“ויאמר מה אתן לך, ויאמר יעקב לא תתן לי מאומה אם תעשה לי –30:31הדבר הזה אשובה ארעה צאנך אשמר”
“And he (Lavan) said: What shall I give you? And Yaakov said: Do not give me anything: If you do this thing for me, I will resume pasturing and guarding your flocks.”
Yaakov Avinu did not want anything to come from Lavan, rather all would come directly from Hashem. That is why he made a deal with Lavan and based on certain parameters the animals would be his – and all of those animals were not that Lavan wanted to give – but rather they were all directly from Hashem.
This is as the Alshich explained on the Posuk, “ונתן לי לחם לאכול” – that Yaakov only wanted to receive all his goodness directly from Hashem, and not from the שר הארץ – the ministering angel who was in charge of the land. Had Lavan given him anything, that would have been like receiving it from the שר הארץ but Yaakov only wanted directly from Hashem. Between a giver and a receiver, there is something which connects them – that which the giver gives, and the receiver receives. The Maharal in Tiferes Yisroel says that Hashem held the Luchos in His hands, and Moshe did as well – and that connected them – that is how Moshe Rabbeinu was truly connected to Hashem. Yaakov did not want to be connected to Lavan in any way, shape, or form.
This is what the Posuk means when it says, “עם לבן גרתי” – that Yaakov always saw himself like a גר, a stranger, in regard to Lavan. He never wanted to be part of his family, rather, he sought to always remain at a distance, so that Lavan could not have a negative influence upon him.
With this understanding, we can explain why Klal Yisroel took all the gold and silver from Mitzrayim by “borrowing” it, and not asking for it outright. Had they received all of the gold and silver as a gift, that would have created a bond between the giver and the receiver, the Mitzriyim and Klal Yisroel, and Klal Yisroel did not want to have that attachment to them. Thus, they were to borrow it, not have any connection to it. Klal Yisroel were Zoche to it when the Mitzriyim chased after them into the Yam, and thus they were able to keep the gold and silver as spoils of war, but there was no connection to the Mitzriyim, as they did not give it to them.
The Hashpa’ah of Shabbos Kodesh does not come through the שר הארץ rather it comes directly from Hashem. Shabbos is a נחלה of Yaakov, and it is thus like all the Hashpa’ah comes through Yaakov. This is why the Arizal says that the food of Shabbos Kodesh does not connect a person more to Gashmiyus, for Hashem gives great Hashpa’ah on this holy day. This is why ר' משה מפשיווארסק says that the leftovers of Shabbos Kodesh are like leftovers of מנחות, that it is like the food is coming from the שולחן גבוה, the table of Above; that is where the food comes from. One needs to connect Shabbos to the weekdays, so that all the six days of the week should be elevated to the level of Shabbos Kodesh – when all comes directly from Hashem.
- RABBI YAKOV YOSEF SCHECHTER
