("ויחלם...והנה מלאכי אלקים..." (כח:יב) "ויאמר יעקב כאשר ראם..." (לב:ג)
At the beginning of the סדרה we are told that יעקב saw the מלאכים going up and down the ladder in a dream. At the end of the סדרה 20 years later, on his return to ארץ ישראל the תורה tells us that יעקב saw the מלאכים accompany him back to ארץ ישראל. Why originally did יעקב only see the מלאכים in a dream, but now he was זוכה to see them in person. If anything it should have been the opposite! Surely, when יעקב was in א"י and even lying on the מקום of the קדש הקדשים, it is much more מסוגל for the מלאכים to appear physically, rather than now when he is in חוץ לארץ?
Even though יעקב was on the מקום of the קדש הקדשים he was on his way to חרן and his מחשבות were racing around his head trying to imagine surviving in a foreign land. Therefore the מלאכים only appeared to him in a dream. But, on the borders of א"י, on the verge to stepping back into the קדושה – then his מחשבות were already on קדושה ענינים. He was therefore זוכה to actually meet the מלאכים personally
Bereishis 29:1-10 -- Now Jacob lifted his feet and went to the land of the people of the East. And he looked, and behold! a well in the field, and behold! three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because from that well they would water the flocks, and a huge rock was upon the mouth of the well. ... And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, that Jacob drew near and rolled the rock off the mouth of the well, and he watered the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother.
Many commentators have remarked on the fact that our forefathers tend to meet their future spouses at wells. Eliezer comes to Charan representing his master Avraham in order to find a match for Yitzchak, and indeed he meets Yitzchak's future wife, Rivkah. Yaakov, in our parashah, meets Rochel at a well. And Moshe Rabbeinu meets his future wife Tziporah at a well, too. Much has been said about the significance of this fact, but I would like to point out an interesting contrast that I noticed. When Eliezer comes to find a wife for Yitzchak, he comes bearing great wealth, and representing a wealthy family. Rivkah, a little girl, expends superhuman effort to provide water for this rich man and his entourage. Contrast that with the episode in our parashah, and with the episode involving Moshe. In both of these cases, Yaakov and Moshe both arrive at these wells as poor fugitives. We know that Yaakov was on the run from Esav who wanted to kill him, and Rashi tells us that, although Yaakov left home with money, he surrendered it all to Esav's son Eliphaz, who had come to kill him on his father Esav's orders.
".....and he (Jacob) took of the stones of the place and put it under his head.... " (28:11)
When Jacob departed from his father's house, he rested and made a stone head "pillow" for himself. Rashi comments that "Jacob made a sort of cape around his head for he was afraid of the wild beasts."A question can be asked as follows: If Jacob was truly afraid of wild beasts why did he only make a protection for his head, he should have also tried to protect his entire body as well ? Why did he only cover his head and not his entire body?
I would like to , Bezrat Hashem, propose an original answer. In Genesis chapter 4, we read about the killing of Havel by his brother Kyin. (Please refer there for further details.)After killing Havel, Kyin requested from G-d that he protected from the wild animals so G-d, thereby, inscribed His Holy name on his forehead. (Please refer to Genesis 4:15 and Rashi commentary there for further details.) It appears that after Kyin killed Havel something drastically changed in Kyin, namely his "Tzalem Elokim" (Man's divine Image).
"...And he [Yaakov] loved Rochel more that Leah...and Hashem saw that Leah was hated..." (29:30-31)
From the fact that Yaakov loved Rochel, does that mean that his other wife Leah should be hated? And is this the attitude of Yaakov Avinu - to hate his wife?
Rav Pam, speaking particularly to parents and teachers, suggests that the lesson we should take from this is that when we show extra love towards one person, even one of our own children, the others will feel hated even if it is not the case.
Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlit"a however takes a more severe approach
Parashas Vayeitzei – Preparing for Success
This week's sedra focuses on the original wandering Jew, Yaakov, following his flight from Beersheva where he was forced to flee his family and home in order to avoid the wrath of his brother Esav. Parashas Vayeitzei therefore begins with Yaakov's initial journey from his home where the Torah describes to us his famous dream, which he had during these travels, in which he envisioned a ladder with angels going up to heaven and back down again. We then see how Hashem makes a promise to Yaakov, similar to those made to Avraham and Yitzhak, whereby he is told that his offspring will inherit the land of Eretz Yisrael, claiming that “your offspring shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread out powerfully westwards, eastwards, northwards and southwards” [28:14]. The sedra then moves into the account of Yaakov meeting Rachel at the well with the Torah expounding on how “Yaakov kissed Rachel, and he raised his voice and wept” [29:11]
The parsha tells us that after Rochel gave birth to Yosef in Padan Aram, she prayed, [Bereishis 30:24] "Yosef Hashem li Bein acher-May Hashem add to me another son." Eventually this led to the birth of Binyamin after she left Padan Aram.
I once heard a beautiful point from Rav Eliyahu Boruch Finkel, ztl about the power of Tefilla based on this small Tefilla that Rochel prayed.
In Parshas Vayishlach [Bereishis 35:26] it mentions the children that were born to Yaacov in Padan Aram [when he was by Lavan]. Among them is listed his youngest son Binyomin. The question is that Binyomin was not born till after Yaacov left Padan Aram, so why is he included in those that were born in Padan Aram?
In reference to Olam Hazeh and Olam Habo, (this world and the next world) people think that one must come at the expense of the other. In order to get to the next world one must sacrifice and suffer in this world. The person then faces the predicament, is it worth it or not, to give up the temporary pleasures for eternal ones.
As we will see, this is not so. Not only don't you have to give up This World, but amazingly, only those who strive for the Next World can really enjoy This World.
Rav Eliyahu Lopian, Zal has a beautiful sicha in Lev Elyahu (Breishis pg 112), entitled "L'hisaheg Al Hashem", which addresses the issue.
He starts off analyzing an interesting conversation between Ya'akov and Rochel and Leah (B'reishis 31:3-16). After twenty years at Lavan's home, Hashem just told Ya'akov to return to his father's home. Interestingly, when Ya'akov relates this to his wives he doesn't get straight to the point. Instead, he gives a whole
On 7 November 2010 13:30, Rabbi Shlomo Price wrote:
Parshas Vayetze
In the Sefer Chumash HaMagiddim on Parshas VaYetze [p.242…] there is a very inspirational lecture from Rabbi Yaacov Galinsky, shlita which this is based on.
We find that after Leah had six sons, she was pregnant with the seventh son. Since she knew that there would only be 12 tribes she calculated that since the two maidservants had 4 [2 each], if she would have 7 that would leave only 1 for her sister Rachel. This would be disgraceful as Rachel would have less than the maidservants. So she prayed and it changed to a female and she was named Dinah. [Bereishis 30:21in Rashi from Berachos 60a].
This was a tremendous sacrifice that Leah had done for her sister Rachel, to give up the merit of having another holy Tribe. As much as we understand their holiness, the Matriarchs knew better
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