Feature Tidbit
for Parshat Vayeitzei

WE LIVE IN TWO WORLDS

Yaakov Avinu is identified early in his life as an ISH TAM YOSHEIV OHALIM, a straightforward man, a dweller of tents. That early picture of Yaakov is of the Yeshiva Bachur isolated and insulated in the four walls of his Beit Medrash.

Yitzchak Avinu was certainly a spiritual person, symbolized by his being placed on the Mizbei'ach during the Akeida. Yet he learned many lessons from his father as to how to be part of this materialistic, physical world. His experience with Avimelech and his repeated digging of the wells is a representation of his understanding concerning living in this world.

Yitzchak's first idea was to give his blessings to Eisav, the man of the field, the one of his sons that was well aware of the physical world. Yitzchak hoped that Eisav would develop a spiritual persona to combine with the worldly side and become the embodiment of the whole, complete individual. Yitzchak might have felt that Eisav NEEDED the bracha, without which Eisav might remain only the ISH SADEH. Yitzchak seems satisfied with Yaakov as is.

Rivka Imeinu had other plans. She saw where Eisav was heading and she saw Yaakov's potential of SHLEIMUT, completeness. She orchestrated the diversion of the Bracha from Eisav to Yaakov. The Brachot that Yaakov received - the one when Yitzchak might not have known who he was and the one, Birkat Avraham, where Yitzchak  knew for sure whom he was blessing - gave Yaakov a very important "start" in life, but he needed "more work" to become Yaakov Avinu. He needed to attend the "school of hard knocks", the school of life. Rivka probably knew this better than Yitzchak; compare in whose home each grew up.

Rivka wants Yaakov to go to her hometown for more than one reason. Primarily, it was to save himself from Eisav's anger. And there is the issue of finding a suitable wife (or wives). But there was also the experience to be had in living with Uncle Lavan. And he was a master teacher.

Dreams play a major role in parts of the Book of B'reishit. In Vayeitzei we see two major dreams. The first, when Yaakov has just left his father's house, is filled with spirituality. A ladder reaching to heaven with G-d standing above it and angels going up and down the ladder. (True, the ladder had its "feet on the ground",and that is   significant...) After experiencing life with Lavan, life with wives and children, Yaakov becomes much more worldly. And this worldliness shows up in his dream of sheep and goats and ways to increase the size of his flocks.

Has this spoiled the ISH TAM? The answer comes in the form of the famous play on words. In next week's sedra, when Yaakov tells Eisav what's been happening in his life since they last saw each other, Yaakov says, IM LAVAN GARTI, I have been living with Lavan, and have been occupied until now. Rashi's famous comment takes the letters of GARTI and rearranges them to state, V'TARYAG MITZVOT SHAMARTI, but I have remained faithful to G-d. This is the only way it can work. There's a risk. We need G-d's help, and we need to prioritize, so that we won't be corrupted.

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