Parashat Vayetse 5785

 The past few weeks have been quite a lot for Am Yisrael, and this week we saw some escalation in that. Arsonists targeted synagogues in Australia, and some Jews from Melbourne have suffered serious injuries while praying in a synagogue that arsonists attacked. This was preceded earlier in the week by a statement from Amnesty accusing the Israeli army of genocide and even explicitly stating they amended the definition of genocide because of the importance of bringing this accusation against the Israeli army for a defensive war in which the army is working to recover captives. It is important to make a clarification that despite the rhetorical description of Israel, which is a representation of the legal right of return for the Indigenous Jewish population of Erets Yisrael, Israel is not halakhically a "Jewish state," and a Jewish state governed according to Torah by the Sanhedrin and Malkhut David will not exist until we merit geula, may it be soon in our time. However, Israel is the only state with a Jewish majority population, and this is sufficient to draw an obsession from those obsessed with Jews, and while it is very important to note that not every non-Jew has harmful views about Jews, these views exist and are quite common and frequently have influence to shape public policy and the function of humanitarian organizations. These perspectives on the modern state of Israel are macro examples of some of the thought patterns of antisemitism, and the statement from Amnesty which explicitly changes the definition of genocide to something different from its legal definition, minimizes mention of terrorist organizations (and fully excludes the history of Arab imperialism that drives these terrorist ideologies), inverts cause and effect when describing responses to terrorism, and is careful to never speak with any Jews (nor with any Non-Jewish citizens of Israel) in its investigation is a significant example of this. Once again, it is good to emphasize the modern state of Israel is a secular democracy and not the redemptive goal to which we are striving, but these behaviors toward Israel are the result of obsession with Jews, who form the majority of the Israeli population. 

This is an issue that is brought in this week's sidra, Parashat Vayetse. When Yaakov Avinu arrived in Haran he sought employment with Lavan. For his work Yaakov Avinu was allowed to marry Rahel and Leah along with Zilpa and Bilha, and over and over Lavan changed the conditions of his compensation to determine which animals would be given as payment to Yaakov. Nevertheless, Yaakov worked hard, and he was successful. However, there was an inversion of reality. The sons of Lavan spoke of how Yaakov "stole" their inheritance, and Lavan became unfavorable toward Yaakov. After Yaakov left to return to Erets Yisrael, Lavan pursued him and insisted that what Yaakov had, what he gained as honest payment for his labor for Lavan, was rightly the property of Lavan. A narrative had formed independent of reality. How Yaakov responded to Lavan gives us a glimpse into the appropriate response from us in the face of antisemitism. 

Yaakov reminded Lavan that he had been a faithful worker for Lavan. When there was a loss Yaakov invested his own money and resources into resolving the problem, and night and day Yaakov labored for Lavan, and Lavan actually gained a lot from the work Yaakov did. Even though Lavan kept changing the terms of his compensation and had harassed him, Yaakov worked hard and was diligently honest. This is an image of what we are to be as a people in galut. Torah is teaching us here to be the Jews that Mark Twain describes: hard workers and great citizens who outlive the empires that subjugate us. We are to be a people devoted to middot. The Gemara explains when there is persecution of Jews we should not even change our shoestrings to assimilate, but we should boldly say that we will continue observing Torah, and we will illuminate the world around us with upright middot. We still put mezuzot on our doors, wear tefillin, pray, etc. even while some people make baseless accusations against us, demanding our assimilation and cessation of our peoplehood, and we continue to illuminate the world around us with honesty, hard work, and good citizenship. G-d created us for a purpose, and just like Yaakov Avinu and just like the Hashmonaim whom we commemorate on Hanukkah we can be confident that G-d will sustain us and bring us to our final redemption when we remain steadfast in that purpose. 

Shabbat Shalom uMevorakh.