WARNING: DANGER AHEAD
This week’s Parsha, Vayeitzei, opens with Yaakov on his way to his mother’s brother, Uncle Lavan, to find for himself a wife and to build the seminal Jewish family. Uncle Lavan is a notorious swindler whose daughters are remark-ably virtuous. Along his way, Yaakov was robbed of everything that he had taken with him and was now penniless but full of hope and trust in HaKadosh baruch Hu. Yaakov turns to HaShem with the following deal. “If HaShem will be with me as I travel along this path and He will protect me and provide me with bread to eat and clothing to wear and return me to my father’s home… then HaShem will be Guide etc.”
It is noteworthy that in the Book of Bamidbar the Torah instructs the kohanim to bless the Jewish people with the following blessing. “HaShem shall bless you and protect you.”
Our Sages explain the order of the blessing is to first be blessed with material wealth and then be blessed with HaShem’s protection. The purpose of protection is to insure that the blessing will be of a lasting nature. Why, then does our father Yaakov ask for protection first and only then asks for bread and clothing? What is there to protect if he does not even have bread and clothing?
Our father Yaakov’s greatest asset was his integrity. His integrity became part of the Jewish genome and continues within the Jewish soul still today. I have encountered many individuals who had no previous religious background but nevertheless, committed themselves to the observance of Torah on the basis of their intellectual integrity. To make such a commitment requires an ironclad sense of integrity.
The pressures of providing for a family can be overbearing. Many people who before these pressures were borne were upstanding honest people who would never consider hurting another person. However, once they were placed un-der the overbearing weight of providing livelihood for their families their integrity wavered.
A person’s moral compass becomes compromised when his basic needs are not met.
When Yaakov requested that HaShem protect him along his path he was not asking that his material wealth be protected; he had no wealth. He was asking that HaShem protect him from losing or compromising his moral wealth. Although Yaakov had an abundance of moral strength growing up in the home of his righteous father an d mother and in the environment of their home, he nevertheless realized the mortal danger that his path presented. He was about to marry the daughter of Lavan the swindler. He was about to raise a family in that awful morally bankrupt society. Yaakov’s biggest concern was that his moral compass be protected.
For this reason Yaakov asks for HaShem’s protection first and only after that does he ask for bread and clothing. If he were to embark on obtaining his needs before the protection of his moral compass it may be too late.
How fortunate we are to have this wonderful document in which so many valuable lessons are taught to us by our forefathers from thousands of years ago!
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind