Musar su Genesi 25:27

ויעקב איש תם. The fact that this trait plus the fact that he was a dweller of tents, are the only ones of Jacob's many marvelous character traits that are especially mentioned in the text teaches us to what extent a person has to endeavor not to be devious and not to engage in deceit and trickery.

To sum up: Man's sins leave an imprint not only on his own face but also tarnish the "image" of G–d. This is why the Torah phrases its request that we be "perfect, whole" with Him by using the word תמים in the plural, [when it could just as well have described this attitude as תם (sing.) similarly to the Torah's description of Jacob's character in Genesis 25,27. Ed.]

When Jacob is described as יושב אהלים, "a dweller of tents," this refers to his being the link between two tents, i.e. the tent of Abraham who personified the attribute of חסד, and the tent of Isaac who personified the attribute of דין, Justice, as we have explained repeatedly. Jacob achieved a perfect blend between these two attributes. We have previously described that G–d, when He created the universe, decided to co-opt the attribute of Mercy to the attribute of Justice. Jacob reflected G–d's decision. When our sages always speak of the "love" of Abraham, the "fear" of Isaac, and the "truth" of Jacob this is the combination of Mercy and Justice. Jacob represented the emanation תפארת.

Esau ridiculed this, saying that Adam had been able to reproduce other human beings of whom the Torah testifies that they were "in His image and form," i.e. of equal or greater worth. Thereby he had restored the damage Cain had wrought (Genesis 5,3). This occurred when Shet was born, who provided the strain of mankind that survived the deluge. Esau vowed not to repeat Cain's mistake, but to ensure that no one could be sired by Isaac to replace Jacob. He particularly wanted to destroy one of the pillars supporting the universe, i.e. the Torah, which was represented by Jacob, the יושב אוהלים, the dweller in tents (a euphemism for Torah academies). On Genesis 25, 27, Rashi explains the plural as comprising the academies of Shem and Ever respectively. Esau reasoned that during the days of mourning for their father Isaac Jacob would have to interrupt his Torah study and the angel of death, Esau's guardian angel, would be able to claim him at such a time. We know from king David that the angel of death could not touch David while he was immersed in Torah study. He had to be distracted so that the angel of death could claim his soul. The Talmud relates a similar occasion when the angel of death tried to claim the soul of Rabbah. The latter had to be distracted through some tremendous noise (Baba Metzia 86).

I have already hinted that Jacob, who referred to himself as possessing כל, "all," in Genesis 33,11, is similarly described by that term in our grace prayer. What is meant is his remaining totally alive, seeing all his children continued to live according to their father's tenets. Jacob was also called איש, and our sages relate that whereas Jacob did not die, Esau did die (Taanit 8). Esau had said of himself in Genesis 25,32 that he was headed for death. Jacob's ability to remain "alive," חי, began with Sarah, who was not attached to the קליפה, and through whose son, ביצחק, one side of such pollutants was already removed, i.e. מיצחק, hence the description of his blessing as מכל. The terms בכל-מכל-כל, refer to elimination of the pollutants in ever-increasing measure. Abraham therefore is at the bottom of such a chain whereas Jacob is at the top, and thus was called חי.

We have been handed over to the dominion of a force which after all originated in the regions of sanctity and purity, i.e. we have been subjected to their ראש, which is metaphor for their origin in Holy Spheres. These pagans are not allowed, however, to have sin-offerings presented on their behalf on the altar of the Holy Temple because their sin-offerings are impurity personified. All of this is the mystical dimension of the 70 bulls the Jewish people offered on behalf of the Gentile nations during the course of the holiday of Tabernacles as described in Numbers 29,14-34. It will be explained there in greater detail. While we have said that Esau was first-born from the physical aspect, i.e. that he was born first, we nonetheless look forward to the time of the redemption when it is he who will become the עקב, heel, not Jacob. When the Torah describes Jacob as holding on to the heel of Esau in Genesis 25,27, this is an allusion to Esau being the last of the שרים to have dominion over Israel at any time.

My merit has been depleted by all the favors and the fulfillment of Your promises." According to Rabbi Aba in Bereshit Rabbah 76,5 the word קטונתי, means that Jacob felt unworthy of all the favors he had experienced at the hands of G–d. Rabbi Levi, however, feels that Jacob had felt entitled to receive favors, but had exhausted his merits by so doing. Both Rabbis are quite correct. Jacob's remarks expressed both his feelings vis-a-vis Esau and his feelings vis-a-vis Samael. Concerning his standing vis-a-vis Esau, Jacob expressed concern that the very favors he had experienced up to now might place him in a disadvantageous position, for Esau had not been recompensed for his merits. We know from Shabbat 32a that a miracle performed for someone draws on his accumulated merits. The Talmud derives this principle from our verse. Rashi understands the verse in the latter sense. We must conclude that Jacob appealed to G–d at this point to perform a miracle for him now too, in order to save him from Esau. When he invoked the four-lettered Name of G–d, we see a similarity to Psalms 20, 8: ’אלה ברכב ואלה בסוסים ואחנו בשם ה' אלוקינו נזכיר, "They (call) on chariots, they (call) on horses, but we call on the name of the LORD our G–d," for true salvation is G–d's domain. Not feeling morally entitled, Jacob pleaded with G–d to perform the miracle for the sake of His Name. Regarding his imminent confrontation with Samael, however, he said: קטונתי מכל האמת, he invoked his own specific attribute of “אמת,” as we have explained repeatedly in connection with Michah 7,20: תתן אמת ליעקב, "You will keep faith with Jacob." This attribute is a reference to the Torah which is known as תורת אמת, in other words the Torah was given to the people of Israel through this attribute of Jacob. According to the Kabbalists the Torah originates in the upper regions of Heaven, a region where the attribute of Jacob is at home. Jacob is described in the Torah as being איש תם, "a perfect individual residing in the 'tents' of Torah” (Genesis 25,27). The expression קטונתי, "I am too insignificant, too unworthy," may be understood better when we compare it to the last Mishnah in tractate Sotah 49, where we are told that after the death of Rabbi Yossi the “קטנותא,” there were no longer any men deserving the title "the pious one." If Rabbi Yossi was so pious, why does the Mishnah refer to him as "the little one?" According to Rashi the meaning is that Rabbi Yossi was the least pious of all the pious men preceding him. According to Maimonides it means that Rabbi Yossi was the "root" of all the pious men, and the root is by nature something that has small beginnings. Jacob then alluded to the process of attaining significance as being one that commences by one's being small, קטן. This is also why Jacob is popularly known as יעקב הקטן, "little Jacob." In his entreaty to G–d to save him from Samael, Jacob referred to this when he said: קטונתי. When Rabbi Levi said in the Midrash that Jacob meant: "I was deserving, he meant "but now I have become 'small' seeing that my merits may have been used up."

I have already mentioned that just as G–d is unique, so is Israel unique, and that this is a reason why there is such a close relationship between G–d and Israel. It is the reason why כי לא יטוש ה' את עמו בעבור שמו הגדול, "that G–d will not abandon His people for the sake of His great Name" (Samuel I 12,22). The numerical value of G–d's Ineffable Name amounts to 26, twice the numerical value of אחד, "one", or 13. Israel's uniqueness added to G–d's uniqueness makes 26. If G–d were to abandon Israel, He would impair His "great Name." The means of the close relationship between G–d and Israel is the holy Torah, all of which is composed of letters in the name of G–d. Torah may be viewed as the revelation of G–d. By its observance of Torah, Israel "awakens" the spiritual dimensions of Torah, i.e. the mystique surrounding the various names of G–d. The result produced is that Israel literally "cleaves" to G–d. When we view the uniqueness of Jacob and the uniqueness of Joseph, we may also view each of them as בעלה של תורה, the master of Torah. Jacob is the proverbial איש תם יושב אהלים, whereas Joseph is the בן זקונים. Whatever Jacob had learned in the academy of Shem and Ever (after he left home and before he arrived at Laban's), he transmitted to his son Joseph.

This is the meaning of ובשר בשדה טרפה, "in the field," which is outside the confines of קדושה holiness, like the "field" of Esau who is described in the Torah as a man of the "field," as distinct from his brother, the איש תם (Genesis 25,27). We know of seventy categories of impurities corresponding to the seventy spiritual counterparts or "princes" of the seventy Gentile nations. This is why we must not consume any of these animals infested with "impurity," in order to maintain our destiny of אנשי קודש תהיון לי.

When they said: "The brother of the master was a swindler," they deliberately referred to him as "brother" instead of saying "Jacob the swindler." Their intent was to make Jacob's trickery appear to have been greater than it was. They referred, for instance, to the time Jacob introduced himself to Rachel as the brother of her father, (the swindler), something which Rashi justifies as Jacob telling Rachel not to worry, that he, Jacob, would be able to cope with devious Laban (Genesis 29,12). Whereas the Romans could see Jacob's trickery as justified in the case of Laban, since Laban had been the first one to use trickery, this could not be said in the case of their Master Esau, who had never tried to cheat Jacob. Jacob cheated Esau out of his birthright as well as out of his blessing; because of this they emphasized that Jacob was both a swindler and a forger.

Rabbi Ashi used their exact wording to indicate that the Romans tripped themselves up by admitting that Esau had actually begun the whole cycle of trickery: he was the product of the serpent's pollution, he had inherited the slyness of the serpent; he even had a birthmark on his thigh showing the contours of a snake (as I have already stated). Esau had indulged in tricking his own father already long before Jacob bought the birthright. Our sages report him as having asked Isaac how one tithes salt, straw, etc., all in order to make his father believe that he was extremely pious (cf. Midrash Tanchuma on Genesis 25 27)

The second introduction needed to understand the whole issue is the fact that Esau and Jacob were twins inside Rebeccah's womb, and that she was the mother of both of them. This means that she was like the crucible within which Jacob was refined, whereas Esau at the same time absorbed all the residual polluted material of the original serpent that had still cleaved to Rebeccah in her capacity as Laban's sister. Esau inherited all the falseness of Laban. This left Jacob like pure, refined silver. That is what our sages had in mind when they referred to Jacob's beauty as equaling that of Adam (before his sin). The fact that Esau had absorbed all the negative residual elements within Rebeccah had enabled Jacob to become the pious person he was. Rebeccah loved Jacob; Isaac loved Esau more. The deeper reason for this is, as we have already explained, that there was some affinity between Isaac, whose root was the emanation of דין, the same emanation as the one the serpent=Satan=Esau was rooted in. Rebeccah, on the other hand, loved Jacob, seeing that her appearance was just like that of her mother-in-law Sarah, as we have explained. When Sarah is described in Genesis 20,3 as בעולת בעל, the Talmud Ketuvot 61 describes this as meaning that her husband was in a state of ascension at the time. The Torah compliments Sarah by testifying that together with her husband she ascended to higher spiritual regions. Rebeccah experienced something similar. We know that Isaac was described as עולה תמימה, an unblemished total offering [ עולה in the sense of something that ascends Ed.], at the time he was bound on the altar at Moriah. Our Rabbis say that nonetheless Isaac was like a קרבן עולה ויורד, in the matter of the עקדה, meaning that at different times he was at different spiritual levels. While he was bound on the altar, for instance, he was on a higher spiritual level than when he descended from the altar, aware that he was not to be sacrificed after all, seeing that G–d had appointed an alternative offering in his stead, namely the ram that was caught in the thicket by its horns (Genesis 22,13). Jacob was called an איש תם, the word תם referring to his spiritual ascension. Esau, on the other hand, though from a holy source as we explained when we described his head as being cradled by Isaac , was of the caliber that was liable to descend rather than to ascend spiritually.

“Be wholehearted with Hashem your God” (Devarim 18:13). You must know that the trait of wholeheartedness is the loftiest of all the praiseworthy qualities and traits that a person must acquire. Therefore it states regarding our forefather Yaakov, “And Yaakov was a wholehearted man, dwelling in tents” (Bereishis 25:27). Surely Yaakov possessed numerous holy qualities and traits, such as piety, awe, humility, holiness and purity. Nevertheless, Scripture does not identify him with any of these traits but only with that of wholeheartedness, as it is stated, “And Yaakov was a wholehearted man.” Clearly, then, wholeheartedness must encompass all the other praiseworthy and holy characteristics. And indeed this is so. For if a person is humble but has the flaw of pursuing wealth or if he yearns for a certain sin, he is not whole in his deeds. Such a person is likened to a beautiful vessel with many chips and cracks. But if a person is wholehearted and complete in every praiseworthy trait, and is God- fearing, beloved, charitable, dwelling in the earthly tents of Torah and toiling in Torah by night — then, when his soul expires, he will merit dwelling in the Heavenly “tent.”