Parshas Vayeitzei:
This edition of Shabbos Sparks is
dedicated as a merit for complete Refuos and Yeshuos sent to the Gadol
HaDor, HaRav Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman shlit”a (Rav Aharon Yehuda
Leib ben Gittel Feiga) and to the Vizhnitzer Rebbe shlit”a of Monsey,
(Rav Mordechai ben Margoliah), bi’soch sh’ar cholei Yisroel.
The Sages Say:
‘And he
encountered the place, and he stayed the night there, because the sun had set;
and he took from the stones of the place and he put [them] at his head, and he
lay down in that place.’ (Bereishis 28:11)
The stones began to quarrel with each other, each saying that the
Tzaddik (i.e. Yaakov Avinu) should lay his head on them. Immediately, Hashem made them all into one stone (so
that they could all have Yaakov Avinu rest his head upon them together).
This is why it is stated (verse 18) ‘and he took the stone that
he had placed at his head’, (i.e. in the singular).
(Rashi HaKadosh from Gemara Chullin
91b)
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A Helpful Hint:
‘And he
encountered the place (ויפגע בּמּקוֹם), and he stayed the night there, because
the sun had set; and he took from the stones of the place (מאבני המּקוֹם) and he put [them] at his head, and he lay
down in that place (בּמּקוֹם ההוּא).’
(Bereishis 28:11)
Three times in this verse, the Baal HaTurim notes, the word
‘מקוֹם’ -- ‘place’ is used. This alludes to the Shalosh Rigalim (Three Festivals --
Pesach, Shavuos, and Sukkos), when his children, (i.e. the Jews) would go up to
that place (Har HaMoriah, which is where the Beis HaMikdash would later
stand).
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Chassidishe Vort:
‘And
behold I am with you and I will guard you anywhere you go…’ (Bereishis 28:15)
The Baal Shem Tov (Rebbe Yisroel ben Eliezer zt”l) said
that when a person remembers Hashem, no bad can befall them.
Says the Yetev Lev (Rebbe Yekusiel Yehuda Teitelbaum zt”l);
this is alluded to in the above verse. (I.e. because if we believe that Hashem
is with us, then He will guard us wherever we go).
(Quoted in Meoros HaParsha)
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A “Lamdanishe” Insight:
‘For I
cannot rise before you because the way of women is to me.’ (Bereishis 31:35)
Rachel Imeinu had stolen Lavan’s idols and hid them in her
saddlebag (see Rashi HaKadosh to 31:19, however, who brings that it was
to keep Lavan from serving them).
But when Lavan came, she of course, couldn’t get up, because then
he would find the idols right under her! So she told him that she was a
Niddah at the time. But as far as we know, she wasn’t! Was she
lying?
Says the Vilna Gaon (HaRav Eliyahu Kramer zt”l); no.
Rachel Imeinu was not lying, Chas V’Shalom. Rather, the Gemara
(Shabbos 82) says: ‘Avodah zarah makes impure like Niddah.’
Thus, he explains beautifully, when Rachel Imeinu sat upon the idols, she
came into a state of tumah (impurity) almost like she was Niddah.
(Quoted in Maayanah Shel Torah)
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Mussar Message:
‘And
Yaakov awoke from his sleep, and he said; “Indeed, Hashem is in this place…!’ (Bereishis 28:16)
A person who awakens from sleep, says Rebbe Meir’l of
Premishlan zt”l, it is upon them to strengthen themselves like a lion to
the service of the Creator, His Name is Blessed, as is explained in the
beginning of Shulchan Aruch.
And this is like what it says in the (above) verse, he explains: ‘And
Yaakov awoke from his sleep, and he said; “Indeed, Hashem is in this place…!’
-- immediately when Yaakov Avinu woke up from his sleep, he turned to
the Service of Hashem.
(Quoted in Vi’karasa L’Shabbos Oneg)
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Chazak V’ematz:
‘And he
lay down in that place.’ (Bereishis 28:11)
Explains Rashi HaKadosh from Midrash Bereishis Rabbah:
The fact that it says ‘in that place’, means in this case
he lay down only ‘in that place’. Because for the 14 years
that he served in the house (Yeshiva) of Ever (and likely Shem), he didn’t lie
down at night because he was engaged in Torah study.
Although this is not necessarily a recommended thing to try in our
own lives, it shows us a great thing: We all have such incredible
potential, so much so that we do not even know the extent of it! A person
would probably not even think that they are capable of not sleeping for a few
years, let alone fourteen. But here we see that Yaakov Avinu did so!
This amazing potential, capability, and willpower is within us
all, and we can hardly imagine the heights we can reach and the things we can
do and achieve.
HaKadosh Baruch Hu has endowed us all with such power, and if we
put in our own effort, and with His Help of course, we can do amazing, amazing
things and reach the highest heights.
(Tal U’Matar)
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Maaseh B’Rabbi…
The Midrash relates a story that there were once a lot of non-Jews
and one Jew traveling on a ship together. The ship arrived at an island
and the non-Jewish travelers gave money to the Jew to go buy food, etc.
The Jew asked why he should go; after all, he was a stranger on
the island as well! And he didn’t know anyone there…
The others replied that this was not true: He wasn’t alone.
Hashem is with him. As the Torah says (Devarim 4:7), ‘For who is
a great nation that G-d is so close to it, like Hashem our G-d is…’ Hashem
is always close to him, so therefore, he should go.
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A Gut Shabbos to all!
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