from Mishlei Yaakov on the Torah — The Dubno Maggid, zt”l [1740-1804]
“What About Yaakov’s Parnassa?”
There is a slight inconsistency between G-d’s promise to Yaakov in his dream and Yaakov’s vow to G-d the morning after. G-d says:
I will be with you;
I will watch over you wherever you go;
I will return you to this Land;
I will not leave you until I do what I said I would.
Yaakov afterwards takes a vow, saying:
If G-d will be with me;
If He will watch over me on this path that I am taking;
If He gives me bread to eat and clothes to wear;
If I return in peace to the house of my father . . .
1. & 2. correspond in the dream and in the vow; and 3. in the dream corresponds to 4. in the vow. However, Yaakov, when he vows, adds a prayer for bread and clothing – for parnasa. This concern does not seem to have been addressed in the dream, even though the rest of his worries were. The Midrash apparently addresses the problem, but it is not clear how. The Midrash says, “The Rabbis say, ‘He responds to everything except for sustenance (parnasa).’ Rav Issi says, ‘He also responded to parnasa when He said, “For I will not leave you.”
Both opinions in the Midrash raise questions. According to the Rabbis, why did G-d not address this concern? According to Rav Issi, how do the words, “For I will not leave you,” address parnasa?
The Dubno Maggid answers with a parable:
A father once sent his son off on a journey to a distant land. Along with the provisions, the father also added a bundle of money to pay for his son’s expenses. As they were planning the trip they found out that foreign soldiers were frequenting the roads they needed to use, making travel extremely dangerous. The father decided he did not want to leave his son alone under such dangerous circumstances and decided to join him on the trip. When they were on the wagon the son said to the father, “Where is the bundle of money you prepared me for expenses on the journey?” The father replied, “Am I not accompanying you? If you need anything you can just ask me and I will take care of it.”
The same is true for Yaakov Avinu. Once G-d promised him that He will not leave him (4.), there is no need to directly relate to Yaakov’s material needs. Wherever he is, Yaakov eats of his Father’s food. Rav Issi and the Rabbis do not really argue. The Rabbis point out that the issue of parnasa is not directly related to, and Rav Issi explains that when G-d says He will accompany Yaakov, He is implicitly telling him that all of his material needs are also taken care of. G-d says to Yaakov, “I am always with you; whenever you call I will answer.”
[prepared by Eliezer Kwass]
