Parashat Vayetzei

Parashat-Vayetzei

==Leaving Beer Sheva==
As a result of Yitzchak's command that Yackov marry a women from his family,<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:10">Rashi Berashis 28:10</ref> he left that very day<ref name="Baal Haturim Berashis 28:10"/> from Beer Sheva, leaving a large vacuum and taking with him its beauty, majesty and spender, for now it lacked its righteous resident.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:10"/> Yackov ran away in a hidden way,<ref name="Baal Haturim Berashis 28:10">Baal Haturim Berashis 28:10</ref> leaving with the intent to go<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:10"/> to Charan and get married.<ref name="Baal Haturim Berashis 28:10"/> On the way Yackov hid in the House of Ever<ref name="Baal Haturim Berashis 28:10"/> for 14 years.<ref name="Baal Haturim Berashis 28:10"/> Part of this time he hid in the House of Shem.<ref name="Baal Haturim Berashis 28:10"/>

==Har Hamoria==
Yackov arrived at the location of Mount Moriah,<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:11"/> the mountain having moved towards him<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:11">Rashi Berashis 28:11</ref> He prayed<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:11"/> there establishing the nightly prayer of Mariv.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:11"/> Yackov 'collided' to a deeper grasp of the essence of Har Hamoria then Avraham who had just 'seen it from afar'<ref name="Likutay Halachos, Yoreh Deah, Shiluach Haken 5">Likutay Halachos, Yoreh Deah, Shiluach Haken 5</ref>

Yackov lodged there because the sun had set suddenly not at its usual time,<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:11"/> in order that he should sleep there.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:11"/> The early setting of the sun also alluded to Yackov about the physical and spiritual suffering of the darkness of the exiles that would descend upon his descendants, sometimes while all seemed to be going well.<ref name="Likutay Halachos, Yoreh Deah, Shiluach Haken 5"/>  

He took some of the stones of the place and placed them surrounding his head like a drainpipe<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:11"/> out of fear of wild beasts.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:11"/> For the first time in 14 years Yackov lay down to sleep, as all the years he served in the House of Ever, he would sleep sitting since he was engaged in Torah study.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:11"/> Although for years he had pushed sleep out of his eyes, that was because he was serving Hashem through his mind via Torah study. However now Yackov was in a location that emanated from the 'Vacated Space' and there it is impossible to survive based on mental worship and only via pure Emunah faith. Therefore for the first time in 14 years he went fully to sleep, as when one sleeps he negates his mind and relies only on faith.<ref name="Likutay Halachos, Choshen Mishpat, Pikadon 3">Likutay Halachos, Choshen Mishpat, Pikadon 3</ref>

==The Dream==

As Yackov lay down in that place, the stones started quarreling with one another, each wanting the Tzadik to lay his actual head on them.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:11"/> Hashem therefore transformed the stones into a single stone.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:11"/> 

Yackov had a dream and saw a ladder set up on the ground and its top reached to heaven. On it the angels of Hashem who who escorted him in Eretz Yisroel and were not able to leave the Land,<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:12"/> were first<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:12">Rashi Berashis 28:12</ref> ascending the ladder. Then<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:12"/> he saw the angles of Diaspora<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:12"/> descending upon it, to escort him.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:12"/> The ladder also alluded to a persons spiritual journey where he must climb level by level. At the same time he must go though many ascents and descents and the descents are a prerequisite of transcending to the next level.<ref name="Likutay Halachos, Yoreh Deah, Shiluach Haken 5"/>

==The Blessing==

Hashem was standing over him,  to guard him.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:13">Rashi Berashis 28:13</ref> Hashem said that He was the Lord, G-D of his father Avraham and G-D of Yitzchak. Although Hashem does associates His name with the righteous during their lifetimes for He does not believe even in His holy ones until they prove themselves to the day of their passing, nevertheless, here He associated His name with Yitzchak because his eyes had become dim and he was confined in the house and was therefore like a dead person, the evil inclination having ceased.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:13"/> Hashem folded up the entire Eretz Yisroel under Yackov, alluding to him that it would be easily conquered by his children<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:13"/> and promised him that the land which he was lying upon He would give to his descendants. Hashem blessed Yackov that his descendants will be like dust of the earth and he should gain strength<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:14">Rashi Berashis 28:14</ref> westward, eastward, northward and southward. Through him and his  descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Hashem promised to be with Yackov and guard him wherever he goes and that he should not be afraid of Esav and Lavan.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:15">Rashi Berashis 28:15</ref> Hashem will bring him back to Eretz Yisroel and will not forsake him until<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:15"/> He did everything He spoke for the benefit<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:15"/> of Yackov and concerning him.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:15"/> This included all the blessings given to Avraham and his descendants, as these were promised for Yackov and not for Esav as Hashem promised it to part of Yitzchaks descendants and not all of them.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:15"/>

Yackov awoke from his sleep and said that indeed Hashem was in this place and he did not know it. Had he known it Yackov would not have slept in such a holy place.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:17">Rashi Berashis 28:17</ref>

===Crossing the Jordan River===
Yackov placed his staff in the river and it split into two, allowing him to cross.<ref>Rashi Berashis 32:11</ref>
 

===Escape from Lavan===
When the forces of evil attack a person and he fights back, not only is he able to recover the energy they stole from him, he is able to extract energy that was buried deep inside of them from what they had previously captured. Therefore when Yaakov battled Lavan he was able to extract from him massive amounts of holy energy that manifested as his four wives, the twelve tribes and great wealth.<ref name="Likutay Halachos, Hilchos Ginava 5/9-11">Likutay Halachos, Hilchos Ginava 5/9-11</ref>

==References==
<references/>

{{Weekly Parsha}}

[[Category:Parsha]]