Eyes Grown Heavy With Age

The Torah says of Yaakov Avinu, "And Yisroel's eyes grew heavy with age," which is hard to understand literally, for how could the third of the Avos, the third leg of the Divine Chariot, be described as weary and heavy with age? Rav Zev Wolf explains through the Targum Onkelos, who renders the words as "yakirin m'esavu," precious and holy. Yaakov's aging meant that his eyes were no longer able to see the falsities and vanities of this world. Rav Zev Wolf used this interpretation to answer the detractors of the Kotzker, who asked how their Rebbe could shut himself away and seemingly hide from his followers and from the world.