Vayeishev/Chanukah - "No Rest for the Weary"
We can withstand intimidation and threats to our survival only if we emulate our forefathers and boldly persevere in the face of challenges.
Sadly, this week we faced several reminders that antisemitism is becoming normalized in America. In a story that made international news, a mob marched through Center City last Sunday night, gathered outside of Goldie Rittenhouse just a few blocks away from us, and chanted and accused the restaurant owners of genocide. It was an event chillingly reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the mid to late 1930s.
Moreover, this past Wednesday, we watched in disbelief when listening to a congressional hearing where the presidents of Penn, Harvard, & MIT all refused to affirm that calling for the genocide of Jews was a violation of their campus policies on harassment and bullying.
While we still may feel protected against government-sanctioned persecution, our growing fear is nonetheless palpable and justified. We know all too well how easily ordinary citizens can turn on us. I think we can find valuable wisdom about the painful issue of antisemitism in this week’s Parsha.
The first word and the name of our Parsha is Vayeishev.
וַיֵּשֶׁב יַעֲקֹב בְּאֶרֶץ מְגוּרֵי אָבִיו בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן
Now Jacob was settled in the land where his father had sojourned, the land of Canaan. [Genesis 37:1]
Rashi tells us that the word “וַיֵּשֶׁב” means something deeper than simply, “He settled.”
וישב… בִּקֵּשׁ יַעֲקֹב לֵישֵׁב בְּשַׁלְוָה, קָפַץ עָלָיו רָגְזוֹ שֶׁל יוֹסֵף – צַדִּיקִים מְבַקְּשִׁים לֵישֵׁב בְּשַׁלְוָה, אָמַר הַקָּבָּ"ה לֹא דַיָּן לַצַּדִּיקִים מַה שֶּׁמְּתֻקָּן לָהֶם לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, אֶלָּא שֶׁמְּבַקְּשִׁים לֵישֵׁב בְּשַׁלְוָה בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה
Jacob wished to live at ease, but this trouble in connection with Joseph suddenly came upon him. When the righteous wish to live at ease, the Holy one, blessed be He), says to them: “Are not the righteous satisfied with what is stored up for them in the world to come that they wish to live at ease in this world too! (Rashi, Genesis, 37:2)
The Midrash here uses the phrase “לֵישֵׁב בְּשַׁלְוָה,” to"rest in peace" which is strikingly reminiscent of our expressions for someone who has passed away. In this way, God responded rhetorically, asking “The righteous wish to rest in peace both in this world and the next world?” And that’s when God decreed that all the problems involving Joseph would come to pass.
We have seen the word “וַיֵּשֶׁב” “He settled” used previously in a narrative about Jacob:
וְיַעֲקֹב אִישׁ תָּם יֹשֵׁב אֹהָלִים
Jacob was a pure man who dwelled in tents.
The word יֹשֵׁב is used here to connote that Yaakov studied Torah intently. When the word is used in our parsha, it probably means the same thing: Yaakov wished to settle to study Torah. If so, why did God find it so terrible that Jacob wished to study Torah? He wasn’t seeking to veg out; he wanted to fulfill the mitzvah of learning Torah.
One of my teachers in Israel, Rabbi Chaim Eisen, imparted an insightful lesson on the nature of tzidkut (righteousness), offering valuable insights to address this challenging question. He drew from Parshat Toldot, where Rebeccah and Isaac encountered fertility issues. Rashi (based on the Talmud in Mesechet Yevamot 64a,) explains that they both prayed for a child, but only Isaac’s prayer was answered, not Rebecca's. Why? Says the Talmud:
לְפִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ דּוֹמֶה תְּפִלַּת צַדִּיק בֶּן צַדִּיק לִתְפִלַּת צַדִּיק בֶּן רָשָׁע
Because the prayer of a righteous individual who is the child of a righteous individual is not similar to that of a righteous individual who is the child of a wicked individual. [Yevamot 64a]
Isaac was the child of the righteous Abraham and Sarah, while Rebecca was the child of Betuel, who was evil.
Many ask about this explanation. If someone has evil parents but still becomes righteous, then they should be considered superior because they faced an uphill battle against their upbringing.
It appears that in this explanation, the Talmud delineates three tiers of righteous individuals: The first and lowest level being the "ben tzadik," the child of a righteous person, whose righteousness solely derives from having righteous parents who raised the child to reflect their values, yet the child did not chart his distinctive path. The second level is the "tzadik ben rasha," a righteous person with parents of ill repute, demonstrating the ability to overcome parental influence and become independently righteous. The third and highest level is the "tzadik ben tzadik," the righteous child of righteous parents. They are nurtured by individuals on a high spiritual plane, but they also leverage that foundation to cultivate their own distinctive identity and righteous character.
Our forefathers undoubtedly attained the highest two levels of righteousness, where their virtue was achieved independently. The terms for a Patriarch, or “Av”, and a Matriarch, or Eim, are synonymous with a prototype or source. Each of the matriarchs and patriarchs developed their prototypical personality that served as the mold from which the Jewish people were shaped. Abraham exemplified the trait of chesed, loving-kindness. On the other hand, Isaac assimilated his father’s quality of chesed but then transformed into an individual with the attribute of Din (strict justice). In essence, he became a righteous person based on his own merits, in addition to being the child of a righteous person from whom he was able to learn.
For the same reason, Jacob had to forge his unique path of Tiferet/synthesis. In his earlier years, he seemed to model himself after his father Isaac, who was not permitted to leave Israel and was somewhat reclusive and inwardly focused, as the Sages teach us, living much of his life immersed in Torah study. We don’t hear much about Isaac's story in the Torah. Although Jacob emulated Isaac initially, he had to break that mold and recreate himself into someone new who would face the challenges of the outside world. He contended with Esav, then Lavan, and an angel. Through these distinct life episodes, he sculpted a unique identity as the third Av, embodying the essence of a prototypical forefather.
When we reach the beginning of this Parsha, Jacob thought finally that he could rest, since he’d already defined himself and now earned the right to resume a quieter life of Torah study. So why does God reject Jacob’s desire? The answer can be found in God’s phrasing. When He challenges Jacob’s wish to dwell in peace, the word used for peace is shalva, which doesn’t mean peace in the usual sense; it implies a sense of stagnation. Jacob inadvertently sought to pause the spiritual growth that is required of a prototype, a forefather, and God rejected that. Ultimately, after facing the upcoming challenges of Joseph and exile, Jacob met God’s challenge and became our prototype, the forefather of our exile. It is because of him that we can deal with the constant onslaught of problems and havoc we face in exile.
And in the darkness of exile, the lights of Chanukah represent the light of the Jewish people and the Torah. The name Chanukah means “they rested on the 25th day” i.e., the Maccabee army rested on the 25th of Kislev (chanu chaf-hei, חנו כ״ה). The word for rested is chanu, which means to encamp during a journey like the one we endured in the desert, which implies only a temporary stop. As Jacob discovers in Vayeishev, our rest in exile can only be a temporary respite from hardship. For better or worse, God will keep us on our toes. For reasons often beyond our comprehension, maintaining vigilance is crucial for our survival. Those of us fortunate enough to experience our exile in the United States find the glow of our candles reflecting our ongoing survival and success. However, we must not become complacent. If we do not continue to grow spiritually, we risk becoming stagnant.
Even the Jewish people in Israel today can be seen as experiencing a form of exile, reminiscent of the challenges faced by the Maccabees under the tyranny of the Greeks while residing in Israel. The Chanukah narrative powerfully underscores that our freedom to identify and practice as Jews should never be taken for granted. (To that end, I encourage everyone to attend the rally against antisemitism this Sunday morning at Independence Mall.) Our Parsha teaches that we can withstand intimidation and threats to our survival only if we emulate our forefathers and boldly persevere in the face of challenges that God sends to help us remain resilient and continue to grow spiritually.
Shabbat Shalom and Chanukah Sameach.
Eliezer Hirsch