Vayeitzei – Page 4 – Peninim on the Torah

ויפגע במקום וילן שם כי בא השמש

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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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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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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מה פשעי מה חטאתי כי דלקת אחרי

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayeitzei, 5776

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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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)

ויגל את האבן מעל פי הבאר

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

וישא את קלו ויבך

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

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)

YEARS

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