02 Dec PARSHA IN PRACTICE: SKILLS FOR BETTER LIVING VAYISHLACH: THE OBSERVANT JEW

What does it really
mean to be “Shomer
Shabbos”?
As Yaakov Avinu
prepared for their showdown, he sent
Eisav a critical message: im Lavan garti,
with Lavan I have lived (32:5). Rashi
notes that the Hebrew word garti has the
numerical value 613, alluding to “taryag
mitzvos shamarti.” Yaakov was warning
Eisav that, despite the decades he spent
living in the house of the evil Lavan, he
had remained observant of all the mitzvos.
This merit would surely protect Yaakov
from any attacks Eisav may have been
planning.
There’s just one problem with Yaakov’s
claim that he had observed all 613
mitzvos: It wasn’t true! While living with
Lavan in chutz la’aretz, he was certainly
unable to fulfill the mitzvah to live in Eretz
Yisrael, or perform its special mitzvos
(e.g., terumah, ma’aser, etc.). Furthermore,
Chazal highlight Yaakov’s inability to
perform kibud av v’eim during his 22 years
away from home (Megillah 17a). So how

could Yaakov brazenly assert that he had
“done it all,” when he clearly had not been
able to fulfill many mitzvos in the house
of Lavan?
In order to understand what message
Yaakov was conveying, we need a
more precise definition of Rashi’s word
“shamarti.” Colloquially, lishmor (to
observe) is understood as a synonym for
“to do.” One who is Shomer Shabbos,
is someone who acts a certain way: He
closes his business for the day and makes
kiddush over a cup of wine.
However, Chazal understand the term
differently. A shomer is someone who sits
and watches. He is “observant,” not only
in action, but in heightened attention
and interest. For example, in next week’s
parsha, the Torah uses the word “shamar”
to describe Yaakov’s reaction to Yosef ’s
dreams (37:11). Rashi explains that Yaakov
was filled with eager anticipation for the
day when Yosef ’s prophecies would come
to fruition. Based on this new definition, a
“Shomer” Shabbos is not merely a person
who practices the technical rituals of the

day, but one who longingly
and excitedly awaits the arrival
of Shabbos each week (Ohr
HaChaim, Shemos 31:16).
Returning to our parsha,
the Chasam Sofer explains
that when Yaakov declared
“taryag mitzvos shamarti,”
he did not mean that he
had technically performed
all 613 mitzvos – he hadn’t!
Instead, Yaakov maintained
that, despite his inability to
perform the action of many
mitzvos during his years with
Lavan, he had nevertheless maintained
his strong attachment to them. It was
specifically because he was not able to live
in Eretz Yisrael or care for his parents that
he had increased his yearning and eager
anticipation for the opportunity when
he could do so once again. What Yaakov
was so confident would protect him from
Eisav was not a technical, rote checklist
of mitzvah actions, but an outlook and
a lifestyle of excitement for Hashem’s

mitzvos (see Koheles 8:5). As long as
he was missing the mitzvos, he was not
missing out!
We can learn from Yaakov Avinu what it
means to be “Shomer Torah u’Mitzvos.”
Do we look forward to Shabbos each week?
Do we exude pride and satisfaction that
we have the opportunity to daven, learn
Torah or provide chessed? The answer to
these questions can help separate those
who simply “observe” halacha from the
ones who are truly “shomer” mitzvos.