Escape?
When Ya’akov left Be’er Sheva he was running for his life. His brother Eisav, (who had just killed the fearsome king, Nimrod), was in a rage and determined to kill him. When Rivkah heard what Eisav was planning she said: “Kum brach lecha” - run, escape. Likewise, in the haftarah the pasuk states, “va’yivrach Ya’akov - Ya’akov escaped”. Why does the Chumash employ the simple expression “va’yeitzei - he went out” as though Ya’akov’s dramatic escape and painful trip was a simple errand, rather than “va’yivrach”?
Ya’akov’s receiving of the brachos and escape from Eisav was detailed in Parshas Toldos. One would have expected the Torah to then continue immediately with his escape. Instead it interjects by informing us that Eisav got married to his third wife Machlas, the daughter of Yishmael. Why so?
Shidduchim
The mefarshim answer this latter question as follows. When Eisav “entered shidduchim”, he immediately found two wives. When he wanted a third, he found one right away. His brother Ya’akov had the opposite experience - there was not a single good match for him in the entire city. He had to travel far to find a wife, and, not only that, he had to work for seven years under his sly uncle for a woman he did not want, and, only after working for another seven years, did he receive the wife he wanted. All this amid a difficult exile away from home and on the run from a murderous brother.
But Ya’akov approached this with the correct perspective. As Rav Mattisyahu Soloman explains, Ya’akov understood that it was all part of Hashem's master plan for him. This terrible ordeal would bring him to his shidduch, to a place of greater growth, and to a place in which he could build Klal Yisrael in the best possible way.
The Torah specifically interjects to tell us that Eisav the rasha had it easy, and Ya’akov had it difficult. But yet, while Ya’kaov’s journey to his shidduch was nothing less than a terrifying “va’yivrach”, he approached is as if it was a simple va’yeitzei - a journey with Hashem. He felt as though Hashem was taking his hand and saying: “Ya’akov, this is the path that is right for you. This is the way forward. This will bring you to growth and prosperity.”
Born Within the Abyss!
And indeed, as the Torah goes on to relate, it was during this journey that Ya’akov received a direct message from Hashem, promising him protection and reward, and when he witnessed the malachim ascending and descending the ladder. It was from this abyss of confusion and panic that he married the four Imahos and the shivtey Hah were born. It was during this hugely difficult journey that Klal Yisrael was born.
Today, when so many of us are on challenging journeys, we may not always understand why we must run for our lives or experience so many troubles. But let us hope to emulate Ya’akov Avinu who, despite running for his life, was being held by the hand of Hashem.
