Chasidut על בבא בתרא 31:2
Kedushat Levi
Let us proceed to explain the nature of the blessing Yitzchok bestowed on Yaakov. We must remember that he thought that he was blessing Esau. The wording of the blessing reflects evaluations in the celestial spheres. In order to understand this better, compare the Talmud in Pessachim 118 where psalms 118,1 הודו לה' כי טוב כי לעולם חסדו, “Praise the Lord for He is good, for His loving kindness lasts forever;” this is understood by Rav Chisda as the goodness of G’d being displayed in the manner in which He applies punishment for the same sin by exacting retribution from the sinner only relative to his economic ability, i.e. He may punish a wealthy man by depriving him of his ox, whereas he may deprive a poor man only of a lamb, though both committed the same sin. The principle we must constantly keep in front of our eyes is spelled out in B’rachot 60: “whatever G’d initiates is for the benefit of His creatures.” Being only human, we cannot always recognize that what befalls us is actually for our own good. Even when it is quite obviously a setback to our aspirations, we must remember that when these setbacks are retributions for sins committed, designed to preserve our claim to an afterlife intact, the retribution itself is tailored to our individual circumstances ensuring that we will not collapse under their burden.
The same rule applies in reverse. Sometimes we experience what we consider a stroke of good luck, and we may even thank the Lord for this “stroke of good luck.” This does not mean that this very “stroke of good luck,” does not constitute a challenge even more difficult to deal with than a “stroke of bad luck.” Eventually, we may trace reverses we experience in life to the very stroke of “good luck,” such as winning a lottery. Had we not won that lottery, dissent within the family, envy and jealousy might never have reared their head within our family. The overriding element that a true believer in Hashem must never lose sight of is that G’d did not give Satan unlimited powers, and that whatever difficulties he puts in our path must be geared to our ability to overcome it, if only we exert ourselves to the fullest extent.
We know that Yitzchok’s predominant characteristic was the aspect of G’d called מידת הדין, attribute of Justice. Esau, on the other hand, personified the perennial accuser, Satan, whereas Yaakov personified virtues of the Jewish people. When preparing to bless his son Esau, (as he thought he was doing) Yitzchok had to tailor his blessing to the power of retribution, Satan. (Compare Baba batra 16). When G’d gives the attribute of Justice the green light to punish human beings, this means that he allows Satan free reign for a time. By withdrawing, hiding His benevolence from the people being punished, He is actually doing them a favour. When Yitzchok proceeded to bless Esau, he had intended to empower the forces that mete out retribution on earth; having been unaware that the son facing him was Yaakov, who instead of empowering retribution was concerned only with what was manifestly good for Israel. This was an example of everything that G’d does being for the ultimate good. Yaakov too had not realized the true motivation of Yitzchok in wanting to bestow a blessing on Esau at that time not having been aware of the type of blessing Yitzchok intended to bestow on him. [All three (not counting Rivkah) parties involved in the blessing were unaware of pertinent facts before undertaking a potentially fateful step. Ed.]
The same rule applies in reverse. Sometimes we experience what we consider a stroke of good luck, and we may even thank the Lord for this “stroke of good luck.” This does not mean that this very “stroke of good luck,” does not constitute a challenge even more difficult to deal with than a “stroke of bad luck.” Eventually, we may trace reverses we experience in life to the very stroke of “good luck,” such as winning a lottery. Had we not won that lottery, dissent within the family, envy and jealousy might never have reared their head within our family. The overriding element that a true believer in Hashem must never lose sight of is that G’d did not give Satan unlimited powers, and that whatever difficulties he puts in our path must be geared to our ability to overcome it, if only we exert ourselves to the fullest extent.
We know that Yitzchok’s predominant characteristic was the aspect of G’d called מידת הדין, attribute of Justice. Esau, on the other hand, personified the perennial accuser, Satan, whereas Yaakov personified virtues of the Jewish people. When preparing to bless his son Esau, (as he thought he was doing) Yitzchok had to tailor his blessing to the power of retribution, Satan. (Compare Baba batra 16). When G’d gives the attribute of Justice the green light to punish human beings, this means that he allows Satan free reign for a time. By withdrawing, hiding His benevolence from the people being punished, He is actually doing them a favour. When Yitzchok proceeded to bless Esau, he had intended to empower the forces that mete out retribution on earth; having been unaware that the son facing him was Yaakov, who instead of empowering retribution was concerned only with what was manifestly good for Israel. This was an example of everything that G’d does being for the ultimate good. Yaakov too had not realized the true motivation of Yitzchok in wanting to bestow a blessing on Esau at that time not having been aware of the type of blessing Yitzchok intended to bestow on him. [All three (not counting Rivkah) parties involved in the blessing were unaware of pertinent facts before undertaking a potentially fateful step. Ed.]
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