rabbi avi weissShabbat Forshpeis How is it possible that Yaacov (Jacob) didn't know that he spent his wedding night with Leah rather than Rachel? The text says, "and it came to pass in the morning and behold it was Leah." (Genesis 29:25)
Some commentators suggest that this reveals the extraordinary modesty of Yaacov and Leah-all through the night, they did not see or even speak to each other. (Radak)
The Talmud explains that Yaacov could have been fooled in another way. Suspecting that Lavan (Laban, Leah and Rachel's father) would switch Leah for Rachel, Yaacov gave Rachel signs through which she could identify herself to him. When at the last moment, Lavan exchanged Leah for Rachel, Rachel feared Leah would be embarrassed, and gave her sister the special signs. (Megillah 13b)
But all this leads to another question. If in fact Yaacov didn't know it was Leah, how could the marriage have been legitimate? Isn't this a classic case of an agreement which is considered null and void because of faulty assumptions, known as mekah ta'ut?
Perhaps it can be said that Yaacov's surprise came that evening, yet he still accepted Leah as his wife. When the text indicates that on the next morning "behold, it was Leah", it is the community that learned of the switch.
Outside of these attempts to understand Yaacov being fooled, there is a kabbalistic approach that I first heard in the name of Rabbi David Aaron. This approach teaches something fundamental about love. Rachel represents the woman Yaacov wished to marry. But it is often the case that once married, we find elements in our spouse's personality of which we were previously unaware. These unknown factors are represented by Leah. In any relationship, there will be pieces of our partner's personality that take us by surprise.
These elements may be distasteful. In such a case, the challenge is to make peace with that side of our beloved and realize that love means accepting the whole person. But, it can be that this hidden side is a positive one that never formerly surfaced. These traits have the capacity to add vibrancy and a new excitement to the relationship. At times, these new qualities can even turn out to be exactly what was always needed. In the words of Rabbi Aaron, "Leah was not Jacob's bride of choice, but she was actually a great source of blessing to him_" (Endless Light, p. 38).
Ve-heneh hi Leah teaches that in every relationship there will always be an element of surprise, the element that we don't consciously choose, the element represented by Leah.
AN ADDENDUM TO LAST WEEK'S FORSHPEIS ON DOWNS SYNDROME
Last week's Forshpeis precipitated significant discussion. People have misunderstood my words and as the author I assume full responsibility. The purpose of that Dvar Torah was not to assert that Yitzhak (Isaac) had Downs Syndrome. That assertion has no basis.
The intent of the Forshpeis was to indicate that from the perspective of drush, Yitzhak possessed some characteristics that teach us something, not about Yitzhak, but about Downs Syndrome. Specifically, that those who have Downs have the capacity to spiritually reach the highest levels and to inspire others to reach extraordinary heights.
I was pained that some individuals, in reacting to this idea, even went so far as to state that those with Downs may not have been created in the image of God.
For some, spirituality is exclusively bound with the intellect. Those of lesser intelligence are not viewed as having the capacity to have spiritual depth. The Forshpeis was an attempt to say that spirituality emerges from the whole being-not only from the mind, but also from the soul. Those with Downs may be blessed with the spiritual brilliance to become the greatest tsadikim or tsidkaniot of their generation.
c 1999 Hebrew Institute of Riverdale & CJC-AMCHA.
RABBI MORDECHAI KAMENETZKY
Designated Eater
Y
aakov was on the run, but he had nowhere to turn. Eisav, his brother, was out to kill him for stealing the blessings. His parents were old and could not harbor him. So for fourteen years he hid in the house of Study_ Yeshivas Shem V'Ever.
But those years, too, passed, and now Yaakov was on his own, and about to stay in the home of his crafty uncle, Lavan, whose reputation for deceitfulness earned him the name Lavan HaArami (Lavan the charlatan). Between a brother like Eisav and an uncle like Lavan the only one Yaakov could turn to was Hashem.
And so Yaakov spends a night under the stars and dreams of a ladder ascending to heaven. There are angels going up the ladder and others going down. In the dream Hashem appears to Yaakov and assures him that, "Behold, I am with you, and I will guard you wherever you go" (Genesis 28:15).
When Yaakov awakes and realizes the sanctity of his habitation, he, too, makes a commitment. "If Hashem will be with me and guard me on this way that I am going, and provide me with bread to eat and clothes to wear and return me to my father's house in peace_the stone I have set will become a house of Hashem and all that he gives me I will forever tithe" (Genesis 20-22).
Yaakov pleads with Hashem for food, shelter, and warmth. He wants no more than the basic necessities of life. In return, he pledges to build a house of the L-rd and give charitably. It is a wonderful commitment, one that Jews take seriously until this very day.
But Yaakov's request for "bread to eat and clothes to wear" seems more poetic than practical. Of course, bread is made to eat and clothes are made to wear! Is there anybody who eats clothing and wears bread? Why did Yaakov not just ask for bread and clothing?
Sender Laib Aronin of Skokie, Illinois, gave me a beautiful sefer, A Student Looks At The Siddur. In it he quotes Shmuel Weintraub, a survivor of Bergen-Belsen and other death camps, who tells a story that I'd like to re-tell with fictitious characters.
In Auschwitz, there were two inmates on different ends of the camp. Chaim was healthy enough to eat only half of his bread ration for a few days and so he stored the stale pieces for a time in the imminent future when he knew his strength would wane.
Dovid, at the other end of the camp, had no strength to save bread. He ate all that he had every day and hoped it would be enough to survive. What he did manage to scrounge was scraps of cloth, which he sewed ever-so-stealthily to make an extra blanket in dire foreboding of the coming winter.
Months later, things got worse in Auschwitz. The nights were freezing and the rations dwindled. Dovid's blanket was of little use, for he was starving. Chaim's bread was worthless, for he was freezing. Each of the two heard about the other's needs. They also knew of their extra stashes.
Dovid and Chaim had to trade their precious commodities to keep alive. The bread was bartered to keep Dovid warm, and the blanket was bartered to keep Chaim from freezing. But it did not help. Unfortunately, Dovid starved, and Chaim froze.
Yaakov Avinu knew that the world is filled with commodities. But the greatest blessing is to use the gifts for the purpose that they are intended. Bread was given to eat. Clothes to wear. All too often, we find that food and clothes are going for purposes not intended. Sometimes they are just wasted, and sometimes they are used to make extravagant statements.
Yaakov had a proper perspective on life and asked for everything to fit into that perspective. And when the commodities of life are put in focus, man's needs follow easily as well.
c 1999 Project Genesis & Rabbi M. Kamenetzky
rabbi shlomo riskin Shabbat Shalom Jacob's father-in-law, Laban, is considered one of the most treacherous figures in the Torah; he is pictured as a sweet-talking rogue who loses no opportunity to deceive his immigrant and naive son-in-law_whether it be out of his rightful bride or out of his rightful wages. Indeed, our Sages, in the Passover Haggadah, even paint him with a more ignominious brush than they paint Pharaoh: "Come and hear what Laban the Arami (Syrian and /or deceiver) tried to do to our father Jacob. While Pharaoh only decreed against the males, Laban sought to uproot everything (and everyone)."
At the same time, however, the ritual liturgy of the marriage ceremony created by our Sages who composed the Haggadah, has chosen to immortalize Laban's farewell words to his sister Rebecca when she leaves his home to go with Eliezer and Isaac's bride-to-be: "Our sister, may you become (the mother) of thousands of myriads, and may your seed inherit the gate of their enemies [Gen. 24:60]." It is with this very blessing that millions of grooms for thousands of years have placed the veil on their brides face just prior to the wedding ceremony itself in a ritual called "badeken" (covering in Yiddish). If Laban is so evil, why quote his words at such a significant moment?
I believe that we can resolve this paradox by attempting to understand the motivations behind Laban's acts of deception. Laban's primary concern is the welfare of his immediate family, his children and grandchildren. To this end he will stop at nothing, since in his system of values "all is fair in love for one's children." Hence he has no problem in substituting the weak-eyed Leah for the beautiful Rachel under the marriage canopy, for no father would want to see his older daughter languish for lack of a suitable husband. He changes Jacob's wages "ten times" because he must foster Jacob's dependency on him if his family is to remain with him and not leave Syria (Aram Naharayim) 18:19]." Family for the sake of faith.
Laban accepts the importance of family, but he has no clue as to the mission of the faith. Much the opposite, he is more than willing to sacrifice the faith ideals on the altar of his commitment to family. He deceives, lies and cheats_the very antithesis of righteousness and justice_in order to marry off an unpopular daughter and to keep his children and grandchildren in his own back-yard. He denies the Ruler of the Universe when he wishes to make a pact in the name of all of the gods of the family_the gods of Nahor as well as of Abraham. Jacob understands that this would be pure idolatry, and he therefore ratifies the covenant by swearing only in the Name of the one feared by his father Isaac (31: 58). And our Sages understand that had Laban succeeded in keeping Jacob and his children in Aram_thereby allowing family ties to overwhelm their faith in ethical monotheism_the ensuring assimilation would have de-railed the purpose of the Abrahamic election, aborted the mission of Israel, and ended Jewish history almost before it began: Laban's perverted ideal of "family uber alles" had the power to uproot everyone and everything desired by G-d and Abraham.
When I was growing up, it was still quite rare that young Jews married out of the faith; when it did happen, it was an occasion for a major crisis, if not mourning. The healthy instinct of Jewish self-preservation understood that the death-knell for the Jewish people is the form of assimilation which leads to intermarriages. It is false to characterize an intermarriage as a wedding between a Jew and Christian; it is generally a wedding between a secular American of Jewish descent with a secular American of Christian descent. Hence, as large segments of Jews have not only become less religious but even less ethnically Jewish, it is no wonder that inter-marriage is on the rise: 35% in Latin America, 55% in the United States and as much as 80% in many countries of Europe. (Obviously, I am not speaking of a situation in which one of the partners undergo a serious conversion. "Jews by choice" are to be welcomed into Judaism with love and pride, as the Biblical Scroll of Ruth_whose heroes live in Efrat_testifies).
Hence, the Jewish community worldwide is no longer even shocked by a mixed marriage. In the Sunday Times, such wedding announcements no longer raise an eyebrow. We've moved from the shock of my parent's generation to the benign acceptance of my generation, to the active endorsement of the next generation. In a recent most popular off-Broadway production called Beau Geste, the still ethnic Jewish mother comes to accept her daughter's fiancé (of German Gentile descent) because, after all, at least his name sounds Jewish, he pretty much "looks" Jewish, and he's studying to be a doctor! In the final analysis, the argument always offered is: "for the sake of the family we must be willing to compromise our faith."
But who is speaking here? Is it Laban or Jacob? From what we've seen in this week's portion, Laban's concept of family seems to be on the rise in our age. Laban says, Family must come first, last and always; faith plays no real role. But Jacob's order of priorities is different. First must come the shared vision of our people, our collective ideals of Torah ethics, values and rituals. And these must be emphasized way before our children grow to young adulthood. Only then have we the right to expect a proper choice of mate. Jacob's is the solution for the ages. His children survived as the children of Israel, Laban's didn't. We don't even know their names! c1999 Ohr Torah Institutions & Rabbi S. Riskin
RABBI LABEL LAM
Project Genesis
A
nd he dreamt, and behold a ladder was standing towards the earth and its head was striving towards the heavens and angels of Elokim were going up and down on it. And behold Hashem is standing upon it_ (Bereishis 28:12-13)
Why was Jacob given a picture of a ladder as a parting vision, before marching off to a prolonged exile? How does that ladder offer comfort, consolation, or guidance to the beholders of the vision?
There are many important ideas buried in the metaphor of the ladder as described in the dream.
1)There are rungs on a ladder indicating that there is a reasonable program for reaching even the loftiest goals.
2)The climber needs to know where he is at any moment maintaining a healthy tension between the "is" and the "ought", striving for the next available rung.
3)The ladder connects two points, in this case heaven and earth. There is a continuum between the physical and spiritual realm, between the temporal and the eternal.
4)All is supervised by and emanates from The Primary Source standing firm on the top of the ladder. Everything else is in flux and is uncertain.
5)Angels going up first and then down on the ladder show that what we do here impacts and reverberates in worlds above and ripples directly to the earth below.
6)We see the ladder has traffic going either up or down but not standing still. Life is not a snap shot. It's a moving picture. If one is not growing or climbing then by definition he is shrinking or falling.
7)Moving upward requires energy to overcome gravity. The natural tendency is to fall down. If a bird stops flapping its wings it does not remain in the same place.
8)One can measure on a ladder how far he has traveled and how far he has yet to go, gaining some encouragement while remaining humbled by the enormity of the task ahead.
9)The ladder itself is rooted neither on this earth nor planted firmly above. It is model of a bridge between worlds. This stands in contradistinction to the Tower of Babel whose builders sought to put the head of the tower permanently in the heavens while planting the building firmly on the earth. The ladder is a vehicle and cannot be institutionalized or idolized as an end in itself, disassociated from the true goal.
10)Yakov's ladder is a vertical orientation. Free will is an "up" or "down" choice, moving closer to or further from The Almighty. When the conversation is about "left" or "right" then the field of choices we entertain are on a horizontal plane and we have somehow lost our center of self.
11)We see that some from above are falling down and others from below are striving upward. Traffic is moving in both directions. It matters less where we start on the ladder and more in which direction we are currently going.
12)The ladder reaches to the highest place. Everyone is encouraged to go to his or her highest station. The Arizal says that what knocks a person out of this world ultimately is a vision of one's true potential.
A friend of mine who got into health food years before it was popular sat in the Yeshiva dining room mixing his green health-shake while others were layering white toast with cholesterol dense butter and drinking caffeine-packed coffee. Some strong specimen leaned over to my friend and asked him point blank, "Do you think with all that health food you're healthier than we are?" My friend answered cleverly, "No! But I'm a lot healthier than I used to be! Climbing the ladder makes us holier than we used to be or better than we would have been had we not striven with our own unique abilities and circumstances.
Yakov's ladder is not just an abstract idea; a vague dream but rather a profound visual tool for gaining and maintaining a powerful and enduring focus. After all what's a meta-phor? c1999 Rabbi Label Lam & Project Genesis, Inc.
RABBI YISSOCHER FRAND
RavFrand
U
pon the birth of her fourth son, Yehudah, Leah said, "This time I will thank Hashem" [Bereshis 29:35]. Rash"i quotes the Rabbinic explanation that this expression of gratitude was due to the fact that she now had given birth to more than her share of Tribes. "Now that I have received more than my portion, it's time to express my gratitude to G-d".
What is the meaning of the statement that Leah received more than her portion? Our Rabbis explain that Leah made a simple mathematical calculation. She divided twelve future tribes by 4 wives and arrived at the result of 3 tribes per wife. Now that she had her fourth son, she offered praise to G-d. The Rabbis praise Leah for her recognition that she owed a debt of gratitude to the Almighty.
Although Leah's recognition that she owed a debt of gratitude is certainly praiseworthy, this teaching of our Rabbis does not seem to make sense. Who deserves more praise_the person who receives his or her proper share and feels indebted to G-d, or the person who receives more than his or her fair share and feels indebted to G-d? Obviously, the first person is more deserving of praise.
I saw a very interesting observation from Rav Dovid Kviat (Maggid Shiur in the Mir Yeshiva, New York): The praiseworthy aspect of Leah's behavior here was that she viewed what she received as "more than her fair share".
It is the nature of human beings to view that which they receive in life as something that they had coming to them. "This is what I deserve." If my friend is earning $30,000 a year and I am earning half a million dollars a year, it may not be so easy to recognize my great fortune. It is easy to think "I'm smarter than him, I'm more clever than him, I earned this on my own_it was coming to me!"
The novelty of Leah's comment is that we see that a person has the ability to step back, look at a situation objectively and come to the conclusion that "I am getting more than I deserve". This is not our normal tendency. The normal tendency is to view life as either "I am getting less than I deserve" or "I am getting my fair share."
The rare person, who lives their life with the attitude that "I have gotten more than I deserve," is indeed a praiseworthy person.
Convince, Cajole, And Persuade Your Family, But Do Not Impose Towards the end of the parsha, the Torah tells us that "Yaakov saw the face of Lavan, and it was not like it was yesterday and the day before" [31:2]. Yaakov saw the way in which Lavan was treating him and recognized that things were not the same. G-d appeared to Yaakov and told him that it is time to pick up his family and return to the land of his fathers [31:3].
Yaakov then called his family out into the field and began an extensive monologue with his wives explaining why it was important for them to leave. After the long list of explanations of why they should go, the wives agreed that they should leave.
But the question must be asked: If G-d appeared to any one of us and told us "It is time to leave your city," "it is time to change your job," or whatever_we would gather our families, tell them of our message from G-d, and act upon it. We would not start a whole series of rationalizations:
"Things are not the way they used to be, times are tough, we have to think about making changes." G-d gave us an order; that settles it.
The Shaloh HaKodesh provides an interesting insight regarding this question. "When a person wants something from his family_spouse or children_it is not proper to compel them to do it, even if he has the ability to force them." In other words, even if one has the means to dictate in absolute terms "This is the way it is going to be," the Shaloh says this is not the way to run one's household.
"Rather, a person should try to convince them of the logic of what he wants in order that they be motivated to come to the same conclusion themselves. This is far better than compelling them to do something against their will."
This means that a person can feel very strongly about a certain household decision. He may have no doubt in his mind at all. And, he can be capable of enforcing that decision. "This is the way it's going to be." The Shaloh teaches us: Do not do it that way. Convince, cajole, persuade, but do not impose.
The proof, says the Shaloh, is Yaakov's lengthy discussion with his wives. Yaakov justified the need to leave Lavan (despite the fact that this was also G-d's command) -- in order that they agree willingly with this plan of action.
If there was ever a justifiable case to compel one's family to do something, it would be right here in this situation. G-d said that it was time to leave. Did anything more need to be said? Is there any room for discussion? Why does Yaakov need to give a whole speech?
If in this situation Yaakov felt compelled to gently persuade his wives, what can we say? Is there ever a situation where we can feel as certain as Yaakov must have felt?
If it is good enough for our patriarch, Yaakov, it is good enough for us.
Sources and Personalities:
Shalo"h_Acronym for Shnei Luchos Habris, by Rav Yeshayah Hurwitz (1560-1630); Poland, Frankfurt, Prague, Jerusalem.
Transcribed by David Twersky; Seattle, Washington twerskyd@aol.com Technical Assistance by Dovid Hoffman; Yerushalayim dhoffman@torah.org c1999 Rabbi Y. Frand & Project Genesis, Inc.
RABBI YISROEL CINER
Parsha Insights
T
his week we read the parsha of Va'yaitzay. "Va'yaitzay Yaakov mi'Beer sheva va'yailech Charanah {And Yaakov went out from Beer Sheva and went to Charan}. [28:10]"
A person going from point 'A' to point 'B' is either trying to get away from point 'A' (va'yaitzay-and he went out) or is trying to get to point 'B' (va'yailech-and he went to). In the case of Yaakov, he was doing both. Due to Esav's murderous intentions, Yaakov needed to leave Beer Sheva. Additionally, Yitzchak had commanded Yaakov to go to his uncle Lavan's house in Charan in order to find a wife. He therefore needed to go Charan.
"And he came to the place... [28:11]" Rather ambiguous. What place was this? Rashi explains that this was the place where the Temple would eventually be built. The Kli Yakar adds that there was no need for the Torah to specify. This was simply 'the place.' The physical foundation of the world as creation began there and the spiritual foundation of the world as all spiritual influences flow through there.
"The sun had set" The Kli Yakar continues: Yaakov saw that the sun had set suddenly before its normal time. Generations later, the windows of the Temple built at that place were made narrow on the inside and wide on the outside. It didn't need light from the sun-its glow illuminated the world. Yaakov noticed that the sun paled when he reached there-it set prematurely.
He realized that this was the place.
"And he took stones from that place and placed them by his head and he slept there. [28:11]" Rashi explains that Yaakov was afraid of wild animals. In order to quell this fear, he placed stones around his head for protection.
Any campers out there? Anyone ever see that in the Boy Scout manuals? I could just imagine a pack of bears approaching. "Hey, looks like supper!"
"No way! We can't get anywhere near him. He's got rocks around his head!"
Let's try to understand the protection that those rocks afforded Yaakov. The Saba of Kelem explains that tzaddikim {the righteous} live with the concept that everything that goes on around us is miraculous. There really is no such thing as teva {nature}. Every event of this world bears the mark of the clear, unmistakable hand of Hashem, though it's often veiled behind the cloak of what we call nature.
Nevertheless, one can't rely on those miracles. One must do all that is within their ability and only then trust that Hashem will pick up from that point.
Yaakov was not afraid of animals! He was afraid that he had not yet done all that he was able in order to minimize the miracle of Hashem's protecting him. The animals themselves are powerless. Hashem is omnipotent. If I haven't done what I can, I have Hashem to fear. Hashem, and Hashem alone. Yaakov was therefore afraid.
He placed rocks around his head. Almost futile in warding off beasts but nevertheless accomplishing the minimizing of the miracle. At that point he was no longer afraid. He went to sleep.
Rav Sholom Shwadron zt"l expounds on this. Imagine if we were on a safari and were separated from our guide and group. Alone and unprotected in the African jungle with darkness stealthily approaching. Surrounded by the roars of lions and the grunts and calls of other beasts we'd try to focus our thoughts on trusting in Hashem's providence. Even if we'd succeed, if we'd look down at our body we'd see that we're trembling. Sleep?! Fahgedaboudit!
Yet, Yaakov was perfectly calm. There was no longer any cause for fear. He'd done what he could. He was now in the hands of his Creator. Time to turn in "He went to sleep".
We find a similar situation with the prophet Yonah {Jonah}. Yonah boarded a ship on its way to Tarshish in order to be exempted from delivering his prophecy to Ninveh. He was sure that the gentile inhabitants of Ninveh would all repent when he'd foretell of the impending destruction. This would reflect negatively on Bnei Yisroel {the Children Of Israel} who hadn't responded so quickly to the warnings that the prophets had delivered to them. He therefore tried to flee to Tarshish.
A fierce storm struck and threatened to sink the ship. All of the passengers were up on deck, frantically trying to lighten the ship by throwing excess belongings overboard while screaming out to their gods to save them. Meanwhile, Yonah, cool, calm and collected, had gone down to the lower chamber of the ship to go to sleep. Not a light, fitful doze but rather a good, deep slumber. He was as composed and relaxed as if he would be going to sleep in his house.
The water was perfectly calm besides the area immediately around the ship where this violent storm was raging. The sailors realized that this was a supernatural situation and drew lots to determine which passenger was the cause of this strange phenomenon. The lots fell upon Yonah.
"Against who have you sinned that this evil is befalling us? What is your profession? Where are you from? What is your land? What type of nation are you from?"
They couldn't fathom how a person could sleep through such a predicament. What type of person are you? What type of nation are you from? How do you have no fear?
Yonah explained in one sentence. "I am a Jew and I fear Hashem, the G-d of the Heavens, who created the sea and the dry land." When one fears Hashem, there is no reason to fear the sea any more than dry land.
As Yaakov slept he dreamt and saw a ladder that stood on the ground with its head reaching up to the heavens. The Nefesh HaChaim explains that this vision was representative of man. He walks this physical earth while his stature actually extends into the heavenly realm.
Sleeping soundly while the ship is being tossed. Arranging rocks trusting that Hashem will then keep the beasts at bay.
Their feet were on this earth but their heads reached the heavens. c1999 Rabbi Y. Ciner & Project Genesis, Inc.
RABBI DAVID FINE
National Council of Young Israel
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he concept of "house" or "home" is the overarching theme of Parshat Vayetze. Yaakov Avinu suddenly leaves his parents' house, his "home of origin" in order to establish his own home, a home that would serve as the archetypal home not only for his family and his children, but eventually, for all of Bnai Yisrael, the children of Jacob, the Jewish people.
Jacob spends much of his earlier life in the insular and familiar surroundings of his parents' home. The Torah tells us after the birth of Jacob and Esav that while Esav would venture out, Jacob was a simple man who would stay in the tent: "Jacob was a scholarly man who remained with the tents."(Breishit 25:27) According to the Midrash quoted by Rashi (28:9), Yaakov was "buried (nitman)" in the study house of Shem and Ever for fourteen years. He did not venture outside the confines of his home which included the bait midrash, the study hall.
Suddenly at the beginning of Vayetze, Yaakov has to leave the comfortable and familiar surroundings of his home. The word "bayit" or a form of the word is used many times throughout Jacob's speech at the beginning of Parshat Vayetze, becoming a leitmotif for the opening section of the Parsha. When Jacob awakens from his dream he says (28:17) "...this is none other than the House of G-d (Bait Elokim) and this is the gate of the heavens." In 28:21, as part of his vow, Jacob asks that he be permitted to return to his father's house in peace, "and I return in peace to my father's house (bait avi)." Finally, (28:22), Jacob sets up a stone as a monument and says that "this stone which I have set up as a pillar shall become a house of G-d (Bait Elokim). Jacob names the place where he slept and had this dream, Bait E-l, the House of G-d (28:19).
It is in the outside world, in exile that Jacob learns how to establish the ultimate Jewish home. What are the lessons that Jacob learns about what a true Jewish house is, about how to build and run a true Jewish house? If we, the modern readers of Parshat Vayetze are able to learn from Yaakov Avinu the secrets of establishing and running a Jewish home then we will be able to emulate our patriarch and build true Jewish homes.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, in his commentary on the Torah, writes that "Jacob was the first to say that G-d was to be sought above all in the home, the first to have thought the great concept of Bait E-l and Bait Elokim, the House of G-d which just means nothing else than: the sphere in which human souls are planted and blossom, to which people take everything they accomplish and in which all their activity in building up their lives takes place, that is the greatest and nearest place for finding the revelation of G-d."
This, then is the first great lesson. The terms Bait E-l and Bait Elokim are not some far off, super spiritual, hard to ascend locations. Rather, they are our very own homes that can become real Jewish homes only when we follow Jacob's lead and make them a receptacle for G-d. Only if our homes are places where G-d's glory can be felt and actualized are they true Jewish homes. Jacob, according to R. Hirsch thus taught us that ikkar shekhina batachtonim, that the principle and real place of shekhina, G-d's glory, is on earth. We do not have to search any further than our own homes, our own families, our own communities for the Divine. We simply have to make our own homes, our own families and our own communities places where the Divine is seen and can be found.
The Midrash tells us that the place where Jacob slept would actually be the site of the future Bait HaMikdash, the location of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. This Bait HaMikdash would be the ultimate House, the House which would be built based upon all the experiences of the Jewish people in striving to build houses of their own with G-d at its center. The Talmud in Massechet Pesachim (88a) quotes a verse from Isaiah (2:3) which refers to the Mikdash as "Bait Elokay Yaakov - The House of the G-d of Jacob." The Rabbis ask why the Temple is known here as the G-d of Jacob's Temple and not as the Temple of the G-d of Abraham or Isaac. The Talmud answers that G-d prefers Jacob's "house" image as opposed to Abraham's "mountain of G-d" image or as opposed to Isaac's image of a field. The Talmud is directing that the Bait HaMikdash must mirror the houses of the Jewish people in its entirety. It must be a place where G-d is readily found. One does not need to run to the mountain of the L-rd to find G-d or to go out into fields to find Him. We have to make room for G-d in our homes, close to us and not far away. In Parshat Vayetze, Yaakov teaches us another lesson. He not only tells us "the where". Where G-d is to be served, i.e. on earth in our homes. He also tells us "the how". How we are able to serve G-d and how we can make our houses receptacles for the Divine. This is done through tefilla-prayer.
The second verse of the Parsha tells regarding Yaakov's journey, "vayifga bamakom (he came to a familiar place)." The prefix of ba - the rabbis tell us signifies not just any place but THE place. The Rabbis say that vayifga bamakom means that Yaakov prayed to G-d in the future place of the Temple on Mt. Moriah. The Talmud teaches that these words signify Yaakov's establishment of the evening service (earlier, the Talmud writes, Abraham established the morning service and Yitzchak established the afternoon service). Rabbi Yissochar Frand of Yeshivas Ner Israel in Baltimore writes that Yaakov, who had so many trials and tribulations in his life (some that had happened already and some that were going to happen) was able to stand at this spot and not see the bad but to see the light at the end of the tunnel - the great "house" that would stand on this spot eventually, and to pray the evening service.
We need to fill our homes with prayer. But we must not only recognize and give thanks to our Creator during the good times. We must also pray the evening service, during the night, when we are not certain as to how things are going to turn out, when we are not sure that we will make it to the morning.
This is the lesson of Jacob. Build true Jewish homes that are built on the basis of true Jewish prayer. True Jewish prayer is done at all times and under any circumstance, during the good times and the bad. When modern Jews are able to carry out Jacob's challenge that will be the time when that spot on a hill where Jacob prayed will not simply be a mountain and will not be a field but will be the great "House" that Jacob our father taught us how to build.
RABBI PINCHAS WINSTON
Perceptions
Y
a'akov left Be'er Sheva and went to Charan. He arrived (vayifgah) at the place and stayed over night there, because the sun set... (Bereishis 28:10-11) "And he arrived at the place: We learn that Ya'akov originated the custom of Aravis (Evening Prayer)..." (Rashi)
Basically, a Jewish male thirteen years and older has an obligation to pray three times a day: morning, afternoon, and evening. According to the Talmud (Brochos 26b), the Forefathers were responsible for originating all three services: Avraham established Shacharis, Yitzchak established Minchah, and, as Rashi points out on this posuk, Ya'akov originated the Evening Service.
Curiously, the first two prayer services are considered obligatory, while the last one, Aravis, is called a "reshus," meaning, a non-obligatory mitzvah (Brochos 27b). Tosfos even comments by saying, "Even though it is a 'reshus,' still, one should not miss it without good reason, because Ya'akov established it."
The question is, why the difference? What was lacking from Ya'akov's tefillah_if anything at all_that lessened the sense of obligation for all the generations that followed to emulate it?
To begin with, there is a technical answer that has nothing to do with Ya'akov or his dovening. The daily prayer service also corresponds to the two daily Continual-Offerings (Korban Tamid) that were brought in Temple times, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon. There was no such sacrifice brought in the evening.
However, based upon the following, we do see a difference between the circumstances that led to Avraham's and Yitzchak's tefillos, and that of Ya'akov's: "It says in Perek Gid Hanashe (Chullin 91b) with respect to the posuk, 'Ya'akov went to Charan,' that he [Ya'akov] needed to return, saying, 'Is it possible that I passed this place [and did not pray]?' From this it is clear that he prayed Aravis while it was still daytime, because he still intended to return after he finished praying. This is difficult for the teaching in the first chapter that says that it isn't time for the [Evening] Prayer until the stars come out... (Tosfos, Brochos 26a, q.v. Ya'akov Tikein Tefillos Aravis)
In other words: Ya'akov, while in exile, did not establish the Evening Prayer until after he arrived in Charan first, saw Rachel, and then arrived back at the place (i.e., the Temple Mount back in Jerusalem)... (Asarah Ma'ameros)
And then, after finishing his "Evening Prayer" while STILL day, Ya'akov had planned to return to Charan. This is why G-d had to perform the miracle of making the sun set earlier that day, to force Ya'akov to stay on the Temple Mount over night, proving that Ya'akov dovened Aravis during the last part of the day.
All things considered (and a few I didn't mention), Ya'akov's tefillah was not quite the same as his father's and grandfather's, not because of anything to do with Ya'akov himself, but more to do with the circumstances that led to the establishment of his prayer service. Then again, maybe all things considered, this is why Aravis is a mitzvah reshus (that today, for all intents and purposes, is obligatory): to leave room for the person to go out of his way, as Ya'akov did, to offer his heartfelt prayer to his Creator.
Come_Let us sing to G-d; let us blow the shofar to the Rock of our salvation. (Tehillim 95:1) For those who did not recognize these words rendered into English, this is the first posuk of Kabbalos Shabbos, and the last posuk of the Psalm of the Day for Wednesday. As the Shulchan Aruch (248:1) teaches, one's preparations for the upcoming Shabbos should begin at least three days in advance of Shabbos, from Wednesday onward.
The tehillah was not composed by Dovid HaMelech, but is the sixth of eleven psalms written by Moshe Rabbeinu himself_eleven corresponding the eleven negative forces in creation that Moshe was counteracting (see "Perceptions," Parashas Devarim, 5760).
Apparently, according to the Radak (Tehillim, 91:1), Moshe composed this tehillah in honor of the tribe of Yissachar, who were constantly immersed in the joyous song of Torah. What is the joyous song of Torah? It is shirah, the song of the soul, for, just as the angels are constantly singing praises of G-d and His world, so, too, do our souls sing praises of G-d as well, all the time.
What? You say you can't hear your soul singing? That's not because it is not. It is because, during the course of daily life, which is filled with materialistic interests, noises, and distractions, the song of our souls gets drowned out, muffled, until it becomes completely inaudible. Torah, when learned with soul, "neutralizes" the body and amplifies the soul. It was Ya'akov's Torah that prepared him for life with Lavan, and gave him the spiritual strength to withstand Lavan's very secular way of life.
And, likewise, the holiness of Shabbos has the power to overtake the mundane world of weekday life, and place our souls on "center stage." However, as the Talmud warns, "You only eat on Shabbos what has been prepared before Shabbos!" (Avodah Zarah 3a). How difficult it is to put the spiritual brakes on moments before Shabbos arrives! Can one honestly expect to simply turn 180 degrees and become Shabbosdik with the momentary disappearance of the sun? If one follows that way of thinking, he may only become enveloped by the holiness of Shabbos just minutes before Shabbos leaves Motzei Shabbos!
Therefore, the rabbis put at least this first posuk in the Wednesday morning Psalm of the Day, like an early warning signal. As one reads these words (with intention), he or she should say, "It's Wednesday already_time to start getting into a Shabbos frame of mind. This way, when Shabbos comes around Friday night, I will already be there waiting for her, ready with the song of my soul, to sing praises of G-d, Shabbos, and Torah." c1999 Rabbi Y. Ciner & Project Genesis, Inc.
