Pricey Painting!

Just the other week, Christies Auction House placed a Da Vinci painting on the auction block, and after twenty minutes of bidding, it went for a whopping Four Hundred and Fifty Million dollars! That’s almost a half Billion dollars!

What I found more intriguing than finding out the identity of the anonymous purchaser, was that this painting was bought in some sort of garage sale a few years back for only sixty dollars! After changing hands and further inspection it appeared to be from Da Vinci. Then it was scrutinized to see if it was a true Da Vinci or a work of his student. When it was finally determined to be a genuine Da Vinci its value began to climb until it sold for the highest price of any painting.

You are probably wondering why I am sharing this with you….

Philosophically thinking, although this painting was originally purchased for a paltry sixty dollars, its true value was really hundreds of millions of dollars. The only reason it was undervalued was because its intrinsic worth was unknown.

I began to think about other circumstances where this concept is relevant, and I realized that the same is true of the assessment we place on the Torah and Mitzvos we observe.

When one begins to perform a Mitzvah or observe a precept of the Torah, the actual worth or value of the Mitzvah will not initially be perceived. It is only with time, study and maturity that its importance and significance become more evident and appreciated. The priceless value of G-d’s Mitzvah– whose effect reaches the Heavens – was always inherent in the Mitzvah, just the person fulfilling it does not realize its ultimate worth. King David writes in the Psalms, Torah is more desirable than the finest gold. One cannot lose the reward of the Mitzvah nor it be taken away from him, the Mitzvos will accompany him to the grave, while all his material acquisitions will remain behind.

The value of a Mitzvah for one who is committed to it can be tested. If one was offered a large amount of money not to put on Tefilin for one day, he would flatly refuse the offer. Even if he was offered 450 million dollars to violate a law of the Torah – he would still turn down the offer. What does this show? That a Mitzvah is inestimable and priceless!

Another application of this concept is expressed in this week’s Parsha. Our forefather Yaacov arrived at the city of Charan in search for a wife, penniless.

He met Rachel and they decided to get married. Rachel’s father Lavan set the terms; Yaacov would work for him for seven years and only then would he be able to marry Rachel. After seven years of diligent and productive work, Lavan switched his older daughter Leah for Rachel at the Chupah. When Yaacov discovered the switch, Lavan demanded that Yaacov work for him for another seven years for the right to marry Rachel.

Yaacov worked for the crooked Lavan for 20 years and then left with his family, which at that point consisted of the bulk of the twelve tribes; 11 boys and one girl.

Due to the blessed and diligent work that Yaacov worked for Lavan during these 20 years, Lavan became an extremely wealthy man. Lavan remained with the accumulated wealth, which he enjoyed during his life, and he considered himself getting the deal of a lifetime.

While reciting the Hagadah we read that Lavan wanted to kill Yaacov, his daughters and their family. Lavan did not want to be part of the future of the Jewish people and wished to impede them, because he failed to see the ultimate Spiritual value that his children and grandchildren represented.

Yaacov and his wives, although they continually suffered at the hands of the abusive Lavan, kept focused on their ultimate precious, treasured and invaluable mission; building the destiny of the Jewish people through the 12 tribes from whom all Jewish people emerged. This is what kept them going. We, who are the direct links from our forefathers, are also charged with this mission of keeping the Jewish destiny alive and well!

One last thought. When Yaacov’s marriage to Rachel was delayed for seven years while he worked for Lavan, the Torah says that it flew by quickly due to his love for Rachel. Now, I would challenge any groom who is placed in such a situation if he would consider such a delay of his marriage as flying by quickly.

Perhaps, the Torah is capturing the essence of what attracted Yaacov to Rachel. Yes, the intimacy of marriage was absent, but it was her consistent fine qualities, sensitive nature, spirituality and kind personality that he observed throughout this time that made him deepen his appreciation and love for who she was. Each day Yaacov’s assessment of her increased and he considered the many years of work to get such a bride as a great deal.

The increased appreciation that spouses demonstrate for each other brings them to deepen the value of their relationship!