By Rabbi Joshua (apneatically known as The Hoffer) Hoffman
Ya'akov, being pursued by his brother, reaches a certain location and stops there to sleep, because the sun had set. The Torah tells us that he lay down "in that place" (Bereishis 28:11). Rashi, citing the Midrash Rabbah, notes that Ya'akov laid down to sleep in that place, in contrast to his practice over the previous fourteen years, during which time he never laid down to sleep, because of his incessant occupation with the study of Torah in the house of Ever. The medieval Talmudic scholar Rabbeinu Ephraim, in his Torah commentary, explains that Ya'akov did, in fact, sleep at short intervals over that period of time, but he never laid down to sleep. Interestingly, if one looks in Rashi's source in the Midrash Rabbah, he will see that there are two opinions concerning the place and time of Ya'akov's waking state, as alluded to here to in the Torah by the peculiar wording of the verse. The opinion mentioned by Rashi is that of Rabbi Yehudah, while Rabbi Nechemiah says that it was in the house of Lavan, for the duration of twenty years, where Ya'akov did not lay down to sleep. Actually, Rashi, at the end of his commentary to parshas Vayeitzei, showed that a study of the timeline of Ya'akov's life as recorded in the Torah leads us to the inevitable conclusion that there was a fourteen year period of time unaccounted for, and this was the time which he spent learning Torah in the house of Ever. However, I believe that this is not the only reason that led Rashi to cite the opinion of Rabbi Nechemiah in this midrash, and, moreover, that, in fact, the two opinions are not in conflict with each other, as I shall try to demonstrate.
We mentioned in last week's message that Yitzchok blessed Ya'akov that he should have the ability to attain spiritual blessings from his endeavors in the physical realm. We noted that, in order to do so, he had to remember that all blessings have their source in the Holy Land, and from there they are distributed to the rest of the world. Yitzchok, by remaining in Eretz Yisroel his entire life and receiving the blessings of God there, served as a living example to Ya'akov of this principle. Still, we need to know the vehicle through which Ya'akov himself would be able to attain spiritual blessings through his activities in the mundane world. I believe that the midrash cited by Rashi provides us with the answer. Ya'akov immersed himself in Torah study for fourteen years, never going to sleep in a bed, but, rather, dropping off to sleep for short intervals, when he felt that he no longer had strength to continue. He applied this Torah learning when he became a worker in the house of Lavan.The Talmud in Bava Metziah (93b) derives laws of a hired watchman from statements made by Ya'akov describing the way in which he tended to Lavan's animals over the years, and the Rambam, in his Laws of Hiring (13:7), points to Ya'akov as a model of the way a worker should perform his duties towards his employer. For example, Ya'akov told Lavan, " These twenty years I have been with you, your ewes and she-goats did not miscarry, nor did I eat the rams of your flock… This is how I was : By day heat consumed me, and snow by night ; sleep drifted from my eyes" (Bereishis 31:38 and 40). The Rambam cites this verse to show that Ya'akov displayed complete integrity in his work, never wasting time or cheating his employer, and that this is the way all workers should deport themselves. It was through Ya'akov's fourteen years of Torah learning that he understood how to apply Torah standards to the life in the physical world, and thereby bring down spiritual blessings.
The two opinions in the midrash, then, are really one. Rabbi Yehudah says that Ya'akov did not lay down to sleep for fourteen years while he was studying Torah in the house of Ever. Rabbi Ya'akov Kaminetsky, in his Emes L'Ya'akov, writes that though Ya'akov had already studied Torah all the years he was in his father's house, he now needed to learn those sections of the Torah that related to conditions outside of that house. During these years, then, he prepared himself for the challenges he would face in applying the Torah to the multifarious vicissitudes of life that he would encounter in Lavan's house. These years of total immersion in Torah study enabled him to forge his personality in a way that conformed with Torah law and ethics. As a result, he faithfully carried out his duty to his employer, Lavan, and served as an example of a faithful employee, emulating the ways of the Torah. Thus, Rabbi Nechemiah, in saying that Ya'akov did not sleep for twenty years while in the house of Lavan, is giving the other side of the story that Rabbi Yehudah presented. Because Ya'akov studied Torah for fourteen years while in the house of Ever, never allowing himself to lay down to sleep, he was able to serve for twenty years as a faithful employee while in Lavan's house, again never allowing himself to lay down to sleep. In this way, through applying the Torah that he learned to his life situation, he was able to attain spiritual blessing by means of his activity in the physical world. Rashi, then, in citing the opinion of Rabbi Yehudah, was explaining the first step in the process - Ya'akov's fourteen years of Torah study in the house of Lavan - that culminated in his dedicated service for twenty years in the house of Lavan, as indicated by Rabbi Nechemiah.
Ya'akov, being pursued by his brother, reaches a certain location and stops there to sleep, because the sun had set. The Torah tells us that he lay down "in that place" (Bereishis 28:11). Rashi, citing the Midrash Rabbah, notes that Ya'akov laid down to sleep in that place, in contrast to his practice over the previous fourteen years, during which time he never laid down to sleep, because of his incessant occupation with the study of Torah in the house of Ever. The medieval Talmudic scholar Rabbeinu Ephraim, in his Torah commentary, explains that Ya'akov did, in fact, sleep at short intervals over that period of time, but he never laid down to sleep. Interestingly, if one looks in Rashi's source in the Midrash Rabbah, he will see that there are two opinions concerning the place and time of Ya'akov's waking state, as alluded to here to in the Torah by the peculiar wording of the verse. The opinion mentioned by Rashi is that of Rabbi Yehudah, while Rabbi Nechemiah says that it was in the house of Lavan, for the duration of twenty years, where Ya'akov did not lay down to sleep. Actually, Rashi, at the end of his commentary to parshas Vayeitzei, showed that a study of the timeline of Ya'akov's life as recorded in the Torah leads us to the inevitable conclusion that there was a fourteen year period of time unaccounted for, and this was the time which he spent learning Torah in the house of Ever. However, I believe that this is not the only reason that led Rashi to cite the opinion of Rabbi Nechemiah in this midrash, and, moreover, that, in fact, the two opinions are not in conflict with each other, as I shall try to demonstrate.
We mentioned in last week's message that Yitzchok blessed Ya'akov that he should have the ability to attain spiritual blessings from his endeavors in the physical realm. We noted that, in order to do so, he had to remember that all blessings have their source in the Holy Land, and from there they are distributed to the rest of the world. Yitzchok, by remaining in Eretz Yisroel his entire life and receiving the blessings of God there, served as a living example to Ya'akov of this principle. Still, we need to know the vehicle through which Ya'akov himself would be able to attain spiritual blessings through his activities in the mundane world. I believe that the midrash cited by Rashi provides us with the answer. Ya'akov immersed himself in Torah study for fourteen years, never going to sleep in a bed, but, rather, dropping off to sleep for short intervals, when he felt that he no longer had strength to continue. He applied this Torah learning when he became a worker in the house of Lavan.The Talmud in Bava Metziah (93b) derives laws of a hired watchman from statements made by Ya'akov describing the way in which he tended to Lavan's animals over the years, and the Rambam, in his Laws of Hiring (13:7), points to Ya'akov as a model of the way a worker should perform his duties towards his employer. For example, Ya'akov told Lavan, " These twenty years I have been with you, your ewes and she-goats did not miscarry, nor did I eat the rams of your flock… This is how I was : By day heat consumed me, and snow by night ; sleep drifted from my eyes" (Bereishis 31:38 and 40). The Rambam cites this verse to show that Ya'akov displayed complete integrity in his work, never wasting time or cheating his employer, and that this is the way all workers should deport themselves. It was through Ya'akov's fourteen years of Torah learning that he understood how to apply Torah standards to the life in the physical world, and thereby bring down spiritual blessings.
The two opinions in the midrash, then, are really one. Rabbi Yehudah says that Ya'akov did not lay down to sleep for fourteen years while he was studying Torah in the house of Ever. Rabbi Ya'akov Kaminetsky, in his Emes L'Ya'akov, writes that though Ya'akov had already studied Torah all the years he was in his father's house, he now needed to learn those sections of the Torah that related to conditions outside of that house. During these years, then, he prepared himself for the challenges he would face in applying the Torah to the multifarious vicissitudes of life that he would encounter in Lavan's house. These years of total immersion in Torah study enabled him to forge his personality in a way that conformed with Torah law and ethics. As a result, he faithfully carried out his duty to his employer, Lavan, and served as an example of a faithful employee, emulating the ways of the Torah. Thus, Rabbi Nechemiah, in saying that Ya'akov did not sleep for twenty years while in the house of Lavan, is giving the other side of the story that Rabbi Yehudah presented. Because Ya'akov studied Torah for fourteen years while in the house of Ever, never allowing himself to lay down to sleep, he was able to serve for twenty years as a faithful employee while in Lavan's house, again never allowing himself to lay down to sleep. In this way, through applying the Torah that he learned to his life situation, he was able to attain spiritual blessing by means of his activity in the physical world. Rashi, then, in citing the opinion of Rabbi Yehudah, was explaining the first step in the process - Ya'akov's fourteen years of Torah study in the house of Lavan - that culminated in his dedicated service for twenty years in the house of Lavan, as indicated by Rabbi Nechemiah.
