Date: Wed, 17 Nov 1999 07:33:34 +0200 (IST) B"H "Path Markers" Vayaitzai: By: Yaacov Silverstein e@mail: hm16@popeye.cc.biu.ac.il HomePage: http://faculty.biu.ac.il/~hm16/ Year: 5760 This Weeks Dvar - Torah was prepared in the memory and merit of: My grandfather: Rav Yitzchak Zev Ben Yisroel Mordechai Hakohen Solomon Z"L Pasuk: (29-30:30) "He consorted also with Rachel and loved Rachel even more than Leah, and he worked for him yet another seven years. Hashem saw that Leah was unloved, so he opened her womb..." Two Levels: ---------- Lavan was a person who lived up to his reputation, he was a deceitful person. He decided to substitute Leah for Rachel on the wedding night. Despite Rachel's incredible act of unselfishness and Lavan's dishonesty, the marriage between Yakov and Leah took place, because Hashem had planned for Yakov and Leah to become husband and wife. Rav Dessler explains that Yakov had in him two levels of service to Hashem, thus now he is called Yakov, and later on in the Torah he is called Yisrael. Yakov had a portion of the "lower level" (Yakov) and a portion of the "higher level", (Yisrael). Rachel, who was distinguished by her beauty, corresponded to the lower portion, this world. While Leah represented the "higher level", the world of spirituality. Rachel produced Yosef, who represented a true Kiddush Hashem, and saved his family in the years of famine. Leah produced Levi & Yehudah, the tribes of priesthood and Davidic Messianic monarchy. Rachel represented the mission of elevating and ultimately conquering the physical world. Love what? --------- Pasuk(29:20) "And Yakov worked for Rachel seven years, and it was in his eyes as a few days, in his love for her." There is an obvious question, that when someone has a strong feeling of love for another person and has a deep passion to get married, even a short period of time seems to be longer than it really is. How then could 7 years of work for Lavan seem short in Yakov's eyes? The Malbim gives an answer that Yakov loved Rachel because of her good qualities which would make her worthy of being the mother of the "children of Israel(Yakov)". The Torah tells us that the time was short for him because of "his love for her", and not his love for himself. A person whose love is based on his own passion, really loves himself and not the object of his love. When one loves "the good", he likes the thing which is good, and not himself, thus the time was short for it was a non-selfish love. Leah was "disliked": ---------------- What is meant when it says in the Pasuk, "Hashem saw that Leah was unloved"? Rav Pam asks, is it possible that Yakov Avinu disliked another Jew, let alone his wife? We also see that the Pasuk tells us that Yakov loved Rachel more than Leah, meaning that he also loved Leah, just that Rachel was more loved? Rav Pam explains that "Hashem" saw that Leah was unloved, for only Hashem can see ones inner feelings, Yakov didn't realize that Leah felt hated. (Of course we must NOTE: that Yakov Avinu was on a much higher level than any of us today, and thus much more was expected from him - on his level, Leah felt unloved) Rav Paysach Krohn explains that we can learn from here that "hatred" does not necessarily mean that one shows that he dislikes the other person. Perhaps it also can mean causing another person to feel hated, by showing favoritism to another person, or by ignoring someone else. We know that the second Beis Hamikdash was destroyed only because of "baseless hatred" (Yoma 9b). Let us all re-evaluate how we act in our relationship with others for we may act in a way that others may feel hated, unbeknown to us, and thus cause the Beis Hamikdash not to be rebuilt. ******* I would like to thank my mother (S.M.F) for helping me out by looking over the first draft. (The above Halacha is not Psak, it is there to try to help to increase ones Torah awareness, for final Psak, please consult your : Local Reliable Orthodox Rabbi.) ------- **********--------- --------***********--------