Perashat Vayesse 5777

Perashat Vayesse 5777

In last week's perasha, we learned that Ya'akob received the blessings of his father Yisshak, and was sent to his uncle Laban's home in Padan Aram (a.k.a. Haran) in order to marry a proper woman and secure his future.  In actuality, Ya'akob was fleeing from his brother Esav, fearing for his life after having secured the "special" blessings that were originally intended for Esav. Perashat Vayesse opens with Ya'akob's departure from the Land of Cana'an and the beginning of his journey to his uncle Laban's home in Haran.  

The actual description of Ya'akob's departure, however, seems somewhat redundant.  The Torah tells us:  "Va'yesse Ya'akob mi-Be'er Shaba va'yelekh Haranah" - "And Ya'akob departed from Be'er Sheba and went to Haran." (Ber. 28:10) Rashi notes that the opening of the pasuk is unnecessary, after all, we already know where Ya'akob was leaving from; why not just tell us where he was going? 

Rashi cites a classical statement of our sages, that this additional information is mentioned - not as part of a travel log - but rather, to inform us that,"yessiat saddik min ha-makom oseh roshem" - that when a righteous person, such as Ya'akob, leaves a place, his absence is felt by those who remain behind.

R. David Gottlieb (YU Torah) notes that the Keli Yakar, R. Shelomo Ephraim ben Aaron of Luntshiss, wonders why the sages never cite this teaching regarding our other patriarchs. After all, Abraham and Yisshak also travelled extensively, so why is there no statement about the impact that their respective departures had on the people they left behind? 
R. Gottlieb relates that the Keli Yakar offers two different - and in fact opposite - answers. His first suggestion is that there was nothing unique about Ya'akob's departure; the same sense of loss occurred whenever Abraham and Yisshak travelled. Nevertheless our sages highlight Ya'akob's impact because it was somewhat surprising. He explains that when Abraham and Yisshak moved from place to the place, their families and students came with them, thus leaving no spiritual role models behind. In those instances, it is obvious that their absence would be felt by those who stayed behind.  However,  when Ya'akob fled, his parents, YIsshak and Ribka - both great saddikim - remained. One might have thought that in such circumstances, the impact of the departure of yet another saddik would not make much of a difference. Therefore, the Keli Yakar suggests, that the sages emphasize that Ya'akob's greatness was so extraordinary that his loss was still felt - despite the continued presence of his parents, Yisshak and Ribka. 

The second explanation offered by the Keli Yakar, suggests that perhaps our sages limited their comments to Ya'akob since his departure was actually the first one to ever be noticed. He explains that in order for an, "exodus of a saddik to make an impression," it's not enough for there to be a saddik present, but there must also be a community of people who are sufficiently spiritually attuned to appreciate such a saddik. If the people don't appreciate the saddik before he leaves, they certainly won't take notice of his departure. 
Despite their obvious greatness, when Abraham and Yisshak travelled from place to place, their absence was never felt because the people left behind, by-and-large, were not the type who valued their spiritual contribution. When Ya'akob left Be'er Sheba, however, his parents, Yisshak and Ribka, remained - and they were attuned to the value - and therefore, the loss - of Ya'akob Abinu. 

R. Gottlieb makes the following observation.  Understanding of the wisdom of our sages, that the, "exodus of a saddik makes an impression," should inspire each of us to ask ourselves a simple, but powerful question: If we were to leave a community would we be missed? In other words, have we made enough of a difference that our absence would be felt? For some of us the answer to this question is yes - just like it was for Ya'akob Abinu - and we can take justifiable pride in our accomplishments.  

For others, however, the honest answer to this question is no; we would not be missed. In this case, rather than letting this get us down, we should re-examine how best we can contribute towards others and towards the community.  No matter where we live, there is always more to be done and there are ways for everyone to make a difference. Like Ya'akob before us, we all have the potential to make a lasting and unique contribution. 

This second explanation of the Keli Yakar should also inspire us to self-reflection. We are blessed to have many special people in our community whose lives are focused on spiritual aspirations and who are selflessly committed to the welfare of others. All too often we are but one step ahead of Abraham and Yisshak's neighbors - we at least appreciate people after they have moved on.  However, the challenge for us,  is not to wait until they depart, but rather to value them while they are in our midst. Even if we cannot reach the level of the saddik, we can certainly appreciate the contributions that the saddik makes to our community. 

The absence felt upon Ya'akob's departure from Cana'an spoke volumes about both Ya'akob and the people he left behind. We too should strive to live lives of meaning that benefit those around us and, at the same time, appreciate those people whose contributions enrich our community.