The Three Musketeers

Charan is thus identified with the angry and hostile world that Jacob entered into. It was in Charan that Jacob had to struggle with his uncle Laban, and was ultimately victorious. This experience imbued Jacob’s future descendants with the strength to confront adverse and trying situations and overcome them.

The Three Stages of Jacob’s Life

Beginning with this week’s Torah portion, and for the remainder of the Book of Genesis, the Torah devotes itself to the life of our third patriarch. Notwithstanding Jacob’s colorful and multifaceted life, we can roughly divide it into three periods that correspond to the three geographic areas that he inhabited.

Jacob’s spent the first part of his life in the Land of Israel, in his parent’s home. It was during this time that he developed as a holy and spiritual person, destined to father the nation of Israel.

The second period of Jacob’s life was spent in Charan with his corrupt uncle Laban. It was there that Jacob married and established the twelve tribes, thus setting in motion the development of the Jewish people.

The third and final period of Jacob’s life was spent in Egypt, during the last 17 years of his life.

The Three Personality Types

In light of our Sage’s dictum that all that had transpired with our forefathers is an omen and guide for us in our daily lives. We must thus be able to discern three stages or themes in our personal lives, corresponding to the three stages in the life of our patriarch Jacob.

There are three levels of righteousness enumerated in the Talmud: The tzadik (righteous person), the benoni (intermediate person) and the rasha (evildoer). The tzadik is one who is so refined that he or she has transcended his/her evil impulse and no longer needs to combat evil. Unlike the majority of people, the tzadik is not confronted on a daily basis with trials and tribulations.

On the other hand, the benoni is the one who is constantly struggling with tests. What is unique about the benoni is that he always perseveres and never gives in to the distractions his evil inclination throws his way. succeeds in overcoming.

The rasha is the one who all too often succumbs to the desires of his evil inclination. However, eventually he or she will regret those acts and get back on track.

Jacob the Tzadik in B’er Sheva

When Jacob lived in the Land of Israel, the Holy Land, his lifestyle was that of a tzadik. He was surrounded with the pure and holy atmosphere of Israel, under the caring tutelage of his parents, Isaac and Rebecca. The part of Jacob’s life gives his descendants the ability to emulate that lifestyle, to transcend the realm of evil and rise above the impurities that, at times, surround us.

Jacob Empowering the Benoni in Charan

Then Jacob moved to Charan. The very name of that city is connected with Charon meaning anger. Charan is thus identified with the angry and hostile world that Jacob entered into. It was in Charan that Jacob had to struggle with his uncle Laban, and was ultimately victorious. This experience imbued Jacob’s future descendants with the strength to confront adverse and trying situations and overcome them—just as a benoni does.

Jacob the Liberator of the Rasha

Egypt, the country that was described in the Torah as the “shame of the earth,” was an utterly depraved place. Jacob’s life there gave strength to his descendants who might have become entangled in the spiritual web of depravity associated with Egypt like the rasha, to get out of it, by doing Teshuvah (repenting or returning).

We Comprise all Three

Despite the fact that there are three types of personalities, every one of us comprises these three traits of tzadik, benoni and rasha.

There are times and situations where our soul is naturally drawn to holy things. Other times, we feel that we have to struggle to keep our moral heads above water. And there are times when we stumble, but bounce back shortly afterwards. We can find solace in realizing that our forefather Jacob bequeathed to us the ability to succeed in each of these three diverse situations.

Three Steps towards Redemption

The word Jacob is related to the word “end.” Jacob, the last of the Patriarchs, is also the symbol of the “end of days,” the imminent Messianic Era.

By drawing upon Jacob’s inspiration in all of the foregoing three stages, we will realize the ultimate goal of transforming even the Egypt, the shame of the earth to a place of holiness even as the tzadik element in us is elevated through Teshuvah. Our Sages tell us that Moshiach will lead even the tzadik to Teshuvah.

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