Yaakov's Rods: Sweetening the Judgments of Exile
Yaakov tends Lavan’s leftover sheep, peels white streaks into rods of poplar, hazel and chestnut, and sets them in the watering troughs. Why would the Torah record a shepherd’s device in such detail, and what could these rods have to do with Israel in the bitter exile?
Bereishis 30:36
וַיָּשֶׂם דֶּרֶךְ שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים בֵּינוֹ וּבֵין יַעֲקֹב וְיַעֲקֹב רֹעֶה אֶת־צֹאן לָבָן הַנּוֹתָרֹת
And he set a distance of three days' journey between himself and Yaakov, and Yaakov was tending Lavan's remaining flock.
15“And Yaakov was tending Lavan's remaining flock.” It seems to me that Lavan, whose name means “white,” hints at the higher whiteness,1 and tzon, the flock, hints at Israel, the holy flock.2 Yaakov Avinu wanted to set things right for Israel in the bitter exile and to sweeten the dinim, the harsh judgments, that lay on them. That is what hanosaros, “the remaining,” hints at: the bitter exile, in which we have remained, few out of many. And “Yaakov was tending the flock” means that he shepherded Israel, those who remain in the bitter exile, and sweetened their judgments into compassion.
וְיַעֲקֹב הָיָה רוֹעֶה אֶת צֹאן לָבָן הַנּוֹתָרוֹת, נ"ל לְפָרֵשׁ דְּ"לָבָן" רֶמֶז לַלּוֹבֶן הָעֶלְיוֹן וְ"צֹאן" רֶמֶז לְיִשְׂרָאֵל צֹאן קָדָשִׁים, וְיַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ ע"ה הָיָה רוֹצֶה לְתַקֵּן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בַּגָּלוּת הַמַּר וְהִמְתִּיק הַדִּינִים מֵעֲלֵיהֶם, וְזֶהוּ הַ"נּוֹתָרוֹת" רֶמֶז לַגָּלוּת הַמַּר שֶׁאֲנַחְנוּ נוֹתַרְנוּ מְעַט מֵהַרְבֵּה, וְזֶהוּ "רוֹעֶה אֶת צֹאן" הַיְינוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל הַנּוֹתָרִים בְּגָלוּת הַמַּר הָיָה רוֹעֶה אוֹתָן, וּמַמְתִּיק הַדִּינִים מֵהֶם לְרַחֲמִים.
- The Arizal too reads Lavan as “the secret of the higher whiteness” (Etz Chaim 6:1). ↩
- Yechezkel 36:38. ↩
Sources here
In shortLavan's “remaining flock” is Israel, left few in the bitter exile, and Yaakov shepherds it by sweetening its harsh judgments into compassion.
16“And Yaakov took himself a rod”:3 the rod hints at the harsh judgments, like the rod in “Your rod and Your staff.”4 Both rods, the psalm's and Yaakov's, are the judgments that rule, Heaven forbid, and Yaakov set out to rectify and sweeten them through the four passages of the holy tefillin.5 They are hinted at in four words of the verse: livneh, poplar; lach, fresh; luz, hazel; and armon, chestnut. The four passages of the tefillin stand for chessed, rachamim, din and gevurah: kindness, compassion, judgment and might. “And you shall love” is love and chessed. “And it will be, if you listen” is rachamim, for it says, “I will give the rain of your land,”6 which comes through compassion. “Sanctify” is din, for Egypt's firstborn were struck. “And it will be, when He brings you” is gevurah, for it says, “for with a strong hand …”7 The four words of the verse hint at the same four. Livneh, from lavan, white, hints at chessed, which is all white; lach, fresh and moist, hints at water, that is, rachamim; and luz and armon hint at din and gevurah, as the Zohar says.8 Through the four passages he would sweeten the judgments. “And he peeled white streaks in them”: he split the judgments open with streaks of chessed and rachamim. “Laying bare the white”: he sweetened them until the chassadim, the kindnesses, lay bare and revealed, “that was on the rods.”
"וַיִּקַּח מַקַּל" רֶמֶז לְדִינִים ע"ד שִׁבְטְךָ וּמִשְׁעַנְתֶּךָ, דְּהַיְינוּ הַשֵּׁבֶט וְהַמַּקֵּל הֵם הַדִּינִים הַשּׁוֹלְטִים חָלִילָה, הָלַךְ יַעֲקֹב לְתַקְּנָם וּלְהַמְתִּיקָם ע"י ד׳ פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת תְּפִילִּין הַקְּדוֹשִׁים הַמְּרוּמָּזִים בְּאַרְבַּע תֵּיבוֹת אֵלּוּ "לִבְנֶה, לַח, לוּז וְעַרְמוֹן", דְּאַרְבַּע פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת שֶׁל תְּפִילִּין הֵם רוֹמְזִים עַל הַחֶסֶד וְרַחֲמִים וְדִין וּגְבוּרָה, דְּהַיְינוּ "וְאָהַבְתָּ" הוּא אַהֲבָה וְחֶסֶד, "וְהָיָה אִם שָׁמוֹעַ" הוּא רַחֲמִים, דִּכְתִיב בָּהּ וְנָתַתִּי מְטַר אַרְצְכֶם שֶׁהוּא ע"י הָרַחֲמִים, "קַדֶּשׁ" הוּא דִּין, שֶׁהִכָּה בְּכוֹרֵי מִצְרַיִם, "וְהָיָה כִּי יְבִיאֲךָ" הוּא גְּבוּרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בָּהּ כִּי בְּיָד חֲזָקָה כּוּ׳. וְד׳ תֵּיבוֹת אֵלּוּ רוֹמְזִים ג"כ רְמָזִים הנ"ל, דְּהַיְינוּ "לִבְנֶה" רֶמֶז לְחֶסֶד כּוּלּוֹ לָבָן, "לַח" רֶמֶז לְמַיִם הַיְינוּ רַחֲמִים, "לוּז וְעַרְמוֹן" רֶמֶז לְדִין וּגְבוּרָה, כמ"ש בַּזּוֹהַר, וע"י הַד' פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת הָיָה מַמְתִּיק הַדִּינִים. "וַיְפַצֵּל בָּהֶם פְּצָלוֹת לְבָנוֹת" ר"ל שֶׁפִּיצֵּל בְּהַדִּינִים פְּצָלוֹת, הַיְינוּ חֶסֶד וְרַחֲמִים, "מַחְשׂוֹף הַלָּבָן" דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁהִמְתִּיקָם עַד שֶׁנִּתְגַּלּוּ הַחֲסָדִים הַמְּגוּלִּים "אֲשֶׁר עַל הַמַּקְלוֹת".
- Bereishis 30:37. ↩
- Tehillim 23:4. ↩
- The four passages are Shema with “And you shall love” (Devarim 6:4–9), “And it will be, if you listen” (Devarim 11:13–21), “Sanctify” (Shemos 13:1–10) and “And it will be, when He brings you” (Shemos 13:11–16). ↩
- Devarim 11:14. ↩
- Shemos 13:14 and 13:16 read bechozek yad, “with strength of hand”; the words ki beyad chazakah stand in Shemos 13:9, in the “Sanctify” passage. ↩
- Zohar I 161b: the rod of fresh poplar is the white grade of the right side, and luz and armon the red grade of the left. ↩
In shortYaakov's four words for the rods hint at the tefillin's four passages, kindness, compassion, judgment and might; through them he sweetened judgment until kindness lay bare.
17“And he set up the rods that he had peeled in the gutters”:9 he set things up so that we too would be able to sweeten the judgments, through the Torah. “In the gutters, in the watering troughs” hints at the holy Torah, which is called rehatim, “gutters,” as the holy Zohar says. “Where the flock would come to drink”: when Israel, the holy flock, comes to drink the Torah and learn it, “facing the flock” (lenochach hatzon), then everything that befalls Israel and everything it needs in this bitter exile will stand before its eyes. “And they came into heat (vayechamnah) when they came to drink”: a great warmth (chimum) comes upon them in this learning.
"וַיַּצֵּג אֶת הַמַּקְלוֹת אֲשֶׁר פִּצֵּל בָּרְהָטִים" ר"ל שֶׁהִצִּיג וּפָעַל שֶׁנִּהְיֶה אֲנַחְנוּ ג"כ יְכוֹלִים לְהַמְתִּיק הַדִּינִים ע"י הַתּוֹרָה, וְהַיְינוּ "בָּרְהָטִים בְּשִׁקְתוֹת הַמַּיִם" רֶמֶז לְהַתּוֹרָה הַקְּדוֹשָׁה הַנִּקְרֵאת בָּרְהָטִים כִּדְאִיתָא בַּזּוֹהַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ, "אֲשֶׁר תָּבוֹאנָה הַצֹּאן לִשְׁתּוֹת" ר"ל כַּאֲשֶׁר יָבוֹאוּ הַצֹּאן קָדָשִׁים, דְּהַיְינוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל, לִשְׁתּוֹת הַתּוֹרָה וּלְלָמְדָהּ "לְנוֹכַח הַצֹּאן", אָז יִהְיֶה לְנוֹכַח לִפְנֵיהֶם כָּל הַמְּאוֹרָעוֹת וְהִצְטָרְכוּת יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּגָּלוּת הַמַּר הַזֶּה, "וַיֵּחַמְנָה בְּבוֹאָן לִשְׁתּוֹת" דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁיָּבוֹא לָהֶם חִימּוּם גָּדוֹל בַּלִּימּוּד הַזֶּה.
- Bereishis 30:38. ↩
In shortThrough Torah, Israel too can sweeten judgments: as it learns, its needs in exile stand before it, and a great warmth comes into its learning.
18“And the flock came into heat at the rods”:10 they grow heated over the judgments and over the events that are not good. “And the flock bore akudim, streaked ones …”: the holy sefarim say that there are worlds called by these names, “akudim …”11 The Creator created them first, and they were din. Afterward He destroyed them, created them anew and blended them with compassion. And the tzaddik, with his holy Torah, creates new heavens.12 I have already given the reason why the tzaddik can annul the judgments, as in the saying “The Holy One, blessed be He, decrees, and the tzaddik annuls.”13 The decree was decreed in some particular world, and the tzaddik makes new heavens; so the decree was never made in this new world, and it falls away of itself. That is “and the flock bore akudim”: the flock themselves give birth to worlds and make them, and they make them complete compassion.
"וַיֶּחֱמוּ הַצֹּאן אֶל הַמַּקְלוֹת", ר"ל שֶׁיָּבוֹאוּ לָהֶם חִימּוּם עַל הַדִּינִים וְעַל הַמְּאוֹרָעוֹת אֲשֶׁר לֹא טוֹבִים, "וַתֵּלַדְנָה הַצֹּאן עֲקוּדִּים כּוּ׳", דְּאִיתָא בַּסְּפָרִים הַקְּדוֹשִׁים דְּיֵשׁ עוֹלָמוֹת נִקְרָאִים כֵּן "עֲקוּדִּים כּוּ׳", שֶׁבְּרָאָם הַבּוֹרֵא ב"ה בַּתְּחִילָּה וְהֵם הָיוּ דִּין ואח"כ הֶחֱרִיבָם וּבְרָאָם מֵחָדָשׁ וּמְזָגָם בְּרַחֲמִים, וְהַצַּדִּיק בְּתוֹרָתוֹ הַקְּדוֹשָׁה הוּא בּוֹרֵא שָׁמַיִם חֲדָשִׁים, וּכְבָר אָמַרְתִּי הַטַּעַם שֶׁהַצַּדִּיק יָכוֹל לְבַטֵּל הַדִּינִים, הקב"ה גּוֹזֵר וְהַצַּדִּיק מְבַטֵּל, הוּא עי"ז מֵחֲמַת שֶׁהַגְּזֵירָה נִגְזְרָה בְּאֵיזֶה עוֹלָם וְהַצַּדִּיק עוֹשֶׂה שָׁמַיִם חֲדָשִׁים וְנִמְצָא לֹא הָיָה הַגְּזֵירָה בְּזֶה הָעוֹלָם וּמִמֵּילָא הַגְּזֵירָה בְּטֵילָה, וְזֶהוּ "וַתֵּלַדְנָה הַצֹּאן עֲקוּדִּים", ר"ל שֶׁהֵם עַצְמָם מוֹלִידִים וְעוֹשִׂים עוֹלָמוֹת וְעוֹשִׂים אוֹתָם רַחֲמִים גְּמוּרִים.
- Bereishis 30:39. ↩
- The verse goes on, “speckled (nekudim) and spotted.” In the Arizal's writings the first emanations are called Akudim, Nekudim and Berudim, names taken from Yaakov's dream of the flock (Etz Chaim 6:1; Bereishis 31:10). Chazal too say that Hashem “was creating worlds and destroying them” (Bereishis Rabbah 3:7). ↩
- The Zohar teaches that every new word of Torah wisdom becomes “new heavens” (Zohar I 4b–5a). ↩
- Moed Katan 16b: “I rule over man; who rules over Me? The tzaddik, for I issue a decree and he annuls it.” ↩
In shortHashem remade the first worlds of din with compassion, and the tzaddik's Torah makes new heavens where no decree was made, so the decree falls away.
19“And Yaakov separated the kesavim, the lambs”:14 keves (כבש) and kesev (כשב) are one word, so it is as though it were written kevasim (כבשים). This hints at those who enter the higher mysteries, the same word as in “Why do you meddle with kivshei (כבשי) deRachmana, the hidden things of the Merciful One?”15 These Yaakov set apart, so that all their service would be for the Shechinah, to raise Her up, and not for the work described above, sweetening Israel's judgments. “And he set the faces of the flock toward the akud, the streaked”: it is taught that whoever recites the Akeidah, the binding of Yitzchak, with intent, as though he were binding himself on the altar, the Holy One, blessed be He, counts his thought as a deed and remembers the merit of his binding for Israel. That is “and he set the faces of the flock toward the akud”: toward the one who binds (oked) himself, as we said. “And every dark one (chum) among Lavan's flock”: chum means dark, but here it is read as heat. The verse speaks of those tzaddikim among Lavan's flock, which we saw is Israel, who have entered the higher mysteries and warm themselves to raise the Shechinah. “And he set himself flocks apart, and did not set them with (al) Lavan's flock”: reading al as “over,” he did not set them over Israel, as those through whom the flows of blessing would come to Israel.
"וְהַכְּשָׂבִים הִפְרִיד יַעֲקֹב", ר"ל כֶּבֶשׂ וְכֶשֶׂב הוּא אֶחָד. וְהוּא כְּאִילּוּ נִכְתַּב "כְּבָשִׂים", וְהַיְינוּ רֶמֶז לְאוֹתָן שֶׁבָּאִים בְּסוֹד עֶלְיוֹן מִלְּשׁוֹן בַּהֲדֵי כַּבְשֵׁי דְּרַחֲמָנָא כּוּ׳, אוֹתָם הִפְרִיד יַעֲקֹב, דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁיְּהֵא כָּל עֲבוֹדָתָם עַל הַשְּׁכִינָה שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לָהּ עֲלִיָּה, וְלֹא כנ"ל, "וַיִּתֵּן פְּנֵי הַצֹּאן אֶל עָקוֹד", דְּאִיתָא כָּל הָאוֹמֵר הָעֲקֵידָה וּמְכַוֵּוין כְּאִילּוּ עוֹקֵד עַצְמוֹ ע"ג הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, אֲזַי הקב"ה מְצָרֵף מַחְשַׁבְתּוֹ לְמַעֲשֶׂה וְזוֹכֵר זְכוּת עֲקֵידָתוֹ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְזֶהוּ "וַיִּתֵּן פְּנֵי הַצֹּאן אֶל עָקוֹד" אֶל זֶה שֶׁעוֹקֵד עַצְמוֹ כנ"ל, "וְכָל חוּם בְּצֹאן לָבָן" ר"ל אוֹתָם הַצַּדִּיקִים שֶׁהֵם בֵּין צֹאן לָבָן, הֵם יִשְׂרָאֵל כנ"ל שֶׁבָּאוּ בְּסוֹד הָעֶלְיוֹן וּמְחַמְּמִים עַצְמָם לְהַעֲלוֹת אֶת הַשְּׁכִינָה, "וַיָּשֶׁת לוֹ עֲדָרִים לְבַדּוֹ", "וְלֹא שָׁתָם עַל צֹאן לָבָן" ר"ל שֶׁלֹּא שָׁתָם עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁעַל יָדָם יִהְיוּ הַהַשְׁפָּעוֹת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל.
In shortTzaddikim who dwell in the higher mysteries give all their service to raising the Shechinah; Yaakov set them apart, not as channels of Israel's blessing.
20But “whenever the mekusharos, the sturdy ones of the flock, came into heat”:16 mekusharos speaks of hiskashrus, being bound together. Only through the tzaddikim who are bound up with the whole of Israel, and who warm themselves to annul every judgment upon Israel, does all that Israel needs come down to it. “And Yaakov placed the rods,” the judgments we spoke of, “before the eyes of the flock in the gutters”: through the gutters, the holy Torah, these tzaddikim sweeten the judgments. “To make them warm by the rods”: because they watch over Israel and warm themselves on its behalf, to sweeten the judgments.
רַק "וְהָיָה בְּכָל יַחֵם הַצֹּאן הַמְקוּשָּׁרוֹת" לְשׁוֹן הִתְקַשְּׁרוּת, ר"ל כִּי אִם ע"י אוֹתָם הַצַּדִּיקִים שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם הִתְקַשְּׁרוּת עִם כְּלָלוּת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּמְחַמְּמִים עַצְמָם לְבַטֵּל כָּל הַדִּינִים מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, הֵם מַשְׁפִּיעִים לָהֶם כָּל צָרְכֵיהֶם, "וְשָׂם יַעֲקֹב אֶת הַמַּקְלוֹת" הַיְינוּ הַדִּינִים כנ"ל, שָׂם אוֹתָם "לְעֵינֵי הַצֹּאן בָּרְהָטִים", ר"ל שֶׁהֵם יַמְתִּיקוּ הַדִּינִים ע"י הַתּוֹרָה הַקְּדוֹשָׁה, "לְיַחְמֵנָּה בַּמַּקְלוֹת" ר"ל בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁהֵם מַשְׁגִּיחִים עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמְחַמְּמִים עַצְמָם עֲלֵיהֶם לְהַמְתִּיק הַדִּינִים.
- Bereishis 30:41. ↩
In shortBlessing reaches Israel only through tzaddikim bound up with the whole people, who warm themselves on its behalf and sweeten its judgments through Torah.
21“But when the flock was feeble, he would not place them”:17 uvehatif means “when it was feeble,” but here it is read as ituf, wrapping. Those tzaddikim who are wrapped up, in all their aims, only in raising the Shechinah, Yaakov did not charge with the rods, the judgments to be sweetened. “So the feeble ones (ha'atufim), the wrapped ones, went to Lavan”: those tzaddikim attended only to rectifying the higher whiteness, to raising the Shechinah. “And the sturdy ones (hakeshurim), the bound ones, to Yaakov”: those who have a bond with the whole of Israel, as we said, bring about every flow of blessing needed for Yaakov, that is, for all the people of Israel, and they bring down to them every good thing, forever. Amen.
"וּבְהַעֲטִיף הַצֹּאן לֹא יָשִׂים" ר"ל אוֹתָם הַצַּדִּיקִים הָעֲטוּפִים בְּכָל מְגַמּוֹתֵיהֶם רַק לְהַעֲלוֹת אֶת הַשְּׁכִינָה, לֹא שָׂם עֲלֵיהֶם הַדָּבָר הנ"ל, "וְהָיָה הָעֲטוּפִים לְלָבָן" ר"ל שֶׁאוֹתָם הַצַּדִּיקִים לֹא הִשְׁגִּיחוּ רַק לְתַקֵּן לוֹבֶן הָעֶלְיוֹן לְהַעֲלוֹת הַשְּׁכִינָה, "וְהַקְּשׁוּרִים לְיַעֲקֹב" כנ"ל, אוֹתָם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם הִתְקַשְּׁרוּת עִם כְּלָלוּת יִשְׂרָאֵל, הֵם פּוֹעֲלִים כָּל הִצְטָרְכוּת הַהַשְׁפָּעוֹת הַנִּצְרָכִים לְיַעֲקֹב, הַיְינוּ לְכָל עַם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, מַשְׁפִּיעִים לָהֶם כָּל טוּב לְעוֹלָם. אָמֵן.
- Bereishis 30:42. ↩
In shortThe tzaddikim wrapped up in raising the Shechinah go to the higher whiteness; those bound to all Israel bring it every blessing.
R’ Elimelech reads Yaakov’s work with Lavan’s flock as his work for Israel, the holy flock left few in the bitter exile, whose harsh judgments he sweetened into compassion. The rod is judgment; its four woods hint at the four passages of the tefillin, kindness, compassion, judgment and might, and through them Yaakov sweetened the judgments until kindness lay bare. He set the rods in the gutters, the Torah, so that Israel too could sweeten them: learning with its needs in exile before its eyes, it is warmed. The tzaddik’s Torah makes new heavens, worlds of compassion where no decree was made, so the decree falls away. Last he sets apart two kinds of tzaddikim: those wrapped up in raising the Shechinah, and those bound up with all Israel, through whom every blessing comes down to it.
Takeaway
When hard times press on Israel, Torah learned with the people's needs before our eyes, and with warmth on their behalf, can sweeten the judgments and even make new heavens where a decree has no hold. R' Elimelech teaches that blessing comes down through those who bind themselves to the whole of Israel, so the more we tie our learning to the needs of every Jew, the more blessing we draw down.
Learn this in the merit of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk. His yahrzeit and life ›
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