Ya’akov was not punished for the fourteen years spent in the yeshiva of Shem and Ever, not because the Torah he learnt was more important than kibud av va’em, but because it was instrumental to, and part of honouring his parents’ wishes. He could, only follow their instructions and move to charan if he first learned how to survive in the corrupt setting in which he would find himself.
R’ Ya’akov compared this to a case of a child dispatched by his father to purchase an esrog. On the way, the child realizes that he is uncertain about some of the halachos and stops in a local shul to refresh his memory of hilchos arba minim. Stopping in the shul certainly does not constitute a delay in fulfilling the mitzvah of kibud av – on the contrary – it is an integral part of the mitzvah.
Likewise, Ya’akov knew that when his parents sent him to Lavan they wanted him to return eventually and declare triumphantly, “im Lavan garti v’taryag mitzvos shamarti”. He would only be able to do so if he stopped in Yeshivas Shem V’Ever to acquire the necessary skills.
Why Yosef?
In Parshas Vayeshev, the passuk states “v’yisrael ahav ess Yosef mi’kol banav” – Ya’akov loved Yosef more than any of his other sons. Rashi cites Targum Unkelus who explains that this means that he taught him all the Torah he had learned from Shem and Ever. Why did Ya’akov not teach Yosef all the Torah that he had learned from the Avos haKedoshim for many more years? Further, why did he only teach this Torah to Yosef and not his other sons?
The answer is that although it was sufficient to teach his other sons the Torah of the Avos haKedoshim, this would not suffice for Yosef. Yosef would soon be sent down to Mitzrayim, the ervas ha’aretz. He would be surrounded by dreadful people and experience brutal nisyonos from eshes Potifar. It would also be his job to prepare Mitzrayim for the rest of the shevatim who were to be arriving later. The only way he could withstand the terrible nisyonos for so many years was if he would be taught the Toras ha’galus transmitted by Shem and Ever.
This Torah is epitomised by the mitzvah of egla arufa. Hours before he was cast into the most terrible, unsheltered galus all alone, Yosef was taught about the dangers of the “field”. This rescued him from falling into the abyss, despite being brutally torn from a sheltered "city" and cast into the most depraved "field" on earth.
Shema Yisrael
Later, when Ya’akov realized that his son had experienced the greatest nisyonos in the darkest of exiles, in the most depraved “field” and nevertheless been mekadesh shem Shamayim, fulfilling the Torah of galus to perfection, the first thing he did was say Shema Yisrael. Why?
Interestingly, this episode has a striking resemblance to the story of R’ Akiva’s final moments that we related last week:
The Romans had forbidden the study of Torah. R ‘Akiva was undeterred and continued to teach. Eventually, the Romans caught him and sentenced him to death. Not content with simply executing him they sought to cruelly torture him, raking his flesh with metal combs. His talmidim looked on aghast.
Soon, the time for reciting Krias Shema arrived and, rather than crying in agony over his torture, R’ Akiva recited the passuk “Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokenu Hashem echad”. His astounded talmidim asked him, “Rebbe, ad kan - to this extent?” to which R’ Akiva responded: “All my life I was mitzta’er, I was pained about the passuk “b’chol nafshecha”. When would I ever have the chance to fulfil it? Now that I finally can do so, should I not rejoice? He extended the word echad until his neshama left him.
In last week’s article, we asked what R’ Akiva meant when he said that he had always been “pained” about the passuk, “b’chol nafshecha”? What was the pain?
We also discussed the fact that when Moshe was on Har Sinai he was allowed to see the astounding Torah that R’ Akiva would learn in the future. Moshe asked Hashem to see R’ Akiva’s sechar and Hashem showed him R’ Akiva’s grisly death. “Zu Torah v’zu secharah? - This is Torah and this is its sechar?” exclaimed Moshe. “Shtok - Quiet!” retorted Hashem, “Kach alah b’machshavi techilah”. Moshe essentially had the same question as the talmidim of R’ Akiva. Why was Moshe not answered at all whereas R’ Akiva’s talmidim were?
Different Times
We explained the name of R’ Ezriel Tauber. Moshe Rabbenu lived in a stupendous era of Jewish history, of yetzias Mitzrayim, of kriyas Yam Suf, of Matan Torah. It was a time of “Dodi li v’ani lo” - Dodi - Hashem - gives to me, and, in response, “ani lo - I serve Him”. R’ Akiva, by contrast, lived during the most difficult times in Jewish history, times of pain, persecution, tremendous hester, and yissurim. This was a time of “Ani l’dodi” - I am to my beloved, (Hashem) without first receiving prosperity (the element of “dodi li”) from Him.
Before the times of R’ Akiva, it was possible to be mekadesh shem Shamayim, but only in a limited way. Hashem's presence was clear. Klal Yisrael felt Hashem’s love and embrace, received His Torah, saw the astounding nissim and had the first Beis Hamikdash With the great giluy panim that was manifested there. The avodas Hashem was great but not the greatest of all. It was “Dodi li v’ani lo” - He was good to me so I responded in kind. R’ Akiva lived during a time of hester panim, of apparent tzaddik v’ra lo, of difficulty and pain for the nation. It was a time of stepping forward with “Ani l’dodi” before receiving any, “Dodi li”.
A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity!
While experiencing the most unimaginable torture R’ Akiva was saying: “Until now my avodas Hashem was not at its greatest level - it was ‘Dodi li v’ani lo’. All my life I was mitzta’er over the passuk of ‘b’chol nafshecha’. I was not able to serve Hashem during a time of hester. I did not have an opportunity to show ‘Ani l’dodi’, to demonstrate my unconditional love for Hashem. Now I am finally experiencing a situation where I am not receiving anything from Hashem. He is taking my neshama amid the most painful yissurim. Now is the ultimate time of being mekabel malchus Shamayim, of serving Hashem purely in a state of ‘Ani l’dodi'.”
Why Shema Before Going Out to War!
Let us return to this week's parsha. When Klal Yisrael headed out to war the soldiers were certainly great tzaddikim with many merits. However, those merits may have been accrued in easier times - times of tranquillity, of “Dodi li”. Heading into the difficult days of war one could not be sure that these merits would protect them. This is why the Kohen would invoke, instead, the merit of Shema Yisrael.
The passuk “Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokenu Hashem echad” could have begun with the words “Hashem Elokenu” but it chooses to invoke the name of our forefather, Ya’akov, the man who showed us how to prevail in difficult times. For this reason, we do not say Shema Ya’akov but Shema Yisrael for it is the name Yisrael that calls to mind Ya’akov’s victory and his intent to take a blessing and a lesson from his struggle.
This was Ya’akov’s intent. Yosef’s agalos carried the implicit message that he had not forgotten the message of the egla arufa in all the years he had been away. He had carried out the Torah of galus - the Torah of “Shema Yisrael” in the exposed field, far from the city.
The Continuation of the Toras haGalus
This was also the role of R’ Akiva, whose name has the same letters as Ya’akov. As mentioned above, he lived in one of the darkest times in Jewish history and experienced great personal pain and persecution. He sought to continue the avoda of Yakov - the Toras haGalus, which bids a person to serve Hashem during the greatest hester.
Chazal relate that R’ Akiva was so great that he would derive heaps of halachos from every “kotz” - crown, of the Torah’s letters. On a deeper level, the word “kotz” is employed by Chazal to allude to a “thorn”, for in R’ Akiva’s era there were many thorns, impeding the nation and causing it pain and suffering. And while others would seek to avoid the thorns and move on R’ Akiva would use them as an opportunity to grow and reach new heights, just like his forbear, Ya’akov. “From every kotz - every thorn - he would learn myriads of halachos - life lessons.”
When the flesh of R’ Akiva was raked with metal combs he chose to recite the passuk that Klal Yisrael declares when being killed al kiddush Hashem: “Shema Yisrael” - the name given by saro shel Esav at the end of the greatest of all battles, “Hashem Elokeynu Hashem echad” - it is the same Hashem during times of tranquillity (such as the eras of the Beis Hamikdash, Matan Torah and kriyas Yam Suf) and times of difficulty, of galus, of being accosted by eishes Potifar, of being incarcerated for dozens of years, of giving up one’s life for the “sin” of teaching Torah.
