When Enemies Make Real Peace

Update 2018: After writing my DT for 2018, I was "shocked" to discover I had the same solution for peace 6 years earlier! Of course while the conclusion is the same, the angle in the parsha is completely different. I guess Hamas leaders don't read my blog. 🙍

Parshat Vayetze

by Rabbi Avi Billet           

There was no love lost between Yaakov and his father-in-law Lavan. Lavan criticizes Yaakov for having "stolen" his family, and Yaakov responds saying he had been cheated numerous times over a period of 20 years working for Lavan.

            

The most telling comment comes from Lavan who says, "I have it in my power to do you great harm. But your father's God spoke to me last night and said, 'Be very careful not to say anything, good or bad, to Jacob.'" Had God not appeared to him, who knows what he would have done? This is surely one of the proof-texts for the Haggadah's notion that "Lavan bikesh laakor et hakol," Lavan wanted to uproot everything.

            

After their argument at Galed, they reached a resolution. They drew a line exactly where they were, they built a pile of a stones and a monument and then Lavan said, "This mound shall be a witness, and the monument shall be a witness. I am not to go beyond the mound and you are not to go beyond the mound and pillar, with bad intentions." (31:52)

            

After forging the agreement, they sat down and ate together as a declaration of peace – as long as the lines will not be crossed.

            

Many commentaries note that the agreement is for no one to cross the line intending to do harm (Rashi, etc). However, crossing the line to engage in business and commerce or for other good reasons that forge camaraderie of differing peoples is acceptable ("l'tovah u'l'pragmatia" - Pesikta).

            

Ibn Ezra points to their each swearing in the name of the God each worships. A real peace treaty contains divergent opinions about "Who" is backing the peace and "Whom" we are serving through coming to peace terms. But the end result is peace – with each committing to it in the name of their respective objects of worship. Which, in essence, ideally makes the treaty inviolable.

            

Radak points to Lavan's having heard from Yaakov's God directly, which helped him arrive at the conclusion that peace was really the best option.

            

Riva raises a minority view that the agreement was a pact that each would cross the border to help the other in the event that the other is facing "raah" – a bad situation brought on by a different enemy (see Chizkuni). But the more common view maintains that they agree to leave one another alone.

            

Some of the commentaries point out that this treaty (as described by the majority position) was violated by Bilaam. The Zohar (166b) identifies Lavan as the father of Beor (father of Bilaam), the Gemara (Sanhedrin 105a) identifies Bilaam's father as Lavan (Beor having several identities), and the Yalkut Shimoni (Shmot 168) identifies Bilaam as Lavan the Aramean from Pethor. While it is not likely that these texts are meant to be taken literally, it is more than likely that some of the texts describing Lavan and Bilaam are similar (such as receiving prophesy from God in the nighttime, and both being from Aram Naharayim – see Devarim 23:5) to indicate either that Bilaam was the spiritual heir of Lavan, or perhaps even a direct descendant.

            

Daat Zekenim boldly claims that "it is the way of the charlatans and liars to be struck down by the witnesses to their offense." Bilaam's leg was struck by the wall which is identified as the pile of rocks created here. And Bilaam met his demise at the sword (Bamidbar 31:8). The anthology Hadar Zekenim explains (quoting a midrash) that the monument had a sword implanted in it, as a symbol of the 'laying down of the sword' between Lavan and Yaakov. Bilaam was somehow impaled on that sword, as his death is described as having taken place on "the sword" – as in, the one everyone knew about.

            

The message is crystal clear.

            

When Israel vacated Gaza in 2005, a line was drawn in the sand. This is your territory, this is our territory. We are happy to have the border crossed "l'tovah ul'pragmatia" – for good things and for business, but not for "ra'ah" – under the intention to do harm. Israel provides humanitarian aid to Gaza – food, supplies, medicines, and graciously treats Gazans in Israeli hospitals.

            

But when rockets fly, there is no "good": the intention is only to harm. The inviolable treaty supposedly brought on by a land swap has been violated over and over again. Those who foment the hatred are not likely to receive revelations from Yaakov's God not to harm Yaakov. This is why they don't know when to stop, or when to count losses (as Lavan did), and go home to live your own life concerned about how to make your own life better, without trying to make the other person's life miserable.

            

Lavan "bikesh" – he "wanted" to uproot all. But when he couldn't, he let go and lived out his life. Bilaam, on the other hand, couldn't let go of his hatred. And he met his end on the sword that was supposed to symbolize a truce between peoples, exactly on the border his ancestor had vowed never to cross for bad.

            

May God bless the soldiers and people of the Land of Israel. May He watch over them through the tests that lie ahead of them. And may all the spiritual heirs of Bilaam meet the same end he did so the rest of those who recognize and value what a peaceful coexistence can look like are given the opportunity to share a border l'tovah – for the sharing of goodness and peace.