Many societies hold scholars in high esteem, while very few hold "people of action" in the same high regard. Why is that? Can it be because we place great value on knowledge? Perhaps people who get things done, however, provide us with even more value. How do we measure success and influence?
Let’s shed some light on this question by comparing the life of Jacob as it is described in this week’s Torah portion, Vayeitzei, to the description of his life offered in last week’s portion, Toldot.
Last week, Jacob was described as a homely, goody-goody student, a young man who sits and studies all day long. Contrast that with this week’s Torah portion and a very different personality emerges. Jacob comes across as a very smart businessman, busy herding sheep, trading them for higher-priced cattle, and breeding sheep with stripes and with dots. He acquires many servants, and to top it all off, he gets married to four women! This personality doesn’t look like the studious type of person at all.
The truth is, Jacob was both. He never stopped studying in the house of Laban, albeit he did so after hours. We see that he – and the Jews in general – can be both students of Torah and businessmen. Jews are referred to by seemingly opposite titles, as “children” and as “sheep.” We can explain the two titles as such: When we act like G-d’s children, we are called children, and when we act like animals, we are referred to as sheep. However, we find that at times our primary designation is sheep, and our secondary designation is children. Therefore, we can conclude that there must also be an advantage to being called sheep.
The term “children” relates to us when we are obedient, like when we sit and study, when we act like goody-goodies. However, that is also the easier state of being; it feels good to do what is right. Hence, there is some ego involved. On the other hand, when we leave the comfort of our homes and study halls, and go out to help others, when we engage in commerce, wheeling and dealing in all kinds of distractions, it is less about feeding the ego, and more about making a difference in the world. So although the scholar and the activist derive satisfaction from what they are doing, the activist requires less ego than the scholar, and therefore the activist (i.e., the sheep), deserves more credit than what is usually given.
That is why, at the end of the day, we should not only hold scholars in high esteem, we should also hold activists in high esteem. And on a more refined level, perhaps we should appreciate activists even more.
Another way to state this is that less glamour allows us to be truer to ourselves and truer to our cause.