shmorer negia and the avos

Rachel wasn’t a Niddah.

First of all, NEVER say, “well if HE doesn’t have to keep the mitzvah, so why do I??” Never say that, no matter who it is. Never compare your level of shomer torah u’mitzvos with someone elses. Your motivating factor should be a rock-solid foundation of Emunah, together with a live Rebbi who you can speak to. You must keep the torah and mitzvos because you are a jew, period. Never mind the next fellow, even if he’s a “Yaakov Avinu”.

The Telzer rav z”l explains, the way the Avos kept the torah was different from us since it was before Matan Torah. The way they did mitzvos was bechinas Rofeh LeCholeh- in the spirit like that of a doctor to a patient. The doctor tells a patient not to smoke, for example, the patient can listen or ignore. It is no doubt good advice and probably the right way to go. However the patient ultimately can choose not to listen, especially if he has his own cheshbonos. The avos kept the torah because they knew it was the right way to live. However if there were certain times they felt necessary to do something opposite of what the torah says, they did so with the greatest of intentions and with ruach hakodesh.

That too!

I’ve heard this as well. Pashut P’shat is that it was not Derech Chiba. We have no understanding of the control that Ya’akov Avinu had. See Rashi on The Brocha to Reuvain for more detail.

We are told that he cried because he saw with nevuah that she was not destined to be buried with him, and she would die young. As to the rest – I have always wondered about that since we learn out that the Avos kept TARYAG mitzvos, and Yaakov Avinu in particular stated, “Im Lavan garti, v’es TARYAG Mitzvos shamarti.”

I have never heard a really good answer to this question. Even the “it was not derech chiba” doesn’t really answer the question, ebcause there are many issurei nigiah that are clearly not derech chiba for those who are not shomer. Shaking hands is a very good example. Still assur.

Heard this first hand from a Baal Teshuva:

“It’s very possible to say that Yaakov should not have done it (Just like Dinah went out-she shouldn’t have). They don’t go out with these intentions, but that’s what was interpreted. Just like the brothers thought that Yaakov favored Yosef-they misinterpreted.

Yaakov did not kiss Rachel because he was overwhelmed with attraction for her. There was an opening up of Ruach Hakodesh and a recognition of a relationship with this person that was special-different in Yaakov’s life. Yaakov and Rachel were deeply connected to one another. We can’t relate to Ruach Hakodesh, when it comes on it could be it’s such a flood of emotions and feelings that you become overwhelmed. “

Hope that answers your question…

Yaakov was 77 Rachel was 5, I think its still acceptable for a 77 year old to give a 5 year old a kiss

Stamamen: Like the Ramban, Yaakov only kept mitzvos in Eretz Yisroel.

tomim tihye –

Lol, haven’t seen you in a million years! Welcome back.

Pba: I understand where you are coming from,but the fact that the Rishonim and many Achronim talk about makes it a good question(Igros Moshe talks about it EH 4:9).

Shaking hands is a very good example. Still assur.

That’s actually a machlokes, although most poskim assume it’s assur (and if it is, it’s yehoreig v’al ya’vor). The machlokes is, I believe, based on whether or not that’s considered derech chiba. In other words, although some hold , as you say, that it’s not derech chibah, others, whom most pasken like, hold it is derech chibah.