Having survived the trickery of uncle Laban and the enmity of his brother Esau, Jacob finally returned to his homeland.
"Jacob arrived whole [shalem] to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan." (Genesis 33:18)
In what way was Jacob shalem? The Talmud explains that he was "whole in body, whole in money, whole in his Torah knowledge." (Shabbat 33b)
According to the medieval commentator Rashi, these three areas are directly related to Jacob's previous ordeals. Physically - Jacob healed from the lameness the stranger had afflicted upon him at Peniel. Financially - he did not lack money, despite the expensive gifts he had sent to this brother Esau. And spiritually - he had not forgotten his Torah learning during the long years of hard labor at Laban's house, nor due to the rigors of travel.
Jacob's Holistic Perspective
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook explained that Jacob's wholeness was not to be found in any quantitative accomplishments. It could not be measured by how fast he could run, or by the value of his stocks, or by the tractates of Talmud he had memorized. Rather, Jacob's wholeness was in his holistic approach towards these diverse spheres.
People think that the pursuit of excellence in one field must entail neglect of other areas. Thus, a person who seeks perfect health and physical strength will come to the realization that one needs money to attain this goal. But the pursuit of wealth can become so all-encompassing that it comes at the expense of one's original objective. Ironically, the anxiety to acquire wealth ends up ruining one's health.
Similarly, we know that both good health and financial security help provide the quietude needed to improve character traits and refine intellectual capabilities. Yet, often these different areas, instead of complementing one other, come to compete with each other. Human morality suffers when our natural desires to strengthen the body and cultivate social living (which requires the necessary financial means) are not understood in their overall context.
The perfection of Jacob - "the complete man, who dwells in tents" (Genesis 25:27) - was in his ability to show that no single pursuit of excellence, whether spiritual or material, needs to contradict or detract from other personal goals. On the contrary, when they are understood properly, each aim complements and strengthens the others.
This is the profound message of the Talmudic statement. Jacob was whole in body and wealth, and from both of these together, he found the inner resources to be whole in Torah. Jacob exemplified the trait of emet, truth. He demonstrated how, in their inner depths, all accomplishments are united together.
[Based on Ein Aya vol. III, p. 209]
"Jacob arrived whole [shalem] to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan." (Genesis 33:18)
In what way was Jacob shalem? The Talmud explains that he was "whole in body, whole in money, whole in his Torah knowledge." (Shabbat 33b)
According to the medieval commentator Rashi, these three areas are directly related to Jacob's previous ordeals. Physically - Jacob healed from the lameness the stranger had afflicted upon him at Peniel. Financially - he did not lack money, despite the expensive gifts he had sent to this brother Esau. And spiritually - he had not forgotten his Torah learning during the long years of hard labor at Laban's house, nor due to the rigors of travel.
Jacob's Holistic Perspective
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook explained that Jacob's wholeness was not to be found in any quantitative accomplishments. It could not be measured by how fast he could run, or by the value of his stocks, or by the tractates of Talmud he had memorized. Rather, Jacob's wholeness was in his holistic approach towards these diverse spheres.
People think that the pursuit of excellence in one field must entail neglect of other areas. Thus, a person who seeks perfect health and physical strength will come to the realization that one needs money to attain this goal. But the pursuit of wealth can become so all-encompassing that it comes at the expense of one's original objective. Ironically, the anxiety to acquire wealth ends up ruining one's health.
Similarly, we know that both good health and financial security help provide the quietude needed to improve character traits and refine intellectual capabilities. Yet, often these different areas, instead of complementing one other, come to compete with each other. Human morality suffers when our natural desires to strengthen the body and cultivate social living (which requires the necessary financial means) are not understood in their overall context.
The perfection of Jacob - "the complete man, who dwells in tents" (Genesis 25:27) - was in his ability to show that no single pursuit of excellence, whether spiritual or material, needs to contradict or detract from other personal goals. On the contrary, when they are understood properly, each aim complements and strengthens the others.
This is the profound message of the Talmudic statement. Jacob was whole in body and wealth, and from both of these together, he found the inner resources to be whole in Torah. Jacob exemplified the trait of emet, truth. He demonstrated how, in their inner depths, all accomplishments are united together.
[Based on Ein Aya vol. III, p. 209]