One of the beauties of mom-and-pop shops is that they are attentive to their customers. They offer that personal touch—for example, they know the names of their customers and their life stories, etc. The challenge comes when a business starts to grow. How do you scale up and not lose that personal touch? How do you keep your heimish environment and not become too corporate as you become more professional, as is necessary in order to remain organized?
This can be a huge challenge for some.
We see that, Jacob, our patriarch, had this challenge as well. He started off as a simple shepherd. All that he had were some sheep. Then, over time, he accrued many sheep, and became very wealthy. In this week’s Torah portion Vayeitzei, we learn how he traded some of his sheep for work helpers as well as cattle. But when it came time to send gifts to his brother, Esau, he sent him all different kinds of gifts, and only at the end of the list of gifts does it mention sheep as well. So we see that he “moved up” the ladder from being a simple shepherd who only dealt with sheep, to a very successful businessman.
Did Jacob lose his touch, or did he maintain his humility?
The commentators point out that from the nuances of the verses, we learn a powerful lesson.
By way of introduction, the Midrash points out that we serve G-d in the same manner as children behave for their father, and similarly, as sheep who follow their shepherd. Of course, children and sheep are not the same, and that is the point that the Midrash is making.
Jacob started off dealing with sheep, sheep being a metaphor for the way sheep follow where they are told to go. Total subjugation to the shepherd. For Jacob, it was total subjugation to G-d. Jacob did exactly what G-d wanted him to do. Yet, as he got older, he wanted to internalize these teachings. He didn’t want to just move through life like a sheep; he wanted to become a servant, a helper, or more like others and understand why and what he was here to do. So he “moved up” the ladder of life. He learned, he studied, he questioned, he debated. As he started to understand the deeper meaning of G-dliness and of what G-d wanted him to accomplish in this world, he still maintained his humble spirit. He never forgot that in the end, it is all about the personal touch.
As we scale up in life, whether at work or in our personal life, we must always keep in mind our humble beginnings. Just as Jacob did.