Vayetze 5772

The exile of the Jewish people from its homeland is an experience which has been shared by most of the Jewish people for most of Jewish history; the “normal” state of being rooted in our own land is, in actuality, the exception. While our galus has been punctuated by persecutions, massacres, and pogroms, there have also been times and places where Jews have enjoyed great success and affluence.

Ramban (Devarim 28:42) commenting on this phenomenon – perhaps with the Golden Age of Sepharad in mind – writes that the supernatural curses of blight, pestilence, and disease foretold in the Tochacha are restricted to Eretz Yisrael; in exile we find ourselves sharing and even surpassing the prosperity of our neighbors. It is only the oppressive decrees of the governments under which we live that have blemished this idyllic image.

This protection from the supernatural afflictions, says Ramban, is rooted in a Divine promise (Vayikra 26:44), “But despite all this, while they are in the land of their enemies, I will not despise them nor will I reject them to annihilate them, thereby breaking My covenant that is with them, for I am the Lord their
G-d.”

Ramban in his commentary to Bereishis (12:6) introduces a concept that the lives of the Avos foretell and foreshadow later events in Jewish history. If our reading would only pierce the surface, we could actually see G-d laying the groundwork for the course of Jewish history by leading the Avos through miniature versions of the future tribulations.

It would seem that the twenty-year galus of Yaakov, described in Parshas Vayetze with such meticulous detail, is the paradigm for our exile experience.

(That the experience of Yaakov was meant to be a portent of future exiles is the deeper meaning behind a well known Midrash. In the dream that Yaakov had on the fateful night that he slept at the site of the future Bais HaMikdash, he saw a vision of angels ascending and descending a ladder whose feet rested upon the earth and whose top reached the heavens. What was the significance of these angels? Midrash Tanchuma (Yayetze 2) states that they were the angelic overseers of the four kingdoms – Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Rome – that would exile the Jewish people; the ascent is an allusion to their times in power and the descent is an allusion to their ultimate downfalls.)

The parallels to the type of galus that Ramban describes are unmistakable. Although Yaakov was tormented at every juncture by the cunning, manipulative Lavan, in very significant ways these were years of wonderful achievement; during this time his family was established and he amassed great personal wealth.

Our “North American” galus certainly fits this paradigm. The wealth, influence, and political power of the Jewish community are unprecedented. The institutional infrastructure that exists today could not have been imagined fifty years ago. But rather than merely resting on our laurels, we must accept that this Divine gift comes with obligations. Given our material bounty, our Galus must be a time of spiritual creativity and striving.

(It is noteworthy that the verse cited above, “But despite all this,” is also understood at Megillah 11a as
G-d’s commitment to provide for the spiritual advancement of the Jewish people in galus by giving them teachers, counselors, and role models, such as Daniel Chananya, Mishael, and Azaria in the Babylonian exile; Mordechai and Esther in the Persian; the Chashmonaim and Shimon Hatzadik in the Greek, and the dynasty of Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi in the early period of the current exile.)

May we rise to the challenge!