Vayeitzei

Toldos

Addition by Division

וַתֵּלַדְןָ הַצֹּאן עֲקֻדִּים נְקֻדִּים וּטְלֻאִים

מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת הָיוּ טְעוּנִים מִתּוֹךְ צֹאנוֹ שֶׁל לָבָן בָּאִים וְנוֹתְנִים בְּתוֹךְ צֹאנוֹ שֶׁל יַעֲקֹב

Parshas Vayeitzei includes many foundational moments, including the marriage of Yaakov Avinu to both Leah and Rochel, and the birth of all the Shevatim other than Binyomin. We also learn much about the time that Yaakov spent in Bais Lavan, a period of his life that was likewise impactful. Among the various stories and topics discussed in the Parsha, however, there is perhaps one that stands out as particularly difficult to understand.

After the birth of Yosef, Yaakov felt that the time had come for him to depart, and he asked Lavan to allow him to leave: שַׁלְּחֵנִי וְאֵלְכָה אֶל־מְקוֹמִי וּלְאַרְצִי. Lavan, however, understood that Yaakov’s presence had been beneficial, נִחַשְׁתִּי וַיְבָרְכֵנִי ד׳ בִּגְלָלֶךָ, and bid him stay at any cost: נׇקְבָה שְׂכָרְךָ עָלַי וְאֶתֵּנָה. The Pessukim continue, detailing the discussion that ensued, until we learn of the arrangement upon which they settled.

Yaakov told Lavan: אֶעֱבֹר בְּכׇל־צֹאנְך ָ הַיּוֹם הָסֵר מִשָּׁם כׇּל־ שֶׂה נָקֹד וְטָלוּא וְכׇל־שֶׂה־חוּם בַּכְּשָׂבִים וְטָלוּא וְנָקֹד בָּעִזִּים וְהָיָה שְׂכָרִי, he would pass through the flocks and remove all the speckled, spotted and dark animals, leaving only the white ones. Thereafter, the flocks of Lavan and Yaakov would be separated, and כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־אֵינֶנּו ּ נָקֹד וְטָלוּא בָּעִזִּים וְחוּם בַּכְּשָׂבִים גָּנוּב הוּא אִתִּי. Under this arrangement, Yaakov would retain only the speckled, spotted and dark animals with all others going back to Lavan.

The Torah continues, apparently telling us that Yaakov devised a method to ensure that his flock would be comprised of the animals that would remain his: וַיִּקַּח־לו ֹ יַעֲקֹב מַקַּל לִבְנֶה לַח וְלוּז וְעַרְמוֹן וַיְפַצֵּל בָּהֵן פְּצָלוֹת לְבָנוֹת. Yaakov took branches and peeled them so that they were striped. He put these staffs in the drinking troughs, and the Passuk tells us: וַיֵּחַמְנָה בְּבֹאָן לִשְׁתּוֹת...וַתֵּלַדְןָ הַצֹּאן עֲקֻדִּים נְקֻדִּים וּטְלֻאִים. The Pessukim tell us that this was a very successful strategy, and Yaakov became very wealthy: וַיִּפְרֹץ הָאִישׁ מְאֹד מְאֹד וַיְהִי־לו ֹ צֹאן רַבּוֹת.

Rashi, on these words, cites the Medrash which explains how this worked: הַבְּהֵמָה רוֹאָה אֶת הַמַּקְלוֹת וְהִיא נִרְתַּעַת לַאֲחוֹרֶיהָ וְהַזָּכָר רוֹבְעָהּ וְיוֹלֶדֶת כַּיּוֹצֵא בוֹ. Somehow, the fact that the sheep were looking at these staffs, while they were mating at the troughs, caused their offspring to emerge speckled, spotted or dark, as was relevant. While we do not understand exactly why this was an effective means, it seems that Yaakov’s actions were somehow rooted in Teva.

A later Memra , however, takes a much different approach: מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת הָיוּ טְעוּנִים מִתּוֹךְ צֹאנוֹ שֶׁל לָבָן בָּאִים וְנוֹתְנִים בְּתוֹךְ צֹאנוֹ שֶׁל יַעֲקֹב. Rav Huna teaches that the Malachim took the speckled, spotted and dark animals from the flocks of Lavan, and placed them into the flocks of Yaakov. These animals than sired further such colored offspring, and Yaakov Avinu was left with large herds of the animals which he was not required to turn back over to Lavan.

This Medrash is somewhat difficult to understand: if Yaakov had indeed devised a successful system using the מַקַּל לִבְנֶה לַח וְלוּז וְעַרְמוֹן, why were the Malachim necessary? And even if not, why was Yaakov granted his Parnassah in such an out of the ordinary fashion? Having Malachim bring the sheep from the flocks of Lavan seems like a complete suspension of any Teva—why was this the method through which the wealth of Yaakov Avinu grew to the point of וַיִּפְרֹץ הָאִישׁ מְאֹד מְאֹד וַיְהִי־לו ֹ צֹאן רַבּוֹ?

There are two broader questions to be asked as well, as we consider these Pesuskim .

First, we must understand the actions of Yaakov Avinu : why did he choose to establish this set of parameters for his compensation? Lavan made a simple request, נׇקְבָה שְׂכָרְךָ עָלַי וְאֶתֵּנָה, and Yaakov developed a seemingly complex set plan to establish his wages. Why? Why did Yaakov devise this this plan, which required the use of the מַקַּל לִבְנֶה לַח וְלוּז וְעַרְמוֹן to be successful?

On an even more basic level, we have to undersand why these Pessukim appear at all.

We know that the Torah only relates stories about the Avos that are directly relevant to us, and therefore many episodes are not included in Torah Shebeksav . The fact that so many Pessukim are dedicated to the business dealings between Yaakov and Lavan is therefore notable, and means that there is a lesson for us. What might that be? What are we meant to learn from the story of the עֲקֻדִּ֥ים נְקֻדִּ֖ים וּבְרֻדִּֽים?

As difficult as these Pessukim are to understand, there certainly seems to be more at play, as we have seen, and this is even more apparent based on the next Memra in the Medrash .

As we have seen, the Rav Huna teaches that Malachim brought the עֲקֻדִּ֥ים נְקֻדִּ֖ים וּבְרֻדִּֽים, as needed, from the flocks of Lavan to those of Yaakov. After relating the words of R’ Huna, however, the Medrash adds another opinion: רַבָּנָן אַמְרֵי עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד. The Rabanan learn that it was the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד, those same clouds that protected Klal Yisroel in the Midbar , that brought the sheep from the herds minded by the Bnei Lavan to those under the supervision of Yaakov Avinu .

All the questions we asked on the words of Rav Huna apply manifold here: why would HKBH send the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד to bring the sheep to Yaakov Avinu ? Even if we understand that Yaakov was Zoche , for some reason, for his Parnassah to come B’Derech Nes, why were the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד used here?

Perhaps if we explore the significance of the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד in order to understand their presence in this Memra , we can understand the entire Medrash , and the Pessukim , on a deeper level.

We are first introduced to the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד in Parshas Beshalach , right after Bnei Yisroel leave Mitzrayim : וְד׳ הֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם יוֹמָם בְּעַמּוּד עָנָן לַנְחֹתָם הַדֶּרֶךְ. Rashi, there, explains that Hashem sent a Shliach , the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד, to travel in front of Bnei Yisroel and show them the way. At night, continues the Passuk , the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד were replaced by an עַמּוּד אֵשׁ that guided them and provided light.

The next Passuk speaks about the constant presence of these two Nissim: לֹא־יָמִיש ׁ עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן יוֹמָם וְעַמּוּד הָאֵשׁ לָיְלָה לִפְנֵי הָעָם. Rashi explains why the Passuk adds this detail: מַגִּיד שֶׁעַמּוּד הֶעָנָן מַשְׁלִים לְעַמּוּד הָאֵשׁ וְעַמּוּד הָאֵשׁ מַשְׁלִים לְעַמּוּד הֶעָנָן. The עַמּוּד אֵשׁ and עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד overlapped with one another—one would appear before the other dissipated. For example, the עַמּוּד אֵשׁ would be in place at the very end of the day, before the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד left for the night, so there was never even a split second that neither was present.

Why was this necessary? Although a human cannot time anything exactly, HKBH certainly could, there was no real need for the עַמּוּד אֵשׁ to appear before the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד departed, why then did this occur? What is the message of this aspect of the Nes?

This Rashi is based on the Gemara in Shabbos, but the Mechilta D’Reb Shimon brings this Medrash as well, and then adds an additional Drasha : לֹא־יָמִיש ׁ אַף עַל פִּי מַמְרִים וְאַף עַל פִּי מַכְעִיסִין וְאַף עַל פִּי מְנָאֲצִין . The עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד and עַמּוּד אֵשׁ were a constant, regardless of the way Bnei Yisroel acted in the Midbar . Even when their actions seemed rebellious or they did Aveiros , the presence of HKBH was felt, through these Nissim, every moment of every day.

Why? If they were מַמְרִים or made HKBH angry, perhaps they should not have been Zoche to the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד or עַמּוּד אֵשׁ, at lease not on the same level—why, indeed, were these Nissim accompanied by the reality of לֹא־יָמִיש ׁ in this way?

R’ Moshe Mordechai of Lelov , in Birchas Moshe, asks another question on the Passuk : why does the Torah use the words לִפְנֵי הָעָם and not מִן הָעָם or מִלִּפְנֵי הָעָם, which would seem more accurate? He answers this question by explaining an important purpose of the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד.

At the beginning of Parshas Beshalach , the Torah tells us that HKBH did not take Bnei Yisroel through Eretz Pelishtim , which would have been the most direct route to Eretz Yisroel, explaining why this was the case: פֶּן־יִנָּחֵם הָעָם בִּרְאֹתָם מִלְחָמָה וְשָׁבוּ מִצְרָיְמָה. The Zohar Hakodesh explains that these words do not refer to the entire Klal Yisroel—there was no concern that they might return to Mitzrayim . Rather, the word הָעָם refers specifically to the Eruv Rav, the rebellious element that left Mitzrayim with the rest of Klal Yisroel. It was this group that the Torah speaks about with the words פֶּן־יִנָּחֵם הָעָם בִּרְאֹתָם מִלְחָמָה וְשָׁבוּ מִצְרָיְמָה, as they were the least connected to the true purpose of Yetzias Mitzryim .

Based on this, the Lelover explains the true purpose of the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד: to create a separation לִפְנֵי הָעָם, between the Eruv Rav, referred to by the word הָעָם, and the rest of Klal Yisroel. So vital was it that a separation be maintained between the group that may have a negative influence on the rest of Klal Yisroel that HKBH sent the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד to ensure that distance was maintained. This, he concludes, is why the words לִפְנֵי הָעָם are used, so that it is clear that the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד existed to ensure that there was an adequate separation between the Eruv Rav and the rest of the nation.

Based on this idea, we can well understand the absolute continency that the Mechilta tells us is revealed by the words לֹא־יָמִיש ׁ עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן יוֹמָם וְעַמּוּד הָאֵשׁ לָיְלָה לִפְנֵי הָעָם. So vital was this separation to the survival of Klal Yisroel that it had to be unconditionally constant, אַף עַל פִּי מַמְרִים וְאַף עַל פִּי מַכְעִיסִין וְאַף עַל פִּי מְנָאֲצִין . Even if Klal Yisroel acted in ways that might render them otherwise unworthy of these Nissim, and perhaps especially at these times, לֹא־יָמִיש ׁ עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן.

We can understand the Gemara in Shabbos quoted by Rashi based on this idea as well. Of course HKBH could have ensured that there was not even a momentary lapse between the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד and the עַמּוּד אֵשׁ, but there was a lesson to be learned. In life, there are those from whom separation is necessary, and it is important to know that any gap at all in that separation, for even the shortest span, is detrimental. The עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד and עַמּוּד אֵשׁ were there to separate Klal Yisroel from the Eruv Rav, and the Nissim were therefore arranged in a way that there was not even a question that they were always there, so that everyone would understand the importance of a constant separation.

With this in mind, we can perhaps explain the Nissim that occurred in Charan.

When relating how the arrangement between Yaakov and Lavan the Torah adds one detail: וַיָּשֶׂם דֶּרֶךְ שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים בֵּינוֹ וּבֵין יַעֲקֹב וְיַעֲקֹב רֹעֶה אֶת־צֹאן לָבָן הַנּוֹתָרֹת. When the agreement went into place, the children of Lavan took control of his flocks and ensured that there would be great distance between their flocks and those of Yaakov Avinu . This seems like a minute detail, but perhaps it was at the heart of Yaakov’s plan.

When Lavan asked מָה אֶתֶּן־לָך ְ, Yaakov saw an opening: though he wished to depart, if he was to remain in Bais Lavan he could at least do so in a way that removed the influence of the Reshaim from his midst. He therefore devised this plan, which would necessitate a separation between his flocks and those of Lavan, because mingling would affect the appearance of future animals. Because Lavan and his sons would want to ensure that their flocks did not come into contact with those of Yaakov Avinu , they would be motivated to move away, placing great distance between the two camps. Indeed this worked, as the Torah tells us: וַיָּשֶׂם דֶּרֶךְ שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים בֵּינוֹ וּבֵין יַעֲקֹב.

Perhaps this is why Yaakov was rewarded to point of וַיִּפְרֹץ הָאִישׁ מְאֹד מְאֹד וַיְהִי־לו ֹ צֹאן רַבּוֹת. Because Yaakov’s entire purpose with this arrangement was to create a separation between his camp and that of Lavan’s sons, his Parnassah was brought B’Drech Nes. Yes, he devised a system that had an element of Teva, as the Passuk tells us, but in reality, it was a Nes. This is why the Rabanan mention the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד: because Yaakov designed a scheme that would create a separation between himself and Reshaim , he was rewarded through the very Nes that teaches us the importance of this type of arrangement.

We can now understand why the Torah tells us about this arrangement in such detail.

Whether the sheep were brought from Lavan’s flock by the Malachim , or the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד themselves, the message is clear: when we ensure the purity of our Machaneh , esthablishing and maintaining complete separation from those who might negatively influence us, Bracha ensues. Yaakov’s plan, which necessitated Lavan’s reaction of וַיָּשֶׂם דֶּרֶךְ שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים, led directly to the intervention of the Malachim or even the עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד themselves, and the eventuality of וַיִּפְרֹץ הָאִישׁ מְאֹד מְאֹד .