Vayishlach 5764
In Parashat Vayishlach we read about the fight that took place between Yaakov Aveenu and the angel which was the angel of Esav. Yaakov Aveenu was wounded in the Gid Hanashe (in his leg) and he walked away limping. And the Pasuk then writes that "Vayizrach Lo Hashemesh," that the sun rose for him the next morning.
The Gemara tells a story. The story is of Raban Gamliel who was once walking to buy an animal for his son’s wedding. He was on his way to buy food (meat) for the Seuda. And on the way the students that were escorting him asked him this question, ‘what does it mean "Vayizrach Lo Hashemesh" that the sun rose for him? Does it mean that the sun only rose for Yaakov? It really rose for the entire world. So Raban Gamliel answered that it meant that the sun healed him. The previous day he walked away from the fight limping, but the next morning the sun rose for him, meaning that there was a benefit specifically to Yaakov by the sun rising.
I saw from the Rabbi called Darke Musar. He asks why does the Gemara have to tell us this superfluous information, when this Chidush (lesson) was said. Raban Gamliel was on the way to the butcher, to the marketplace, to buy an ox for his son’s wedding. What does that have to do with the lesson? So the Darke Musar says, to teach us 2 things.
First off, we come to understand from this, how much the Rabbis learned. Which means the Rabbis didn’t only focus on their studying when they were sitting in the Bet Midrash, but even when they were out in the market place. Even when they were out in the streets their minds were always thinking of questions on the Parasha, and questions on the Halacha. That was the conversation. You shouldn’t think that our Rabbis limited their learning only to when they were within the 4 walls of the Yeshiva. And that is a very important lesson for us. The Pasuk says, ‘Uvelechtecha Baderech’. That not only do you have to learn when you are at home, but you have to learn when you are out on the road. And that is what the Gemara is trying to tell you. That this great Chidush explaining a Pasuk in the Torah was not said in the Yeshiva, but it was said in the market place.
There is another lesson to be learned from this story. We wouldn’t expect to see Raban Gamliel who was the chief Rabbi and president of Israel, in the market place haggling with an animal salesman trying to buy an ox. Just think for yourself if you saw the chief Rabbi of Israel at a market walking with sheep or a goat in his hand. You would say that something is wrong. You would say to the Rabbi, ‘What are doing? It’s beneath your dignity and you don’t belong over here.’ So what is Raban Gamliel doing? So the Gemara is coming to explain that the Rabbi was buying this ox for a wedding, and that Seuda is considered a Seudat Mitzvah. So therefore we shouldn’t differentiate shopping for this ox from the shopping for an Etrog. Would any of us be shocked if we saw a Rabbi in the store shopping for an Etrog? Of course not since this is a Mitzvah. Or would we be shocked if we saw a Rabbi in the book store picking out Sefarim, or in the market picking out Tefilin? Of course not, since these are Mitzvot. To Raban Gamliel, this ox over here is considered not less than a pair of Tefilin and not less than an Etrog and not less than a Sefer. He was to use it for Seudat Mitzvah for a Chatan, and therefore it was with dignity to do such a thing.
And form here you learn a lesson. Nobody should be too proud to be involved in doing these errands when it is for Mitzvot. Raban Gamliel was a very wealthy man, and he had a lot of servants. He could have sent somebody to buy the ox. I am sure he had better things to do, but Raban Gamliel went himself. No one should say that it’s beneath my dignity, and question the reason for getting involved? No one should say that he will send a servant or somebody else to do it. If Raban Gamliel was able to do this himself, then all the more so, how much we should involve ourselves in Mitzvot. It was not buying an ox, but rather fulfilling a Mitzvah. And therefore it was not beneath his Kavod (respect), but in fact was with his respect, in order to serve Bore Olam.
Friday errands would be the same. It is not a regular errand when one goes to the store to buy for Shabbat. A person might say, ‘I should go the supermarket? I never go the supermarket because I am a rich and important man, and I should walk into a store?’ If Raban Gamliel can walk into the animal store, so we can walk into the market on Friday to buy Chalot for Shabbat or to buy some wine. It is our dignity because we are serving Bore Olam.
And that might be the two lessons of this Gemara. First, they learnt at all times even when they were in the market, and second, they did not put their honor in the way of serving Bore Olam.
