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Rabbi Haim Lifshitz
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“Then Jacob Remained Alone.” The Loneliness of the Man of Truth.
l'ilui nishmat Esther bat mordechai Vayishlach Truth’s place is beneath God’s throne of glory. It originates in the kingdom of heaven. When truth was asked if the human should be created, she answered in the negative, giving the reason that the human was all lies, in a world of falsehood. “Be cast down to earth.” The Creator cast her to the earth, and decreed upon her that henceforth, “truth shall grow from the earth.” Henceforth, truth would find its place among human character traits. It would be a trait difficult to acquire. The rare individuals who would attain this privilege would be few and far between. Chief among these would be Jacob, whose character trait was truth. It was in Jacob’s merit that truth acquired a holding in the human estate. Henceforth, whoever would win truth would be crowned with the queen of good character traits. Jacob is thus called the greatest of our forefathers, for truth connects its possessors directly to the infinite Godly source. It grants them unlimited power, as befits those who are privileged to draw their sustenance from an infinite source. Truth’s power lies in its solitude. The truism, “It’s lonely at the top,” refers to those who reach the top of falsehood by leaving their friends and relatives behind, ignoring even their own pangs of conscience. Covetousness tempts them to choose crooked ways that bypass the honesty of truth, that are alien to it. At times they will ignore love itself. Scaling the heights of truth, one also risks ignoring love. Rachel, Jacob’s beloved, requests: “Give me children, or I will die.” Pray for me. Jacob responds with an answer that derives from the source of truth, but in this case, the Talmud labels it cruelty: I have children. God has denied you children. Pray for yourself. “This is how one answers despairing women?” The Talmud rebukes Jacob, criticizing his response to her misery, for it is her weeping over her children that will pierce heaven for centuries to come, demanding eternal mercy for the children of Israel. Jacob’s trait of truth can occasionally entail fanaticism, and vengeance. “You have undermined me, making me repulsive in the eyes of the inhabitants of the land,” is Jacob’s response to the vengeance his sons wreak upon the city of Shechem, after Shechem has abused their sister, Dina. Truth is extremely demanding. “By day, I was devoured by parching heat, and by ice by night, until sleep wandered far from my eyes.” Such was the behavior of the man of truth toward Laban. Truth ignores falsehood completely. It does not adapt itself to thieves and liars, nor does it march along the route of deceit. Jacob, specifically, is forced to confront Laban, the Liar, and Esau, the murderous brother. It is Jacob who is forced to adopt earthly ways of self-defense and not rely on miracles or on direct intervention by of the Creator, since truth must grow forth from the earth. This trait must prove itself, by confronting and overcoming the ways of nature. Jacob does not choose to hide under the wings of the Creator. He must pray for heaven’s mercy, yet at the same time he must use the same means that the degenerates all around him are using. “With a degenerate, act degenerate, and with a stubborn person, act stubborn.” Such is the face of truth. Whereas Abraham and Isaac enjoyed direct Divine Providence, and had miracles performed for them, Jacob’s obligation was to pave new paths of survival that were not found in heaven. Yet the wonder of it was that God’s involvement was actually very great, and accompanied him at every step, despite the fact that it remained hidden behind the scenes. Jacob can request the Creator’s assistance through prayer alone. He is not exempt from the obligation of investing practical effort. From this point onward, Jacob’s way becomes a beacon of light, illuminating the path of Jewish survival, as our sages comment, cited by Ramban: They learned how to deal with kings from their wise elder. Truth must be pure and unsullied and unassisted by crooked ways, because to the extent that truth is involved with crooked ways, truth becomes falsehood. “The whole truth and nothing but the truth” is demanded, when one stands trial. No falsehood is viler than one mingled with bits of truth. “Let me go, for the morning star has risen.” The loneliness of the man of truth attracts angels to him, on the one hand, and criminals, on the other. They are attracted by the opportunity to molest a solitary traveler. Esau’s heavenly ambassador is attracted to Jacob. This is an entity embodying both sides. On the one hand, he is an angel, yet on the other hand, he is the heavenly representative of Esau, the Wicked. When Esau’s angel sees that he will not be able to overcome the solitary Jacob, for despite his solitude, his path is lit by truth, he attempts to at least inflict some injury upon him, disjointing Jacob’s thigh, though he is imprisoned in Jacob’s hand of truth. Jacob does indeed absorb the blow, sustaining the injury that the angel has inflicted upon him, yet the truth within him cannot yield: “I shall not let you go, until you have blessed me.” You must concede to me, and bless me, and acquiesce to the fact that the blessings I have received from my father are rightfully mine. The angel is forced to surrender to truth and to bless Jacob. |