Praying Not to Become Materialistic:
Sefer Kisvei RaMam quotes the Rebbe of Kobrin zy”a, who explains this pasuk as follows: “And Yaakov went up from Be’er Sheva.” The word “Yaakov” is reference to the neshama. “Be’er Sheva” is a word used to indicate a promise (as it is related to the word “shavuah”, promise). This means that the pasuk is hinting to the fact that before a neshama is sent down to this world it is made to promise to be a tzadik and not to be a rasha (as is stated in Niddah 30B).
“And he went to Charan.” This is a reference to the fact that when the neshama does come down to this world, it, unfortunately, becomes stuck in the materialism of this life and is sullied by Olam Hazeh. The solution for this is: “And he arrived at the place.” As we said, this is a reference to tefillah. If one davens to Hashem to save him from getting stuck in materialism and worldly pleasures, he will be successful in avoiding this trap.
“And he lodged there.” This teaches us that one cannot daven flippantly, without concentration and devotion. He needs to be “lodged” in his tefillos, in the sense that he must pay attention to what he is saying and concentrate on the words.
“And he took from the stones of the place.” One also must ask for guidance and help from the tzadikim of his generation, who are the strong “rocks” of Klal Yisroel.
