Reply To: Short & Sweet

Ki Savo: Work Hard

The Meforshim are bothered by several questions on the Pasuk of אֲרַמִּי֙ אֹבֵ֣ד אָבִ֔י וַיֵּ֣רֶד מִצְרַ֔יְמָה: First of all, what does Lavan bothering Yaakov have to do with going down to Mitrayim? Secondly, why does the Pasuk seem to imply that Lavan did destroy Yaakov if he was ultimately unsuccessful in doing so?

The Kli Yakar has a fascinating explanation. He writes that on some level, Lavan did destroy Yaakov. From the time they spent together, Yaakov was affected by Lavan’s attitude towards this world. This why Yaakov was ביקש לישב בשלוה, slightly too concerned with his comfort in this world. And that is why Klal Yisroel had to go down to Mitzrayim; by experiencing being forced into backbreaking labor, they were able to internalize that אדם לעמל יולד.

‎לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
‎לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום