Yaakov's Work Ethic
How Faith Enables Honesty Under Adversity
Parshas Vayeitzei is full of important ideas about being a Ben Torah in the workforce. On Thursday I posted a sampling, but there are so many additional ideas that have great relevance to our professional lives.
In fact, Rav Chaim David HaLevi writes (Shu”t Mayim Chaim 2:80):
ראויה פרשת עבודת יעקב אבינו בבית - לבן להיות נלמדת ביסודיות ועיון, להפיק ממנה לקחים למען דעת מה הוא “מוסר עבודה” על פי תורתנו הקדושה.
“The section about the work of Yaakov Avinu in the house of Lavan is worthy of being studied thoroughly and in depth, in order to derive lessons so that we may know what ‘work ethic’ is according to our holy Torah.”
So before we turn our attention to Vayishlach, here is one more idea from yesterday’s parsha. One of the famous sources that highlights Yaakov Avinu’s work ethic is the Rambam at the end of Hilchos Sechirus:
וכן חייב לעבוד בכל כחו שהרי יעקב הצדיק אמר כי בכל כחי עבדתי את אביכן, לפיכך נטל שכר זאת אף בעולם הזה שנאמר ויפרץ האיש מאד מאד.
“A worker is obligated to work with all his strength, for the righteous Yaakov said, ‘For with all my strength I served your father.’ Therefore he received reward for this even in this world, as it is stated, ‘And the man became exceedingly prosperous.’”
A number of years ago, I heard a wonderful explanation of this Rambam from my uncle, Rav Binyamin Wolff, in the name of Rav Don Segal. But since I didn’t remember what the wonderful explanation is, Rav Binyamin was nice enough to remind me.
The Making of a Tzadik
Why does the Rambam refer to Yaakov Avinu as Yaakov HaTzadik? This is not a title the Rambam gives to anyone else!
Rav Segal quotes the Gemara at the end of Makkos that says that
בא חבקוק והעמידן על אחת שנאמר צדיק באמונתו יחיה.
“Chavakuk came and based them all on one (principle), as it says: ‘A righteous person shall live by his faith.’”
According to Chabakuk, a tzaddik is someone who lives with their emunah.
Working Honestly for a Crook
How could Yaakov have worked with complete honesty, integrity, and with כל כחו in a situation where he easily could have rationalized cutting corners? After all, he was being treated with complete unfairness! The answer is that he believed that the only thing that matters is what is right in Hashem’s eyes, and that he will never lose from doing the right thing. If there is a problem with Lavan’s behavior, Hashem will be the one to “settle the score.” Yaakov’s emunah is what allowed him to keep a straight path.
But what we see here isn’t just plain emunah. It’s living with emunah, along with the practical implications in the real, messy world. This is what Chabakuk was talking about. The tzaddik doesn’t have a merely intellectual and spiritual emunah; he lives his emunah — צדיק באמונתו יחיה, “the righteous person shall live by his faith.”
Good Faith Negotiations
That is why one of the first questions we will be asked is נשאת ונתת באמונה? “Did you conduct your business dealings with faithfulness and integrity?”
Why is that so important? Well, the basis of everything is emunah in Hashem, so you will be asked if you had emunah. But it doesn’t say “Did you have emunah?” because of course you would say yes. They ask if you had emunah in your משא ומתן (your business dealings) because that is where you can really see if the “emunah” is just in the mind or if it is real and you actually live with it.
Work Ethic and Yirat Shamayim
And that is the pshat in the Gemara in Brachos: גדול הנהנה מיגיע כפיו יותר מירא שמים.
“Greater is one who enjoys the fruits of his own toil than one who (only) fears Heaven.”
Which appears like a strange thing to say, because why are those two different categories of people? But the “ירא שמים” being referred to is someone who talks a lot about yiras Shamayim, or who expresses it only in the beis medrash. But if one is truly נהנה מיגיע כפיו, with all with all the pressures, temptations and hard decisions that come with real work, that is the manifestation and demonstration of his יראת שמים.
So if the definition of a tzaddik is one whose emunah comes out in the most challenging and tempting parts of life, then Yaakov was indeed Yaakov HaTzadik.