Parashat Vayeshev begins with the pasuk, וישב יעקב בארץ מגורי אביו, בארץ כנען – “Yaakov resided in the land where his father dwelled, in the land of Canaan.”
Rashi, in a famous passage, comments that וישב here means much more than “resided.” He writes: ביקש יעקב לישב בשלוה – Yaakov wanted to live in tranquility. After all he had gone through already in his life, and now around 100 years old, he wanted to enjoy some peace and serenity. He had been forced to run away from his brother who wanted to kill him, he had spent 20 years with his crooked uncle, Lavan, his daughter had been abducted and violated – he had gone through a great deal. He now wanted לישב בשלוה, to live in peace.
But this would not happen. Rashi writes that Hashem says, “Is it not enough for the tzadikim all that is prepared for them in the next world, that they wish to live in tranquility in this world?” Hashem doesn’t want the righteous to live in tranquility. And so Yaakov had to now go through another hardship, with the story of Yosef, his beloved son, whose brothers sold him as a slave to Egypt.
What does this mean? Is it wrong to wish to live in tranquility, without problems?
My father told me about the time when Rav Nosson Wachtfogel, the esteemed mashgiah (spiritual advisor) of the Lakewood Yeshiva, once visited Deal. When my father inquired as to why he had come, he was told that Rav Wachtfogel was raising funds for a new series of kollels that he wanted to set up throughout the United States. My father was amazed. Rav Wachtfogel at that time was already over 90. We would have expected him to want to just “take it easy.” He had already accomplished so much, influencing thousands of students. But no, he wasn’t done. He had more to do. He had more institutions to build.
This is what Rashi is telling us. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with wanting things to be peaceful. But this world is not for לישב בשלוה, sitting comfortably, without working hard and struggling. As long as we are here, as long as Hashem keeps us alive, we need to keep working to achieve more. No matter how much we’ve accomplished, we should be accomplishing more. We’re never done!!
This lesson can be seen also in the history of Hashmonaim, the family that led the struggle against the Greeks in the Hanukah story. They were real heroes, who refused to accept the Greeks’ oppression, and fought back. They experienced overt miracles, and they proceeded to rededicate the Bet Ha’mikdash, as we celebrate on Hanukah. But 200 years later, the family had entirely disappeared. None of them remained. The Rabbis explain that after the victory over the Greeks, when the Jews regained sovereignty, the Hashmonaim made themselves kings. They felt that now their work was done, and they could enjoy the comforts and perks of kingship. This was wrong. Once we struggle and score one victory, we must then work towards achieving our next great success. As long as we’re here, we need to work to achieve more.
Our culture champions comfort and the “easy life.” The goal of life in our society is to retire with lots of money and then relax for the rest of one’s life. This is antithetical to Torah values. Of course, there is nothing wrong with retiring from work, with an occasional vacation, and with enjoying one’s wealth. But our objective must always be to accomplish, to achieve, to build, to grow, and to produce. Even when we might need a period לישב בשלוה, when we take it easy and relax, this should be only in preparation for our next project, our next challenge. We’re never done – as long as Hashem keeps us here, we need to keep working.