VAYESHEV 1987

In the Torah portion Vayeshev we learn how Jacob flees from his brother's wrath and went to Mesopotamia. He alights at a place. He lodges there and takes a stone and puts it under his head, and then he has a wonderful dream, a dream of angels ascending and descending. The rabbis tell us that Jacob, at this point, was confused. Here he was a Yoshaiv Oleem, a scholar, a quiet, compassionate man who, for some unknown reason, has been thrust into life. He listened to his mother and got involved in a scheme to trick his father to take the blessing from his brother. He is involved in all sorts of problems of life that he did not know anything about before. He is filled with regret and remorse.  In fact, when it says that "he alighted at a place" the rabbis explain that he was wounded, that he did not realize what he had done until he did it. He did not know life could be so complicated. He did not anticipate Esau's response.  It says, "And he laid down in that place," and he had this dream. He realized he had to live a moral life and a good life, that life had a spiritual quality to it. He goes to Mesopotamia where he meets his uncle, who turns out to be a trickster. He worked 7 years for Rachel and then was given Leah in her place, and then worked another 7 years for Rachel, and his wages were changed many, many time until finally, with G-d's help, he does amass quite a bit of wealth. He, though, has another dream. This time he dreams of sheep mounting sheep, and he knows that he must leave because he is endangering his spiritual vision. He has become like Laban. All he is interested in is making money. He is no longer interested in a spiritual vision. He remembers what happened to him when he left his brother. He remembers his dream of angels ascending and descending. Now at he dreamed was one sheep mounting another sheep. He knew he had to leave. He was in danger of losing his Jewishness. He knew that the moral vision that had

informed him was slipping away. He had inadvertently tampered with this moral vision when he was at home with his mother and father, but he still maintained the vision. He may not have lived up to the vision, but he still maintained it. Now, unfortunately, he was losing that vision entirely. He was becoming just like Laban.
We know that throughout the centuries Jews have been confronted with a choice: the choice of either being true to their heritage and their spirituality and their spiritual vision or succumbing to the material influences of the people around them, and, of course, we Jews, throughout the centuries, have many times chosen the material aspects of life over the spiritual aspects of life. Therefore, many of our brethren have assimilated and left the Jewish people. We all know about the Moranos in Spain who, many of them, for the sake of economic convenience, adopted another religion. We do know that many of them were the pioneers of Central and South America. All history books will tell you that Central and South America were populated and colonized by Jews from Spain and Portugal; however, in a few generations nothing was left of their Judaism. It is true that in certain families they still have a history of Jewish ancestors in them, and it is probably for this reason that so many South and Central American countries voted for the creation of Israel in 1947, an event which we are celebrating tomorrow. It will be the 40th anniversary of the partition of Palestine, the creation of the State of Israel. Their Judaism is something of the past. It is a romantic attachment to distant ancestors, but it has no bearing on their life today. None of them are practicing Jews today. This can be seen throughout all history that we Jews are many times faced with a choice: either our spiritual heritage or material advantage. Many of our people have opted for material advantage. Thank G-d so many

have opted for spiritual advantage, otherwise there would be no Jewish people at all.
When Jacob leaves Laban he leaves while Laban is away shearing sheep. When Laban hears about this he pursues Jacob, and, if not for G-d's intervention, he would have done harm to Jacob. They meet, though, and Laban upbraids him for leaving without telling him he was going to leave, and they make a pact. They make a pact which says that Laban will not harm Jacob and Jacob will not harm Laban.  It is interesting to note, though, that this pact is not equal. When Laban makes his side of the pact the Hebrew word is "Gal". They heap up a pile of stones, and the word "Gal" in Hebrew can mean "a heap" or can also mean "to be revealed". The Vilner Gon comments that when Laban took upon himself to keep this pact he only agreed that he would not do anything overtly to hurt Jacob, but he did not say anything about doing anything covertly. Jacob, on the other hand, when he names this heap he calls it "Meetzvah".  "Meetzvah" comes from the word "Safon" which also means "to be hidden", that Jacob was bound to not only not hurt Laban overtly but also covertly. Jacob had to live by a higher standard. This, of course, is the way the world views Jews to this day, and perhaps this is the way it should be. We Jews claim that we stand for something higher than the standards of the people about us. If we did not, why should we make the effort to remain Jews? Jews must show in their life that they live to a higher moral standard, that they are interested in angels ascending and descending, that they want to perfect this world and make this world a better place.
In fact, the rabbis teach us that it was Abraham who initiated the morning prayer and it was Yitzchak who initiated the afternoon prayer and it was

Jacob who initiated the evening prayer. We learn that because it says, "And he alighted at that place", which also means that he prayed at that place. Jacob realized, after he had swindled his brother, that he was not living up to his values, that he had to be different, that if his Judaism was to survive, if he was to pass it on to his children, he had to live by his values. It is not true what people say that Judaism has no beliefs only deeds. Judaism has some basic beliefs. We believe that G-d is the creator Who has created and controls nature, that G-d has a relationship with each of us and has revealed His will to us. We also believe that we are His instruments in bringing about redemption. We Jews must live on a higher standard. We must live on a standard in which honesty and integrity and ethics are the rule. We cannot expect to hold our children if we act as charlatans, if we act as sharp businessmen and use chicanery and foolery. These are the standards of Laban, and Jacob knew that he was succumbing to these standards and that he would lose his children, he would lose his family. Unfortunately, we see here in America that when Jews do not live up to the high principles of Judaism the children do not respect them and do not stay Jews.  In order for Judaism to survive we must stress ethics. Jacob must live an ethical life, a good life both overtly and covertly.  He cannot take advantage of other people, swindle insurance companies, fail to pass taxes. Ethics is the basis of Judaism. We stand for something. People do not know many times what they want for Jewish education. Many times they claim that Jewish education, and, of course, they may be right many times because when we Jewish people just stress making a kiddush and knowing how to make hamotzi instead of teaching our children that they have to live by basic Jewish beliefs, that they have to live ethically and morally and that they have to be upstanding citizens and that the mitzvahs of saying kiddush and making hamotzi elevate us and make us feel closer to

G-d so they give us the strength to act morally and decently. Unless we act morally and decently our children will not respect us, and Judaism will not survive. Unfortunately, there are many people who forget this. They do not want to act ethically in their home or in business or in their institutions, and they want to act immorally. When they do these things they jeopardize the future of their children. Jews cannot live and exist unless they live at a higher standard than the people around them, even if the people around them live on a pretty high standard. The Jewish standard must always be higher otherwise we will be swallowed up and be assimilated. We will have no purpose for being. Jacob was almost swallowed up and assimilated. Sometimes Jews slip, but they have to come back. They have to realize angels ascend and descend. They cannot just be concerned about one sheep mounting another and accumulating more and more wealth.
I am reminded of the story about a woman who took her car to a mechanic. The mechanic looked over her car and then said, "Madam, I am afraid the problem is greater than I first thought. Your battery needs a new car." We, too, must stress ethics, integrity, loyalty, honesty if Judaism is to survive. We must show our children and others that Judaism makes you a more moral, more humane, more compassionate human being. Unless we do that we will lose all our children. Let us hope and pray that we will be able to demonstrate these qualities in our life so that we will always maintain our children.