This week’s parsha is parshas Vayeitzei. We are going to focus on the fascinating journey of the stone that Yaakov Avinu placed beneath his head when he slept at the site of the future Mikdash. Subsequently, he took that stone and consecrated it as a monument to become the House of G-d. This journey begins with the opening pesukim of the parsha (Bereishis 28, 10):
"ויצא יעקב מבאר שבע וילך חרנה, ויפגע במקום וילן שם כי בא השמש, ויקח מאבני המקום וישם מראשותיו וישכב במקום ההוא".
And Yaakov departed from Be’er Sheva and went to Charan. He encountered the place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; he took from the stones of the place, and he placed them around his head and lay down in that place. Rashi comments: “And he placed them around his head”: He arranged them like a gutter-pipe around his head, because he feared the presence of wild animals. The stones began to quarrel with one another. This one would say, “Upon me shall the tzaddik lay his head”; and this one would say, “Upon me shall he lay his head.” Immediately, HKB”H made them into one stone. This is implied by the words (ibid. 18): “And he took the stone (singular) that he placed around his head.”
Now, we have an accepted principle: "לא עביד קוב"ה ניסא למגנא". In other words, HKB”H does not perform miracles for naught. That being the case, why was it necessary to merge the stones into one? We must also endeavor to understand the quarrel that took place among the stones. In fact, we find a fundamental insight and explanation from the author of the Akeidas Yitzchak (25). He explains, in his own inimitable way, that the quarrel among the stones reflects various ways to serve Hashem. Each stone represented a particular “derech” of serving Hashem. Hence, each stone wanted the tzaddik to rest his head and his thoughts on it. Therefore, HKB”H transformed them miraculously into a single stone to emphasize that they are all equally valid and must be integrated in the service of Hashem. With the Almighty’s help and blessing, we will explain the matter guided by illuminating insights from our sacred sefarim.
This Stone Will Become the House of G-d
We will begin by examining the next step in this special stone’s journey. After placing this one stone—that had been formed from the group of quarreling stones—beneath his head, and sleeping on it, the narrative continues (ibid. 28, 18):
"וישכם יעקב בבוקר ויקח את האבן אשר שם מראשותיו וישם אותה מצבה ויצוק שמן על ראשה... וידר יעקב נדר לאמר, אם יהיה אלקים עמדי ושמרני בדרך הזה אשר אנכי הולך ונתן לי לחם לאכול ובגד ללבוש, ושבתי בשלום אל בית אבי והיה ה' לי לאלקים, והאבן הזאת אשר שמתי מצבה יהיה בית אלקים וכל אשר תתן לי עשר אעשרנו לך".
Yaakov arose early in the morning and took the stone that he had placed around his head and set it up as a monument; and he poured oil on its top . . . Then Yaakov took a vow, saying, “If G-d will be with me, and He will guard me on this way that I am going; and He will give me bread to eat and clothes to wear; and I will return in peace to my father’s house, and Hashem will be a G-d to me—then this stone which I have set up as a monument shall become a house of G-d, and whatever You will give me, I shall surely tithe to you.”
The Ohr HaChaim hakadosh teaches us a marvelous chiddush concerning the intent of Yaakov Avinu with his pronouncement: “This stone which I have set up as a monument shall become a Beis Elokim.” He explains that Yaakov Avinu consecrated it to be the foundation stone—the “even Shesiyah”—of the Beis HaMikdash—the “House of G-d”—in the Kodesh HaKodashim. Let us refer to the Mishnah (Yoma 53b):
"אבן היתה שם מימות נביאים ראשונים ושתייה היתה נקראת"—a stone was there from the days of the early prophets, and it was called “Shesiyah.” Furthermore, the Gemara states (ibid. 54b); "תנא שממנה הושתת העולם"—a Bar aisa taught: Because from it the world was founded. In reality, this chiddush was already taught in the Zohar hakadosh (Noach 52a): "והאבן הזאת אשר שמתי מצבה יהיה בית אלקים, דדא אבן שתיה"—this stone that I placed as a monument will become a house of G-d (“Beis Elokim”); this is the foundation stone (“even Shesiyah”).
To summarize, we have learned a fascinating tidbit concerning the evolution of the “even Shesiyah.” When Yaakov was about to fall asleep at the site of the Mikdash, HKB”H made this monumental stone from which the world was founded available to him. It is regarding this stone that the Torah says: “He took from the stones of the place, and he placed them around his head” for protection from wild animals. Then, when he awoke, he made a vow: “This stone which I have set up as a monument shall become a Beis Elokim”—implying that this very stone would be the “even Shesiyah” in the Kodesh HaKodashim.
This, however, deserves clarification. If the stone upon which Yaakov rested his head was the stone from which the world was founded, how are we to explain the premise that it was originally a group of individual stones quarreling with each other as to where this tzaddik would rest his head? Was the world founded from a single stone or a group of stones? Additionally, what is the deeper connection between the two parts of Yaakov’s vow—between this consecrated stone becoming a permanent feature in the House of G-d in the Kodesh HaKodashim and his vow to give one-tenth of everything he owns as a tithe to HKB”H?
