While at the home of Lavan, Yaakov Avinu occupied himself with shepherding and amassing flocks of sheep. This Sicha discusses the spiritual significance of these sheep, and the lessons they impart in our service of the Almighty.
Parshat Vayeitzei opens with Yaakov’s departure from Be’er Sheva after fleeing from his brother Esav, and his travel from the Land of Israel to Charan. In Charan, while at the home of his uncle Lavan, our forefather Yaakov immersed himself in the industry of sheep—his occupation being that of a shepherd and his wages being in the form of rams and ewes. Not only did he work with the flocks, but the cumulative wealth that he amassed also stemmed from these sheep. He first acquired the sheep, and through them he bought other things. The Torah describes Yaakov’s assets as follows:
Text 1
And the man became exceedingly prosperous, and he had prolific sheep, and maidservants and manservants, and camels and donkeys.
Bereishis 30:43
Indeed, Rashi comments on the verse, and explains:
Text 2
He would sell his sheep at a high price and purchase all these for himself.
Rashi, ibid
However, notwithstanding that Yaakov’s main venture was in shepherding these herds, and that this was the source of his prosperity, he nevertheless does not seem to accord them much significance. In the coming parsha, when he journeys back to the Land of Israel after his extensive stay in Charan, knowing that his brother Esav wishes to kill him, he sends a group of angels to inform his brother of his imminent return to Israel and that he wishes to appease him. When he tells Esav of the great wealth that he amassed, he does not initiate by declaring his large flock of sheep, but rather, he first lists other possessions and only afterwards mentions:
Text 3
And I have acquired oxen and donkeys, flocks, manservants, and maidservants, and I have sent to tell [this] to my master, to find favor in your eyes.
Bereishis 32:6
Yaakov first mentions his oxen and donkeys and only then does he mention his sheep.
An eternal lesson
Everything written in the Torah has an eternal lesson for all Jews in all places. While this is true concerning all sections of Torah, it is particularly true regarding the events of the patriarchs, as expressed:
Text 4
All that happened to the patriarchs, is a sign for the children.
Ramban, Bereishis 12:6
Furthermore, it is not only a sign as to what will happen to the Jewish people, but a lesson of how we are to act as well. In this instance, when the story of Yaakov and his flocks is articulated in great verbosity— throughout the entire parsha—the lesson that it holds is most definitely of great importance to the Jewish people. There are three significant aspects in the narrative of Yaakov and his acquisition of the sheep, and consequently three lessons to be learned:
- It was specifically his work in caring for sheep which produced his boundless prosperity.
- Though the sheep were the foundation of his affluence, they were not his only asset. Instead, he chose to exchange them for other properties as well.
- In his dispatch to Esav, his first mention regarding his possessions was of his oxen and donkeys. Only then does he reference the sheep that he possessed, though they were his primary asset.
The Torah communicates on many levels, and what is a discussion of physical sheep is also a narrative of deep spiritual significance. Each one of these three concepts that are expressed concerning the sheep of our forefather Yaakov, transmits a particular lesson that every one of us can and must learn in our service of G-d. In our service to the Almighty, there exists the act of (1) acquiring sheep, (2) bartering them for other possessions, and (3) declaring to our personal “Esav” that we have oxen and donkeys.
Sons and sheep
The Jewish people are deeply connected to the Almighty. It’s a reciprocal connection where we relate to Him in one manner and He responds in kind. The Medrash enumerates many facets of that relationship. Among the various analogies that it discusses, is the comparison of the Jewish people’s relationship with G-d both as a child and its father, and a flock toward their shepherd. G-d is our father, and we are His children; G-d is our shepherd and we are His flock:
Text 5
He is to me as a father, and I am to Him as a son...He is to me as a shepherd...and I am to Him as flock.
Shir Hashirim Rabba 2:16
This is perplexing though. Why must the Medrash enumerate additional metaphors of love after the relationship has been portrayed as that of a father and a child? Once it has been expressed that the Jewish people are considered G-d’s children, is there something accomplished in describing them as His sheep? Quite the contrary—there is nothing that can surpass the love that a parent has for his child; there can be no comparison at all between the relationships of the shepherd to his sheep, and the affection of a parent toward his child. Why then, do we mention that G-d’s relationship to us is like a shepherd toward His flock? What is illustrated in that particular description?
Loving like sheep
When the Jewish people are referred to as the children of the Holy One, blessed be He, this is referring to the way that they, like children, have significance in their parents’ eyes. The parent possesses a love and endearment for the child, as the child exists, separately from themselves. For G-d to relate to an individual distinct from Himself—by its very definition—means that the discussion relates to a level outside of G-d’s singular reality. As G-d relates to the world He can love the Jewish People like children. However, on a deeper level—where G-d transcends the world—
Koheles 4:8. it is nonsensical to state that He relates to us as a father towards His children. In Koheles
