“And Yaakov awoke from his slumber and said, “Truly, Hashem is in this place and I didn’t know!”” (Beraishis 28:16)
It seems strange for Yaakov to use the expression that “Hashem is in this place,” as if it were a complete surprise. We know that Hashem is everywhere and His glory fills the Universe. What was Yaakov actually saying here?
The commentaries take two basic approaches to his statement. On the one hand, it refers to the holiness of the place itself. This was to be the site of the Bais HaMikdash, the location where all prayers in the world pass through to rise to the One above, and the location itself was deserving of respect. Had he realized where he was, he would not have slept there.
On the other hand, Yaakov was lamenting his not making proper preparations for receiving prophecy there. Either he would not have slept, so he could work and “earn” the nevuah, or he would have prepared himself spiritually in some other way to be ready for the revelation he had. However, because he didn’t realize the great specialness of the location, he did not do so.
According to the first understanding, not only the place of the Bais HaMikdash is holy and conducive to Hashem’s revelation, but there are many places where Hashem will choose to show Himself through miracles and other occurrences. For example, Har Sinai was a place Hashem chose to speak to Klal Yisrael and give the Torah, and where He also appeared to Moshe in the burning bush. There are many more examples, where Hashem’s presence is revealed more than in others, though, like in this case, we may not know it ahead of time.
Yaakov bemoaned the fact that this was a holy place; a place where Hashem was more accessible, so to speak, but he was unaware and therefore didn’t prepare himself to maximize the experience. Though he did receive a tremendous prophecy, it was not through his own efforts, and he was merely a passive recipient.
The lesson we should take from this expression of our sainted forefather, is that in life, we never know where Hashem will choose to reveal Himself. It could be a place, a situation or circumstance, or a specific time. These moments can spring up on us without our knowledge, just as he arrived at the sacred spot of the future Temple unbeknownst to him.
Therefore, we would be wise to constantly prepare ourselves for the connections to Hashem that may arise. By working on our spiritual selves on a regular basis; a constant basis, we will be prepared for those moments and opportunities and be able to make the most of them.
