We’ve been talking about the Bitachon of Yaakov Avinu, and how everyone has to strive to reach the level of Bitachon that he had. We said that Yaakov Avinu, like anybody, had to grow and work on his Bitachon.
The Midrash has one claim against Yaakov Avinu.
After the brothers told Yosef (whom they thought was really the viceroy) that they had another brother back home, they went back to Yaakov and told him what happened. And Yaakov asked them,
לָמָ֥ה הֲרֵעֹתֶ֖ם לִ֑י
Why did you do evil to me?
לְהַגִּ֣יד לָאִ֔ישׁ הַע֥וֹד לָכֶ֖ם אָֽח
To tell the man that you have another brother?
Why did you divulge that information - Now I’m going to have to send Binyamin!?
To which the midrash says
מעולם לא אמר יעקב אבינו דבר של בטלה, אלא כאן
Yaakov Avinu never said a wasted word, except for this - This was the only time that Yaakov Avinu said something extra, or unnecessary.
And Hashem responded, saying, I am arranging for your son to
become king, and you ask why I did evil to you?!
On that, Yeshayah HaNavi said about the Jewish people in general, but also about Yakov Avinu specifically, “Why is Yaakov saying, that My ways are hidden from G-d?”
This is mind-boggling, if you think about it. Yaakov saw the bloodstained coat of his older son, and now his second child, from his wife Rachel, was being taken from him. It’s pretty understandable for someone to complain to his children for a mishap like that.
But on Yaakov Avinu’s level, he was held responsible, and that is the lesson for us:
We should always understand that even the bad things are good.
As Rav Matityahu Salomon says (and we have quoted before), at the end of his life, Yaakov Avinu, so to say, corrected that slip of the tongue, and taught us an important lesson. When Yaakov Avinu was blessing his grandchildren at the end if his life, he said
הָאֱלֹקִים אֲשֶׁר הִתְהַלְּכוּ אֲבֹתַי לְפָנָיו אַבְרָהָם וְיִצְחָק
The G-d that my forefathers went before,
הָאֱלֹקִים הָרֹעֶה אֹתִי מֵעוֹדִי עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה
The G-d, who has been my Shepherd, from my youth until today....
The word HaElokim, which refers to G-d’s justice, was used twice, and yet Yaakov Avinu says that Elokim was his shepherd. Furthermore, Rav Matityahu Salomon points out that the word “Ro’eh”-shepherd, is spelled here without a vav, so it can be read as Ra’ah- evil, in which case the pasuk would read,
“G-d, who is seemingly doing evil to me...wasn’t doing evil to me at all. He was actually shepherding me. He was taking care of me, just like a sheep doesn’t understand when the shepherd is directing it. Those were Yaakov Avinu’s parting words to his grandchildren, and to us, as his descendants. We have to understand that there is no Ra’ah- evil, there is only Ro’eh the Shepherd. We have to look back on our lives and realize how many times we thought something was Ra’ah/ bad, when it really was Ro’eh.
How many times has somebody lost a job, or missed a plane, etc. but then they look back and say, “Wow!”
This title of Ro’eh- Shepherd is an interesting title.
The Yalkut Shemoni, in Tehilim, says that there is no more disgusting trade than being shepherd. He walks among sheep, with their odors, with only a stick and his leather sack. It is not the nicest place to be. And yet David HaMelech calls Hashem a Ro’eh/Shepherd?
How can he do that?
Who taught us the lesson that we can actually do that? He says he looked to his forefathers, and found that Yaakov Avinu called Hashem a Ro’eh/Shepherd (as we quoted above) that’s why David HaMelech said
ה׳ רעי לא אחסר
Hashem is my Shepherd, I lack nothing
Furthermore, not only is Shepherd a title that we give G-d, but G-d prides Himself on this title. The Midrash Rabah says that Hashem told the Jewish people,
You are my sheep, and I am your Shepherd, as the pasuk says:
וְאַתֵּ֥ן צֹאנִ֛י צֹ֥אן מַרְעִיתִ֖י אָדָ֣ם אַתֶּ֑ם אֲנִי֙ אֱלֹ֣הֵיכֶ֔ם נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֥י
You are my sheep, the sheep that I shepherd, although you’re human beings.
David HaMelech tells Hashem, in another pasuk in tehilim,
רֹ֘עֵ֤ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֨ל ׀ הַאֲזִ֗ינָה
The Shepherd of the Jewish people listens, and therefore Hashem says, “Make a booth for the Shepherd.”
The shepherd needs a booth, make a booth for Me, as the pasuk tells us,
וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃
Make me a Mikdash, and I will dwell there.
This can be the Bet HaMikdash, a Mikdash me’at, a small Mikdash, or our hearts, the Mikdash where G-d dwells.
It’s the booth for the Shepherd. Another famous Gemarah says that when a gentile commented about how strong the sheep could be, that it could fight off all the 70 wolves, the rabbis said, “No, how great is the Shepherd! The sheep are weak, it is the Shepherd that is great!”
This is what we always have to believe.
Somebody sent me a cute text with the following words,
“Hashem 2020- En Od Milevado”
There is nothing but Him !
Ultimately, that’s Who we have to vote for.
We have to choose life, choose G-d.
Bezrat Hashem,
Hashem is our Shepherd. Regardless of who wins this election, Gadol HaRoeh- the Shepherd is great.