Vayigash
The passuk says “Pharaoh said to Yaakov, ‘how old are you?’ Yaakov said, ‘yemay shnai megurei shloshim ume’as shana me’at v’ra’im.’” “The years of my dwelling are 130 years, few and bad.”
Da’as Zekaynim M’Ba’alei Tosfos says that because Yaakov said this to Pharaoh he lost 33 years of his life. Each word represented a year; 33 words=33 years. Yaakov lived until 147. He would have lived 180 years like Yitzchak. 147+33=180. Hashem said to Yaakov, “I saved you from Esav and Lavan and I returned Dena and Yosef and you’re complaining about your life that it’s short and bad!?”
Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz zatzal asks: Included in these pesukim are Pharaoh’s words, asking Yaakov how old he is. Why should Yaakov get punished for Pharaoh’s words? Rav Shmuelevitz explains that there is a remez to us from Pharaoh’s question since Yaakov got punished for that. Pharaoh noticed that Yaakov looked very old and that he had white hairs. Therefore he asked how old Yaakov was. Yaakov answered, “Although my years are few, still old age came to me quickly.” Rav Shmuelevitz says that had Yaakov not felt the tzaros and been affected by them, he would not have aged as he did. Only because he connected to the tzaros and allowed them to penetrate did they affect him.
Although the claims on Yaakov Avinu are beyond our understanding, we can still learn something from this. A person who is alive has a very great treasure. Even if he has pains or tzaros it is really batul and tafel to the great gift of life. Rav Shmuelevitz gives a mashal for this: If a person wins the lottery and at the same time breaks a table, will he be disturbed one little bit by the broken table? Definitely not! This is because his happiness over his great wealth will override any small feelings of loss over his table. Hashem does great chesed with us and gives us life. One’s simcha for this great gift should overcome our hardships!
May we all be zoche to recognize our ashirus of life and use our challenges as a way to grow in closeness to Hashem.
