Positive Environment

Shavua Tov-

A question was asked about Yakov Avinu in the womb. We are told that when Rivka passed a place of learning, he wanted to get out. If it is known by tradition that a baby is learning Torah while in the womb, why did he want to get out?

The answer that is given is that even though the fetus, Yakov, was learning Torah, he wanted to do this in the proper environment. If it meant learning Torah with the wicked Eisav, he preferred to learn in “Cheidar,” a school for children, than being in the comfort of his mother’s womb.

Although this is slightly humorous, there is a message here.

We must never minimize how we are affected by our environment. We must place ourselves in the best situation where we can thrive.

If someone chooses to live in a place where he is the only observant Jew, among totally secular people, and he believes that he will maintain his intense Torah study and religious observance, he is badly mistaken.

We all need to be in a setting where we are surrounded by others who share our priorities. This way we become a team working together to achieve our goals. When we are going against the current, it is a challenge we cannot overcome.

Even Yakov in the womb, understood this!