Vayeitzei - 1st Portion

Join me as we learn together for the first Torah reading of Paras Viet chapter 28 verse 10. Today's class will be fu shala for a speedy recovery of a bengila. Last week's Torah reading, we read about Asov following Yitk and Rifka's advice just as they heard Yitk and Rifka tell Yakov to make sure to marry somebody from the family. And that's why Yakov was told by his parents to leave to Rifka's brother who lived there. So too went and married from the daughters of Yeshal. Now we're back to discussing about Yakov leaving Beerva and heading towards Karan. We also discussed last week as Rashi told us that on his way Jacob stopped to study in the yeshiva of Shame and A shame at this point wasn't alive any longer and therefore was the yeshiva of a for years. verse 10 chapter 28 and left and he came and he went set out to go to Rashim. Why does he have to tell us again that Jacob is going to leave and heading to if he already told us in last week's para because last week we were interrupted by telling us about that saw that the daughters of cananan were not good in the eyes of so also went to marry children the daughters of so therefore the concept the idea the subject was interrupted of the story of Jacob and it continues and he says that Asov saw that Jacob is blessed by his parents once he finished discussing the story about Asov and he goes back to the original story which was of Jacob and therefore he begins this week's Torah reading by telling us and left if you look in the Torah it says vets why does it say that he left beh and He went to if he left if he's going to that means he left behav the redundancy the Torah just should have wrote that Jacob set out to go to if I know he set out to go to then I know that he left beh when leaves a place it leaves an impression When it is in the place, he is the beauty. He is the shine. He is what's making the city a beautiful place. Once the leaves the place, all the beautiful things that the sadic brings to the place leaves with him. The same thing we also find when we talk about in other places when it leaves a place when it talks about that nam and r left the area where they were to head back to the land of Judea. It also says that they left the place even though we knew that they were heading to the land of Judea. But it also says they left telling us that when a sadic leaves a place it leaves an impression on the place. Meaning that the holiness and the beauty that he brought to the place is no longer there. and he set out to go to it doesn't mean that he reached already he left to set out to go to but he's not yet in verse 11 and he came upon the place and he stayed there overnight as the sun has set and he took from the stones of the place and placed them around his head and he laid down in that place. What's the place? What is this place that we're referring to? So verse number 11, Rashi tells us it does not mention what that place was. The place, what's that place? A place that's already mentioned someplace else. which is Haria, Mount Mariah. How do I know that this place is Mount Mariah? Because if you look back in the chapter 22 in the Torah reading of Ayer, what does it tell us about Ara and he saw the place from a distance on his way to the binding of Isaac? So I know that the place refers to the same place that they were previously, which is Mount Mariah. Interestingly enough, the Balotra mentions, if you look over here, the it says three times Makim in this verse, referring to the three times a year that the Jewish people will be coming to Mount Mariah, the holy temple, to bring sacrifices on the special holidays. The Torah then continues, what is the word? And he approached and he came close. If you recall, we also have we also have the terminology when that he came and he approached Jericho and he came to the place of and our teachers tell us what does this means that he prayed as it says in other places do not touch him technically meaning that do not pray because as we also find as well well as we learned from here being that it was evening and Yakov prayed. If we recall in last week's Torah reading, we spoke about that he prayed when it was Mina and Yakov prayed that Jacob was the one that set the idea of as well. Why does it say not that he came to the place but he ch he came upon the place? Because to teach you something else, he had a shortened trip as it's explained in the chapter of that the very fact that he came to play to pray in this place was Mount Mariah which will eventually and ultimately be the place of the holy temple because the sun has set first the sun set and Then he laid down to rest. Why does he say he laid down to rest and then because the sun set? Because he explains as follows. He's telling us the reason why Jacob laid down to rest. What happened was that the sun set suddenly not in its regular time because God wanted that he should specifically stay there and rest there. Therefore, the night came quickly. So he should find the need to take a rest and that he should be resting on a holy place of mount Mariah. And he put the stones around his head and he put it like a half a circle which would protect him around his head. He was concerned of the wild animals that they shouldn't bother him while he's sleeping. But the rocks, the stones started fighting with one another because each one wanted to be around the head of the Each one would say, "I want the righteous to put his head on me." And every stone said put his head on me. Therefore, God immediately made them into one stone. That's why if you look in the next uh Torah reading in the next verse it's going to say later on in verse 18 it tells us and he took the stone. I thought he put a bunch of stones all those stones became one that he put around his head and he laid to rest in that place. What does it mean? It's coming to exclude something and it's teaching us but he slept in that place but for the 14 years and up until now he laid to rest now but it's excluding that all the 14 years that he studied in the yeshiva he never laid down to rest. He was always studying and never took a moment to sleep. Verse 13. Verse 12. And he had a dream. And behold, a lantern was standing firmly on the ground. And the head of the ladder, and its top was reaching towards heaven. Behold, the angels of God were going up and down the ladder. How can it be that the angels if they're coming first they're going up and then they're going down? Technically the angels are coming from heaven. They shall first go down and then go up because the angels that escorted him outside the land of Israel did not take him inside the land of Israel didn't take him outside the land of of Israel. Therefore, they first went up the ladder. They went up to heaven. And instead came other angels that escorted him outside the land of Israel. Over here we see the Reb reminds us something very important over here that it tells us that over here that Ayak had angels that were going up and down the ladders to protect him. He had angels that were protecting him in the land of Israel. Angels that protected him outside the land of Israel. And then as we come to the end of the para, we see that those angels return helping him go into the land of Israel. Why was Jacob leaving the land of Israel to go to Lavan which Lavan was in the place of a place where God's wrath was. However, he had to go there because he had to create and bring about the 12 tribes and refine all the things that were there for the 20 years that he was by love teaching us a very important lesson that every single one of us that God puts us in exile. But when we were put in exile, God didn't just forget about us. God the the behold the guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. Hashem is always with us. The angels are always protecting us. There are angels of the land of Israel and there are angels that are in gullus that are in exile with us making sure that we are able to accomplish our task and ultimately those angels will help us come back to the land of Israel with the coming of Messiah that we know that once we complete our task we will be able to return to the holy land. But even while we're in exile, we should never forget and remember that the angels that God is there helping us do our task. We find the last few sparks that are left in this exile. Verse 13, and behold, Hashem is standing upon him. And he said, "I am the God of Abraham, your father, and the God of the land that you are resting upon it, that you're lying on will be given to you and to your children." Over here, Rashi explains as follows. What does it mean of is standing upon him to protect him and the guard of even though we don't usually find that Hashem calls himself the god of etc while the person is still alive because as it says in the verse a person can still sin and lose that merit you can't put your trust even on those people that are holy that they to stay righteous. But over here, God put his name on even though he was still alive because since he was no longer able to see, he was no longer able to leave his home and he was considered a person who was blind being that he cannot be mobile. He was considered as if he was not alive and he no longer had the evil inclination and therefore God was able to mention his name upon him as he knew that he would no longer uh he was he wasn't going to lose it. He was resting on it. How can it be that he was resting on the entire land of Israel? So Rashi explains God folded all of the land of Israel underneath underneath Jacob. And this way he was hinting to him. He's alluding to the fact that when the Jewish people will have to conquer the land of Israel, it will be just as convenient as Yakov now lying on the land. It was also and it's all under his jurisdiction. So too, the entire land of Israel will be easy for the Jewish people to conquer when they enter the land of Israel. Verse 14, your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth, and you'll be spread out powerfully to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south. and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and through your descendants. A very famous verse as well for every giving each one of us that strength as it says in Rashi 14 and you'll be strong like it's found later on in the book of Shimos that it says when the Jewish people were suffering So too they continue to grow stronger and stronger. Verse 15. Behold, I am with you and I will protect you wherever you will go. And I will return you to the land this one. I will not neglect you until I fulfilled what I have promised. Cons. concerning you. Verse 15, I am with you. I am going to protect you. Over here, we use a double terminology of protection. Being that Jacob over here was afraid of two enemies, Asov and Levan. Therefore, God tells him this double protection that he will have in this case means uh over here is not a condition or a doubt, but lushing king that that he will as we know that we mentioned many times that he has many different ways of how we can translate things and over here is telling us that over here the Torah is telling that I will fulfill the promise that I have concerning you not if I will fulfill it but that I will fulfill that promise continues what does it mean that I told you for your needs and about you meaning God is telling Jacob as follows what I promised concerning his children it is going to you and don't you think it's not going to because as as the Torah continues God was telling Jacob I did not say to to that will be his children. I said I said that means within there will be one of the children who will be the future of the Jewish people. Therefore anytimes you find the word and they are and they are part of a statement of saying I said for example It means they're talking about about in this case it's going to prove it because he never spoke to beforehand. And what is he telling him? I spoke about you to your parents meaning that you are going to be the future of the Jewish people. And therefore he says I spoke to and therefore I spoke to you. He never spoke to them. says, "I spoke about you that you will be the one to get the land of Israel." Verse 16, woke up from his sleep. God is truly present in this place. Yet I was not aware of it. What does it make a difference if it was aware of it or not? Rashi tells us because if I would have known this is a holy place, I wouldn't have slept in such a holy place. Verse 17 was became afraid. He said, "How awesome is this place? This is none other than Mount Mariah, the future place which is going to be the holy temple. And this is the gateway to heaven." Rashi verse 17. This is the holy temple. How did he know? How does he know? And how why is this going to be the holy temple? And over here, Rashi goes through the Talmud to explain how Yakov understood that this was going to be the place of the holy temple. Rabzar said in the name of Maz this ladder that Jacob saw in his dream was standing invant of the latter mikdash was directly against the B mikdash which was in Jerusalem. Why is that? Because if you look at the map Yehuda is on the on the south of of Yehuda is on the north of Judea on the boundaries that are between the areas that would be then later given to the tribes of Judea and the place Basil was on the north of the area of that they were going to eventually get which was which was on the boundaries between what and the children of Yoseph and the tribe of Yseph is going to get. So if you have the layout would be in the south b in the north and in the middle nimsa. So what do I have from here? [snorts] The latter while its feet were in Ber which is south of Jerusalem and the head was in B which was north of Jerusalem. So you have the exact middle ship. So directly middle of the latter would be Jerusalem. Rashi now explains how that place in itself is going to be going to be the place of the holy temple. This has to do regarding what the rabbis have said that when passed by that place, God made it dark that he should be able to d there, that he should sleep there that God said this is coming to my hotel and I'm going to let him go without sleeping here. Even more so the sages said who's the one that called was the one that called him they sell the house of God. What does that mean? Because we see later on in the verse that L was the name initially of the place. How did the rabbis know that the place that he was going to stay was going to be the holy temple? I say that what happened was harah that actually the mount mariah was removed from his place which was in Jerusalem and it came to the place which is basic and this is what we mentioned earlier before that there was they shortened the way which is described that's that's discussed in the tract of that what happened was instead of his way being shortened, God moved Mount Mariah. It came closer to Yakov. It removed itself from bay scale and therefore it says which the simple interpretation is that he approached a place meaning they met one another because he went from his place it was moved from its place and they met someplace in the middle and that's where we get asks you may ask if God wants Yakov to stay and that he should sleep in why did he have to wait for him to come to lose that he has to move the Mount Mariah and he has to make all these complications and all these miracles only that Jacob should sleep at Mount Mariah. Wait until Yakov gets to the place where was going to be the base of M and let him stay there and let the sun go down there. But however, God wanted that Jacob should want in a place that if he wouldn't realize that this is a place where his forefathers dedu meaning that if Jacob on his own wouldn't have that desire, he wouldn't realize that this is the place that he should have him because this is where his forefathers prayed, then the heaven would have to stop him that this is where should do it. He would continue going until if they wouldn't stop him there. Who says he was even going to stop to pray? Maybe he just would have went straight to how do I know this like described in the chapter of and the verse proves it because what was objective? He was on the way to he wasn't interested in stopping any place. The only reason why he stopped was because the sun came down. So therefore God had to make it in a place where it was where the forefathers were said after you think when set themselves one second did I miss the spot where my forefathers prayed he was about to turn around and go back to the place and pray. So what happened was he went to and then he turned around to go back to Basil and therefore it came to meet him. What we see over here where Rashi is explaining is as follows. What happened was that technically Jacob himself was heading towards and when he was heading towards and he forgot to do him by the place where his forefathers do. He turned around to go back to Basel once he turned around to go back to Basel. So all of a sudden God made it easier for him and moved Mount Mariah closer to him and he moved closer to it. So they should be able to pray there. Hi basel. Now Rashi explains that in fact this basel this is not the basel that we spoke about before that's near the place of another interpretation is that actually this basel that we're talking about this a different basel that's next to not and only because was a city of god he called it also the house of god. This is the same Mariah that prayed on. This is the same field that this is what it says in the track of let us all go to the home of Jacob and to pray. What is this teaching us? Not like Abraham that called it a mountain. mountain that he saw God not like that called it a field except as it says he went out to pray in the field only like that he called it bale the house of Hashem a place and a house so what you see over here is the two interpretations one interpretation is that the actual mount mariah moved to be able to come closer and it was the original basel that was next to I the second interpretation is that there were two basels there was one basel that was next to I another one that was called next and in fact it was called that because it was a holy city says how awesome what does this mean how awesome and holy how fearful it is in this place it's a noun like a garment to to wear what does it mean this is the gateway of heaven it's an approach appropriate place that our prayers should go up to heaven and according to the medish as we explained that the mikdash the sanctuary the whole god's holy abode above high connect is exactly parallel to the mikdash that it is in this world therefore says this is the gateway of heaven because they're going to build the holy temple here which will be directly uh opposite Clear the B mikdash is in heaven. Verse 18 awoke in the morning and he took the stone that he placed by around his head and he made it as a monument and he poured oil on top of it. Verse 19 and he called the name of the place B as we discussed in Rashi where this B wasam however L used to be called L that was the original name was a town of L verse 20 and Yakov made a promise saying made a vow If God will be with me, protect me on and protect me physically on the way that I'm going on and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear verse 20. If God is going to keep all the promises that he made in the previous verses that he promised to be with me like he said in the previous verse that he will be with me. What does it mean to protect me? Like he said in the previous verses like God told I will protect you wherever you go. will give me bread to eat. Being that God said in the previous verses, I will not let you go. Meaning, I will not let you uh I will make sure I take care of you. What does that mean? Because as we know, if a person has to beg for bread, he's called a person who is lost. He doesn't everybody anybody taking care of him. He's let go. Remember as it says it says in Psalm 37, King David said, "I have not seen who is let go." Meaning allowed that he should be able to act that his children should have to ask for bread. So therefore, when he asks God, don't uh let meaning don't abandon me. What does it mean to be abandoned that he has to go and ask for bread? Verse 21 and I will return to my parent to my father's home untainted and God will be a God for my God to me. What does it mean untainted? in peace doesn't only mean in peace but the word comes from the word shale complete complete that he wasn't hurt from the sin and I should not learn from the evil ways of then we continue says and the next promise God said that his name will be on me that also that that promise should also will come to fruition from the beginning to the end that there should not be any blemishes amongst my children that all my children from top to bottom should all be healthy, well physically, spiritually as it says that I told you this promise was given to already by the covenant when he made his circumcision as it says that will be to you for a god and for your children to Hello. What does it mean? Your children that they will be um their lineage will be to you and according to you and going in your ways that you will not find any blemish. You will not find any problem in them that they will follow the Torah and go in your ways as promised. Verse 22. And this stone and this stone that I set up will be considered as a monument. Bikim will be as a house for God. And anything you give to me, I will give a tenth of everything of anything you give to me. Of everything you give to me. What is Rashi saying? Rashi can what is the what does it mean in this stone? Is this a new condition, a new promise he's making? But this is no, this is not a new condition, but this is part of the previous thing. That's why he says and the stone that if God is going to do everything that he promised and all the guarantees that he gave me in the previous verses then I'll also do this as well like the translates I will use this and serve God on it and actually we find if this is what when he returned from when God tells him go up to you going to pray. What does it say when he went up to Basaka that he made a mat and he poured libations on it as we see from over here as well as the concept that he did and he fulfilled the promise that he made. Interesting. The Balatorum says that when it talks about the tithing that Jacob gave the word tithing I will tithe is the same numeric value that a person should not give more than 20% how much a person should give for sedaka you also find this in contrast to where yitk gave while yitzk did give 10% of everything that was planted yakov promises 10% of everything that he has more of in a generous way and also explaining the detail of tithing the mitzvah of giving 10% of what he owns. This concludes the first Torah reading of