousand times, since a blessing from above never results in less than a thousandfold expansion.

What difference does it really make if the blessing was a hundred-fold blessing or a thousand-fold one?

The number one hundred indicates completeness. If ten is a complete number, then ten times ten represents completeness even to the minutest detail. Thus, a hundredfold increase means that the natural blessing is complete and perfect.

A thousand, on the other hand, indicates that something goes beyond the laws and boundaries of nature. In fact, the letters of the word for a thousand in Hebrew “eleph” can be rearranged to form the word “peleh-wonder;” Saying that something occurs a thousand times means that it is wondrous or miraculous, that it goes beyond the normal limitations, that it is outside the common experience.

Diverse Jewish Roles

The number thousand is reflected in the different roles of the Jewish nation and the other nations of the world:

The purpose G-d had intended for all the nations of the world is to bring perfection to the natural order of the world. By virtue of their observance of the Seven Noahide commandments that are geared to preserve the civility of the world, they ensure that the world is a perfectly natural one.

Since their role revolves around the natural order, the nations of the world are subject to the forces of nature that dictate which nations survive and which nations will disappear as well as the nature of their existence.

The Other-Worldly

By contrast, the Jewish people’s role is linked to introducing the Other worldly into our world. Their existence has therefore never been bound by the natural historical forces. Despite all odds, the Jews have survived and flourished.

Our existence defies the laws of nature, because our existence is not just about making nature complete, our task is to introduce the wonders of G-d into the ordinary. And because our connection with G-d goes beyond creation, it enables us to serve G-d in an unconventional and miraculous manner.

Defying Conventional Forces

The lesson for our times is clear:

Although the Jewish people are dependent on the non- Jewish nation in which they live, a Jew must realize that his/her existence will always be a phenomenon that defies conventional forces.

When a Jew resists the pressures of the outside world to live Jewishly, s/he elicits Divine blessings that are a “thousand-fold.“ The “Thousand-fold” Blessing Extending to the Entire World.

Ultimately, the “thousand-fold” blessing will apply to the entire world. This will occur when the interaction between the Jewish people and other nations yield a two-way beneficial effect.

Firstly, when the Jewish people serve as a Light to the Nations, inspiring them to follow their Seven Noahide commandments, some of our “Other-Worldly“ uniqueness rubs off on them.

And secondly, when we utilize the freedom and opportunity afforded to us by the other nations for greater commitment to the ideals of Torah, they too can enjoy the phenomenal blessings that G-d has given the Jewish nation.

This full effect of these efforts, however, will be felt with the coming of Moshiach, at which time G-d will “turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the L-rd, to serve Him all together.” At that time, everyone will access the unconventional blessings.

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Vayeitzei by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.