Yaakov sent messengers to Eisav and instructed them to tell him that he had dwelled until this point with Lavan. What was Yaakov’s purpose in sharing this seemingly irrelevant information? Rashi explains that the numerical value of the word גרתי – I dwelled – is 613, the number of mitzvos in the Torah. In other words, Yaakov was telling Eisav that although I dwelled in the house of the wicked Lavan, I still observed the 613 commandments, and I also did not learn from his evil ways.
Rav Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman is bothered by the redundant expression: If Yaakov kept all the mitzvos, isn’t it clear that he did not learn from Lavan’s wicked ways?
Why did Yaakov need to stress this self-evident point? Rav Ruderman explains that Rashi is subtly teaching us that a person can observe all the mitzvos while at the same time absorbing the values of his alien surroundings. It is possible to strictly observe the letter of the law while losing sight of the larger picture, which also includes the spirit of the law.
For example, a person may make weddings and Bar Mitzvos that are glatt kosher yet extremely ostentatious, and a woman may wear clothing that conforms to the technical laws of modesty but attracts attention and violates the underlying principles of tznius. Parents may send their children to the finest schools but not set aside quality time to spend with them, or worse, they may create a home built on values that run counter to everything their children are taught in school.
As we constantly strive to improve our mitzvah performance, we must be careful to ensure that our actions are not tainted by the immoral and decadent culture by which we are surrounded, so that they conform not only to the letter of the law, but to the spirit of the law as well. (R’ Ozer Alport)
