Vayetze — Yaakov’s life of successful retreat
Success isn’t always what we think it is
Yaakov left Beersheba and went toward Charan ויצא יעקב מבאר שבע וילך חרנה
(Genesis 28:10)
Bereshit is full of travel: Avraham goes to Canaan; then goes to Egypt; Lot goes to Sodom; Yitzchak goes to Gerar and so on. People are going places and “he went” — וילך — is often how the action is described. What is important with travel is the destination. But the first verse of this week’s parsha is unusual in also mentioning the place that Yaakov left: Beersheba
Even more uncharacteristic is the verb which names our parsha: ויצא — “he left.” Elsewhere in Genesis, this word connotes either a temporary departure or a going an insignificant distance. “He left” in Bereshit is more like “he stepped out.”(1) Here, Yaakov’s departure is neither temporary nor is his destination nearby. As many teachers of mine have pointed out, Chazal had a deep sensitivity to the Biblical text: their interpretations do not come from mid-air. Rashi brings a midrash that explains the word ויצא. What’s bothering Rashi? The meaning of the word is clear, but its usage is highly atypical. (2)
Yaakov is leaving Beersheva, and it is definite. Leaving to escape Esav’s hatred, Yaakov is not a tourist planning an imminent return. Yaakov is leaving not knowing when — or even if — he will return. Yaakov has not merely left Beersheva, he is leaving it behind: he is closing a chapter of his life. That is the “vayetze” of this verse.
Indeed, Yaakov’s life follows a kind of “vayetze”. Again and again, we will see how life forces him to follow the same pattern: he abandons, he retreats, he leaves behind. After two decades with Lavan, Yaakov has slunk away to avoid the inevitable conflict with him. After his reconciliation with Esav, and his return to his father Yitzchak, the great famine forces him to leave behind the land he has been promised and end his life in Egypt.
Yaakov is the great retreater. An army does one of three things: it can advance, it can hold the line, it can retreat. Each of the three avot did one of these things. Avraham advanced. An inspirational leader who introduced the concept of the Almighty to thousands, he began his life in Ur and ended it in the land that was promised to his descendents. It was a life of advance, of obvious triumph. Yitzchak’s role was to continue: “He redug the wells that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, which had been plugged up by the Plishtim after Abraham’s death. He gave them the same names that his father had given them.” (26:18) Yitzchak was born in the land, and died in the land.
But Yaakov was different. His mission was to retreat. He abandons Beersheva to avoid Esav’s hatred. He escapes Lavan. And while it is to reunite with Yosef, he leaves the land for Egypt to do so.
But as necessary as retreat sometimes is, no soldiers enjoy it. Militarily, retreat is risky, and requires particular discipline. At worst, it can become a disorganized rout. At the least, it can cause real damage to morale. (3) And the retreats of Yaakov’s life did harm his morale, as he told Pharaoh:
‘The days of my life have been few and hard. I did not live as long as my fathers did during their pilgrimage through life.’ (Bereshit 47:9)
From our vantage point, we can see Yaakov’s life was one of successful retreat. Exile, death of loved ones, conflict: Yaakov’s life was full of setbacks and failures, but he did not let them break him. What was difficult for him can be inspiring to us.
Not once but twice does Beersheva begin exile for Yaakov. In our parsha, Yaakov leaves Beersheva and begins his life of exile. Decades later, departing with his large family and about to be reunited with his son, he makes one last stop. Where? He stops in Beersheva (46:5) — to bring offerings to Hashem and to receive prophecy — before leaving to Egypt.
Yaakov’s life has circled back. While the triumph is not complete, Yaakov hears the echo of his earlier departure from Beersheva: it is the recognition that his life of reverses has culminated in victory.
That’s all for this week. And friends, remember: whatever the world throws at you, stay strong.
Notes
(1) Some examples: Lot “went out” [to the violent men outside his house to convince them not to molest his guests — 19:6]. Esav “went out” [of his mother’s womb — 19:25]. Lavan “went out” [from Leah’s tent to Rachel’s — 31:33]. Yosef “went out” [of the room he was alone in with Potiphar’s wife — 39:12]. Yosef’s brothers hearts “went out” [when they saw their money had been returned to them — 42:28]. Jacob “went out” [of Pharoah’s presence — 47:10].
(2) Rashi: “Scripture had only to write: “And Jacob went to Haran.” Why did it mention his departure? But this tells [us] that the departure of a righteous man from a place makes an impression, for while the righteous man is in the city, he is its beauty, he is its splendor, he is its majesty. When he departs from there, its beauty has departed, its splendor has departed, its majesty has departed….” [From Gen. Rabbah 68:6]
(3) “Orderly retreat” is a phrase that recurs in Dominic Lieven’s outstanding Russia Against Napoleon: The True Story of the Campaigns of War and Peace. Lieven emphasizes how difficult this is to achieve. The Russian army’s multiple orderly retreats into Russia in 1812 lured Napoleon into Russia and ultimately led to his destruction. In contrast, the French retreat from Russia was disastrous. The Russian army used orderly retreat when necessary in the 1813 battles in Germany and France, leading to the fall of Napoleon in 1814.
