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By: Rabbi Yosef Kalatsky
The Special Level of Yaakov, Our Patriarch
The Midrash Tanchuma states, “Reb Shimon Bar Yochai said, “Hashem said to the Klal Yisroel it is important for you to give honor to the mitzvos because the mitzvos themselves are My agents and they represent Me. One’s agent is equivalent to the one who sent the agent. If you honor the mitzvos you are honoring Me. If you disgrace the mitzvos then you are disgracing My Honor.” There was no person who ever honored mitzvos and kept the Torah more than Yaakov. As it is stated, “Yaakov is the perfect man who dwelt in the tent (of Torah).” It seems from Reb Shimon Bar Yochai that Yaakov’s observance of the mitzvos was unequalled by anyone. This statement indicates that even Moshe Rabbeinu, who was the teacher of Klal Yisroel, did not give the same honor to mitzvos as our Patriarch Yaakov. This fact is based on the verse, “Yaakov is the perfect man (ish taam) who dwelt in the tent (of Torah).” How does Reb Shimon Bar Yochai extrapolate from this verse that Yaakov’s performance of mitzvos was one of a kind?
Yaakov Avinu, Our Patriarch, possessed an innate purity and wholesomeness that no one else had. The Midrash tells us that when Rivka was pregnant with her twin children, Esav would bolt to exit his mother’s womb when she would pass a temple of idolatry. On the other hand, Yaakov would do the same when she passed the Yeshivah of Shem V’Aver. In utero, Yaakov was overwhelmingly inclined to spirituality and holiness, while Esav was inclined to physicality and impurity. The Torah identifies Esav as “the man of the field”- indicating that Esav was the personification of physicality. He was the antithesis of Yaakov, who is referred to as “ish taam – the perfect man”. His essence was pure and because of this, Yaakov was able to honor the mitzvos and keep the Torah like no other person.
Moshe Rabbeinu was chosen by Hashem to receive and transmit the Torah to the Jewish people. Being qualified as the conduit for the transmission of something as holy as the Torah, one would think that Moshe would be the one to honor the mitzvos to a greater degree than anyone else would. However, Reb Shimon Bar Yochai understands from Yaakov’s appellation of “ish taam” that because of his innate and unique, level of purity, the honor he gave to the mitzvos was also one of a kind. Although the Torah refers to Moshe as the most humble man on the face of the earth, he is not called an “ish taam”.
Chazal teach us “Derech Eretz (proper character and qualities) is a prerequisite for Torah.” Meaning, one must possess innate qualities and character traits in order to be able to acquire and process Torah properly. If one does not naturally possess these features, then they must be acquired. In Hilchos Deos (The Laws which pertain to Behavior), the Rambam says that even if one is born with deficient characteristics, he will be able to establish a “second nature” within himself through conditioning.
The Torah states at the end of the Book of Devarim, “Moshe said, “Torah is not in the heavens and not on the other side of the sea…” The Midrash explains that “not in heaven” means that if one possesses a swollen heart and is arrogant, he will not be able to acquire the Torah; an essential quality for the acquisition of Torah is humility. “Not on the other side of the sea,” means that if one is engaged in material success such as traveling the high seas for commerce, one is not able to attain the Torah; Torah requires total focus and commitment of time. One cannot achieve both simultaneously.
Yaakov honored the mitzvos and kept the Torah at an unequalled level because he not only possessed purity naturally, but also dedicated his total being to Torah. As the Torah states, “He dwelt in the tent (of Torah).” There are two prerequisites in order to succeed in the observance of mitzvos and keeping the Torah at an advanced level. Firstly, one must have a sterling character and secondly one must be dedicated to the Torah. If one’s character is corrupted, or even flawed, it would reflect itself in the Torah that he studies and the observance of his Judaism.
Rabbeinu Bachya asks- if Yaakov’s characteristic was “emmes,” as it is identified by the Novi (Prophet), why does the Torah refer to Yaakov as “ish taam – the perfect and wholesome person”? He explains that the word “taam” is derived from the word “teumim – twins/synthesis”. Yaakov synthesized and brought together the prominent quality of his father Yitzchak, which was Din “perfection – exactness” with that of his grandfather Avraham, which was Chesed “Kindness”. He adhered to these two principles in a perfect way – thus becoming the person who personifies them.
Relationships are Established only Through One’s Worthiness
The parsha begins,”Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; and the days of Yaakov – the years of his life were one hundred and forty-seven years.” Rashi cites the Midrash, which addresses the paragraph structure of the opening verse of the Portion of Vayechi. It is referred to as a “parsha setumah – a sealed portion”. The Midrash offers two interpretations regarding its significance. The first explanation cited by Rashi is that when Yaakov passed away, the eyes and hearts of the Jewish people were sealed (became desensitized) because of the suffering that began with the bondage. In order to appreciate this consequence of Yaakov Avinu’s passing, the Portion is “sealed”. However, Rashi’s explanation seems to contradict a verse in the Portion of Shemos that the bondage began “when Yosef and all his brothers and that entire generation that had come to Egypt had passed away”. How do we understand this?
The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh explains that there were many phases of bondage. The first phase began with the passing of Yaakov Our Patriarch. It started as a spiritual rather than physical bondage, which manifested itself with some lack of spiritual sensitivity on the part of the Jewish people. As a result, they no longer had the clarity that existed when Yaakov was alive. Since Yosef, the Viceroy of Egypt, was still alive, his family was treated like royalty.
