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ויצא יעקב מבאר שבע

Sruly Schnair
In Vayeitzei, 5779

Yaakov departed from Beer Sheva. (28:10)

Chazal (Talmud Megillah 17a) deduce that Yaakov Avinu was sixty-three years old when he left his parents’ home. Fourteen years later, when Yaakov was seventy-seven, Yosef was born. When Yosef stood before Pharaoh, he was thirty years old – making Yaakov one hundred and seven years old. We add to this seven years of plenty and two years of famine to reach a sum total of one hundred sixteen, which should have been Yaakov’s age when meeting Pharaoh. When Yaakov stood before Pharaoh, however, he stated his age as one hundred and thirty – leaving us with a discrepancy of…

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ואולם לוז שם העיר לראשונה

Roberto Szerer
In Vayeitzei, 5778

However, Luz was the city’s name originally. (28:19)

A man goes through life – and then he passes to the next world – the real world, the world of Truth. What is left of all the years that he spent on this world? Nothing but memories: no money; no material assets; no distinction – only memories. In order to perpetuate themselves, people build monuments, erect buildings, make tributes to their achievements. Why? So that they will be remembered. We are so fickle. Everything is for one purpose: so that the next generation will not forget us. No one wants to be forgotten, but are we prepared to lead…

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וישא את קלו ויבך

Roberto Szerer
In Vayeitzei, 5778

And he raised his voice and wept. (29:11)

Yaakov Avinu wept when he met Rachel Imeinu. He meets the girl that he is going to marry, the wife with whom he is destined to build Klal Yisrael, and he cries. One would expect a somewhat different reaction. Rashi offers two reasons for our Patriarch’s anomalous reaction. First, Yaakov saw b’Ruach ha’Kodesh, through Divine Inspiration, that Rachel would not be buried near him. Why was Yaakov Divinely inspired at this moment? Was there no other time for Yaakov to see b’ruach ha’kodesh that he would not be buried with Rachel? Second, Rashi offers a reason for Rachel’s loss of…

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ואחר ילדה בת ותקרא את שמה דינה

Roberto Szerer
In Vayeitzei, 5778

Afterward, she bore a daughter and she called her name, Dinah. (30:21)

Everyone wants to get ahead, to rise to the summit of the spiritual ladder. What are we willing to sacrifice in order to achieve spiritual distinction? Are we willing to expend time and effort, give up financial security all for the purpose of spiritual achievement? The answer obviously should be a resounding, “Yes.” Nothing should stand in the way of spiritual ascendency. It cannot, however, be achieved on the “back” of someone else: a friend or even someone who is not a friend. Achieving closeness with Hashem cannot and should not be achieved at the expense of another Jew’s feelings…

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כי אתה ידעת את עבדתי אשר עבדתיך

Roberto Szerer
In Vayeitzei, 5778

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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Home -> 5777 -> Vayeitzei

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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Home -> 5777 -> Vayeitzei

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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