“And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt…” (47:28)
This week’s Parsha says that Yaakov lived 147 years. Yaakov should have really lived much longer but Hashem punished because of a lapse in Emunah. During their very first encounter. Pharaoh asked Yaakov a very personal question. As the pasuk says (Bereishis 47:8), “Vayomer Pharaoh el Yaakov, kamah yemei shenei chayecha.”Pharaoh asked Yaakov, “How old are you?”
Yaakov answers, “Me’at v’raim hayu yemei sh’nei chayai – Few and bad have been the days of the years of my life.” Yaakov tells Pharaoh that his days were full of agony. He was implying to the Egyptian king that he looked much older than he actually was.
Why was Yaakov Avinu deprived of 33 years of his life? If you study the exchange between Pharaoh and Yaakov, it contains precisely 33 words. Yaakov was severely chastised for complaining about his life. This resulted in a punishment. He would lose 33 years of his life.
Hashem was upset at Yaakov: How can you complain? I rescued you from the enmity and hatred of your brother Eisav. I liberated you from the bondage of Lavan. I returned your captured daughter Dinah to you. And I restored Yosef to you. How bad is that?
Rav Yitzchok Fingerer shlita explains: Any rational human being might respond, yes, but you put me in harm’s way countless times! Hashem could respond, Life means – If you’re a human being – confronting challenges. Confronting challenge is how you grow close to your Creator. We see Yaakov lost 33 years of his life because he complained since he did not have sufficient Emunah (faith) to understand that whatever Hashem did to him was for his best, which was precisely what he needed to become a greater person.
No matter what occurred, Yaakov should have demonstrated equanimity, serenity, and peace. We see from here how important it is to maintain our Emunah, no matter how difficult the challenge. Hashem knows better than us and is guiding our lives.
In Lashon HaKodesh (the Hebrew language) the word for worry is Daagah (דאגה), which is spelled Daled (ד), Aleph (א), Gimmel (ג), Hey (ה). The Meforshim (commentaries) point out that the word Daagah, worry, has all the beginning letters of the Aleph Beis from Aleph to Hey, except for one. It is missing the Beis (ב), The Beis stands for Bitachon. This teaches us that it is the absence of Bitachon, trust in Hashem, that causes worry. When a person has trust, he doesn’t have to worry!
