Ethics from the Parsha - Vayetzei

Ethics from the Weekly Torah Portion – VAYETZEI

An Excellent Exile?

In this weekly series, we take a look at the lessons from this week’s Torah portion (Vayetzei) that we can take with us into our everyday life.

Yaakov, Jacob flees his raging brother Esau, who is out for the kill. He therefore leaves the land of Israel and goes to Charan. The Midrash tells us that this alludes to the present day exile.

But what connection is his “exile” to our current one?

Says the late Rabbi of Lubavitch, R’ Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, that Jacob’s descent to Charan had both a negative and a positive purpose. Besides having to flee from his life, he also went out with the intent of building a family which would provide the leaders of the Jewish people until this day.

Therefore, in the same way, our exile also has positive connotations. We are on a journey; to add spirituality to the world – to our lives. This is also deduced by the fact that Jacob’s father Yitzchak, Isaac did not even know about the negative reason Jacob had to run away for; he was just aware of the positive; of finding a suitable partner to build the future of the Jewish people. And this is what we have to focus on.

And I would like to speak about another Jacob, my great-grandfather, R’ Jacob Lax, who perished in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Today, the 4^th of Kislev, marks the 69^th anniversary of his death. What is remarkable is that shortly before he was murdered in the horrific gas chambers, he took out a bottle of wine and made Kiddush, the sanctification of the Sabbath day (it was Friday towards evening, when the Sabbath comes in), just minutes before dying al Kiddush Hashem – the sanctification of God’s name.

Whilst it is very easy to see all the negative things that have occurred during this exile; the holocaust, pogroms, persecutions, etc. that have ensured that not a century goes by without constant troubles for the Jewish nation around the world, it is very difficult to see the good. By adding light, we remove the darkness. The act of reciting Kiddush and praising God is a tremendous act of faith in a place that was a hell-on-earth, the cause for over a million deaths, is a bold act of faith. It is what is positive in this exile.

As expressed by the Chassidic Master, R’ Menachem Mendel of Kotzk – “For some people, their faith is like an overcoat. It is worn by them and benefits only themselves in keeping warm. However, others light a fire. This enables all around to benefit from the warmth and heat the fire provides.” This is what my great-grandfather symbolised, by thinking about others, by fulfilling the obligation to recite the Kiddush on Shabbat for not only himself, but all around, even in the valley of death – This is what we must all aspire to do.

The flame will never be extinguished. We must never forget the suffering of millions over the years. Through accentuating the positive side of the exile, we will merit to see the ultimate redemption, may it come speedily in our days.