Yitzchak sent Yaakov off and he went to Paddan Aram, to Lavan the son of Betuel the Aramean, the brother of Rivka, the mother of Yaakov and Esav.
The Ohr Hachaim is disturbed by the fact that Lavan is called the brother of Rivkah. Why was it necessary to tell us this?
Additionally, why does the possuk tell us that Rivkah was the mother of Yaakov and Esav? What does this let us know? Why is it relevant here?
The Ohr Hachaim explains that the Torah is answering a question that could bother someone. How could Yitzchok send his son Yaakov to find a wife from the daughters of a person like Lavan? Lavan was known as a wicked man, Yitzchok surely knew of his reputation. Avraham did send for Besuel’s daughter for Yitzchok, but that is not the same as this case. Besuel was not known as a wicked man like Lavan was, and Avraham did not specifically command Eliezer to bring Besuel’s daughter as a wife for Yitzchok. Here, Yitzchok commanded him to go and marry the daughter of a famous Rasha. How could he do such a thing?
The Torah answers this question by telling us that Lavan was a brother of Rivkah’s. Lavan and Rivkah were both children of the wicked Besuel. This tells us that a parent does not have as much control over the outcome of his children as we would think. A parent can be a Rasha, and a Tzadik will emerge from him.
We also see this from the fact that Rivkah, the great Tzadekes, bore both Yaakov and Esav. This teaches us that the parents’ spiritual level is not an absolute factor, and this is why Yitzchok was willing to send Yaakov to Lavan.
The Ohr Hachaim adds an important caveat to this lesson, and we need to take this to heart.
He writes that this was only true in the days of the forefathers before the Neshamos of the world were sorted out into their correct orders. The world was still in flux, as Avraham and Sarah were the first to detach themselves from their backgrounds and surroundings and to subjugate themselves to Hashem in totality. All converts of that generation called themselves by the names of Avraham and Sarah, because they were the lead converts of the generation, and all sought to attach themselves to them.
Avraham and Sarah were building a new legacy and chain of transmission, drawing to them the sparks of holiness in the entire world. When they had a child called Yitzchok, the masculine part of the holiness had a representative to continue the tradition. No girls had been born to them, and the feminine side of holiness was not yet developed.
Both Avraham and Yitzchok had to send emissaries to retrieve the holy feminine side from captivity in the evil camp. This is why they had to bring wives for their children from Padan Aram.
Once Klal Yisroel has been established through the twelve Shevatim, the borders have been defined. Hashem’s portion of this world is His nation, and all of the holiness that the world possesses is in the realm of Klal Yisroel. It is impossible for a Yid to be removed from this chain of transmission, even if he ch”v wishes to do so. If any sparks were left behind in the other nations, they come on their own to convert to Torah.
However, even when good and evil were intertwined, and Avraham and Yitzchok were working to separate the good from the evil, they could still not consider Cana’an as a source of holiness. Cana’an is considered cursed and Klal Yisroel are considered blessed.
The meaning of this is given by the Ohr Hachaim here. Avraham knew that Cana’an had not Kedusha sparks that had to be released. They were wholly evil, and there was no way that any of their daughters could be a suitable match for Yitzchok or Yaakov. The Torah indeed tells us לֹּא תְחַיֶה כׇּל נְשָמָה - you shall keep nothing that breathes alive. The Cana’anim are referred to as Neshamos. The Torah is telling us the reason that they must be killed. Their souls are evil, and there is nothing to be done to repair that. We are not supposed to take pity on their souls at all. That is why there was no appropriate wife among them either.
Indeed, we have never heard of a Cana’ani attempting to join the Moia’vi camp. People stay in the tribes and religions in which they were born. But Judaism has converts from all over the world. This is because the sparks of holiness are spread all over, and they attempt to return home.
The Ohr Hachaim continues his essay with a question. We were sent to Galus to gather to us the sparks of holiness that are captured in the nations of the world. When we empty a nation of its sparks, we move on to the next one. The Gemare writes that when we left Mitzrayim, it was like an empty husk. We emptied it out. Why are we now subjugated to Cana’an? Did we not learn that there are no sparks of holiness in Cana’an?
The Ohr Hachaim elaborates that there are two kinds of sparks captured by the nations of the world. Some are released through their conversion and marriage to a Yid. However, some sparks are closely attached to the impure husk of the nations of the world, and it cannot be detached. The only way to release it is when the impure husk hits the Yid and knocks against him. This means, the gentile has to attack and hurt the Yid, and that separates the spark from husk.
This is why we need to unfortunately suffer somewhat in this exile. We need to remove those difficult sparks from exile, and we need to live among them that they can make us suffer.
When we have finished removing all of those sparks, our suffering will end and we will be able to arise to Eretz Yisroel, returning to our original status.
