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Orchard of Delights Vayeitzei

From the story of Isaac digging the wells we learn that £TransformationsTransformationsTransformations
metaphorically speaking human beings have three options: (1) to re- ££
dig the wells of their forefathers; (2) to dig their own wells; (3) to re-
dig the wells of their forefathers in such a way as to make them their
own. We need to achieve a balance between how much to accept from Towards the end of the portion, the Torah records in great detail how
our ingrained nature and nurture and how much to strike out on our Jacob managed to get just recompense from Laban for his labors
own. Isaac was able to both heed the traditions of his father and by breeding Laban’s flock in such a way that much of the offspring
strike out on his own, sometimes at one and the same time. In this became legally his own. Once again Jacob’s actions seem deceitful,
lies the secret of the survival of the Torah and the Jewish people. although, in this case, the Torah goes to great pains to demonstrate
that all his actions were straightforward and above board. Jacob was
merely able to use his greater knowledge of breeding to outwit Laban
and based on the agreement he had with Laban “transform” Laban’s
flocks into his own. The Torah provides a fairly detailed description
£Isaac Became Old Isaac Became Old Isaac Became Old of the exact manner in which Jacob bred the sheep. One wonders
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and His Eyes Became Dim
and His Eyes Became Dim
and His Eyes Became Dim why the Torah reveals this process in so much detail. The Zohar
explains that this matter, like the entire Torah, conceals great and
lofty secrets beneath its surface.
“And it was when Isaac became old and his eyes became dim from Jacob’s breeding process is actually a direct application of many of
seeing” (Genesis 27:1). With these words one of the most enigmatic the lessons he learned from his dream of the ladder, especially the way
incidents in the Torah begins: Isaac intends to bless Esau, but in which spiritual concepts and processes can be translated into the
blesses Jacob instead. In Lech Lecha (“Why God Took Abraham material realm. He was quite literally infusing the physical with the
Outside”) we demonstrated how the Rabbis’ four-tiered system of spiritual and instilling the earth with Divine energy. By transforming
biblical interpretation, PaRDeS, systematically explained a verse Laban’s sheep and goats through clever breeding practices, he was
on four different levels: the literal peshat, the allusive remez, the demonstrating to the Jewish people how to fulfill their spiritual
homiletical or allegorical derash, and the mystical sod. Here too, mission: to extract sparks of goodness and holiness entrapped in the
Rashi’s interpretations mirror the PaRDeS structure. He offers three shells of our broken and unrectified world and transfer them to the
explanations for why Isaac became blind and (in two cases) explains side of light and righteousness. He was also bringing to fruition God’s
why the Torah provides us with that information here. promise in the dream that he would grow physically and spiritually.

The simple reading of the text, the peshat, clearly assumes that This deep process is alluded to in two ways: by the three different
Isaac’s blindness was a function of his old age. Elderly people often trees used to make the rods that Jacob placed among the flocks
lose their sight. Therefore, Rashi does not even bother to explain when they mated and by the physical descriptions of the animals
the peshat, as it is already clear from the text. Presumably, he also themselves. The three trees were poplar, hazel, and chestnut: livneh,
assumes that there is no need to mention that Isaac’s blindness is luz, and armon. The Hebrew word for the first tree, “livneh,” shares
crucial to the upcoming plot, explaining how Jacob could make off the same root as Jacob’s father-in-law’s name, Laban. This allusion
with the blessings, rather than Esau. teaches us that just as Jacob was forced to play according to the
same rules as Esau, beating him at his own game, so too with Laban
he had to play by Laban’s rules while still making every effort to act

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