Faithful to our heritage wherever we live
Dear Congregational Family,
At the outset of Parshat Vayishlach, Jacob sends messengers to Esau, who is approaching him with armed men. Jacob instructs his messengers to inform Esau that he had been living at the home of his uncle Laban all this time. While the plain verse seems straightforward, our ancient commentators find additional insight and meaning in every letter and word of Torah. One particular Midrash quoted by Rashi notes that the letters comprising "Garti - I lived" are the same letters which comprise "Taryag," the numerical acronym for all six hundred and thirteen commandments deduced from the Torah. Thus, the Midrash states, "I lived (Garti) with the wicked Laban, but I observed the Taryag Mitzvot and did not learn from Laban's bad actions."
Whether or not we are to believe that Jacob literally knew or practiced all six hundred thirteen commandments at this formative time in Jewish history is not the point, in my opinion. The Midrash, cited by Rashi, is coming to teach us that wherever we live and even under challenging circumstances, every Jew is capable of being faithful to the commandments, customs, and traditions of Judaism. Certainly, Rashi and the authors of earlier Midrashim were conversant of the Mitzvot in Judaism. Many Midrashim were composed when the Jewish people were oppressed by foreign cultures in antiquity. Rashi, living in the 1100's, was witness to the Crusades of the Middle Ages. Notwithstanding the overwhelming challenges facing the Jewish people over the course of our history, the commentary I have shared is meant to encourage us to be faithful to that which defines us as a Jewish people - our Jewish way of life.
In Jewish tradition, Laban was considered evil. In the Biblical text, he takes advantage of and manipulates Jacob time and time again. In the Passover Haggadah, we read, "Go and inquire what Laban the Aramean intended to do to Jacob our Patriarch." That part of the Haggadah contrasts the overt wickedness of Pharaoh to the subtle wickedness of Laban. The term "Aramean" in the Haggadah can be spelled otherwise as "Ramai," translated as deceiver or Roman. Laban's name became a term symbolic of Roman oppression of the Jewish people during the Second Temple period and beyond.
Today, the opening days of December 2020 are marked by the unprecedented pandemic and in a time of the calendar where Judaism is clearly felt as a minority religion in the world. The interpretation on Jacob dwelling in Laban's house teaches us that regardless of circumstance, we can freely choose to be faithful to our heritage.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison
Click here to read Rabbi Morrison's daily blog
