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Why did Yaakov live for years in Lavan's home filled with idols, when Lavan knew Eliezer wouldn't stay even one night if idols were present? The shiur develops a foundational principle: with family, you maintain relationships and make accommodations (within halacha (הלכה)), but with strangers you have no obligation to tolerate discomfort. This explains why gedolei Yisrael consistently rule that one should attend family events even in non-observant homes, but not similar events for friends.
Rabbi Zweig addresses a striking question from Parshas Vayeitzei. When Lavan invited Eliezer (Avrohom's servant) to his home, he explicitly stated "Pinisi habayis" – I cleaned out the house from idolatry. This shows Lavan understood that Eliezer would not sleep even one night in a home with idols present. The phrase "pinisi" doesn't mean he threw out the idols permanently, but rather removed them temporarily for that night, like "moving the television out for the night." Yet Yaakov Avinu lived in Lavan's house for seven years before marriage, and stayed there for a total of twenty years. During this time, there was clearly idolatry in the house – so much so that Rochel had to steal the terafim when they left. The question is glaring: Are we to say that Eliezer, merely a servant of Avrohom, was more stringent than Yaakov Avinu himself? Yaakov was the "gadol she'b'avos," greater even than Avrohom. How could someone of Yaakov's spiritual stature tolerate living with idolatry for years, when Lavan knew Eliezer wouldn't tolerate it for a single night?
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Parshas Vayeitzei
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