Yaakov demonstrated unusual Gevura, by taking off the giant stone as if he was taking off a bottle cap. (Chazal). Why does the Torah say 3 times: "לָ בָ ן אֲ חִ י אִ מּוֹוַיַשְׁ קְׁ אֶ ת צ ֹאן " כט י “Lavan, his mother’s brother” in this episode? RSRH Zatzal says that he felt that his mother was before him. It says: וַיֶאֱ הַ ב יִצְׁ חָ ק אֶ ת עֵ שָ ו כה כח Yitzchok loved Eisav (past tense), וְׁרִ בְׁ קָ ה אֹ הֶ בֶ ת אֶ ת יַעֲ קֹ ב and Rivka loves Yaakov. אוֹהֶ בֶ ת means that she is constantly loving him; an ongoing love that never stops. We can suggest that this love had to accompany Yaakov throughout his life.
Chazal say that Yosef almost sinned with the wife of Potiphar, but what stopped him in the last minute was when he saw the image of his father. I once heard a Pshat from R' Chaim Tzvi Fogel Zatzal, that what saved him was when he remembered: וְׁיִשְׁ רָ אֵ ל אָ הַ ב אֶ ת יוֹסֵ ף מִ כָל בָ נָיו לז ג the extra love he got from his father. Why, indeed did Yaakov give Yosef more love than all his sons? We can suggest that Yaakov knew that Yosef was destined for Nisyonos in Middas HaYesod (like Rashi says that Yosef is the rival of Eisav).
In withstanding the temptation of Arayos, having lots of normal love is a powerful tool. I know of a non-religious family who had tremendous Nisyonos in Inyanei Arayos when they were in Treife colleges. Yet, they had zero interest in sin, since they were such fully satisfied people. They weren’t missing any fake thrills in their lives, since their family was overflowing with love for each other.
In Slabodka they said that love is extremely powerful, and it can move mountains. Yaakov Avinu was inside his mother together with Eisav who was the opposite of Kedusha. Perhaps this is why: וְׁרִ בְׁ קָ ה אֹ הֶ בֶ ת אֶ ת יַעֲ קֹ ב Rivka loves Yaakov. אוֹהֶ בֶ ת She “loves” is an extreme, which is much needed for a twin brother of Eisav HaRasha.
And it symbolizes an ongoing (אוֹהֶ בֶ ת) love that doesn’t stop. Yeho’ash Melech Yehuda remained a Tzaddik as long as his Rebbe, Yehoyada, the Cohen Gadol was still alive. But as soon as his Rebbe was Niftar, he lost his Madrega. The Malbim explains that his Rebbe gave him a Chinuch that didn’t endure for the future. אוֹהֶ בֶ ת “She loves” seems to imply an ongoing and everlasting situation of love.
וַיַשְׁ קְׁ אֶ ת צ ֹאן לָ בָ ן אֲ חִ י אִ מּוֹ כט י He gave water to the sheep of Lavan, “his mother’s brother” implies that it was as if his mother was right there (RSRH). As soon as Yaakov enters the “lion’s den” (of Lavan) he remembers his mother, and this is why he ended up with: עִ ם לָ בָ ן גַרְׁ תִ י וְׁתַ רְׁ יַ"ג מִ צְׁ וֹת שָ מַ רְׁ תִ י רש"י וישלח לב ה keeping all 613 Mitzvos despite living with Lavan, similar to Yosef who saw his father’s image before him when he was confronted with temptation by the wife of Potiphar.
Just as: אוֹהֶ בֶ ת “She loves” is extreme, so is: אָ הַ ב מִ כָל בָ נָיו לז ג Yosef being the most loved (out of twelve sons) is also extreme. And indeed, Yaakov was Zoche to be unusual in Kedusha (Rashi), just like Yosef. Indeed, the simple Pshat in the Ma'ala of remembering his mother, was that it gave him Ruach and Gevura to do a super human feat when he rolled off the giant stone.
But we can also say that just like his mother helped in a physical Gevura, so did she help in his spiritual Gevura, and the story of rolling off the stone is also a Mashal and a Remez to spiritual Gevura. Similarly, the tremendous physical Gevura of Shivtei Ka was a Siman to their tremendous Gevura over their Yetzer Hara. (As Chazal say: אֵ יזֶהוּ גִ בוֹר, הַ כוֹבֵ ש אֶ ת יִצְׁ רוֹ אבות ד א Who is truly strong? One who overcomes his Yetzer Hara).
The same with the Malach of Eisav, whom Yaakov was able to overpower with his Koach HaTorah. Now, we thank Rivka Imeinu, who knew the Yetzer Hara well, since she came from Aram, and she was the sister of #1 Mr. Yetzer Hara (Lavan). After Yitzchok married Rivka, it says: וַיִ נָחֵ ם יִצְׁ חָ ק אַ חֲ רֵ י אִ מּוֹ כד סז Yitzchok was consoled for the loss of his mother. Do you know what was the most special thing Sara did for Yitzchok? She saved him from Yishmael!
And Rivka seems identical to Sara, when she saves Yaakov from Eisav. Notice how the Torah keeps repeating the Ma'ala of Yitzchok’s Shidduch with Rivka, that she was: אֲ חוֹת לָ בָ ן הָ אֲ רַ מִּ י כה כ the sister of Lavan the Arami, and: בַ ת בְׁ תוּאֵ ל הָ אֲ רַ מִּ י the daughter of Besuel the Arami. She is a perfect wife, who is familiar with the Yetzer Hara coming from Aram. אַ רַ מִ י Arami means רַ מַ אי “faker”, and Rivka became full of trickery by getting Yaakov to steal the Brachos. מֵ אוֹיְׁבַ י תְׁ חַ כְׁ מֵ נִ י תהלים קיט צח We become smarter by learning from our enemies. She’s just like her “dear” brother Lavan, and she can shtick just like him!
