American Jews and the Transformation of Israeli Judaism

(5) and instructed them as follows, “Thus shall you say, ‘To my lord Esau, thus says your servant Jacob: I stayed with Laban and remained until now; (6)I have acquired cattle, asses, sheep, and male and female slaves; and I send this message to my lord in the hope of gaining your favor.’”

(10) Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham’s [house] and God of my father Isaac’s [house], O ה׳, who said to me, ‘Return to your native land and I will deal bountifully with you’!

(1) From Egypt, Abram went up into the Negeb, with his wife and all that he possessed, together with Lot. (2)Now Abram was very rich in cattle, silver, and gold.

(35) The Israelites had done Moses’ bidding and borrowed from the Egyptians objects of silver and gold, and clothing. (36) And ה׳ had disposed the Egyptians favorably toward the people, and they let them have their request; thus they stripped the Egyptians.

“Adonoy will reign forever and ever.” And it is said, “For Adonoy has liberated Jacob and redeemed him from a hand, mightier than his.” Blessed are You, Adonoy Who has redeemed Israel.

“Yaakov left Be’er Sheva,” indicating a preparation for future exile, enabling his descendants to prepare properly for leaving the Holy Land. Yaakov’s journey to places where Hashem’s presence is hidden aimed to bring the glory of Hashem even to distant, hidden places.

And Rabbi Elazar said: The Holy One, Blessed be He, exiled Israel among the nations only so that converts would join them, as it is stated: “And I will sow her to Me in the land” (Hosea 2:25). Does a person sow a se’a of grain for any reason other than to bring in several kor of grain during the harvest? So too, the exile is to enable converts from the nations to join the Jewish people.

(6) The verse "Shalom to those that are close and far" (Yeshaya 57:19) implies that even spiritual distance is for the good, as it awakens a deeper longing for Hashem. Through this longing, one can bring Hashem's light even to the most distant places. Rashi's comment about the miraculous shortening of Yaakov's journey teaches that with true effort, there is no place where one cannot feel Hashem's inner light.

We too inherit this energy from Yaakov, who, with absolute self-sacrifice, placed himself in dangerous situations to fight Hashem's battles. We face difficult battles from the yoke of exile and the evil inclination that constantly challenges us. The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 29:2) indicates that had Yaakov climbed the ladder with full faith, there would not have been any exile. However, Yaakov chose the path of exile to fight Hashem's battles. We follow in our forefather's path, trusting in Hashem that no harm will befall us, and we will merit to emerge from darkness into light, speedily in our days, Amen.

Furthermore, according to the order of existence, it is not appropriate for a nation to be subjugated by another under the weight of a yoke upon it. Because the Blessed Holy One created each nation with its own purpose. The idea that the People of Israel should be "higher than all the other nations of the earth" (Deut 28:1) when they do the will of the Almighty is a separate concept, because it is the order of existence that [in those conditions] they should be [raised] on a higher level.