בס”ד
וַיֵּצֵ֥א יַעֲקֹ֖ב מִבְּאֵ֣ר שָׁ֑בַע וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ חָרָֽנָה. וַיִּפְגַּ֨ע בַּמָּק֜וֹם וַיָּ֤לֶן שָׁם֙ כִּי־בָ֣א הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ וַיִּקַּח֙ מֵאַבְנֵ֣י הַמָּק֔וֹם וַיָּ֖שֶׂם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָ֑יו וַיִּשְׁכַּ֖ב בַּמָּק֥וֹם הַהֽוּא
“And Yaakov left Beer-sheva and went toward Haran. He encountered the makom and spent the night there because the sun had set” (Bereishit 28:10-11).
After having left his parents and his hometown, which important life lessons gave Yaakov the strength and courage to embark on a personal exile, eventually becoming a patriarch of the Jewish nation?
#1
וַֽיַּחֲלֹ֗ם וְהִנֵּ֤ה סֻלָּם֙ מֻצָּ֣ב אַ֔רְצָה וְרֹאשׁ֖וֹ מַגִּ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמָ֑יְמָה וְהִנֵּה֙ מַלְאֲכֵ֣י אֱלֹהִ֔ים עֹלִ֥ים וְיֹרְדִ֖ים בּֽוֹ
And he dreamt; a ladder was set earthward and its top reached heavenward and angels of God were ascending and descending on it (Bereishit 28:12).
Yaakov had a dream. Even though the goal looked so far away and he was still on the ground, nothing stopped him from keeping his head up and reaching for the stars. As the Da’at Zekeinim writes, the ladder planted on the earth ascending upward in Yaakov’s dream is much the same as when Moshe had his first communication from God and saw the fire of the burning bush rising to the heavens. At that time, Moshe was told specifically that Yaakov’s descendants shall worship Hashem there. We see from here that all great things start from small beginnings and Hashem leads us to the end objective.
The first lesson to achieve invincibility is to identify with your highest aspirations. Hashem has a mission for all of us and reminds us of that mission every breathing moment of our lives. Yaakov’s dream represents each and every one of us who are standing here on earth while focusing on the heavens as we serve Hashem with faith. (1) By connecting with that dream and lofty mission, while keeping in mind that this precious gift of life is your one chance to achieve your own special purpose, nothing in the world will ever get in your way. As the Chida wrote, “Nothing can get in the way of one’s ratzon (will).”
#2
וְהִנֵּ֨ה יְהוָ֜ה נִצָּ֣ב עָלָיו֮ וַיֹּאמַר֒ אֲנִ֣י יְהוָ֗ה…וְהִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֜י עִמָּ֗ךְ וּשְׁמַרְתִּ֙יךָ֙ בְּכֹ֣ל אֲשֶׁר־תֵּלֵ֔ךְ וַהֲשִׁ֣בֹתִ֔יךָ אֶל־הָאֲדָמָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את כִּ֚י לֹ֣א אֶֽעֱזָבְךָ֔ עַ֚ד אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִם־עָשִׂ֔יתִי אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי לָֽךְ
And behold! Hashem was standing over him, and He said, “I am Hashem…I am with you, I will guard you wherever you go and I will return you to this soil, for I will not forsake you until I will have done what I have spoken about you” (Bereishit 28:13,15).
Lesson #2: Hashem is with you! That’s the greatest power, the coziest comfort, and the only assurance we have. When you have the all-powerful Master of the world on your side, what is it that you can’t achieve? (2)
Hashem is also referred to as, “HaMakom” (the Place) because His glory surrounds the entire world and His Presence is all-embracing. (3) Hashem is here, Hashem is there, Hashem is truly everywhere!
The first halacha in the entire Shulchan Aruch (code of Jewish law) is: “I place Hashem before me always” (Tehillim 16:8). One must never forget that Hashem is always looking after them and is cheering them on, shouting, “You could do this!”, “You could learn my entire Torah and keep my mitzvot”, “You could accomplish your greatest dreams!”
Similarly, Rabbi Nathan of Breslov related that once after finishing his studies in Berditchev, he entered the local shul and began reciting Tehillim until eventually, he fell asleep. He began to dream, and in his dream, he saw a ladder, which he attempted to climb without success. He saw a man at the top of the ladder, encouraging him to continue climbing to reach the top. He later discovered that this man was his future Rebbe, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov who would eventually teach him the ways of serving Hashem, and that is, to never ever give up. So too, when I was in Israel, I once saw a small spider attempting to climb at a 90-degree angle but kept repeatedly falling. Then, I had noticed that after each fall, the spider was able to climb about 2-3 inches higher than it had climbed before. Each fall strengthened the spider to climb even higher. So too, everything we experience in our lives is Hashem’s way of strengthening us in order to reach new and unimaginable heights. Hashem has tremendous nachas for every single effort we make in the right direction. (4)
May Hashem help us to always stay determined with our dreams and remember that He is always accompanying us along the way.
Make sure to check out our blog on Parashat Massei (Enjoy the journey) for more on this topic!
(1) Kedushat Levi (Bereishit, Parashat Vayetzei 13); (2) Be’er Mayim Chaim (Bereishit 28:15:1); (3) Baalei Brit Avraham; (4) Kedushat Levi Bereishit, Vayetzei