Circular Reasoning

by Rabbi Mordechai Rhine

Esav was a remarkable personality. He was the son of Yitzchok and Rivkah, and the brother of Yakov. The medrash says that for the first 15 years of their lives both Yakov and Esav went to yeshiva. It was only after those first 15 years that Esav chose a bad path. It would be convenient to think of Esav as simply being wicked. But Hashem created the world with free choice. Esav got as good an education as Yakov did. What went wrong?

The commentaries explain that there is a certain human failing which may have led to Esav’s bad choice. You may be aware of the story of Yeravam ben Nevat, a very talented person, who lived in the time of the first Beis Hamikdash and who started an alternative kingdom for the Jewish people in which people served golden calves instead of going to the Beis Hamikdash to serve Hashem. The medrash tells us that Yeravam was such a great person that Hashem made him an offer. “Do Teshuva, and I (Hashem), you (Yeravam), and Dovid Ha’melech, will stroll together in Gan Eden.” Yeravam asked, “Who would go first?” Hashem answered, “Dovid would go first.” Yeravam responded, “If so, I am not interested.”

Apparently, sometimes a talented person can be afflicted with this human failing. They want to be “on top.” And, if they can’t be “on top” they are willing to start a different “system” which will give them the opportunity to be on top.

Esav lived in an environment that valued Torah. Whoever excelled in Torah would be “on top.” Esav excelled in many things. The Malbim suggests that their father Yitzchok was hoping that Yakov and Esav would be partners, with Yakov as the Torah leader, and Esav excelling in many other ways,  including finance and defense. But, apparently at age 15, Esav decided– as Yeravam would later decide–“If I can’t be on top here, I will chart out my own way where I can be on top.”

Esav fell into the trap of needing to be on top. This was a big mistake. But, more important than analyzing Esav’s mistake, we should spend time clarifying the Jewish perspective.

The Chofetz Chaim writes that the Jewish people can be compared to an army with a collective mission. As our sages teach us, “Hashem created the poor and the rich, so that they can find merit by partnering with one another.” This applies not only to physical poverty and the concept of charity. It applies also to people who are rich and poor in different areas. By partnering with one another, we achieve greatness collectively.

The Chofetz Chaim asked: Although, in an army an airplane pilot is certainly more prestigious than the cook in the kitchen, what would happen if the cook would leave his post without permission and head out to become a pilot? The Chofetz Chaim replied: He would be court-martialed! Because, it is only when everyone excels in their part of the partnership that, collectively, we experience success.

A fascinating story is told about the city of Vilna, which was populated by many Jewish people, both poor and rich. On one occasion a visiting Rabbi preached the praises of the poor who were unemployed and spent the entire morning reciting Tehillim in the synagogue. The following day a number of the wealthy people joined the poor intending to recite Tehillim with them for the entire morning. Only after the Rabbi came and shooed them out to work did they leave to their jobs. The Rabbi exclaimed, “The poor are doing what Hashem expects of them. You must do what Hashem expects of you.”

As the pious Reb Zushe used to explain, “When I get to heaven they will not ask me why I wasn’t Moshe, the Rambam, or the Vilna Gaon. But they will ask me, ‘Zushe, why weren’t you Zushe?’  Why didn’t you reach your own potential?”

Great Jews understood the contribution of every individual, even as a particular person is recognized as the leader. When Moshe describes the famous partnership between the tribe of Yissachar (the scholars), and the tribe of Zevulun (the businessmen who supported them), Moshe purposely mentions Zevulun first. Even though the scholars are the recognized leaders of the Jewish people, it was Moshe’s way of showing that it was indeed a partnership, and that the contribution of Zevulun was equally acknowledged.

In fact, when Rabbi Akiva Eiger was printing his correspondence he humbly commented regarding his students, “Who knows, who learned more from whom?”

The Talmud tells us that, in the future, Hashem will create a circle of righteous people and will place His presence in the middle. The commentaries explain that righteous people are those who fulfill their mission. The symbolism of a circle is that they will all be equidistant from Hashem who is in the center. Although there is certainly the concept of a leader, Torah Judaism acknowledges anyone who is righteous.

It is important that, as a community, we make sure to always be inclusive, encouraging people to find their places within the Torah world. This, perhaps, was a message that Yosef shared with his brothers when he revealed his identity to them. He said, “I am Yosef. Is my father still alive?” “When we were together before,” Yosef was saying, “You did not see room for me to have a relationship with my father, so you got me out of the picture. Do you think there is room for me now, to relate to my father?”

Similarly, it is the role of every individual to yearn to fulfill their own personal role in the world. It is possible that a person won’t be “on top.” “The top,” isn’t the goal. The goal is to contribute to the partnership that makes us great.

By the time Yakov’s mission would be complete, he would indeed forge a nation of Shevatim/Tribes, each one meant to contribute in a special way to what would become The Children of Israel, the Jewish People.

© 2016 by TEACH613™