Vayeitzei – Page 4 – Peninim on the Torah

כי אתה ידעת את עבדתי אשר עבדתיך

For you are aware of my service that I labored for you. 30:26)

Imagine in today’s day and age, a man working for fourteen years – day and night – exposed to the elements – not for money to provide his family – but for the right to have a family! Yaakov Avinu slaved for fourteen years – not to provide for his family – but just so that he could marry Lavan’s two daughters, who came to the table without any dowry. Horav S.R. Hirsch, zl, observes that those fourteen years serve as the bedrock, the foundation, upon which the national existence and family life of the House of Yaakov are rooted….

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ברך עלינו ד' אלקינו את השנה הזאת

Roberto Szerer In Vayeitzei, 5778

Bareich Aleinu… es ha’shanah ha’zos. Bless on our behalf… this year.

We pray to Hashem for sustenance. This is an indication that we realize that sustenance comes from Hashem. We receive His sustenance through the various media that He employs on our behalf. We, of course, think that how we earn a living is our choice, when, in fact, it is totally from Hashem Who guides and directs us. The choices we make coincide with what Hashem wants us to do. In other words, when we do not achieve success at one position, it means that we should move on to another. Quite possibly, Hashem does not want us to earn…

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ויצא יעקב מבאר שבע וילך חרנה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeitzei, 5777

And Yaakov went out from Be’er Sheva and went to Charan. (28:10)

In a well-known statement, Rashi teaches that the departure of a tzaddik from a community leaves a void. When the righteous person is in town, he comprises its glory, beauty and glow. When he leaves, its glory, beauty and glow leave with him. This is derived from the word, Vayeitzei (Yaakov), and “he (Yaakov) went out (from Be’er Sheva).” It is not necessary to write his point of departure. That is obvious, since he had been there until this point. All that is required for the reader to know is his destination – unless his departure creates a void. The…

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ויפגע במקום וילן שם כי בא השמש

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeitzei, 5777

He encountered the place and spent the night there because the sun had set. (28:11)

Rashi explains that this “place” was none other than Har HaMoriah, the site where Avraham Avinu had bound Yitzchak Avinu on the Altar of the Akeidah. This was also the future site of the Bais Hamikdash. Chazal interpret this “encounter” to mean “he prayed.” Yaakov Avinu’s encounter was not with a geographical location, but rather, with Hashem. Why did the pasuk not simply state that he prayed? What is the significance of the word, encounter, and what is its relationship to prayer? Various terms express tefillah, prayer; pegia, encountering, is one. I think that pegia refers to a prayer in…

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ויירא ויאמר מה נורא המקום הזה אין זה כי אם בית אלקים וזה שער השמים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeitzei, 5777

And he became frightened and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the Abode of G-d, and this is the gate of the Heaven!” (28:17)

It was the 28th day of Sivan 1930; the crowd gathered to partake in the chanukas ha’bayis, dedication, of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin. While it was not the first yeshivah in Poland, it was the most innovative. This was truly an auspicious occasion. The Gerrer Rebbe, zl, the Imrei Emes, was given the honor of addressing the assemblage. He quoted the above pasuk, asking why a redundancy of the word zeh, this, occurs: zeh Bais Elokim v’zeh Shaar ha’Shomayim; “This is the Abode of G-d; this is the gate of the Heavens.” He cited the Baal Shem Tov, zl, who explained…

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ויאהב גם את רחל מלאה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeitzei, 5777

He loved Rachel even more than Leah. (29:30)

Obviously, the interpretation of this pasuk contains more than meets the eye. This is not a romantic tale. This pasuk is laden with profound meaning. First and foremost, when the Torah writes that Yaakov Avinu’s love for Rachel Imeinu was greater than the love he had for Leah Imeinu, it certainly is not referring to an emotional attraction. I came across an interpretation by Horav Moshe Leib Sassover, zl, which I find especially meaningful. He quotes the well-known and often-used pasuk, Tachas asher lo avadita es Hashem Elokecha b’simchah u’b’tuv lev, “Because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, amid…

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הבה לי בנים ואם אין מתה אנכי... ויחר אף יעקב ברחל ויאמר התחת אלקים אנכי

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeitzei, 5777

“Give me children – otherwise I am dead.” Yaakov’s anger flared up at Rachel, and he said, “Am I instead of G-d?” (30:1,2)

Ramban says that, undoubtedly, Yaakov Avinu prayed for Rachel Imeinu. He admonished her for wrongly implying that a tzaddik, righteous person, has the power to “coerce” Hashem to respond to his wish. Thus, when Rachel saw that relying on Yaakov’s prayer was not an option, she prayed herself to the One Who listens and responds – Hashem. The Avnei Nezer of Sochatchov was a brilliant Gaon who hardly ever left his home. He was constantly involved in Torah – either studying or teaching. One day he announced to his students that he was attending the Bris of the son of…

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עם אשר תמצא את אלהיך לא יחיה... ולא ידע יעקב כי רחל גנבתם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeitzei, 5777

With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live… Now Yaakov did not know that Rachel had stolen them. (31:32)

Yaakov Avinu uttered the curse, because he suspected that one of the pagan servants had stolen the teraphim. Had he known that it was Rachel Imeinu who had taken them, he certainly would not have pronounced the curse. Sadly, the curse took effect, catalyzing (in some way) Rachel’s untimely death. Every word that exits our mouth must be carefully weighed. One never knows… We find this occurring a number of times in Tanach. One notable instance occurred when the brothers returned from Egypt and related to their father, Yaakov Avinu, the troubles that the Egyptian viceroy had caused them. Imagine,…

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ויפגע במקום וילן שם כי בא השמש

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeitzei, 5776

He reached the place and spent the night there because the sun had set. (28:11)

Darkness can be overwhelming. The symbolism inherent in darkness can be debilitating, since it evokes hopelessness; when there is no hope, there is no life. Hope is the candle that lights up the darkness, regardless of the size of the candle. Sadly, consistent with the well-known proverb, too many of us are too busy cursing the darkness to seek out a candle to counteract the darkness. We are too intensely involved in complaining about the miserable hand that has been dealt to us to focus on the positive, in order to engender hope into our lives. Yaakov Avinu had two…

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ויגש יעקב ויגל את האבן מעל פי הבאר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeitzei, 5776

He stepped near and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well. (29:10)

Rashi teaches that Yaakov Avinu was able to roll the stone off the well with the same ease as one removes a stopper from a bottle opening. Are Chazal that impressed with Yaakov’s physical strength that they feel it is a necessary lesson to impart to us? Are we that interested in our Patriarch’s physical prowess? Furthermore, in Tefillas Geshem, we say, Yichad lev v’gal even mi’pi be’er mayim… Baavuro al timna mayim, “He dedicated his heart and rolled a stone off the mouth of a well of water… For his sake, do not hold water back!” What merit does…

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כי אתה ידעת את עבדתי אשר עבדתיך

For you are aware of my service that I labored for you. 30:26)

ברך עלינו ד' אלקינו את השנה הזאת

Bareich Aleinu… es ha’shanah ha’zos. Bless on our behalf… this year.

ויצא יעקב מבאר שבע וילך חרנה

And Yaakov went out from Be’er Sheva and went to Charan. (28:10)

ויפגע במקום וילן שם כי בא השמש

He encountered the place and spent the night there because the sun had set. (28:11)

ויירא ויאמר מה נורא המקום הזה אין זה כי אם בית אלקים וזה שער השמים

And he became frightened and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the Abode of G-d, and this is the gate of the Heaven!” (28:17)

ויאהב גם את רחל מלאה

He loved Rachel even more than Leah. (29:30)

הבה לי בנים ואם אין מתה אנכי... ויחר אף יעקב ברחל ויאמר התחת אלקים אנכי

“Give me children – otherwise I am dead.” Yaakov’s anger flared up at Rachel, and he said, “Am I instead of G-d?” (30:1,2)

עם אשר תמצא את אלהיך לא יחיה... ולא ידע יעקב כי רחל גנבתם

With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live… Now Yaakov did not know that Rachel had stolen them. (31:32)

ויפגע במקום וילן שם כי בא השמש

He reached the place and spent the night there because the sun had set. (28:11)

ויגש יעקב ויגל את האבן מעל פי הבאר

He stepped near and rolled the stone from the mouth of the well. (29:10)

YEARS

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