Vayeitzei – Peninim on the Torah

מה פשעי מה חטאתי כי דלקת אחרי

What is my crime? What sin did I commit that you were in such hot pursuit of me? (31:36)

After over two decades of being cheated and surrounded by his evil father-in-law, Lavan, Yaakov Avinu left in the hope of finally having a home undisturbed by the nefarious machinations of his father-in-law. Lavan, of course, accused our Patriarch of every evil endeavor known to man. Yaakov’s response? “What is my crime?” No screaming; no shouting; no malediction; just a relaxed and calm, “What did I do?” How did he contain himself after so many years of suffering and degradation? Horav Reuven Karlinstein, Shlita, explains that Yaakov did not respond to Lavan, because he was acutely aware that Lavan was…

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וישא את קלו ויבך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeitzei, 5776

And (Yaakov) cried out in a loud voice. (29:11)

The Torah informs us that Yaakov Avinu wept when he met Rachel Imeinu for the first time. Rashi gives us two reasons that the Patriarch wept. Horav Arye Leib Heyman, zl, addresses both reasons, seeking the Divine Providential factor in each one, and explaining how it impacted our People for generations to come. The first reason that Rashi gives is that Yaakov saw b’Ruach HaKodesh, by Divine Inspiration, that he would not be buried with Rachel. He would be buried in the Meoras HaMachpeilah, while Rachel would be buried on the road near Bais Lechem. We wonder why, specifically at…

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ויגל את האבן מעל פי הבאר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeitzei, 5776

And he (Yaakov) rolled the stone from the mouth of the well. (29:10)

Yaakov Avinu exhibited brute force when he rolled the heavy stone off the well. Was Yaakov attempting to impress Rachel Imeinu with his strength? Clearly, he had a deeper message to convey to his future wife than his brawniness. Furthermore, when Yaakov Avinu cried following his encounter with Rachel, Rashi explains that this weeping was the result of his seeing b’Ruach HaKodesh, Divine Inspiration, that Rachel would not be buried near him. If his vision was so penetrating that he could see the future, he obviously saw that Rachel was a righteous and virtuous woman who would certainly not be…

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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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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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מה פשעי מה חטאתי כי דלקת אחרי

What is my crime? What sin did I commit that you were in such hot pursuit of me? (31:36)

וישא את קלו ויבך

And (Yaakov) cried out in a loud voice. (29:11)

ויגל את האבן מעל פי הבאר

And he (Yaakov) rolled the stone from the mouth of the well. (29:10)

ויגש יעקב ויגל את האבן מעל פי הבאר

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

ויפגע במקום וילן שם כי בא השמש

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

YEARS

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