Parshas Vayeitzei
1. Yaakov Avinu is called "בחור שבאבות" ("the choicest of the Patriarchs")1 — the most select of the Patriarchs. One of the perfections of Yaakov Avinu in comparison with the Patriarchs Avraham and Yitzchak is this: "אברהם — יצא ממנו ישמעאל" ("Avraham — Yishmael came out of him") and "יצחק — יצא ממנו עשו" ("Yitzchak — Esav came out of him"). That is, their levels of holiness did not reach all of their children; there was also a "came out of him" — Yishmael and Esav departed from their connection to Avraham and Yitzchak. But with Yaakov there was "מטתו שלימה" ("his bed was complete")2: all of his children were whole, because the holiness of Yaakov Avinu reached every one of them.
(Although the Torah describes the deed of Reuven as "בלבל יצועי אביו" ("he disturbed his father's couch") — for even though "כל האומר ראובן חטא אינו אלא טועה" ("whoever says that Reuven sinned is simply mistaken"), so that whoever says Reuven sinned is in error, and here below he committed no sin at all, but rather did what he did for the sake of honoring his mother, as is explained there in the Gemara3 — nevertheless, since the Torah itself brings that there can be such an opinion, a "sayer" who says that "Reuven sinned," this in itself indicates a certain deficiency in the lofty level on which Reuven stood, as this general matter is discussed in several places, and as it is also explained in Chassidus, beginning from the Baal Shem Tov4. Nevertheless, Reuven too received all the qualities of Yaakov Avinu, and on the contrary, even more than his brothers — "יתר שאת ויתר עז" ("excelling in dignity and excelling in power")5 — which is why, even "at the time of the wrongdoing," he is called "the firstborn of Yaakov." This is understood from the explanation of the saying of our Sages6: "כבד את אביך — לרבות אחיך הגדול" ("Honor your father — to include your older brother"). Since from the words "your father" we derive that one must give honor to the eldest brother, we see that honoring one's older brother is one and the same thing as honoring one's father. As the Maharchu says7: "רוחא קדמאה דשביק בה" ("the first spirit that he leaves in her") — into the firstborn son is transmitted the spirit of the father, and by honoring the firstborn one also honors the father.)
This is also the meaning of the saying of the Gemara8: "שופריה דיעקב מעין שופריה דאדם הראשון" ("the beauty of Yaakov was akin to the beauty of Adam HaRishon") — the beauty of Yaakov Avinu was "akin to," similar to, the beauty of Adam HaRishon. Adam HaRishon included within himself all the souls until the end of all generations. Therefore everything that he did affected everyone. And when he suffered a descent through the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, it simultaneously brought about a descent in all the later souls. That is why there were tzaddikim who "מתו בעטיו של נחש" ("died through the counsel of the serpent")9 — they departed from the world only because of the sin of the Tree of Knowledge of Adam HaRishon. So too Yaakov, who is "akin to the beauty of Adam HaRishon," included within himself all the later souls; therefore all the good things that he did (because "מדה טובה מרובה ממדת פורענות" ("the measure of good exceeds the measure of retribution")10 — the good measure is far greater than its opposite) affected not only himself, but touch all who came forth from his loins — "his bed was complete."
2. From this it is understood that all the details of the events which the Torah relates about Yaakov Avinu — apart from the fact that all the stories of the Torah are, heaven forbid, not tales from a history book, but rather "Torah" is from the word "הוראה" (instruction)11, and especially the stories of "the deeds of the Patriarchs," which are "סימן לבנים" ("a sign [and an instruction] for the children")12 — these same details took place with all the souls of Israel, as they were included in the soul of Yaakov Avinu. Consequently, they are also a guide and an empowerment for the souls after they have become revealed through the descent of the soul below — to an even greater degree than the instruction and sign for the children from the deeds of the Patriarchs Avraham and Yitzchak.
3. In Parshas Vayeitzei the Torah relates that Yaakov went from Eretz Yisrael (Be'er Sheva) to Charan, to Lavan; and how, as soon as he began to leave Eretz Yisrael, there immediately occurred "ויפגע במקום וגו'" ("and he encountered the place, etc."). Afterwards it tells of his arrival at Lavan; how Yaakov worked for him for twenty years, how he married and raised up the Tribes; his journey back from Charan to Eretz Yisrael, and how, as he was going back, "מלאכי אלקים" ("angels of G‑d") met him.
As discussed above, all these details are an instruction, and they exist in every Jew:
The duty of every Jew is to go out of Eretz Yisrael, out of the tents of Shem and Ever — to go out of the four cubits of Torah, so that study should lead to action; to go to "Charan"13, "חרון אף של מקום בעולם" ("the place of the Omnipresent's wrath in the world"), that is, into the thick of the world, and there to deal with "Lavan the Aramean" and to extract from him the sparks of holiness that are found with him; and specifically there, the Jew must have "his bed complete."
And when one conducts oneself in this way, the going to Charan is not a true descent; on the contrary, "ויפרץ האיש מאד מאד" ("and the man became exceedingly prosperous")14 — one has great success both in material and in spiritual matters. And when one afterwards goes back to Eretz Yisrael, it is as the verse concludes: "ויפגעו בו מלאכי אלקים" ("and angels of G‑d met him").
And as the Zohar notes precisely15: when Yaakov set out to go to Charan, before he had worked in Charan and fathered the Tribes — even though he had studied much Torah in the house of Ever — the verse says "ויפגע במקום" ("and he encountered the place"): he had to come and seek the "place," the revelation of G‑dliness, and even then the revelation was shown to him only in a dream. But after he had already been in Charan and carried out his mission there — he had worked there, married, and come back with the Tribes — the verse says "ויפגעו בו מלאכי אלקים" ("and angels of G‑d met him"): the angels of G‑d, together with the Holy One, blessed be He16, sought to meet him; and in addition, this revelation was not in a dream but while awake. (And although the Midrash interprets17 "angels of G‑d" to mean six hundred thousand or one million two hundred thousand angels, the Zohar, the inner dimension of the Torah, reveals the inner dimension of the matter: that the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself appeared to him.)
So it is with every Jew: as long as he is in Eretz Yisrael, enclosed within his own matters of holiness and occupied only with himself, then however great he may be, he cannot attain the level and the elevation which he reaches through going to "Charan" — to work in the world, to draw Jews close and to make Jews. And as soon as a Jew goes out of Eretz Yisrael to accomplish in the world, with other Jews, he is given a power from Above — this is "ויפגע במקום" ("and he encountered the place") — so that he will be able to carry out his mission. And after he fulfills his mission, he then draws down through his service a higher light — the higher arousal from Above18 which comes after the arousal from below — "and angels of G‑d met him."
(From the sicha of 3 Marcheshvan 5721)
4. This is the instruction from the general content of the parsha. However, as said earlier, the individual details that happened to Yaakov Avinu on his way to Charan, and also the events while he was in Charan, concern us in our service of G‑d19.
The Midrash says20 on the verse "וישכב במקום ההוא" ("and he lay down in that place"): "כאן שכב, אבל כל י"ד שנה שהיה טמון בבית עבר לא שכב" ("Here he lay down, but all the fourteen years that he was hidden in the house of Ever he did not lie down") — during the fourteen years that Yaakov hid himself and studied Torah in the house of Ever, he did not lie down to sleep. The Midrash gives another explanation of this: "כל כ' שנה שעמד בביתו של לבן לא שכב" ("All the twenty years that he stayed in the house of Lavan he did not lie down") — the entire twenty years that he stayed in Lavan's house he did not lie down to sleep, as the verse says: "ותדד שנתי מעיני" ("and my sleep departed from my eyes"). And even more — "he did not lie down."
Seemingly this is not understood: granted that Yaakov did not sleep in the house of Ever, because he was studying Torah there; but why did he exert such self-sacrifice*20 and not lie down to sleep the entire twenty years that he was in the house of Lavan?
However, in light of what was discussed earlier, this detail too is understood. His going to Charan and his being there was in order to accomplish in the world, to refine the sparks of holiness that were found with Lavan. Therefore he "did not lie down" the entire time he was there, because he constantly had to be vigilant and to stand strong against Lavan the Aramean, who opposed the service of refinement of Yaakov Avinu.
Lavan argued to Yaakov Avinu — and his heirs in every generation argue to Yaakov's grandchildren: "Granted, you are an old-fashioned Jew; fine, conduct yourself as you wish. You belong anyway to the old world, so you may sit and study Torah whole days and nights. But what do you want from the children? They belong to modern times — 'הבנות בנתי והבנים בני' ('the daughters are my daughters and the sons are my sons')" (they are mine, Lavan's, children). "They are, after all, young children; why do you make cripples of them, so that they will not be able to fit into the world? You want to teach them Yiddishkeit — why not? But do it in a modern way, with the new methods; don't make idlers out of them!"
He argued the same with "והצאן צאני" ("and the sheep are my sheep"): "As regards your studying and praying, I do not interfere; but when it comes to business matters — 'and the sheep are my sheep' — you must conduct yourself in my ways, in the ways of Lavan the Aramean: in order to profit from commerce, one need not take into account the prohibitions of deceit, encroachment, and the like. With your conducting yourself according to Torah in business, it is hard 'to make a living.'"
And therefore Yaakov exerted self-sacrifice — "my sleep departed from my eyes," and even more, he did not lie down at all — not only for spiritual matters, such as studying Torah in the house of Ever, but also in the matters about which Lavan said "the daughters are my daughters and the sons are my sons, and the sheep are my sheep." Even in the things that Lavan could think belonged to him, Yaakov toiled to the point of self-sacrifice — as he said: "עבדתיך ארבע עשרה שנה בשתי בנתיך ושש שנים בצאנך" ("I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your sheep") — so that all of it should be according to Torah, and thereby refine the sparks of holiness found in Lavan's domain, and draw G‑dliness down also into material things.
5. With this we will also understand what is said further there in the Midrash: "ומה היה אומר" ("And what was he saying?") — what did Yaakov say during the time that he "did not lie down" in the house of Lavan? The Midrash answers: "ט"ו שיר המעלות שבספר תהלים" ("the fifteen Songs of Ascents in the Book of Tehillim"), as it says: "שיר המעלות וגו' יאמר נא ישראל" ("A Song of Ascents... let Israel now say") — "Israel" refers to "ישראל סבא" ("Israel the Elder"), Yaakov Avinu. There is another opinion in the Midrash: "כל ספר תהלים היה אומר" ("he would say the entire Book of Tehillim") — he said the whole Book of Tehillim, as it says: "ואתה קדוש יושב תהלות ישראל" ("And You are holy, enthroned upon the praises of Israel"), meaning that "Israel the Elder," Yaakov Avinu, said "praises" to the Holy One, blessed be He.
Seemingly, why does the Midrash ask "what was he saying" — what did he do during the nights? He was, after all, occupied with guarding Lavan's sheep! However, this is certain: in order to guard Lavan's sheep, Yaakov would not have exerted self-sacrifice; rather, he did it in order to refine the sparks of holiness found with Lavan. On this the Midrash asks: with what kind of powers did Yaakov carry out the service of refinement, so that not only did the lowly matters of Lavan the Aramean not bring him down, but on the contrary, he elevated them to holiness?
And to this the Midrash answers that he said "שיר המעלות וגו' מאין יבוא עזרי" ("A Song of Ascents... from where [mei'ayin] will my help come?"). He felt that with one's own powers one can accomplish nothing at all; and only through "מאין" — through being completely nullified — "will my help come," will he be helped. Because he relied only on the Holy One, blessed be He — "עזרי מעם ה'" ("my help is from Hashem") — the help, the assistance of the Holy One, blessed be He, was drawn down to him, and this gave him the powers to refine the sparks that were with Lavan. For he revealed in his work that the Holy One, blessed be He, is "עושה שמים וארץ" ("Maker of heaven and earth"): He is the Master of the house, and He gives power both in "matters of heaven" (Torah, which Yaakov studied in the house of Ever) and in "matters of earth" — in the lowly matters of Charan ("the place of the Omnipresent's wrath in the world"), in the world of Lavan the Aramean.
6. And from the details of the story of Yaakov Avinu we also have a directive for ourselves: in order to be able to deal with the world, one needs a twofold safeguard. a) Before going to Charan, one must first be found entirely within the four cubits of Torah and prayer, without having anything to do with the world — just as Yaakov Avinu was in the house of Ever — Torah — and "ויפגע במקום" ("and he encountered the place"), which, as our Sages interpret21, refers to prayer. b) Even when one is already in Charan and is working for Lavan, one must be occupied with the service of the Creator, such as saying Tehillim and the like22. And then one has the help of the Holy One, blessed be He, to carry out the mission for which Divine Providence sends one to Charan.
In daily life too, a Jew must have these same matters: at the beginning of the day, before a Jew goes off to his business, he must devote a period of time to prayer and Torah. The first thing after rising from sleep, a Jew must pray; after praying he must have a fixed time to study a portion of Torah23. And once he is already saturated with prayer and Torah, he can then occupy himself with his business. And even when he is busy with his dealings, it must be only "יגיע כפיך" ("the toil of your hands")24 — only the "hands" (the external powers) should be invested in it, but the head should be occupied with a chapter of Mishnayos, a chapter of Tanya, saying a chapter of Tehillim, and the like. Even more: in his business and in his work itself, when he finds himself in the world, it must be evident that he is different from the people around him — "ונפלינו אני ועמך מכל העם אשר על פני האדמה" ("so that I and Your people will be distinguished from every people on the face of the earth"). A Jew must always be set apart and distinguished from the surrounding environment by his holy conduct in everything he does — "בכל דרכיך דעהו" ("in all your ways, know Him").
7. Above all, the special holy conduct must be evident in the education of sons and daughters, in the way the household is run. Not only is his home conducted entirely differently from the home of a non-Jew, lehavdil, but it is even on a higher level of holiness than the household conduct of those Jews, observers of Torah and mitzvos, in whose homes worldly attitudes are strongly felt25. In his home, in all household matters, only the outlook of Torah is felt — Yiddishkeit and holiness.
This too we learn from the deeds of the Patriarchs, from the conduct of the house of Yaakov. The Torah relates: "וילך ראובן בימי קציר חטים וימצא דודאים בשדה" ("And Reuven went in the days of the wheat harvest and found duda'im in the field"), and Rashi explains: "להגיד שבחן של שבטים, שעת הקציר היה ולא פשט ידו בגזל להביא חטים ושעורים, אלא דבר ההפקר שאין אדם מקפיד בו" ("To tell the praise of the Tribes: it was harvest time, yet he did not stretch out his hand to robbery to bring wheat and barley, but rather something ownerless which no one cares about"). The Torah tells here the praise of the Tribes: although it was harvest time, Reuven did not take any wheat or barley, but only "duda'im," something that was ownerless, which no one minded.
From the fact that Rashi says "to tell the praise of the Tribes," it is understood that of all those around them, no one else behaved this way. But the Tribes knew that their conduct had to be different; they had to conduct themselves in every detail in a manner of Torah and holiness. This is what Yaakov instituted in his home — that his home was different from everyone else's.
One must not follow the spirit of the times. And this must be in so evident a manner that the children should know that their father and mother are different from everyone: other women are dressed in clothing that is not meticulously modest, but their mother goes about dressed with complete modesty; other fathers are not careful about cheating someone else in business, but their father seeks to cheat no one — he deals honestly, and so on.
Even when the child is still small and cannot yet grasp the significance of Torah and holiness, he can nonetheless already feel that his home is distinct from other homes — "ונפלינו" ("and we will be distinguished"). Consequently, the child does not learn from other children; on the contrary, when he sees how other children behave not as they should, and do not guard themselves from robbery — they take from strangers' fields not only ownerless "duda'im" — this itself is clear proof to him that he should not act this way. He knows that they are not friends for him.
From such conduct there grows a Tribe of Reuven and also a Tribe of Yissachar (who was born through the episode of Reuven finding the duda'im) — for from Reuven and Yissachar came forth heads of Sanhedrin26 and pillars of halachic instruction27.
That is to say: when a Jewish child is educated, while he is still quite young, to know that he is different from worldly children, then later too, when he grows older, he does not learn from other children of his age; rather, he goes off — like his father Yaakov — to study only the Torah of the Holy One, blessed be He, "ודברת בם" ("and you shall speak of them"), to the point that even his ordinary speech is only like words of Torah28. And, like Yaakov Avinu, when he grows up and marries, and goes out into the world, establishes a family and takes "a millstone around his neck," taking upon himself the yoke of earning a livelihood — even then he has fixed times to study Torah every day; and while he is occupied with his material affairs he says "Songs of Ascents," and relies entirely upon the Holy One, blessed be He; and consequently all his business conduct is only according to Torah.
Such conduct brings a Jew an abundance of blessing and success in material matters as well, as it says of Yaakov Avinu: "ויפרץ האיש מאד מאד" ("and the man became exceedingly prosperous") — he was very successful even in material matters, as the verse there concludes: "ויהי לו צאן רבות ושפחות ועבדים וגמלים וחמורים" ("and he had many sheep, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys").
(Collected from the sicha of Shabbos Parshas Vayeishev 5711, and [OCR unclear: שמו"ת תשס"ו])
8. With this we can also understand the matter of the mound and the pillar which Yaakov and Lavan set up, so that neither of them should cross the boundary from one to the other. This means: although, for the sake of the service of refinement, Yaakov must indeed go to Lavan, to Charan*28, in order to extract from him the sparks of holiness, nevertheless, together with this there must also be a "mound" which separates him from Lavan, so that he knows that apart from the service of refinement he has no connection whatsoever with Lavan. He does indeed deal with the world, but while doing so he is set apart from the coarse materiality of the world. And then he is certain that he will not become lost in the world, with Lavan; on the contrary, he makes the world into a vessel for G‑dliness: "ויצל אלקים את מקנה אביכם ויתן לי" ("G‑d has taken away your father's livestock and given it to me").
9. The power for the "mound"29 — to deal with the world and, while doing so, to be separated from the coarse materiality of the world, and on the contrary, to make the world into a vessel for G‑dliness — comes especially through studying the inner dimension of the Torah. For the inner dimension of the Torah gives the understanding and the recognition that "אין עוד מלבדו" ("there is nothing else besides Him") — that the entire existence of the world is G‑dliness.
And therefore "יפוצו מעינותיך חוצה" ("let your wellsprings spread outward")*29 — publicizing and disseminating the inner dimension of the Torah — will also bring about "אתי מר" ("the Master will come")30, the coming of Moshiach. For the accomplishment of the coming of Moshiach will be, not to do away with the world, but that the material world itself will become a vessel for G‑dliness, a dwelling place in the lower realms — "ונגלה כבוד ה' וראו כל בשר יחדיו כי פי ה' דיבר" ("and the glory of Hashem will be revealed, and all flesh together will see that the mouth of Hashem has spoken") — that physical flesh will see G‑dliness.
(From the sicha of Lag BaOmer 5710)
Notes
1) Bereishis Rabbah 76:1. See also Zohar I, 119b; 146b; and elsewhere.
2) Vayikra Rabbah 36:5. See also Pesachim 56a; Sifrei, Devarim 6:7; ibid. 32:9.
3) Shabbos 55b.
4) See Yevamos 121b (on the verse "וסביביו נשערה" — "and round about Him it storms greatly"). Explained in Kuntres UMaayan, maamar 16. Note also Toldos Yaakov Yosef, end of Parshas Lech; the maamar beginning "Im Ruach HaMoshel" 5695, and its introduction regarding the Mitteler Rebbe and the Tzemach Tzedek (Sefer HaMaamarim – Kuntreisim, vol. 2, p. 712 ff.).
5) Bereishis 49:3. See Rashi, Vayishlach 35:23 (based on Bereishis Rabbah there). — This follows the view of Rabbi Elazar HaModai (Bereishis Rabbah 98:6).
6) Zohar III, 83a. Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvos, Shoresh 20. See also Kesubos 103a.
7) Likkutei Torah of the Arizal, Parshas Vayeira (28a, top). Shaar HaMitzvos, beginning of Parshas Yisro.
8) Bava Metzia 84a. Zohar I, 35b. And in many places.
9) Shabbos 55b–56a.
10) Yoma 76a.
11) Zohar III, 53b.
12) See above, Parshas Lech Lecha, and the notes there.
13) Rashi, end of Parshas Noach. See also Zohar I, 147a.
14) See Likkutei Torah, beginning of Parshas Shelach; Toras Chaim, maamar beginning "Vayishlach Yaakov," section 4.
15) Zohar I, 165a.
16) See Zohar III, 298a.
17) Bereishis Rabbah, end of Parshas Vayeitzei.
18) See Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 22b ff.
19) See also Likkutei Sichos, vol. 1, Parshas Vayeitzei.
20) Bereishis Rabbah 68:11.
*20) See Bava Metzia (93b): "נטירותא יתירתא" ("extra guarding"). And even according to the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch (Choshen Mishpat 303:1), which does not follow Rabbah, one is still not obligated to the point of "he did not lie down." See also the Kuntres Acharon to the Alter Rebbe's Laws of Damage to Body and Property, sub-section 2.
21) Berachos 26b, and sources cited there.
22) See Kovetz Michtavim, p. 202, printed at the end of Tehillim Ohel Yosef Yitzchak; Hayom Yom, 9 Adar I.
23) See Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe, 155:1: "to set it immediately after prayer." — One cannot raise a difficulty from the fact that Yaakov began in the tent of Ever (Torah) and only afterwards "and he encountered the place" (prayer). For the reason that prayer must precede Torah is explained in Likkutei Torah, Parshas Berachah (96b, end): the Torah study that precedes prayer is only from the level of the "residue of supernal wisdom," whereas through first effecting the unifications of prayer, a revelation of actual supernal wisdom, not merely its residue, is drawn into the Torah. From this it is understood that the benefit of putting prayer before Torah applies specifically after the Giving of the Torah: both from the side of Torah — for only at the Giving of the Torah was the power given to draw down "poured oil," and not merely "fragrances" (see Shir HaShirim Rabbah 1, on "לריח שמניך" — "for the fragrance of your oils"); and from the side of prayer — for only at the Giving of the Torah was the decree that "the lower beings shall not ascend above" annulled (see Shemos Rabbah 12:3); whereas in the time of the Patriarchs*, the service ascended only up to the root of the created beings. Now seemingly one could say even more than this: on the contrary, there is an advantage in the Torah of the Patriarchs (especially Yaakov — the line of Torah) over their prayer (and also in their Torah that preceded prayer), since it was at least "fragrances" from the Most High. — However, seemingly the opposite is proven from the fact that it was specifically prayers that the Patriarchs instituted, to such an extent that the prayers (even those after the Giving of the Torah) were instituted by the Patriarchs (Berachos 26b), and [OCR unclear] words of Torah (Ta'anis 28a). This is not the place to elaborate.
* See on all this the maamar beginning "Imras Hashem Tzerufah" (Sefer HaMaamarim – Kuntreisim, vol. 2, 353a).
24) See at length Likkutei Sichos, vol. 1, Parshas Vayakhel.
25) See Sma, Choshen Mishpat, siman 3, sub-sections 10–13.
26) See Rashi, beginning of Parshas Korach.
27) See Yoma 26a; the maamar beginning "BaYom HaSheni" 5627.
28) See the Alter Rebbe's Laws of Torah Study 3:5–6.
*28) See Bereishis Rabbah 75:15: "עד הגל וגו'" — "up to the mound, etc." — for harm you may not cross, but you may cross for commerce.
29) This is also the meaning of what is written, "עד הגל הזה" ("up to this mound"), which alludes to Lag BaOmer [gal = 33], for Lag BaOmer is the Giving of the Torah of the inner dimension of the Torah (end of the maamar beginning "Usefartem" 5666).
*29) The words of Moshiach's answer to the Baal Shem Tov, that he will come then. See below, Parshas Shoftim, section 7, and the notes there.
30) The well-known holy letter of the Baal Shem Tov (printed in Ginzei Nistaros, Or Yisrael, p. 22, and in the introduction to the sefer Likkutei Amarim of the Maggid of Mezritch).
Key Lesson
Just as Yaakov left the house of Ever for Charan, every Jew is sent out into the world to refine it, and is given strength from Above to fulfill that mission. The safeguard is to begin each day with prayer and Torah, to keep one's mind on holy matters even while working, and to keep a home whose conduct is visibly different from the spirit of the times, so the children grow up knowing who they are. Studying and spreading the inner dimension of the Torah gives the power to deal with the world without being swallowed by it, and hastens the coming of Moshiach.