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BITACHON LESSON FROM THE PARSHA
פרשת וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח יַֽעֲקֹ֤ב תשפ"ד
וַיִּשָּׂא אֶת עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא אֶת הַנָּשִׁים וְאֶת הַיְלָדִים וַיֹּאמֶר מִי אֵלֶּה לָּךְ וַיֹּאמַר הַיְלָדִים אֲשֶׁר חָנַן אֱלֹקים אֶת עַבְדֶּךָ
[Eisav] lifted his eyes and saw the women and the children, and he said, "Who are these to you?" And [Yaakov] said, "The children who Hashem has favored your servant. (Bereishis 33:5. - Targum Yonasan ben Uziel adds "בְּמֵיחוּס", with compassion)
Yaakov could have simply responded “These are my children”.
Yaakov could have responded that these children are fulfillments of Hashem’s promise to Avraham and to Yitzchok that they will have a Klal Yisroel descend from them.
Yaakov could have responded that these are the children that I worked hard for, or earned with my hard work and my dedication to Hashem despite being in the wicked atmosphere of Lavan’s home.
Yes, Yaakov could have taken his children for granted. But he didn’t.
He made a point – a very clear point – of letting Eisav know that everything he had – his wealth, his health, his safety, and even his family, was a מתנת חינם, an unmerited gift from Hashem.
Yaakov clearly understood that Hashem was the Master and he was the servant. Hashem, the Master of the Universe, in His infinite kindness and compassion bestowed children to Yaakov and allowed there to be a Klal Yisroel.
Eisav’s question, וַיֹּאמֶר מִי אֵלֶּה לָּך, deemed the children “yours”, as if Yaakov managed to build a family via his own Hishtadlus, via his own hard work.
Yaakov’s reaction made it clear that the children were not “his”, they were a gift from Hashem that he was grateful for, as he, the servant, didn’t feel worthy of the endless kindness bequeathed to him by the Master of the Universe.
Yaakov understood this reality well, and lived his life with this firm Bitachon, trust and reliance on Hashem, that everything that transpired to him, everything that was given to him, and even all the trials and tribulations that he experienced, were all divinely orchestrated.
This lesson was transmitted to the children of Yaakov as well, including, and perhaps especially to Yosef HaTzadik, who Chazal tell us was the quintessential Ba’al Bitachon. (אשרי הגבר אשר שם ה' מבטחו, זה יוסף - עיין בראשית רבה פט, ג)
Upon laying eyes on his brother Binyamin for the first time after years of separation, Yosef blesses him with the words (Bereishis 43:29) וַיֹּאמַר אֱלֹקים יָחְנְךָ בְּנִי - Hashem be gracious unto you, my son - using the same verbiage employed by Yaakov many years earlier, regarding the rest of his children, indicating the aforementioned understanding.
לפי שמצינו חנינה באחד עשר שבטים - ויאמר הילדים אשר חנן אלקים את עבדך - ובשבט בנימין לא מצינו, והיכן מצינו? להלן אלקים יחנך בני - עיין ילקוט שמעוני
The lesson that Yaakov and Yosef are teaching us all is simple: There is no success without Hashem. There is no accomplishment without Hashem. We must place our trust and reliance on Hashem for everything. We must recognize that everything Hashem gives us is a gift. We must thank Hashem for everything He gives us. Most of all, we must constantly keep the name of Hashem on our lips.
It may be tempting to think - and tell others - about the good business deal that "I” negotiated, about the great family that "I" raised, about the amazing shidduch that "I" facilitated, about the way "I" keep myself healthy etc., but remember, that is the Yetzer Hara's way of talking. That is the embodiment of Eisav’s וַיֹּאמֶר מִי אֵלֶּה לָּךְ
Yaakov understood that the good business deal was from Hashem, the wonderful children he merited were from Hashem, the Shiduchim he did were from Hashem, his health and safety was from Hashem. It was all Hashem.
If we live like Yaakov taught us, we will be זוכה to be protected as Yaakov was. ה' צְבָקוֹת עִמָּנוּ מִשְׂגָּב לָנוּ אֱלֹקי יַעֲקֹב סֶלָה
Good Shabbos!
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