Pearls of Wisdom from the Parshah
He called the name of that place, “The House of G-d.” (Bereishis 28:19)
What is a “house of G-d?” First let’s grasp what a house is, on the simplest level.
Chazal say:
Not like Avraham, for whom it is written, “mountain,” as it says... “As it is said this day, on the mountain, Hashem will be seen” (Bereishis 22:14). And not like Yitzchak, for whom it is written, “field,” as it says... “And Yitzchak went out to pray in the field” (ibid 24:63). Rather, like Yaakov, who called it “house,” as it says (ibid 28:19) ... “And he called the name of that place, ‘The house of G-d.’” (Pesachim 88a)
This Gemara expresses the different approaches taken by the Avos. What is the right way to achieve a personal connection and relationship with Hashem? Avraham chose the way of the “mountain,” Yitzchak, the way of the “field,” and Yaakov, the way of the “house.” And Hashem cherished the way of the “house” above all.
Obviously, it is impossible to build a relationship with Hashem on the street or in a park, as the relationship requires privacy. If a person spends his time in the street, this surely will not help him grow to be an outstanding talmid chacham and yerei Shamayim. But Avraham Avinu held that climbing to the top of a high mountain and thus separating himself from the impurity of his surroundings granted him sufficient privacy with Hashem.
Yitzchak Avinu disagreed: A mountain is not enough. True, there are not very many people on top of a mountain, but still, it is open to anyone who climbs up there. What we need is a field. Because a field is private property. This is why “Yitzchak went out to pray in the field.” He felt that to be alone with Hashem and build a relationship with Him, the extra privacy provided by a field is needed.
Yaakov Avinu held that even the privacy afforded by a field is insufficient to build a proper relationship with Hashem. What we need is total privacy – that of a house. A house is one hundred percent private. No one comes in without knocking, even when the door is unlocked. This is because everyone knows that a house is a private place, and no one may enter, unless granted permission by the master of the house.
Hashem agreed with Yaakov Avinu: “Rather, like Yaakov, who called it ‘house.’” Yaakov is teaching us here something very important. To build a relationship with Hashem, it is not enough to just have deveikus. The deveikus also needs complete privacy. Not like Avraham’s mountain, and not like Yitzchak’s field, but like Yaakov’s house.
In Beis Hamikdash, we lived in closeness to Hashem, in kedushah and taharah. Nowadays, when there is no Beis Hamikdash anymore, being a talmid chacham resembles this. A talmid chacham is someone who lives in closeness to his Creator in a relationship of absolute privacy, without allowing entrance to foreign influences.
