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==
As Yackov traveled towards Charon he passed by Yerushalim and the location of the Beis Hamikdash.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:17"/>   Since Yackov himself did not pay attention to stop at the location where his father had prayed on his own, he did not receive any sign from Heaven to do so either.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:17"/>  When Yackov reached Charon, he regretted passing the spot where his fathers had prayed and not stopping to pray there. He started traveling back, reaching Bet El.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:17"/> At that point  Mount Moriah jumped towards him<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:11">Rashi Berashis 28:11</ref> reaching him in Bet El.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:17"/> Yackov arrived at the location of Mount Moriah,<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:11"/> where his descendants would later pilgrimage to three times a year.<ref name="Baal Haturim Berashis 28:11">Baal Haturim 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<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:11"/> suddenly and extinguished,<ref name="Baal Haturim Berashis 28:11"/> 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 prophetic<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12">Baal Haturim 28:12</ref> dream and saw a ladder set up on the ground and its top reached to heaven. The bottom of the ladder stood in Beer Sheva, Southern Yehuda, the middle of the ladder hovered over the location of the Beis Hamikdash, Yerushalaim resting North in between the borders of Yehuda and Binyamin, while the top of the ladder stood above Bet El which stood even further North at the end of Binyamin.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:17">Rashi Berashis 28:17</ref>

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"/> and accompany him there,<ref name="Baal Haturim 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"/>

Yackov also experienced other revelations in his dream which include; the Heavenly Throne<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/> - Chariot,<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/> the voice of the Tzadikim's prayer is a ladder for the ascending of angels,<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/> prayer is a ladder and one can ascend by concentrating on it,<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/> the cycles of wealth and poverty,<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/> and how when one is temporarily thrown to depths will end up rising to the sky.<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/> Yackov also saw the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai,<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/> entrance of the Nation into Eretz Yisroel,<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/> the Alter Mezbeach<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/>  of the burnt sacrifices,<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/>  its ramp,<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/> with the Kohanim ascending and descending on it,<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/> the sacrifices<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/> and their smoke ascending to Heaven.<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/>  He saw his descendants worshiping idolatry,<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/> the taxation of the exiles<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/> and the ends of the exiles.<ref name="Baal Haturim 28:12"/>

==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> He was frightened and exclaimed what an awesome<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:17"/> place it was and it was none other then the house of Hashem and a place of prayer where the prayers ascend<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:17"/> to the gate of heaven since the Heavenly Temple is directly aligned to the Bais Hamikdash on Earth.<ref name="Rashi Berashis 28:17"/>

Yackov arose early in the morning, taking the stone that he had placed at his head. He set it up as a monument, and poured oil on top of it. He named the place Bais El, but Luz was the original name of the city.

==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]]