Distress but No Fear
There is no reason to fear exile, because G-d gives us all the resources we need to cope with it and to prevail over all the obstacles life in exile poses The exile experience was even instrumental in our development as the great and holy nation we are. On the other hand, we should never make peace with the fact that there is pain and suffering in the world and that the third Temple has not yet been built. When we reflect on all the negativity associated with exile, we then cry out to G-d, “Ad masai-How much longer do we have to stay in exile? This cry itself is a catalyst that hastens the process of Redemption.
Sudden Apprehension
In this week’s Parsha, the Torah relates how Jacob was informed that his son Joseph was still alive and that he was a ruler in the land of Egypt. Joseph, at the behest of Pharaoh, sent wagons to bring Jacob and his entire family to settle in Egypt. Jacob eagerly and excitedly agreed to travel to Egypt to see his son Joseph.
Strangely enough, as Jacob embarks on his journey and arrives in the city of Be’er Sheba and offers sacrifices to G- d, he is visited by G-d in his dream who tells him, “Do not be afraid of descending to Egypt, for I shall establish you as a great nation there. I shall descend with you to Egypt, and I shall also surely bring you up; and Joseph shall place his hand on your eyes.”
It is apparent from these words, that Jacob was apprehensive about going to Egypt, which begs the question, why? Just a short while earlier he expressed such joy at the prospect of being united with his son Joseph.
What happened all of a sudden when he arrived in Be’er Sheba that prompted G-d to comfort Jacob?
Rashi’s interpretation is that Jacob was distressed about the fact that he had to leave the Land of Israel. Notwithstanding the fact that Jacob knew at the very outset that he was going to leave the Land of Israel, his initial reaction was joyous, because of his anticipation that he would be united with Joseph. However, as he arrived in Be’er Sheba, which is situated at the southern boundary of Israel, the fact that he was actually about to take leave of the Land of Israel became a stark reality to him and therefore generated these feelings of anxiety.
A Tale of Two Departures
The question however arises, why did he not have these feelings previously when he left the Land of Israel to go to Charan, when he fled the wrath of his brother Esau?
A simple analysis of these two departures—Jacob’s leaving the Land of Israel to go to Egypt now and his earlier departure to Charan —will show that they were two distinct situations. When Jacob left for Charan, he left as an individual. Now, he was the head of a family of seventy souls that constituted the nucleus of the Jewish people.
Jacob could not fathom how the Jewish nation, as opposed to Jacob as an individual, could develop in any land other than the Land of Israel, the land that was promised to the Patriarchs and that was destined for the Jewish people. How could a fledgling nation grow in foreign soil?
G-d’s response to him, therefore, was that he should not fear. G-d promised him that, on the contrary, the Jewish people will flourish and develop into a great nation precisely in Egypt.
Distress: Good or Bad?
There remains one question. The Torah states that G-d told Jacob not to fear, whereas Rashi states that Jacob was distressed. Why doesn’t it say that G-d told him not to be distressed that he was leaving Israel?
The answer is that G-d wanted to assuage his fear, but not his distress. Jacob had no reason to fear the fact that he would be going into exile, because he was assured by G-d that He will always be with him in exile and He would eventually get him out of exile.
There is, however, no reason to remove his distress. Being distressed at having to leave Israel and to enter into a state of exile is a positive emotion and reaction. Indeed, it is this feeling of distress that eliminates the need to fear.
As long as a person begins to feel comfortable in exile and is not anxious about being away from the Promised Land, then there is reason to fear that living in exile will eventually destroy one’s connection to his people and his heritage. This fear is magnified when one thinks about the “seventy souls”, i.e., our extended family and the Jewish people as a whole. Jacob reasoned that they can never survive spiritually, if he the father and progenitor of the Jewish nation begins to make peace with the idea that he was living in exile.
Jacob’s distress was actually the basis for G-d’s assurance that he has nothing to fear.
Feel the Pain of Exile
The lesson for our generation is clear. On the one hand, we must realize that there is no reason to fear exile, because G-d givers us all the resources we need to cope with it and to prevail over all the obstacles life in exile poses Moreover, the exile experience was instrumental in our development as the great and holy nation we are.
On the other hand, we must always feel the pain of our stay in exile. We should never make peace with the fact that there is pain and suffering in the world and that the third Temple has not yet been built. When we reflect on all the negativity associated with exile, we then cry out to G-d, “Ad masai-How much longer do we have to stay in exile? This cry itself is a catalyst that hastens the process of Redemption.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Vayigash by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
