This week’s Torah Portion Vayeitze deals with Jacob’s experiences in Haran. In the end Jacob was able to return to Canaan with a large prosperous family. The twenty years that he lived in Haran and worked for his uncle Laban were very hard. On numerous occasions Laban tricked Jacob. Jacob had to use all the cleverness he possessed to eventually get what he wanted. Jacob was a complicated character with many flaws. God had to teach him many lessons. One important lesson is that the end does not justify the means. It is not enough to want to do the good, one must do the good. The steps that we take to achieve the good must be just and honorable.
The central theme of the sedra is that we must struggle with ourselves to make a difference in our lives. Jacob has a dream and fights with an angel and comes out of that experience a better person, more secure, kinder and dedicated to doing the right thing. The Rabbis say that the “angel” is really Jacob himself, struggling with his negative traits. The portion implies that we can make ourselves better if we face our issues and struggle with our “demons.”
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