Parshas Vayeitzei–Dreamers

By: Chaya Sora Jungreis-Gertzulin

This week’s parsha opens with Yaakov escaping the wrath of his brother Eisav. “Vayeitzei Yaakov m’Beer Sheva, And Yaakov left Beer Sheva, vayeilech Charana, and he went to Charan. Vayifga ba’Makom, and he encountered ‘the Place’ ”. (Bereishis 28:10-11) Rashi tells us that “the Place” is Har HaMoriah. The most holy of places. The place of the Akeida. The spot destined to be the home of the Beis Mikdash.

Yaakov was en route to Charan. He almost reached his destination, when he made an about face. He was suddenly plagued with a worrisome thought. How could he have embarked on a journey to Charan, without first stopping to daven at the place where his father and grandfather turned to HaShem in tefilla.

To daven at the place our ancestors davened. What a z’chus. Every time I go to Eretz Yisroel, I stand in awe before the Kosel. Like so many of Am Yisroel, we go to the Kosel again and again, looking at the ancient stones, standing on the hallowed ground, turning to HaShem with tefilla.

I will always remember our family’s first trip to Eretz Yisroel. It was after the Six-Day War. My parents’ dream became a reality. The Kosel was ours. We could daven there once again. There were plants growing out of the stones. “How do plants grow out of stones” my mother said, “only if they are watered by ages of tears. Tears shed by our people as they poured their hearts out.”

As so many have the custom, before leaving Eretz Yisroel, we go to the Kosel to say “good-bye”. One more tefilla. One more opportunity to reach out to HaShem. To daven for our people, our family, ourselves.

How is it possible that Yaakov left without stopping at the place his father and zeide davened? Everything the avos did is a timeless message for us. My mother taught that Yaakov knew a day will come when there will be those who travel far from their roots. They will forget their beginnings, their bond to HaShem and His Torah will be weakened.

By making that return trip, Yaakov is leaving us a message – one is never too far, too distant, to return. It is never too late. HaShem is there, waiting for us.

Vayifga baMakom, And he encountered “the Place”. Rashi comments that the term vayifga means prayer. But why not use a more typical expression for davening – “vayispallel, and he prayed”. Rashi explains that as soon as Yaakov made the decision to return, the distance between him and “the Place” was shortened. “Shehkaftza lo ha’aertz, it was as if the earth miraculously ‘jumped’ towards him.” HaShem made Yaakov’s return trip shorter and easier. Here, too, is a life lesson. One who is sincere in his effort to reach out and connect to HaShem will see the hand of HaShem helping him along the way, guiding him and watching over him. All we have to do is to take the first step.

Vayifga, to pray. Each of our avos instituted a different prayer. From Avraham we learn to daven Shacharis. “And Avraham rose early in the morning.” (Bereishis 22:3) From Yitzchak we learn to daven Mincha. “And Yitzchak went out to daven in the field before evening.” (Bereishis 24:63) And the Midrash teaches that upon his return to “the Place”, Yaakov instituted the Maariv davening.

Evening. Time of darkness, symbolic of difficulty and distress. Agony and anguish. Yaakov suffered so much. From the womb, he was subjected to the kicking of Eisav. Later on, he had to run for his life. He escaped to the house of Lavan, where he was tricked and taken advantage of. His beloved wife Rochel had difficulty conceiving, only to die while giving birth to her second son. As if that wasn’t enough, Yaakov’s sons tell him that his cherished son Yosef was mauled by wild animals, while in actuality they sold him to a band of slave traders. For twenty-two years, Yaakov doesn’t know of Yosef’s whereabouts. To top it all off, Yaakov’s daughter, Dina, is abducted.

How much can one person endure. Anyone in Yaakov’s shoes would justifiably throw his hands up in desperation. Feeling disheartened and despondent. But not Yaakov. His answer was tefilla. We learn from Yaakov that it is precisely in times of darkness, when one is experiencing the maariv of life, and all seems dark and bleak, we must make every effort to daven.

Yaakov finally falls asleep baMakom, at that very holy spot. It is there that Yaakov has his famous dream of angels ascending and descending a ladder reaching to the Heavens. One would think that angels originate in the Heavens, and descend to earth. Why does the pasuk tells us ascending prior to descending. There are several explanations, one of which is that our good deeds, the mitzvos that we do, go up to the Heavens, creating angels. They are there to defend us and be our advocates. And then they descend. They come down to protect us.

The angels in Yaakov’s dream were climbing up and down a ladder that was “mutzav artza, embedded on earth, v’rosho magia ha’shomayma, and it’s top reaching the Heavens.” While we live in a physical world, our aspirations should be pointing Heavenward, striving to reach great heights. “V’hinei HaShem nitzav olav, And HaShem was standing over him.” (Bereishis 28:12-13) So too with us. With all the challenges we face, we should know that HaShem is watching over us. We are never alone.

It was on that holy spot that HaShem promises Yaakov “The land on which you lie, I will give it to you and your descendants.” The Maggid of Kozhnitz expounds this pasuk to mean “the land on which you laid yourself on the line”. Yaakov certainly displayed extreme mesiras nefesh in serving HaShem, and for that HaShem granted him and his descendants our Holy Land – Eretz Yisroel. How true this is today. Do we not see that happening before our very eyes? A land that at times we have to sacrifice for, “to lay ourselves on the line”. To devote ourselves to Torah study, often amidst extreme hardship and difficulty. And a land for which our brothers and sisters are willing to sacrifice their lives. Ready to battle on the front lines against a brutal enemy, bent on its destruction.

In Psalm 126, Dovid HaMelech writes, “B’shuv HaShem es shivas Tzion, hayinu k’cholmim, When HaShem will return the captivity of Tzion, we will be like dreamers.” As Yaakov dreamt then, we are still dreaming today. We are dreaming to see shalom in Eretz Yisroel, to see the hostages released from captivity, to see an end to the suffering of our people throughout the world, and to merit the final geulah.

Shabbat Shalom!

Chaya Sora

Chaya Sora can be reached at [email protected]

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