Ra'anana Community Kollel

                           From Traitorship To Teshuvah

                                                    Rabbi Binyomin Lipson

“And Yitzchak smelled the scent of Yaakov’s garments and he blessed him.” (Bereishit 27:27)

The Midrash explains that the Hebrew word for garments, begadav, can also be understood as bogdav; literally “his traitors”. This means that when Ya’akov came in to receive the blessings from his father, Yitzchak sensed that there were members of his son’s progeny who would stray from the path that was expected of them in such an extreme way that they could be appropriately termed traitors of Hashem and his Torah. Nevertheless, at the same time Yitzchak also perceived in this prophetic vision that despite their many transgressions, there was a part of these Jews which would remained untainted by the effects of their deeds and would eventually serve as the single spark that would bring them back to righteousness. Thus, Yitzchak deemed that they were also worthy of his blessing.

The Midrash goes on to relate the specific events which Yitzchak witnessed in his prophesy:

“When the enemies of the Jewish people arrived at the Temple Mount, they were afraid to enter. Finally, someone suggested that they send a Jew in first and see what would happen. They found a Jew named Yosef of Shisa and told him, ‘If you will agree to enter the Temple for us, we will permit you to keep whatever treasure that you bring out.’ He entered and brought out a golden candelabra. Upon seeing this, the enemy told him, ‘It is not fitting that a commoner use such an expensive item. Enter once again and choose something else and you may keep it.’ However, this time he refused, saying, ‘Is it not enough that I have angered my Creator once? Shall I perform this brazen act a second time?’ As a result of his refusal, they sentenced him to a cruel and unusual death, while all the while he could be heard lamenting, ‘Woe to me that I have angered my Creator!’”

Yakum of Tzroros was the nephew of the sage R’ Yosi ben Yoezer of Tzeredah. Once, while out riding his horse on the Sabbath he came upon a battalion of soldiers who were leading his esteemed uncle to be executed. He said, ‘Look at my fate compared to yours. Despite my sinful ways, I am living a life of contentment while you, who adhere to the mitzvot are being taken out to your death! If I can sin and still live in peace, then certainly you should be deserving of at least the same treatment!’ Upon hearing this R’ Yossi replied, ‘In fact, from my situation you should have come to exactly the opposite conclusion. If such is the fate of those who fulfill the will of their Creator, how much more severe will be the judgment of those who rebel against it!’ These sharp words of rebuke immediately entered Yakum’s heart and he repented . . . Some time later, R’ Yossi had a dream in which he witnessed Yakum’s body flying up towards Heaven. He commented, ‘In a brief moment this person has preceded me to the Garden of Eden.’”

Both of these Jews which the Midrash mentions had sunken to unbelievable levels of sin. Yosef ben Shisa was willing to enter the Beit Hamikdash as the emissary of the enemy at the prospect of mere monetary gain. Yakum of Tzroros had no problem watching his uncle being led to his death without even an ounce of compassion and proceeded to mock him for adhering to the precepts of the Torah. However, in both cases it was only because of the astounding lows that they reached that these Jews were able to perform such incredible acts of repentance which raised them up to amazing heights. Clearly, this is what King David intended when he exclaimed, “Had I not fallen, I could not have risen. Had I not dwelt in darkness, Hashem would not have been a light for me.” (Midrash Tehillim 5)

Often, the great contrast between our behavior and the standards that we know are objectively correct can help to stir us to a sincere and elevated level of teshuvah. If we truly wish to pursue a lifelong mission of gradual self-improvement, we must remain forever cognizant of both who we are and the absolute ideal that we are striving for. It is only with this dual knowledge that we can hope to take the necessary steps to move ourselves in the right direction; one step closer to the achievement of personal greatness.

(Adapted from the talks of
R’ Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l)