Date: December 8th 2022

Parshas Vayishlach opens with Yaakov’s pending confrontation with Eisav who was intent on killing him and was fast approaching with four hundred men. The Torah describes the various things that Yaakov did to prepare for this dire situation. In the midst of his preparations the pasuk states that Yaakov was left alone, and he struggled with the angel of Eisav. The Medrash Rabbah explains that Yaakov returned to his camp to retrieve several small vessels of little value that had been left behind even though he knew there was risk t to return alone. The gemarah in Chullin (91b) states that we learn from Yaakov that to tzadikim, their money is more dear to them than their lives. We see this since he returned despite the minimal value of the vessels because ‘Tzaddikim are careful to distance their hands for theft’. The commentary of the Ben Yehoyada explains that although Yaakov was extremely wealthy at this point, he wanted to teach his children that the righteous consider it stea
ling to take something even of insignificant value. This is true even from a very rich person who doesn’t care about something so insignificant. For example, even to take a toothpick from a large wood pile belonging to someone else, which is something people don’t care about, is still an act of theft to a tzaddik. He demonstrated this by showing that even someone who was as wealthy as Yaakov would trouble himself over recovering a few insignificant vessels.

Yaakov was in the process of moving his family and all of his possessions back to Canaan. His wives and children and all that he owned were all together with him on this journey and he was facing potential annihilation at the hands of his brother. All that he had was at risk of being wiped out. One of his acts was to split his camp so that if one camp was attacked the other camp could escape and survive. Yaakov understood that he and his family were destined to create the Jewish nation. The destruction of his family would mean not only the loss of the lives of so many great tzaddikim, but it would mean that the future of the nation that would accept the Torah and fulfill the primary purpose of the creation was at stake. It is necessary to understand that Yaakov must have calculated that every effort that he could make for his survival was adequately completed and that there was no additional risk of life in his going back for his possessions. For if not so, he would certainly
not have gone for them. The Torah ethic of saving a human life is so great that it supersedes all other mitzvos other than the three cardinal sins.

With this understanding in mind, the scenario still begs the following question. Yaakov’s sons were all great tzaddikim. They were not individuals who would ever consider stealing or taking what was not theirs. In addition, if he felt there was a benefit to teach this lesson, Yaakov could have taught it any other time. Such righteous children would certainly heed a moral lesson from their saintly father any time it was given. Why did Yaakov feel it necessary to divert his attention under such dire circumstances and incur personal risk to himself to make this point to his family? It must be that this was a singular opportunity that was able to drive home this lesson in a unique way and on some infinitesimal level create a deep and more lasting impression. This minute level of added awareness could impact them and influence their outlook and behavior on some level.

How much more vigilant would Yaakov have been if there was a real likelihood that a member of his family would partake of someone else’s splinter or perhaps something more significant than that. Yaakov’s exertion grew out of his determination that someone from his household should stay far away from anything even related to stealing. His concern with making sure he himself would not steal was no doubt even greater. We can learn from here the great importance of the ethic of honesty and how strong the commitment to acting scrupulously should be in a Torah home.

Have a wonderful Shabbos,


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