TRANSPARENCY
Adapted from Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky’s talks
This week’s Parsha, Vayeitzei, opens with the scene of Yaakov sleeping on what will become the Temple Mount and dreaming. In his dream is a ladder on which angels are ascending and descending. The Midrash teaches us that these angels were fascinated by the image of Yaakov. In heaven his image appeared on the Throne of HaShem and down below they see him in complete physical form. The implication is that Yaakov is the ultimate image of what HaShem intended for Man to be. Somehow, Yaakov captured the essence of the perfect Man. What was Yaakov’s quality that won him that title?
Our Sages teach us that the foundation of our people rests upon Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov. Each of these fathers contributed a specific quality and the combination of those qualities creates that foundation. Avraham contributed the quality of Chesed, kindness and care for the other person. Yitzchok contributed Gevurah, the ability to remain stead-fast and to keep within the necessary parameters. Yaakov contributed Emes, truth.
What is this quality of Emes? In simple terms Emes is translated as truth but this translation leaves us wanting. Regarding Avraham and Yitzchok we can appreciate how Chesed and Gevurah are overarching qualities with many implications. They change the way we perceive our world. We see a world of kindness. We see a world in which there are boundaries. What does Emes contribute? Is there any implication on our worldview if we are truthful? On the surface it seems that it is just a quality of honesty.
Honestly, Emes only begins with honesty and integrity. From that point it goes much farther. Emes is when there is no discrepancy between the essence of the thing and the appearance of the thing. In other words, Emes is when there is absolute transparency. Take for example a rotten fruit. When the inside is rotten it appears rotten on the exterior as well. By simply looking at it you will recognize that the apple is inedible. However, if one is allergic to apples it will not change its appearance even though it may be fatal to eat.
Before Adam and Chava ate from the Tree, the world was completely transparent; anything evil was recognizable as such. To do evil was as uninteresting as eating a rotten apple. That changed when the nachash, the serpent, convinced Chava that there was much benefit to eating from the Tree and that nothing terrible will happen. Once Chava listened to the nachash and was attracted to eating from the Tree, the Tree suddenly became attractive. It lost its transparency and she was able to eat it. She convinced herself that she would not have an allergic reaction.
We find this phenomenon in the world of business. Let us take a world renowned business analyst whose insight is always accurate. When the underwriter hires him to analyze a business they need to know if he has any interest in the business. The reason for this concern is that when there is a personal gain at stake our judgement becomes skewed and transparency becomes opaque.
The quality our father Yaakov bequeathed to his children was the ability to see through any coverings. His quality was Emes. It began with Yaakov’s acute honesty and integrity but from there he was able to lift the veils which block the person from seeing what really lies inside. With his worldview he was able to see the true value of his actions. Yaakov was not subject to the lure that distracts us from seeing clearly.
Perhaps Yaakov was the perfect Man because he brought his worldview to the way HaShem intended it to be.
How fortunate we are to have inherited a worldview in which we can recognize the true worth of the world around us and what is good for us and what is not.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind