ספר בראשית

Genesis 28,20. “If G’d will be with me, etc.;” ‎Nachmanides’ comment that seeing G’d had already promised ‎Yaakov in verse 15 that He would be with him, why did Yaakov ‎question this with the word: ‎אם‎, “if?” is well known. The answer ‎given by Nachmanides is that Yaakov was afraid that G’d’s ‎promise would be invalid if he became guilty of a sin before it ‎could be carried out. (compare Bereshit Rabbah 76,2 that ‎promises made to tzaddikim concerning happenings in this ‎life are never absolute.) [If they were they would tie G’d’s ‎hands if the tzaddik were to become a rasha. ‎Ed.]‎The answers given by the Midrash or quoted as such by ‎the commentators, appear to contradict the specific promise for ‎events in this life made to Yaakov in verse 15. I quote: ‎‎(translation) “Remember, I am with you; I will protect you ‎wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not ‎leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Surely, ‎after such a promise, how could Yaakov have had any doubt that ‎what G’d had promised would occur in this lifetime on earth? Part ‎of this promise implies that G’d the good, Who only does good, ‎will assist the recipient of this promise to conduct himself in a ‎manner that will ensure that G’d will feel obliged to honour His ‎promise.‎However, we must remember two points. 1) The Torah had ‎reported G’d’s promise as being part of a dream,” i.e. ‎ויחלום‎. The ‎Torah did not preface the dream as a vision, i.e. ‎וירא אליו ה'‏‎; ‎Yaakov was not at all sure that what appears here as a solid ‎promise was not a figment of his imagination. 2) We have ‎discussed once before the fact that G’d wishes us to pray to Him ‎for our needs, (that is why Rivkah did not become pregnant till ‎after 20 years of marriage when both her husband and she prayed ‎for this). Seeing that Yaakov is not on record as having actively ‎asked G’d to assist him in what was a pretty desperate situation, ‎G’d, by spelling out this promise, wished to provoke Yaakov into ‎finally praying to Him for His help. (Compare also Bereshit ‎Rabbah 45, Sarah being angry at Avraham for not having ‎including her in his prayer when he said to G’d, (complainingly) ‎‎“here I walk on this earth childless.” (Genesis 15,2) G’d dispenses ‎largesse without waiting to be asked, to those of His creatures ‎whom He has not equipped with a mouth to articulate their ‎requests. Man, who has been so equipped is expected to use his ‎powers to address his Creator in prayer.‎According to B’rachot 17 the reason why our matriarchs ‎were originally barren is summed up in Isaiah 46,12 ‎שמעו אלי אבירי ‏לב הרחוקים מצדקה‎! “Listen to Me, you who have lost heart, who ‎are far from righteousness.” According to one interpretation of ‎the above verse in the Talmud, some people are granted their ‎livelihood because they use their intelligence to ask G’d for it. ‎Others believe in their own strength, ‎זרוע‎, their ability to work for ‎a living, and secure it through this means. The people who are ‎devoid of intelligence will be provided for by G’d, as they are too ‎dim witted or physically unable look out for themselves. This is ‎the meaning of ‎שומר פתאים ה'‏‎, “the Lord looks after the fools.” ‎‎(psalms 116,6) Examples of such people are children having to eat ‎at their father’s table. When the father of such children sees that ‎they have become capable of fending for themselves, he no longer ‎supports them. The same holds true of our Father in heaven, ‎when He sees that we could fend for ourselves but prefer to have ‎Him provide for us. The righteous are supposed to support ‎themselves by using their arms, (to do work) not violence. Those ‎who possess intelligence and do not use it to appeal to their ‎Creator are not supported by G’d’s charity, ‎צדקה‎.‎