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"When G-d Replenishes Our Investments"
The verse tells us that after all the years that Jacob did his service in exile, transforming Laban and Esau, Jacob returns to Israel, and “And Jacob came whole (sholeim - שָׁלֵ֜ם; unimpaired) [to] the city of Shechem.”
Rashi tells us tells us that with “whole/unimpaired” the verse means “whole in his body, whole in his financing, and whole in his Torah.” Why does Rashi have to explain anything, when the simple meaning of the verse is fine without it. Jacob, after having the ordeals with Laban’s trickery, and Esau’s hatred, Jacob, had, as Rashi himself explains, “Like a person who says to his companion, ‘So-and-so came out from between the teeth of lions and returned safely.’ Here too, he came whole from Padan-aram, from Laban and from Esau, who had come to attack him on the way.”
The answer is that there can’t be a verse with the sole purpose to tell us that G-d kept His promise! Of course G-d kept Hi promise. Thus, since, at the very onset of Jacob’s journey G-d had promised Jacob, “And behold, I am with you, and I will guard you wherever you go, and I will restore you to this land, for I will not forsake you until I have done what I have spoken concerning you," therefore, a verse telling me, “And Jacob came whole (sholeim - שָׁלֵ֜ם; unimpaired) [to] the city of Shechem,” in its simplest statement is completely unnecessary!
Therefore, Rashi is telling us that while Jacob’s work in exile exacted a price from him, outside of the “And behold, I am with you, and I will guard you wherever you go, and I will restore you to this land, for I will not forsake you until I have done what I have spoken concerning you”:
(i) “whole in his body”: Jacob’s limp was the outcome of Jacob’s fighting with an angel of G-d, sent my G-d for the purpose of having the Ministering Angel of Esau beat by Jacob, being forced to agree to Jacob’s receiving the blessing. This is not part-and-parcel of Jacob’s service in exile, and thus, isn’t included in G-d’s original promise.
(ii) “whole in his financing”: The verse tells us that “became exceedingly wealthy, and he had prolific animals, and maidservants and manservants, and camels and donkeys.” Thus, even though Jacob had to sending gifts to Esau to appease him, nevertheless, G-d had fulfilled his promise to Jacob’s still being, “exceedingly wealthy.”
(iii) “and whole in his Torah”: Jacob’s working by Laban in the integrous way “I was [in the field] by day when the heat consumed me, and the frost at night, and my sleep wandered from my eyes” is not necessarily part of exile. For even if Jacob had remained in Israel, working for someone, he would have had to work so diligently. Thus, the impact such work would have on his learning Torah, and his remembering everything that he learned, is not included specifically in G-d’s promise to Jacob either.
Thus, Rashi is telling us that the novelty of the verse, “And Jacob came whole (sholeim - שָׁלֵ֜ם; unimpaired) [to] the city of Shechem,” is that G-d replenishes every investment that we put into our service for G-d. The service of, “Making for G-d a dwelling place here on Earth,” and especially in Exile, exacts its price from us. Thus, G-d tells us that we should know that He will make sure that each and every one of us will, “came whole (sholeim - שָׁלֵ֜ם; unimpaired),” even in areas that are not including in G-d’s original promise to us: “The land upon which you are lying to you I will give it and to your seed. And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall gain strength westward and eastward and northward and southward; and through you shall be blessed all the families of the earth and through your seed. And behold, I am with you, and I will guard you wherever you go, and I will restore you to this land, for I will not forsake you until I have done what I have spoken concerning you.”
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