The Problems are the Point
Now Jacob was settled in the land where his father had sojourned, the land of Canaan. (Genesis 37)
Rav Acha said: When the righteous desire to sit in tranquility in this world, the Satan comes and accuses, saying: “Is that which is set for the righteous in the World to Come not enough that they seek serenity in this world too?” Our Forefather, Jacob, sought to dwell in serenity in this world and the difficulty, of Joseph clung itself to Jacob. As it says “Now Jacob was settled in the land .”(Gen 37:1) “I had no repose, no quiet, no rest, and trouble came” (Job 3:26) - I had no repose – from Esau; no quiet – from Laban; no rest - from Dinah; and trouble came – the trouble of Joseph.
As the end of each year approaches, there is a common temptation to leave the problems of the year behind and begin the new year with a fresh outlook. While the turning of the calendar often does not change the previous year’s obstacles, the desire to leave our problems behind is universal. In this week’s Torah Portion, we find that Jacob expressed this feeling as well. This week’s Parsha begins with Vayeishev Ya’akov [And Jacob settled], and Rashi explains this verse by referencing the midrash that explains how Jacob was hoping to withdraw from his troubles in the external world and settle down in peace. The Midrash states that God challenged Jacob by asking rhetorically, “Is it not enough that the righteous have the world to come; they need to relax in this world too?” Without missing a beat, God sent Jacob his life’s greatest challenge: The sale of Joseph.
There is a question about this explanation that has bothered commentators: What was so bad about Jacob's wish to dwell in peace? Earlier in Jacob’s life, the Torah states that Jacob was a Yoshev Ohalim [one who sat in tents], which means that he devoted himself to Torah study. In this week’s Parsha, Jacob’s desire to dwell/sit in peace simply reflected his desire to return to his old life, dedicated to Torah Study. After all, he didn’t seek to live out his days lounging in a rocking chair. What did God find this desire so objectionable, that He immediately responded by sending him the challenge of Joseph?
I think that the upcoming holiday of Chanukah can provide insight to answer this question. The sages split the word Chanukah into 2 parts: Chanu [they rested] and the letters ‘chaf, hey’ [twenty-five], referencing that the Jewish people began to rest on the 25th day of the month of Kislev, the date we begin commemorating the miracle of Chanukah. Notably, Chanu does not mean the end of a journey; it only connotes a temporary encampment, a pause, and a time to rest before continuing the journey. We find a similar word used in Numbers 1:52 regarding how the Jewish people traveled in the desert, V’chanu Binei Yisrael” [The Israelites shall encamp]. The message here is, as the popular saying goes, the journey must go on. The good times can provide an opportunity to recharge so that we can continue facing the challenges that define us and give meaning to our lives.
This message is reflected in the Zohar when it compares the relationship between the Jewish people and God on Chanukah to a blind person who uses a candle to lead a sighted person in the dark. Like the blind person, we do not always see how best to solve our problems, and, like the sighted person, God does not need our candles. Yet, God follows our efforts to solve our own problems like a sighted person following the candle. This perseverance to continue life’s journey and tackle our problems is what God demands of us; it is the purpose of our lives. When we live up to this mission, God follows our lead, as the verse in Proverbs (20:27) says, נר ה' נשמת האדם [the human soul is the candle of God].
The idea that God follows our lead is expressed in the special prayer inserted into our prayer services during Chanukah, called Al Hanisim. In the prayer, we thank God for fighting our battles, judging our judgments, and avenging our vengeance. We do not fight God’s war, it is God who responds to our battles, because it is these difficult experiences which become the backbone of our relationship with Him.
This explains why God objected to Jacob’s desire to withdraw from the challenges of the world. Of course, God had no objection to a life devoted to Torah study. However, Torah study should serve as a guide for how to live life and face our challenges, not as an escape from life. As we explained in I Don’t Claim To Be An Angel, the very word halacha [Jewish law] derives from the root word to walk, because halacha guides our walk through life.
It was misguided and pointless for Jacob to desire to withdraw, because the entire purpose of life is to face our challenges and make every effort to overcome them, and, in this process, develop our identities and our relationship with God. The goal is not to avoid problems, but to tackle them and to make choices, even in the darkest of times, that both individually and collectively help turn our souls into the candles that light the path for God. This perspective transforms our challenges from inconvenient and unlucky difficulties into great sources of meaning. We must remember that even when life seems dark, we can light up the world with our own unique contributions to the hardships confronting us.
Shabbat shalom.