“If Hashem ... will give me bread to eat and clothes to wear ...” (28:20)
Nothing is sadder than someone who has the wherewithal without the “all.”
Nothing is sadder than having the means without the end.
A person can have tremendous wealth and opulence, can have a live-in Sushi chef, but if he has Crohn’s disease, instead of being a blessing, his wealth and wherewithal are a constant reminder of his infirmity.
Someone can have the last word in tailoring: a suit by number one Italian tailor, Antonio Liverano, and shoes by Crockett & Jones, but if he’s in the middle of a vicious legal battle and all his days are spent going to court, then his clothes will just remind him of where he has to go today.
“If Hashem ... will give me bread to eat and clothes to wear ...”
Ostensibly, there is no other reason to have bread than to eat it and no other reason to have clothes than to wear them. So, why does the verse spell out ‘bread to eat’ and ‘clothes to wear’?
Yaakov Avinu was asking Hashem not just for the wherewithal, not just food but also for the health to enjoy it. And not just clothing but the peace of mind to dress in the morning with optimism.
