By: Chaya Sora Jungreis-Gertzulin

Vayeitzei… And he left.

This week’s parsha, Vayeitzei, opens with Yaakov Avinu on the run, fleeing the wrath of his brother Eisav.

“Vayifga bamakom, And he (Yaakov) arrived to the place.” Rashi explains that vayifga is an expression of tefilla, prayer.

Bamakom, refers to the holiest of places, Har HaMoriah. Bamakom, the place of the Akeida. Bamakom, the place of the first and second Batei Mikdash. Bamakom, the place on which the third and final Bais HaMikdash will stand. It is Bamakom, that place at which Yaakov stopped to daven.

Each of our avos, our fathers, instituted a different tefilla. Avraham taught us to daven Shacharis. To wake up in the morning and turn to HaShem with tefilla. Yitzchak gave us Mincha. No matter how busy one is, to put everything on hold and make time to daven in the afternoon. And Yaakov gave us Maariv, the prayer of evening/nighttime, teaching us the importance of prayer especially in times of darkness.

Yaakov was the forefather who experienced many challenges and hardships. So much maariv – darkness in his life. From the womb, Yaakov was subject to the battle of Eisav, a conflict that continued to plague him throughout his life.

Yaakov also suffered from the trickery of Lavan, the pain of having to wait to marry Rachel. He experienced the sorrow of seeing Rachel die in childbirth, witnessed Yosef being bullied by his brothers, then hearing that he was attacked and killed by a wild animal. And, the painful episode of his daughter Dina’s abduction.

So much pain. Crisis after crisis. The darkness of life. But from Yaakov we learn that it is precisely at such times of blackness and gloom, when we feel so broken and shattered, when we find it hard to daven, that we must make every effort to daven.  Vayifga, to turn to HaShem with prayer. Yaakov Avinu teaches us that prayer from the heart can overcome any obstacle.

The pasuk states that Yaakov davened bamakom, in that place. HaShem is known as HaMakom – the One who is everywhere. The One who can ease our pain, lighten our burdens, alleviate our sorrow.

I remember when my father, HaRav Meshulem HaLevi Jungreis zt”l, underwent a most difficult surgery. Our family gathered together in the surgical waiting room, each one of us saying Tehillim. At the same time there was another family also waiting for a relative to come out of surgery. They were sitting around a table playing cards. I couldn’t help but think how fortunate we are to have a Tehillim to turn to. A HaShem to plead to.

The Hebrew language is like no other, its words teaching us life lessons. The word shochor, black, dark, gloomy, is only a vowel away from shachar, morning, light, brightness. It can be dark one minute, and then – in no time – it can become light. It is the darkest before dawn. Yeshuas HaShem k’heref ayin, the salvation from HaShem comes as quick as the blink of an eye. We only have to call out to Him with kavanna, sincere feelings.

“Vayikach mei’avnei Hamakom, And he took from the stones of the place.” (Bereishis 28:11) Yaakov gathered some stones, placed them around his head and lay down to sleep. Rashi explains that the stones were arranged like a protective wall, because Yaakov was afraid of wild animals. Rashi cites a Midrash that the stones began to quarrel one with another, each one wanting to be the pillow under Yakkov’s head. HaShem miraculously fused the stones into one. As the Torah later says, “And he (Yaakov) took the stone (singular). (Bereishis 28:18)

Each week, as I review the parsha, I feel that it speaks to us today, giving us a pertinent message for the here and now.

Yaakov placed twelve stones around his head. Twelve for the Shivtei Kah, the Twelve Tribes. A message for us. It was only when the stones joined together, that Yaakov was protected. So it is with Am Yisroel. The Hebrew word for stone is ehven, spelled Aleph – Beis – Nun. Aleph – for Av, father. Beis – for ben, son. Nun – for neched, grandson. Like the twelve stones, when our people, our families, our generations are one cohesive unit, we are b’ezras HaShem able to withstand the enemies that surround us.

“Hinei Sulam, Behold, there was a ladder.” Yaakov then dreams of a ladder standing firmly on the ground, with its top reaching the heavens above. And he envisions Malachei Elokim, Angels of HaShem going up and down.

A ladder has rungs, telling us that if we truly strive, we can make the spiritual climb to Heaven. To work on ourselves one mitzva at a time, to improve our character, one trait at a time. Step by step, rung by rung, we can do it.

The word sulam, ladder, has the gematria, the numerical value of one-hundred-thirty. (Samach – sixty, lamed – thirty, mem – forty). In the Musaf of Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur we say that teshuva, tefilla and tzedaka can change an edict from above. In the machzor, under the word teshuva, it says “tzom, repenting through fasting”. Under tefilla, it say “kol, using our voice for prayer”, and under tzedaka, it says “mammon, allocating money for charity”. Interestingly, each of these three words, tzom, kol, mammon, have a gematria of one-hundred-thirty. The Hebrew word Sinai, also has a numerical value of one-hundred-thirty.

The message is clear. In this parsha, Yaakov is teaching us how to survive the darkness and challenges of life, how to climb the sulam, the spiritual ladder to the Heavens. Through teshuva, tefilla and tzedakah, the way of Sinai.

Dovid HaMelech says in Tehillim, “Ki malachov yetzaveh loch, He (HaShem) will charge his angels for you, lishmarcha b’chol d’rachecha, To protect you in all your ways.” (Tehillim 91) Like the one strong stone, it is through achdus, unity, along with our mitzvos and chesed that we can hope to merit the protection of the angels, for our brethren in Eretz Yisroel, for the brave chayalim who are on the front lines, and for Jews throughout the world.

Shabbat Shalom!

Chaya Sora

Chaya Sora can reached at csgertzulin@gmail.com

This article was written L’zecher Nishmas /In Memory Of HaRav Meshulem ben HaRav Osher Anshil HaLevi, zt”l and Rebbetzin Esther bas HaRav Avraham HaLevi, zt”l