...וְיַעֲקֹב אִישׁ תָּם ישֵׁׁב אֹהָּלִים.
...And Yaakov was an honest person, dwelling in tents. [Bereishis 25:27]
Rashi explains that dwelling in tents is referring to Yaakov’s learning in the Yeshivos (tents) of Shem and Eiver.
But this phrase is written in an unsual way. Yaakov’s honesty (אִישׁ תָּם) is his middah (character trait) while his learning in Yeshivos (ישֵׁׁב אֹהָּלִים) is his ‘occupation’. We would expect the Torah to put some kind of word to separate the two. For example: “And Yaakov was an honest person. He dwelled in tents.”
“And Yaakov was an honest person, dwelling in tents” sounds like it’s all one! It appears that by saying it in such a way, the Torah is teaching us a major lesson: One’s success in learning Torah is directly dependent on his honesty!
Menucha
