לזכות רפואה שלימה אחינו כל בית ישראל הנתונים בצרה ובשביה
Parshat Vayeitzei continues the story of the creation and formation of the three plied chord of our patriarchs; from this Parshah and on through the end of Sefer Bereishit, the Torah will discuss the events surrounding Yaakov Avinu and his 12 sons and one daughter. The Parshah opens with Yaakov leaving the house of Yitzchak and Rivkah to go search for a wife in the home of his treacherous uncle, Lavan. While en route, Yaakov crosses the spot that Yitzchak was bound for the Akeidah, and proceeds to enact the nightly prayer of Arvit [Maariv] at that very location.
Interestingly, while nearly every word of the mystical happenings in the early part of the Parshah is examined and analyzed in great depth, the Midrash [Bereishit Rabbah 68] has a rather astounding take-that is not so well known- on the following Possuk {Bereishit 28’ 10’]:
“...Jacob left Be’er Sheva, and set out for Haran…”
Apparently bothered by the fact that there was no need to mention Yaakov’s departure point [the Torah could have simply stated “Yaakov set out for Charan”], the Midrash explains that the words “Be’er Sheva” can also allude to the oath that Avraham had sworn decades earlier to the leader of the local Pelishtim, Avimelech. The Possuk states, after Avimelech comes to the realization that everything Avraham does is blessed with divine assistance [Bereishit 21’ 24:
“...Therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my kith and kin, but will deal with me and with the land in which you have sojourned as loyally as I have dealt with you…”
Avraham Avinu then proceeds to establish a covenant of peace with Avimelech. The great Rishon, Rashbam, commenting on the above mentioned treaty, writes that this course of action was inappropriate, for the land of the Pelishtim had already been sworn to Avraham! Hence, his oath of peace at its surface seemed to fly in the face of the divine promise, which Hashem judged in an exacting fashion; Rashbam adds, that it is for this reason that Hashem proceeded to challenge Avraham with the Akeidah.
In this vein, the Midrash interprets that Yaakov wanted to leave Be’er Sheva-with the word “Sheva” referring to the Hebrew word for oath {which is pronounced similarly as Shevuah}--in order to avoid running the risk of being pressured to make a similar oath to the current Philistine ruler. Thus, in addition to the simple approach of the Pesukim, where Yaakov was leaving his parent’s house in order to find a wife, and avoid the wrath of Esav, the Midrash is adding that Yaakov did not want to swear another oath of peace which would entail delaying Jewish ownership of the land.
May we take this poignant lesson to heart, and understand that Eretz Yisrael cannot be bargained for. It is our land, and the vision and desire of millions of our brethren, over thousands of years of Jewish history, have always rested on the Land of Israel. The Gemara in Avodah Zara 9A records that there was a 26 year period during which the Jews during the time of the Second Temple allied with the Romans against the Greeks; after those 26 years, the Romans then turned on the Jews, and began the process which culminated in the destruction of the second Beit Hamikdash, with more than a million Jews dying in the aftermath. The lesson is clear: control, dominion, and determination of the boundaries and security of our Ancestral Homeland must first and foremost be understood as resting in the hands of Hashem, and Hashem only, not in the domain of erstwhile allies.
Dedicated in memory of all those who have perished and sacrificed for Am Yisrael.
Have a Great Shabbat!