A man took along his son to Radin to see the Chafetz Chaim and receive his blessing. His neighbor who was having financial difficulties joined them, so he too could receive a blessing from the great sage.
The neighbor had a few children. One was studying in Radin at the Yeshiva of the Chafetz Chaim, however, the others were studying in secular and irreligious education.
The Chafetz Chaim gave a warm blessing to the man and his son. The man then introduced his neighbor and asked the Chafetz Chaim to bless him with Parnassa.
The Chafetz Chaim replied, "when I was a child I went to study in Cheder. The days I went to Cheder my mother gave me a sandwich, but the days I stayed home I never received a sandwich. Tell the man to go back to Cheder, to behave correctly and he will get his sandwich, Parnassa."
The man said, "but he has a son in Yeshiva in Radin." The Chafetz Chaim replied, "yes, one son here and one son there..." The father of the boys paled seeing that the Chafetz Chaim knew everything.
The Chafetz Chaim continued, "in Parshas Vayishlach (this week's Parsha) we see something very interesting. Yaakov is scared of Eisav and his four hundred men coming to kill him. Yaakov sends him hundreds of animals as a present to soften his hate. Then the Passuk has a very interesting dialogue. Yaakov tells his servants who were going to take the animals the following.
'When Eisav asks you, to who do you belong, where are you going and who is all this for? And you should say, (we belong) to your servant Yaakov, it's a present for my master Eisav and he is behind us.'
The Passuk continues, 'and he (Yaakov) instructed also the second, also the third (group of servants) also all those that were following after the herds of animals saying, this is what you should say to Eisav.' Why did Yaakov go into so much detail, so many questions that Eisav may ask, and why does the Passuk tell us that Yaakov instructed the second, the third, and all those that followed. What is the Passuk trying to tell us," asked the Chafetz Chaim?
"The answer," said the Chafetz Chaim, "is as follows."
"There is a Halacha that if a Jew sells his servant to a non-Jew, he is forced to buy him back even if he has to pay ten times more then he sold him for. Our Rabbis fine him for selling the servant to a non-Jew.
Why? Because by the non-Jew, the servant cannot keep all the Mitzvos he has to do and will not be able to behave properly.
Yaakov Avinu sent the animals with his servants as a present to Eisav. Yaakov then gave the following message to his servants.
When you meet Eisav, he will ask you, 'what about you servants, who do you belong to? Are you part of the present for me Eisav, or just the delivery men?' To that you should answer, 'we belong to Yaakov, he is not giving us away as a present. Only the animals he is giving you as a present. But I am going back to Yaakov to continue to study and be educated by his holy ways.'
Yaakov wouldn't give away his servants to Eisav and allow them to lose all they had learned in his home."
The Chafetz Chaim continued, "and if Yaakov was so particular even about his servants, all the more so, how much more particular he was on his children's education and surroundings. And for that, Yaakov Avinu merited that his children were the holy tribes."
"Sadly," continued the Chafetz Chaim, "nowadays many parents have fallen off track from the path of Yaakov Avinu and send their children to be educated in places that not only don't appreciate Judaism but they are taught to make fun at our holy lifestyle and Mitzvos."
The man was very taken aback, understood the message and promised the Chafetz Chaim that he will change his children's education and send them to Jewish schools.
When he heard that, the Chafetz Chaim gave him a very warm blessing for success in Parnassa.
The Gemarah (Avoda Zara 25:) tells us that when a person is on a journey and he meets robbers who invite him to join their group, he should broaden his journey to them. That means he should tell them that he is headed to a city far away. If the robbers were planning to rob him, they will do so towards the end of the journey, but when he reaches his destination on the way, he can then leave them without danger.
The Gemarah tells over that Rav Menashe was on his way to Beit Tortah and he met a group of robbers. They asked him where he was going and he replied to Pumpadisa. They planned to rob him close to Pumpadisa but when he got to Beit Tortah he bade them farewell.
They asked him from whom did he learned this trick and he answered them that he learned it from Rav Yehuda. They replied, "so you learned how to deceive from Rav Yehuda!" How amazing. The robbers planned to strip the Amora Rav Menashe from all his possessions and possibly even kill him. But when he outwitted them, suddenly they become honest people lecturing him for his deceit!
The same we see in this week's Parsha. Eisav begs Yaakov to join him and accompany him. Yaakov tells him that he should wait for him in Se'ir. Eisav heads off to Se'ir but Yaakov stops at Sukos and Shechem and Eisav is still waiting for Yaakov at Se'ir.
A man left his family for a couple of years to work and bring home some money for his family. The man worked diligently until he got together a substantial sum of money and then decided to return home. He was walking through the forest road, his thoughts already seeing the happy faces and smiles of his family.
Suddenly, his thoughts were disturbed by a loud voice shouting at him to stop. He turned around and saw a robber holding a gun demanding him to give over his money. The man begged for mercy but to no avail.
The man handed over his money and the robber let him go. The man turned to the robber and said, "look, I have been working for a few months to earn this money and if I come home penniless my wife won't believe me that I was robbed. I therefore have a request from you. I will take off my coat and I would like you to shoot a bullet at the coat so I have can prove my story to my wife."
The robber agreed. The man took off his coat and the robber shot a bullet making a hole in the coat.
"Another bullet please." The robber agreed. Now the man took off his hat and said, "now a bullet on my hat." The robber shot at the hat. "Another bullet." The robber answered, "I am out of bullets. I have none left." "If so," said the man, "I am not scared of you." He started hitting, kicking and beating the robber really hard, took back all his money and started walking off.
The robber shouted, "you thief! not only you beat me, you're also stealing all my money!" We see this over and over again with dishonest people. When they do what they want its ok, but when someone outwits them, suddenly they become the crooks.
Eisav sold his rights as firstborn to Yaakov for a plate of soup and he made fun of being a firstborn. When Yitzchak calls Eisav to give him the blessings, did he admit the truth to Yitzchak that he had sold his rights? For sure not! But Yaakov comes and takes the blessings that are rightfully his, Eisav shouts that Yaakov cheated him twice!
And what about us? We believe that all the blessings and success we have in the merit of those Mitzvos that the capital reward remains stored in Olam Haba, but Hashem gives us the fruits in this world. Which Mitzvos are they? Honoring one's parents, doing Chessed, coming early to Shul and Torah study. (Mishnayos Pe'ah 1-1)
And when we have success in the merit of these Mitzvos what do we use our money for? Do we still have the time to continue to be particular on these Mitzvos that brought us our success? Aren't we too busy to go and study? Too busy to give charity? Too busy for to look after our parents? Too busy to be in time for prayers? Is that our gratitude for the blessings we received?
Going back to the Yaakov Avinu and Eisav, when will Yaakov arrive at Se'ir? The answer we say every day in morning prayers by Az Yashir. And the saviors will ascend on Har Zion to judge the mountain of Eisav and the Kingship will belong to Hashem (Ovadiah 1-21). May we merit this great day very soon with the speedy arrival of Mashiach, Amen.
