The Purpose of Examples |
The
Purpose of Examples
The
book of Genesis is replete with stories of our ancestors. Are these stories
meant to be a mere historical lesson, simply letting us know our history, or are
they meant to impart something more meaningful? Our
Rabbis say that every person should ask himself, “When will my actions meet up
to those of the forefathers?” This is quite a daunting task, and from this
question we can begin to understand that the Book of Genesis is much more than
an historical document. But
how do we reach this seemingly elusive goal of having our acts match up to those
of Avrohom and Sarah, Yitzchok and Rivkah, and Yaakov, Rachel and Leah?
“Maaseh avos siman labanim—the acts of the forefathers are a signpost for
their descendants.” This statement tells us that their acts (as we have noted
in a previous D'var Torah) have given us a
“spiritual D.N.A.” We
all know that to reach our full potential is not a matter of simply observing
the Torah, but also of internalizing
the messages given in the Torah. This is why, besides consisting of laws, the
Written Law and the Oral Law (the Talmud) also contain many stories and ethical
teachings. Let us look at a couple of examples from this week‘s portion. After
Yaakov receives the blessings from Yitzchok, he is forced to flee for his life.
He spends the next several years in refuge at his uncle Lavan’s house. This is
the first example of a Jew finding himself under the stewardship of a non-Jew.
While there, Yaakov fends for himself and does not allow himself to be cheated.
He is also later able to say with pride that though he lived with Lavan, a
person who did not go in the ways of G-d, he (Yaakov) was still able to go in
the way of G-d to the highest possible degree. This is an important lesson to a
people who continually find themselves in exile. Another example is the story of Rachel and Leah. Yaakov contracts to marry Lavan’s daughter, Rachel, after 7 years of working for him. On the night of the wedding Lavan decides to switch his older daughter Leah for Rachel (though both were destined to be married to Yaakov, Yaakov was as yet unaware of this). When Rachel realizes this is going to happen, she gives to Leah the code words she had devised with Yaakov, should such a situation arise. Why did Rachel do this? In order that her sister not be shamed. This is one of the most selfless acts in human history, and has inspired thousands of people to greater levels of sensitivity. |