Level 1
Level for Everyone and for beginners
who seek a simple approach
Themes
The parasha begins with Yaakov's
famous dream.
Then he continues his journey and meets Rahel by the well;
he is forced to serve 7 years for his father-in-law Laban
in order to marry Rahel "and they seemed unto him
but a few days, for the love he had to her." Then
Laban gives Yaakov, without his knowledge, Leah instead
of Rachel, and he had to wait one week before marrying
Rahel, on the additional condition that he served Laban
for another 7 years.
Then come the births of Leah's children and Rahel's infertility
which is resolved with the birth of Joseph.
Then there is Laban's deception over Yaakov's salary,
the contract on the births of the speckled and spotted
sheep which, without Laban's knowledge, assures Yaakov's
fortune. After six more years, Yaakov receives Hashem's
order to return to the country of his ancestors, and he
goes into hiding with his family and all his possessions.
Then there is the chase by Laban, as he searches for the
amulets stolen by Rahel, and the contract of separation
between Laban and Yaakov.
Finally, Yaakov continues his journey and God's messengers
are with him; he names this place "the double camp,
mahanayim." End of the parasha.
We could study each one of
these themes, each verse and each word, and find a wealth
of knowledge in them. We will, of course, not try to discover
the "Jewish concept of dreaming," for example.
For the Torah was not given to us so that we should learn
from it cultural anthropology; it was given to us so that
we should learn its inner secrets as a guide for life.
Synthesis of the commentaries
of our Sages on this parasha
We will now follow our Sages
in order to discover the central theme of the parasha
which dominates all these scenes and gives them meaning.
The method we use is, as always, that of Rashi, the Shla
and Rabbenu Behaye:
" Rashi gives us this guideline: "it was useful
to be told that Yaakov went out of Haran, if only to tell
us that the departure of a tzaddik (a righteous one) is
a very significant event in a city; indeed, as long as
he resides in it, it is he who ensures its glory, its
radiance and its beauty"…. (We should reflect
on this).
" The Shla: we will see that he will show us "what
is the being of such a righteous person." What Rashi
says takes place, because the righteous person does not
only live in a city, but within himself, in a place which
we shall discover.
" Let us begin this detailed exploration with Rabbenu
Behaye.
Rabbenu Behaye
His method consists in always
beginning with a verse from Proverbs (here 11, 11) in
order to show us that King Shlomo (Solomon) wrote it as
a synthesis of this parasha:
"bevirkate yesharim tarum karet
(By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted),
uvefi reshaim tehares
(but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked)."
Rabbenu Behaye demonstrates
that the aim of the parasha is to show us that there is
a dichotomous reality which forces men to choose between
two alternatives, to be a righteous person, or to be a
rasha (a wicked person), that is between one thing and
its opposite (davar vehippukho). This is not a simplistic,
"racist" way of considering the world as good
or bad; this is the reality, as in a pair of scales: or
the scales rise, or they fall, according to which direction
we follow (lekhaven seder hamidot mamash zo keneged zo).
This is a very important teaching
and warning:
--- We do not live in a balanced setting, and we must
take heed of which direction we follow, for we can turn
equally towards Yaakov as towards Laban.
--- We should not think that the choice we make is of
no consequence to others or to the world; we can bring,
according to which direction we choose, or happiness and
peace, or disaster.
--- This is not a minor lesson in morality, for the situations
described in the parasha constitute the most important
situations we can face in our personal, familial and social
life. It is a lesson that teaches us how to discover who
we are and who we aspire to be, in the knowledge that
our efforts will contribute to building the world around
us, or destroying it.
2nd level
for those who are ready to learn from tradition what it
can teach us, and do not limit themselves to a short synthesis.
Introduction to the Shla's
commentary
Through Yaakov's journey (where
to live, with whom, with which woman, with which family,
how to react, to stay or to leave, according to which
familial or social morality, which is the true reality),
the parasha asks the question of what is our being, which
can take various forms:
1. The constant choice of adhering to our true being:
--- how to live, where, with whom.
--- how to remain true to ourselves, every day when it
is easy to give in to mediocre habits and to the demands
of the roles we assume in society or those set by others,
instead of "being," instead of being totally
true to ourselves in a long and patient struggle like
that of Yaakov.
2. The crucial choice:
There are times when we need to be particularly clear-sighted
and capable of deciding, as in the crucial situations
confronted by Yaakov; this is so:
--- with children, for whom we must choose a form of education
that allows them to develop their own personalities but
is not totally guided by their moods and tastes;
--- with adolescents who face dangerous choices in their
wish to explore different facets of their personality
without knowing really who they are;
--- in our choice of a spouse, in the separation that
follows the death of a spouse, in the decision to renew
a relationship following a disappointment, break or divorce;
--- in times (which are normal) of depression when we
collapse and feel no longer capable of withstanding the
difficulties of life or relational conflicts.
Everyone knows the personal
struggles he has to face, and the price that has to be
paid for remaining true to oneself.
We also know that it is a human trait for people (like
Laban with Yaakov) not to like what is different to them,
and that they become brutal and unjust when someone tries
to remain true to himself.
This is a very important point; not just a psychological
one.
How does the Torah represent
the level of "being" (yesh)?
The Torah raises this question
when it says in Proverbs 8, 21
leanehil ohavai yesh, veotzroteheim
amale,
"I give to those that love me yesh and their treasures
I will fill."
Is this not what we wish for
our children, for all those whom we love?
Hashem does likewise for us. Do we not use each one of
the words of this verse for those we love?
It must be very important for Hashem to give this present,
this yesh, for it is precisely this which He gives to
those who love Him.
If we examine this verse closely,
we will see that this question of being true to oneself
entails in the Torah:
--- a gift,
--- true love,
--- consideration for one's true self and that of the
other person,
--- perceiving the other person as a "treasure,"
--- a future that progresses,
--- a future that achieves plenitude, what we call in
Hebrew shalom (which is not the foreign concept of "peace").
Let us see how the traditional
translation of the Bible loses all these intense, inner
dimensions: "That I may cause those who love me to
inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures."
Here the question is reduced to a distribution of material
possessions.
How sad it is to view an object and gift in terms of acquisition
and possession of the object, or in terms of it being
acquired by someone else. This is confusing and object
with a person. Often an object is acquired in order to
forget, to compensate, to distract, and to escape; as
a result, the object destroys relationships between people,
and the "inner meaning" of a person is totally
lost. Certainly, our true being is also expressed through
material objects, but our true existence cannot be reduced
simply to material objects. This is the challenge of existence,
which many people resolve by striving to possess material
objects; instead than seeking to fulfill "themselves,"
they seek to "possess." One can hear them say:
"he is successful" "my son is successful,"
which simply means that he earns a lot of money and he
shows it, and I want you to see it: this has nothing to
do with success of one's "personal self" but
only with success and wealth that can be seen and counted.
It follows that people are only perceived for their commercial
"value" and, as a result, we always dread the
idea of being "bought."
This verse 8, 21 of Proverbs
which is cited by the Shla, reveals to us what God wants
from us, his creatures. The parasha will teach us how
to know
" in which being we live (the whole journey of Yaakov),
" in which place we live, (the place of Yaakov's
dream, and the place of the last verse of the parasha:
Mahanayim)
This connects with what the creator said of man at the
very beginning of Genesis:
"where are you?" which means "in which
place do you live?"
" Is your physical body just that (which is already
a lot and an indispensable base), or do you feel the greater
dimensions of your body, reaching the dimension which
is in the image of the creator?
As in the verse we have cited, it is sufficient for someone
to be loved in order to understand that this simple body
means much more to the one who loves it and it is then
that one discovers its inner dimensions. And do you not
feel, particularly when you love, that you too represent
the place of the divine presence in your heart?
How the Torah guides us to
this level of being (yesh)
Yaakov shows us how to move
in this direction:
" "he goes out," vayetze (indispensable
condition, just as Moses went out/left his path in order
to see the burning bush); one must know how to leave,
even a beautiful place, even a place where there are 7
wells of life (Beer Sheva), in order to go further.
" "he went forward" (being mobile, going
forwards).
" "he reached the place" vayifga bamakom.
Rashi says that he reached the place directly through
his prayer, covering the entire distance between him and
God, praying calmly, without pressure for the goal is
attained immediately. This means one must learn to pray
with trust, like a child; this is why children can sleep
(sometimes!) for they have trust, just as in the prayer
that we recite at night on our beds (beyadekha afkid ruhi,
"into your hands my spirit I consign" ; the
initials of these words form the word beer, the calm well
of the source of life).
So we have to let ourselves go with the night for it is
only night at one level and
light at other more imperceptible levels of ourselves,
and our soul is replenished
by it. It is the same with love; when our beloved is away,
despite our sadness,
doubts and fears, we trust in him or her and we sleep
in peace.
" "and he took of the stones of that place,"
vayikah beavnei hamakom. In drawing close to He who is
everything, we can only understand a small part of Him.
But this small part is indeed very big for it is a part
of God; the only being who exists: as the morning prayer
says "the soul which You gave me and which is totally
pure"
for it is a part of You, and every member of Israel is
kol yisrael yesh lahem helek
leolam habba or Helek Hahem amo.
" "he takes the stone and puts it under his
head" vayasem meraashotav. The head, the highest
part of ourselves, the most rebellious, the seat of pride,
of thought, of compulsive pre-occupations, he places it
on this small part of the big place, and he rests on it.
" "and he lay down in that place to sleep"
vayishkav bamakom hahu. The phase of walking and moving
forward has ended, he has positioned himself for the encounter
with the Other, just like one can only be close to another
person by lying with them. Lying down means no longer
standing, no longer being proud. The commentaries open
a world of themes to be reflected on.
Rashi also tells us, using Bereshit Rabba, that Yaakov
lay down because previously, for 14 years, he did not
lie down but studied Torah. Readers can reflect on what
Rashi means by this.
2nd
Level
for more advanced students
The Shla says that yishkav
(he lay down) must be read as two words: the letters yud-shin
(yesh) and khav-vav; and he notes that
" this is the yesh of Proverbs 8, 21 (quoted above);
" it signifies the plenitude of the world to come;
" tradition interprets this verse from Proverbs as
representing the complete tzaddik who receives 310 worlds,
which is the numerical value of yesh.
In order to understand the
importance of this teaching, one should note that it comes
from the last mishna of all (Outktzin 3, 12), which comments
on this verse from Proverbs, and that R. Shimon ben Halafta
notes that the plenitude is that of shalom for Hashem
only found the receptacle shalom to receive the blessing
which He gave to Israel, as it is said Hashem oz le amo
yiten, Hashem yevarekh et amo va shalom (Psalm 29, 11).
This verse illustrates that
Hashem wants to give us everything, and asks us to live
a life that goes forward, a life that knows how to withstand
long preparations, the night, the fear of wild beasts
around our head (as Bereshit Rabba notes in regard to
the protection that Yaakov sought in the stone), then
the total giving of oneself to Him and our being, which
appears to be destroyed, is then replenished by Him and
we become His "treasure" which He fills.
Happy is he who is capable of enduring this process with
love of Hashem for he will receive the fruits of Yaakov's
dream and all that follows it: protection, blessing, bread,
clothing in all the meanings that are found in tradition.
Commenting on the word yishkav
(written yesh and khaf-beit), the Shla notes that this
full being (yesh) is that of khaf-beit, which stands for
the 22 letters of the Torah! And he demonstrates, through
Sefer Yetzira, the richness of the meaning of 22, which
is found in numerous forms: the 3, the 7 days, the 12
tribes, the sacrifices, the jewelry of the High Priest,
the different letters of the alphabet, the planets, etc.
This means, according to Rashi's commentary, that all
this goodness (which is called tzaddik) will take place
in Yaakov's life, and then in organization of the people,
the camp, the sanctuary and time. All this begins with
Yaakov's total trust, in a dream of trust.
Awakening from the dream
When Yaakov awakes from his
dream, he becomes conscious of his being and says: "surely,
Hashem is in this place and I knew it not," but we
must read this in Hebrew in order to understand the centrality
of the yesh:
akhen yesh Hashem bamakom haze
which reads literally: "surely, the yesh of Hashem
is in this place."
All this is therefore a world
of wonderful stars, as is written in Bamidbar 24, 17:
darakh kokhav meYaakov, " a star rose from Yaakov;"
here the word kokhav should be read as two words: khaf-vav
(26 which is the numerical value of the divine presence)
and khaf-beit (22 which is the numerical value of all
the alphabet). Thus both the plenitude of Hashem and His
Torah were present there.
The place, makom
Let us return to Yaakov's
sense of consciousness of being: "in the place where
I am, there is all the richness of Hashem and I knew it
not;" the commentaries tell us why: the space that
we see is not "the space" in which we are or
the one in which Hashem is or is not, but the space of
our being is a space within "He who is the Space,"
the makom, as we are told in the Pesah Haggada.
We can now summarize the verse
as follows:
I came with all my being, I gave myself, I received the
yesh of Hashem, I am His treasure for, as says the phrase,
surely the being of Hashem Hamakom is in this place which
is in The invisible makom.
We can now understand what
Rashi means: in Yaakov's prayer, time and distance do
not exist, as says tractate Hulin 91 b: the later stage
of the project or the beginning of its realization and
the ultimate stage of complete realization and reparation
are one; the personal being is in the place of Being (God).
We understand too why the
author of Reshit Hokhma, commenting on this verse from
Proverbs, says that in this yesh are contained all the
forms of the Torah which must be learnt (Shaar Hayera
12, 42).
And we understand how, following
this, Yaakov became capable of enduring the most difficult
love (that for Rahel), the complicated problems in his
family, the problems of livelihood, opposing cultures,
ages, hatreds, etc., and why the years of difficulties
which he endured seemed to him but a moment to him, so
great was his love.
Lesson in personal
development
Understanding
We must now
" search, within our deepest hopes and fears, for
the sparks that presage joy and happiness to come,
" tell ourselves that happiness is not an illusion
or myth,
" tell ourselves that happiness means the fulfillment
of our true self,
" understand that this true self is filled with Hashem's
presence,
" that it is the place where we join with Him,
" that it is important for Him that we achieve this
fulfillment, for He desires mankind,
" that this fulfillment requires time, maturity,
suffering and darkness,
" give yourself over, trusting and "innocently"
accepting the inner world of dreams which is the true
one,
" view this spatial world as the place of Hashem,
" remember that this entire cycle is one project
which will be accomplished because it "is,"
it is yesh,
" do not consider this just as a psychological exercise
(which is not without value) but as an extension of your
prayer which reaches directly its target and goal.
Application
We must now learn how to apply consistently this awareness
of our real self, world and time:
As a place
As His place,
As a Sanctuary,
As a Treasure,
As a rich Treasure,
In step with Hashem,
As a rich being,
As though we are a part of His Being.
Is it too naive, too stupid to give oneself/to smile at
this world?
In all the generations of darkness, night and fog, Jews
have believed in this, otherwise we would not be here.
We can truly say, of ourselves and of our people, as the
Song of Songs says: "A fountain of gardens, a well
of living waters, and streams from Lebanon' (4, 15).
There is no break between
the words, and we now understand better the direct, surprising
kiss between Yaakov and Rahel. They were both capable
of receiving the instantaneous plenitude of the yesh.
The Torah tells us that this is so already in this world,
without waiting for the world to come.
Even when, a few moments earlier, they could say, like
all of us, of each other: "A garden enclosed is my
sister, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed" (Song
of Songs 4, 12).
I was asked the question:
what do you think of the peace process?
I believe that, it is not possible to attain true shalom
or build true shalom, unless one is in touch with one's
true self and that of others.
If one tries to live in this way, then the dreadful Laban
will be powerless and Hashem will say to him: "do
nothing to Yaakov, nor good, nor evil."
Let us therefore trust in
Hashem, as in someone who loves and says to us through
the Torah (28, 15) the beautiful words he spoke to Yaakov:
I am with thee: hine anokhi
imakh,
I will keep thee in all places wither thou goest: ushemartikha
bekhol asher telekh,
And will bring thee again into this land: vahashivotikha
el-haadama hazot,
for I will not leave thee: ki lo eezavekha,
until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of: ad asher im-asiti et asher kibarti lakh.
Memorization and internalization
(Bereshit 28, 15):
I am with thee: hine anokhi
imakh,
I will keep thee in all places wither thou goest: ushemartikha
bekhol asher telekh,
And will bring thee again into this land: vahashivotikha
el-haadama hazot,
for I will not leave thee: ki lo eezavekha,
until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of: ad asher im-asiti et asher kibarti lakh.
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