The Strength in Singularity
In the Parsha of the week (Bereshis 32:25) we find that Yaakov Aveinu was left alone and a man (angel) wrestled with him until the break of dawn[1]. The implication is that due to the fact Yaakov was alone, with no one on his side, he was unprotected and vulnerable to attack. However, the Midrash (Bereshis Rabbah 77) on the very same posuk not only considers Yaakov’s state of solitude as a virtue, it compares his individualism to that of Hashem’s oneness[2]. If the Torah is telling us about Yaakov’s lonesomeness, there must be something to be learned from this character trait. Moreover, in the next verse we find that the attacker “saw that he could not prevail against him”, now that we understand that Yaakov’s solitude is noteworthy, how does this help him be victorious against his assailant?
This is not the first time that one of our forefathers was saved from danger due to being in a state that was individual in nature. The Gemara in Pesachim 118A relates that when Nimrod threw Avraham Aveinu into a fiery furnace, The angel Gavriel said: Master of the Universe, I will descend and cool the furnace, and I will save Avraham. Hashem replied: I am unique in my world and Avrahom is unique in his world. It is fitting for one who is unique to save one who is unique[3].
Rav Yerucham Levovitz (1875-1936), the legendary mashgiach of Yeshivas Mir in Europe, provides a similar insight based on the episode in this week’s parsha about Shechem. Before Yaakov died he rebuked Shimon and Levi for their actions. Rather than criticize how they killed so many and destroyed the city, Yaakov focuses on what would seem somewhat tangential. Yaakov says: Shimon and Levi are brothers; stolen instruments are their weapons[4]. Rashi explains[5] that they mimicked the behavior of Eisav. Reb Yerucham points out that Yaakov seems to be more disappointed that his two sons copied their uncle Eisav instead of forging their own path and standing out as individuals.
The forefathers were singular in this world and they instilled this tradition in their descendents. Not only is Klal Yisroel in a category of its own among the nations of the world, there are times that an individual Jew needs to feel that they are in a league of their own and it is in that merit we find that Hashem saved them. Among the attributes we recall of the Chashmonaim is “many in the hands of few”[6], as they understood that at times one needs to be an individual and not join the majority rules; and there too Hashem delivered them from the Greeks.
While there is an idea of not separating oneself from the community[7] (Avos 2:4), one also needs to know when there is a time to stand alone. Perhaps this is what Shlomo Hamelech was referring to when he said “a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing[8]” (Koheles 3:5). One should not feel compelled to follow a trend, or claim that if everyone is doing something it must be correct. Rather one should strive for excellence in their pursuit of Torah and Mitzvos, even in one specific area, notwithstanding that it may lead to them being ahead of the pack and on a plateau of their own.
[1]ויותר יעקב לבדו ויאבק איש עמו עד עלות השחר- בראשית ל״ב:כ״ה
[2] מה הקדוש ברוך הוא כתוב בו (ישעיה ב, יז): ונשגב ה' לבדו, אף יעקב ויותר יעקב לבדו
[3]בשעה שהפיל נמרוד הרשע את אברהם אבינו לתוך כבשן האש אמר גבריאל לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא: רבונו של עולם, ארד ואצנן ואציל את הצדיק מכבשן האש. אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא: אני יחיד בעולמי והוא יחיד בעולמו, נאה ליחיד להציל את היחיד. פסחים קי״ח א
[4]שמעון ולוי אחים כלי חמס מכרתיהם -בראשית מ״ט:ה
[5]כלי חמס. אמנות זו של רציחה, חמס הוא בידיהם – מברכת עשו היא זו, אמנות שלו היא – ואתם חמסתם אותה הימנו:
[6] רבים ביד מעטים
[7] אל תפרוש מן הציבור (אבות ב:ד)
[8] עֵת לַחֲבוֹק, וְעֵת לִרְחֹק מֵחַבֵּק (קהלת פרק ג פסוק ה)