By Rabbi Dovid Markel
In Parshat Toldot we are introduced to Yaakov’s character with the statement (Bereishit 25:27) “Yaakov was an innocent man, dwelling in tents.”
While Esav is described as conniving, Yaakov is depicted as innocent and naïve. However, Yaakov seems anything but guileless. Not only does Esav (Bereishit 27:36) declare that Yaakov thus called “for he has deceived me twice,” but Yaakov himself admits that he is adept at trickery.
Parshat VaYeitzei discusses Yaakov’s meeting of his wife to be, Rachel. On the verse (Bereishit 29:12) that “Yaakov told Rachel that he was her father’s kinsman,” Rashi comments:
“If he (Laban) comes to deceive me, I, too, am his brother in deception, and if he is an honest man, I, too, am the son of his honest sister Rebecca.”
Indeed, according to the rule expressed in the Talmud (Bava Basra 110a) that “most children resemble the brothers of the mother,” it is clear that Yaakov would be quite proficient in deceit.
However, imbedded in Yaakov’s words “If he comes to deceive me, I, too, am his brother in deception, and if he is an honest man, I, too, am the son of his honest sister Rebecca,” expresses an important lesson with how one is to deal with the world and one’s animal soul.
Yaakov admits that he has two inherently contradictory characters, one of honesty from his mother, the other deceitful, from his uncle. Rather than being confounded by the clashing elements of his personality, he knows how to compartmentalize and employ each trait when needed.
The verse (Tehillim 18:26-27) states of G-d’s actions towards man: “With a sincere man, You show Yourself sincere. With a pure one, You show Yourself pure, but with a crooked one, You deal crookedly.”
As long as Yaakov is in the tents of Torah study his innocence suffices, however, when he goes into the world, he must employ the world’s tools in order to best it at its own game. For in holiness one deals with purity, but to overcome evil one must use their own deception against it.
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 39b) aptly expresses this the idiom “from the forest itself comes the handle for the ax.” In order to conquer the world one must at times utilize worldly tools.
The same thing is with the animal soul whose primary tool is trickery. The Talmud (Shabbos 105b) states: “Such are the wiles of the Tempter: today he says to him, ‘Do this’; tomorrow he tells him, ‘Do that,’ until he bids him, ‘Go and serve idols.” The way to combat this trickery is to use this tool against him.
Instead of declaring that we wish to vanquish him, it is often smarter to trick him into alteration. Rather than saying that we wish to transform ourselves, it is often better to say “do this Mitzvah” or “study that portion of Torah.”
Just as with sin, one sin leads to another, (Avot 4:2) exclaims that “a Mitzvah causes another Mitzvah.” Ultimately, we will truly eradicate evil, with the coming of Moshiach—Now!
