We have been discussing the level of Bitachon of Yaakov Avinu. As we said yesterday, Hashem is the Ozer- Hashem helps. We do, and Hashem helps. Of course, Hashem does everything, but it looks like we do. It’s difficult for us to do, and still realize that Hashem is making it happen, but that’s what Yaakov did.
This is brought out in Yaakov Avinu’s dealings with Lavan. One of the very interesting things that happened, described in Bereshit,) ל, לז-מג ( is what Yaakov Avinu does in his hishtadlut, in order to get sheep that match the deal that he made with Lavan. Whether striped, spotted, or speckled, Rashi says that Lavan switched the deal 100 times. Every time Yaakov Avinu got the type that he wanted, Lavan decided to change the deal again. Based on this, there’s a question: What did Yaakov Avinu do for his hishtadlut? He took a stick and a peeler (similar to what we’d use to peel a cucumber) and peeled the sticks to make different patterns on them (stripes, spots etc). When the sheep would mate, they’d see the patterned sticks, and their offspring would be born with a resemblance to those patterns. That was Yaakov Avinu’s hishtadlut. This is difficult on two accounts. Firstly, it’s not common that sheep resemble the patterns around them.
Secondly, and even more difficult, if Lavan kept changing the deal, then Yaakov’s efforts would be for naught. For example, if the sheep’s gestation period was 5 months and Lavan switched the deal three times over that five months, then whatever Yaakov did at the beginning of the pregnancy would not really help. By the time the lamb would be born, the deal would have been different.
So, what exactly did he accomplish? Rabbenu Bachya says that Yaakov Avinu wasn’t accomplishing anything. He was just doing his hishtadlut to cover the miracle.
He was trying to do it as naturally as possible, to avoid any sort of evil eye. People would see that he was doing his work, and not anything seemingly miraculous.
We know that Yaakov actually had a dream that an angel was actually carrying the sheep over the fence from Lavan’s stables to his, because Lavan kept cheating him. So, Hashem (through the angel) was taking care of him. That’s the blessing that Yaakov Avinu gave his children: - המלאך הגואל אותי מכל רע
The angels work for us at all times, protecting us and saving us from our tormentors. Yaakov Avinu knew that. He saw them with his own eyes. He called them Machanayim- The Camps.
In the beginning of his efforts he saw angels in a dream, but at the end of the Parasha he saw them live. This is because, as our rabbis tell us, and as I heard from Rabbi Ades, initially, as he was leaving Yeshivat Shem C’Ever, he was dreaming of all the things he’d do, so he dreamed of angels. Later on, when he was, so to say, actually on the ground, living life’s challenges and passing them, he actually saw the angels. Before you actually go through the challenges of life (whether in learning or at work), that’s when you dream of angels.
So, Yaakov Avinu understood that his hishtadlut was just covering everything up. At the end, when he spoke to Lavan, who was going for the chase, he says
ולא נתנו אלוקים להרע עמדי
G-d did allow you to do any evil to me.” Yaakov took absolutely credit for the outcome with the sheep. He knew it wasn’t his tactics. It was all Hashem.
As he said to his wives, “G-d saved the sheep and gave them to me.” He didn’t take any credit for anything he did after everything, he told Hashem,
“ I become small for everything you have done for me.”
That’s the Yaakov Avinu approach.
There’s a beautiful prayer in tehilim that men say every day after Ashrei, mizmor כ, that says
יַֽעַנְךָ֣ה'בְּי֣וֹם צָרָ֑ה
G-d should save you on a challenging day
יְ֝שַׂגֶּבְךָ֗
He should be a fortress for you
שם אלקי יעקוב ׃
The name of the G-d of Yaakov
The Midrash שדל, why Elokei Yaakov? Why not Elokei Avraham or Yitzhak?
The answer is that Yaakov Avinu went through a lot of challenges. We are supposed to connect to that.
As Yaakov Avinu said,
לאל העונה אותי ביום צרה
The G-d that answers me on my day of difficulty - that’s the Yom Tzarah.
This Midrash is the source for a Segula (mentioned by the Hid”a):
We say Elokei Yaakov because, imagine a lady going through a very difficult childbirth. You want to give her encouragement but you have nothing to say to to her. So, you tell her, “Your mother also had a difficult labor, but look- you’re here! You are living proof that G-d saves, because you made it through your birth.” And we tell her, “The G-d that took care of your mother should take care of you.” “The one that answered your mother in her time of difficulty, should answer you in your time of difficulty.”
The Midrash says that this is why we say,
“The G-d of Yaakov should save us.”
We are all living proof of G-d saving us Because Yaakov Avinu went through challenge after challenge and he survived.
Based on this midrash, the Chida brings down a segula that when a woman is in labor, she should say this mizmor, Perek כ )20) of tehilim, because the Midrash brings down that this is what’s told to a woman in childbirth.
He wrote a prayer to afterwards, with words based on this Midrash as well.
BeEzrat Hashem, we will continue tomorrow with more on the powers of Yaakov Avinu.
The Segulah from Hida for Childbirth- When she enters childbirth, she should say twelve times the Psalm of “He will answer you”, Psalm 20. Then she should say:
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אלקינוּ וֵאלקי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, אלקי אַבְרָהָם אלקי יִצְחָק וֵאלקי יַעֲקֹב, הָאֵל הַגָּדֹל הַגִּבֹּר וְהַנּוֹרָא, אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה, שַׁדַּי צְבָאוֹת. שֶׁתַּעֲשֶׂה לְמַעַן רַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים, וּלְמַעַן קְדֻשַּׁת הַמִּזְמוֹר הַזֶּה, וּשְׁמוֹתֶיךָ הַכְּתוּבִים בּוֹ וְהַמְצֹרָפִים בּוֹ, וְשֵׁמוֹת הַקֹּדֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר כִּוַּנְתִּי בְצֵרוּפִים, שֶׁהוּא שֵׁם בֶּן י"ב. וּתְרַחֵם עַל add name of woman, הַיֹּשֶׁבֶת עַל הַמַּשְׁבֵּר, צֹעֶקֶת בַּחֲבָלֶיהָ. אֵל מָלֵא רַחֲמִים, תּוֹצִיאָהּ מֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹרָה. וּבִזְכוּת אִמּוֹתֵינוּ הַקְּדוֹשׁוֹת: שָׂרָה, רִבְקָה, רָחֵל וְלֵאָה, תְּרַחֵם עָלֶיהָ וְתִזְכְּרֶנָּה לְטוֹבָה וְתִפְקְדֶנָּה לִבְרָכָה, כִּי עֵינֶיהָ לְךָ תְלוּיוֹת, כְּעֵינֵי שִׁפְחָה אֶל יַד גְּבִרְתָּהּ. וּתְבַטֵּל מֵעָלֶיהָ, כָּל גְּזֵרוֹת קָשׁוֹת וְרָעוֹת בְּשֵׁם קרע שטן, וְתַצִּילָהּ מִכָּל צַעַר. וְיֵצֵא הַוָּלָד לְחַיִּים טוֹבִים וּלְשָׁלוֹם וּבְשָׁעָה טוֹבָה וּמְבֹרֶכֶת לָנוּ וְלַוָּלָד, וְאַחַר כַּךְ תֵּצֵא הַשִּׁלְיָא בְנָקֵל. וּכְשֵׁם שֶׁשָּׁמַעְתָּ מִי שֶׁהִתְפַּלֵּל לְפָנֶיךָ הַמִּזְמוֹר הַזֶּה, כֵּן תִּשְׁמַע תְפִלָּתֵנוּ. עֲשֵׂה לְמַעַן שְׁמָךְ, עֲשֵׂה לְמַעַן יְמִינָךְ, עֲשֵׂה לְמַעַן תּוֹרָתָךְ, עֲשֵׂה לְמַעַן קְדֻשָּׁתָךְ, מָאן דְּעָנֵי לְאִמָּךְ, הוּא יַעֲנֶה יָתָךְ. יִהְי֥וּ לְרָצ֨וֹן | אִמְרֵי־פִ֡י, וְהֶגְי֣וֹן לִבִּ֣י לְפָנֶ֑יךָ ה' צוּרִ֥י וְגֹֽאֲלִֽי: סנסן ליאיר סי' ד'
May it be Your Will, Hashem, our Lord and the Lord of our Fathers, Lord of Abraham, Lord of Isaac, Lord of Jacob, Hashem the Great, the Powerful and the Awesome, Who promised us to be with us in every crisis, to protect us and fight for us, that You act on behalf of Your vast mercies and on behalf of the sanctity of this psalm and the Holy Names which are included in it, along with the appropriate Holy Names, and take pity on (name and mother’s name) who is beginning childbirth and screaming from her labor pains.
Hashem, Who is full of mercy, please take her out from darkness to light. Please have mercy upon her in the merit of our holy Matriarchs, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. Please remember her for good and please visit her to bring good. Her eyes are raised hopefully toward You like the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress.
Please nullify from upon her any difficult or bad decrees using the Holy Name which disempowers the Satan, and save her from all pain. May the child emerge for a good, peaceful life at a time which is good and blessed for both parents and child. May the afterbirth leave her body easily.
Just as You heard the prayers of King David who originally offered this psalm as a prayer, so too please hear our prayers. Please do this on behalf of Your Name, on behalf of Your Right Hand. on behalf of Your Torah, on behalf of Your Holiness. The One Who answered your mother, He will answer you! May the expressions of my mouth find favor before You, Hashem. You are my Protector and Redeemer.