A Billionare, Rosh Yeshiva and Nobel Laureate on Parshat Vayetzei

Lessons from the Parsha for Bnei Torah in the workforce

As I reviewed this week’s parsha, I recalled a number of ideas which have been quoted in various of Shtark Tank episodes. Here they are.

The Greatness of Work

When Yaakov reflects on his time working for Lavan, he says:

לולי אלהי אבי אלהי אברהם ופחד יצחק היה לי כי עתה ריקם שלחתני את עניי ואת יגיע כפי ראה אלהים ויוכח אמש

“Had not the God of my father, the God of Avraham and the Fear of Yitzchak, been with me, you would now have sent me away empty-handed. But God saw my suffering and the toil of my hands, and He rebuked you last night.” (translation by ChatGPT)

Chazal (Bereishis Rabbah 74:12) point out that hard work is greater than the merits from Avraham and Yitzchak. How could that be?

Rav Dovid Lichtenstein explained that there are two parts of Torah. One is intellectual, ללמוד וללמד. The second is practical, לשמור ולעשות ולקיים. The Torah is meant to be applied in the real world, and work is where we do so. That is why Yaakov’s greatest merit was the hard work that was done honestly and according to Torah values.

Dealing with Dishonest People

How does one do business with someone who is dishonest? Is it permissible to be crooked with him? At our shiur with Rav Mayer Twersky, someone quoted Rashi in this week’s parsha.

ויגד יעקב לרחל כי אחי אביה הוא וכי בן רבקה הוא ותרץ ותגד לאביה

רש”י: קרוב לאביה כמו (לעיל יג) אנשים אחים אנחנו ומדרשו אם לרמאות הוא בא גם אני אחיו ברמאות ואם אדם כשר הוא גם אני בן רבקה אחותו הכשרה
“‘And Yaakov told Rachel that he was her father’s brother and that he was Rivka’s son, and she ran and told her father.’

“[He said he was] her father’s brother – meaning: a relative of her father, like it says earlier, ‘We are men who are brothers’ (meaning relatives, not actual brothers).

And its midrashic explanation is:

‘If he (Lavan) is coming with trickery – I am his brother in trickery.
But if he is an honest man – then I am the son of Rivka, his upright sister.’”

Rashi seems to say that Yaakov was prepared to beat Lavan at his own game. Does that mean he can match his dishonesty?

Rav Twersky said no. The explanation is that Yaakov was prepared to outsmart Lavan’s shenanigans. But that doesn’t have to include lying. It can mean building in mechanisms and safeguards to prevent any issues, but does not justify crooked behavior.

Nobel Parenting Advice

When speaking with Nobel Laureate Professor Yisrael Aumann, I asked him who his main influences were. He said his mother. And then he quoted Rashi on this week’s parsha.

ותקרא שמו ראובן - (ברכות ז’) רבותינו פירשו אמרה ראו מה בין בני לבן חמי שמכר הבכורה ליעקב וזה לא מכרה ליוסף ולא ערער עליו ולא עוד שלא ערער עליו אלא שביקש להוציאו מן הבור

“She called his name Reuven” –
Our Rabbis explained: She said,

“See the difference between my son and my father-in-law’s son.

My father-in-law’s son (Esav) sold the birthright to Yaakov.
But this one (Reuven) did not sell the birthright to Yosef,
and he did not protest against him.

Not only did he not protest – he even tried to get him out of the pit.”

But how does this make sense? She is referring to an event that takes place decades later?

Professor Aumann explained that parenting is about seeing the positive potential in each child. Leah pushed Reuven to greatness because she saw it in him. This is also how Professor Aumann’s mother influenced him.

Is Yeshiva an Ark?

Rav Moshe Taragin has an amazing sicha he gives every year on this parsha. The pasuk says:

וייקץ יעקב משנתו ויאמר אכן יש יהוה במקום הזה ואנכי לא ידעתי. ויירא ויאמר מה נורא המקום הזה אין זה כי אם בית אלהים וזה שער השמים. וישכם יעקב בבקר ויקח את האבן אשר שם מראשתיו וישם אתה מצבה ויצק שמן על ראשה. ויקרא את שם המקום ההוא בית אל ואולם לוז שם העיר לראשנה. וידר יעקב נדר לאמר אם יהיה אלהים עמדי ושמרני בדרך הזה אשר אנכי הולך ונתן לי לחם לאכל ובגד ללבש. ושבתי בשלום אל בית אבי והיה יהוה לי לאלהים. והאבן הזאת אשר שמתי מצבה יהיה בית אלהים וכל אשר תתן לי עשר אעשרנו לך

The question is, why does Yaakov take this moment of inspiration and start cutting a deal with God? Shouldn’t he embrace this lofty experience? Instead he declares what he needs from God and what he will donate in return.

Rav Taragin explains that life is like a journey in a dark ocean. How can a sailor survive in the harshest conditions? By sitting in a lighthouse and making a plan, then sticking with it.

Rav Taragin explains that this is the role of yeshiva. It gives us clarity about our values. And when we have that clarity, we need to put in mechanisms for when we aren’t so blessed. That is why Yaakov made a contract during his moment of inspiration. He knew that life wasn’t always going to be so clear, so he made an ironclad commitment during that moment.

This resonated with me due to the contrast to Teivat Noach. Many have compared yeshiva to a teivah, and the world outside to a flood. According to this mashal, leaving yeshiva to go to work is a failure. But based on Rav Taragin’s imagery, it’s a challenging but necessary transition.

Summary and Conclusion

Taken together, these pieces from Vayeitzei sketch a very interesting picture of what it means to be a Ben Torah in the workforce. Yaakov’s years with Lavan show that honest, grinding work can be a bigger merit than lofty yichus. His dealings with a crook teach us to outsmart dishonesty without becoming dishonest. Leah and Reuven remind us that seeing greatness in others – especially our kids and students – can literally change their story. And Yaakov’s “deal” at Beit El, as Rav Taragin explains, forces us to treat yeshiva not as an escape pod but as a lighthouse: a place to clarify our values and build concrete commitments that will hold when the sea gets rough.