Chazal teach that God does not bring about misfortune to even the animals of the righteous (Chullin 7a), a principle that serves to exacerbate a major difficulty in our parasha: How could so great a misfortune as the rape of Dina by Shekhem happen to the daughter of Yaakov? Is Dina, daughter of Yaakov, not more precious than the donkey of R. Pinchas ben Yair? According to some opinions, Dina herself bore some measure of responsibility for this debacle, since she "went out to see the daughters of the land."[1] But even if we accept the view that this expression has negative connotations, can it be that Dina's sin was so grave that she deserved such a terrible punishment?
Later, after Shimon and Levi kill all the men of Shekhem in revenge, God commands Yaakov to go up to Beit El and to build an altar there, in fulfillment of the vow that he made before leaving Charan. In fact, God had already commanded him while he was still in Charan to go to Beit El. Perhaps the rape of Dina was somehow related to Yaakov's delay in fulfilling his vow: instead of going directly to Beit El and building an altar, Yaakov journeyed via Shekhem, and remained there for some time. In the wake of what happened to Dina, Yaakov had to leave; it was then that he made his way to Beit El, and thus was compelled to fulfill his vow.
Another indication that Dina's rape may be related to Yaakov's vow comes after Yaakov arrives in Beit El and builds his altar there, when the text states: "And God appeared to Yaakov again when he came from Padan Aram." If this prophecy occurred when Yaakov came from Padan Aram (at the end of Parashat Vayetze), why is it written here, after Yaakov's journey to Shekhem and then to Beit El? Perhaps the Torah is hinting that had Yaakov fulfilled his vow immediately, the painful episode of Dina would never have taken place, and he would have experienced this prophecy immediately upon returning from Padan Aram. Since he waited, the prophecy was also delayed, and he had to leave Shekhem and return in order to set up the altar in Beit El.
We must now address the question of why Yaakov did not go directly to Beit El immediately, after God had fulfilled His promises, and set up an altar as he himself had promised to do.[2]
The vow
Why does Yaakov need to make a vow in the first place? God has promised that He will be with him and help him, but asks nothing of him. Does the vow not express a certain lack of faith? It seems that we might answer this question in two different ways:
"There is no dream that does not contain some irrelevant elements"
God does not reveal Himself openly to Yaakov until after the fulfillment of the vow in Beit El. All the Divine revelations until then are experienced in a dream, or via angels (at Machanayim, and through the angel that struggles with him). Revelation in a dream is on a lower level than a direct revelation, as the Torah states explicitly with reference to the level of Moshe:
If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so My servant Moshe… I speak mouth to mouth with him, openly, and not in opacity…. (Bamidbar 12:6-8)
Chazal teach that "there is no dream that does not contain some irrelevant details" (Berakhot 55a). God reveals Himself to Yaakov in a dream, and Yaakov has no way of knowing which elements of the dream are not part of the prophecy. For this reason, he makes a vow and asks that God fulfill his words, regardless of what was promised in the dream. It is for this reason that he lists all of God's promises over again, rather than making a general vow – "If God fulfills His word, I will do such-and-such."
Yaakov made additional requests, over and above God's promises
It is possible that Yaakov makes his vow because of two new elements that it introduces. There is a very clear parallel between Yaakov's vow and God's promises:
God's promises | Yaakov's vow |
The land upon which you lie – to you I shall give it, and to your descendants | |
And your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread out to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. | |
And in you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. | |
And behold, I am with you | If God will be with me |
And will you watch over you wherever you go | And will watch over me in this way that I go |
| And will give me bread to eat and a garment to wear |
And will bring you back to this land | And I come back to my father's house in peace |
For I will not leave you until I have done that which I have spoken of to you. | Then the Lord shall be my God |
| And this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house |
| And of all that You give me, I will surely give a tenth to You. |
It is easy to see from the chart that Yaakov largely repeats the details of God's promise, except the first part – the blessings of progeny, the land, and "blessing through you." These promises are destined to be fulfilled only in the time to come, and Yaakov does not mean to fulfill his vow only after they have been realized.[3]
The chart also shows clearly the two additions that Yaakov introduces: he asks for "bread to eat and a garment to wear," and he asks God to watch over him not only until his return "to this land," but until he returns "to my father's house." It is possible, then, that Yaakov makes his vow in order to include these two additions: he is not content with physical protection, but asks for food and clothing; he is not content with Divine protection until he returns to the same spot, but asks for God to watch over him until he returns in peace to his father's house.
When is Yaakov supposed to fulfill the vow?
In view of the parallel between God's promises and Yaakov's vow, we may now return to the question of why Yaakov does not fulfill his vow immediately. Yaakov's dream begins with God's angels ascending and descending the ladder, and the fulfillment of the condition is complete when Yaakov encounters angels at Machanayim. God hints to him, as it were, that the angels have completed their mission, God has kept His promise, and now Yaakov should fulfill his vow. Yet, Yaakov journeys from Charan to Shekhem, where he purchases a plot of land and prepares to settle down. In light of this settling, God expects Yaakov to fulfill his vow – and forces him, by means of the episode surrounding Dina, to leave Shekhem and go fulfill his vow.[4]
Why does Yaakov not fulfill his vow on his own? It seems that as Yaakov sees it, the condition has not yet been fulfilled. Yaakov asked for protection until "I return in peace to my father's house" – but this has not yet happened. He sets up an altar in Shekhem in order to thank God for His favors thus far, and to his understanding this suffices to postpone the fulfillment of the vow in full until after he returns to his father's house.
If we look deeper, we find a broader idea within Yaakov's request that God continue His promise to watch over him until he returns to his father's house.
When Yaakov flees from Esav, he fears two things: first, the difficulty of the journey ahead, and the question of how he will manage in a foreign place; and second, Esav himself, who may come chasing after him.[5] Even if the latter fear is not realized, perhaps Esav will wait until Yaakov returns to his father's house, and then take his revenge. Therefore, Yaakov asks that God protect him all the way up to his return to his father's house, and not only on the journey.
God, however, is not interested in protecting Yaakov from Esav.[6] From the outset, He promises to protect Yaakov specifically until he returns "to this land"; He allows the angel of Esav to wrestle with Yaakov (and Yaakov emerges from the encounter with an injury); and He does not reveal Himself to Esav in a dream – as He did to Lavan – warning him, "Take heed that you do not speak to Yaakov either good or bad" (Bereishit 31:24).
Yaakov weighs the situation, concludes that God is not protecting him from Esav, and therefore fears to return to his father's house. He prefers to settle in Shekhem, at a safe distance, postponing the showdown with Esav for some later time. For the same reason, he does not set up the altar that he promised: to his understanding, the conditions have not been met, for he has not yet returned in peace to his father's house. But the reality, as God knows it, is that after Yaakov fulfills his vow and sets up the altar in Beit El, then he will be able to return in peace. The vow needs to be fulfilled even before the final Divine fulfillment of the condition.
It is only after Yaakov fulfills his vow, wrestles with the angel of Esav, and is victorious over him by his own strength, that God awards him the blessings of his forefathers. In the dream of the ladder, God blessed Yaakov with a contracted blessing: "The land upon which you lie – to you I shall give it, and to your descendants." Only now, having returned to Beit El, does he receive the blessing of Avraham and Yitzchak:
And the land which I gave to Avraham and to Yitzchak – to you I shall give it, and to your descendants after you shall I give the land. (Bereishit 35:12)
After the vow is fulfilled, God confirms that the theft of the blessings will no longer present an obstacle for Yaakov, and he can now continue the path of his forefathers. From this point, Yaakov is joined to Avraham and Yitzchak, becoming one of the foundation stones for the future edifice that is Am Yisrael.
(Translated by Kaeren Fish; edited by Sarah Rudolph)
[1] Bereishit 34:1; see Bereishit Rabba 80:1, among other sources.
[2] In fact, the difficulty seems to be even greater. When Yaakov approaches Esav, seeking reconciliation, he treats him with great respect and honor (for which Chazal criticize him). Inter alia, he tells Esav, "forasmuch as I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God, and you have been pleased with me" (Bereishit 33:10) – comparing Esav to the Divine, as it were, and using language ("pleased") associated with sacrifices. He had also sent Esav a gift, saying, "I shall make atonement before him, with the gift (mincha)" (32:21). This seems to make the delay in fulfilling his vow an even more serious lapse: Yaakov fails to set up the altar to God that he vowed, but in the meantime, he does offer sacrifices and gifts to Esav!
[3] According to the parallel as it appears in the table above, Yaakov's words, "the Lord shall be my God" correspond to God's promise, "for I will not leave you." The commentators are divided as to whether the words "the Lord will be my God" are part of the condition or part of the promised result.
[4] Perhaps this explains another detail: When God commands Yaakov to go to Beit El and fulfill his vow, He tells him, "Arise, go up to Beit El, and dwell there." Why does Yaakov need to dwell in Beit El? Perhaps God is telling him that if he does not wish to return to his father's house, he may settle in Beit El – but only after taking care of his commitment.
[5] Chazal hint to this fear in the midrash that describes Elifaz, son of Esav, pursuing Yaakov and catching up with him.
[6] There are a few possible reasons for God not wanting to intervene in the rivalry between them. Perhaps it is because He knows that Esav will not try to harm Yaakov. Another possibility is that while God saves Yaakov from Lavan, who acts with cunning and deceit, withholding Yaakov's hard-earned wages, He does not intervene in the struggle between Esav and Yaakov, which began with Yaakov's deceit and theft of the blessings from Esav.
No comments:
Post a Comment