From the Teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Zt”l
In this week's Torah portion, Vayeitzei, G-d promises Jacob: "I am the L-rd G-d of Abraham your father and the G-d of Isaac; the land on which you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed."
According to our Sages, "G-d folded up the entire Land of Israel beneath him, thereby hinting that it would be as easily conquered by his descendants as four cubits, which is the area that a person covers." In the same way that conquering a tiny space (the four cubits Jacob occupied when he lay down to sleep) is easy, so too would it be easy for Jacob's children to conquer the entirety of the Land of Israel.
Two generations previously, when G-d promised Abraham that Israel would belong to him and his descendants, He commanded him: "Arise and walk through the land in its length and in its breadth, for I will give it to you." Abraham strode throughout the Land of Israel, visiting any location he wished without interference. He walked through the Land as its "baal habayit" (proprietor), thereby demonstrating his ownership.
G-d's promise was in effect even before Abraham's sojourn. But after he walked the length and breadth of the Land, he was able to more strongly perceive the fulfillment of G-d's words.
Jacob, by contrast, was never commanded to "walk"; it was enough for him to lie down on the ground to sleep. Jacob did not openly demonstrate his ownership of the Land. No one else was present, and thus no one knew that G-d "folded up the entire Land of Israel beneath him."
The innovation in G-d's promise to Jacob (as opposed to His promise to Abraham) was that the Land of Israel would be conquered easily and without effort. You will not have to do anything to obtain it; just lie down on the earth, and it will come into your possession.
G-d promised the Jewish people that they would conquer the Land successfully and effortlessly.
Today, there are some Jews who must still be convinced that the entirety of the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people forever. There are some Jews who are not entirely sure of our ownership of the Land.
Nothing is created by G-d without a purpose. No element in the world exists that has no function, nor does G-d do anything "coincidentally" or without significance. If G-d "folded up the entire Land of Israel" to show Jacob that it would easily conquered, He did so because that is the true reality!
Thoughts that Count for Our Parsha
And he gave him Rachel his daughter to him for a wife (Gen. 28:28)
How did Jacob marry both Rachel and Leah, when the Torah prohibits a man from being married to two sisters at the same time? The lineage of the children of a non-Jew (Laban) is determined by their mother; Rachel and Leah were the daughters of two different women. Accordingly, Rachel and Leah did not have the legal status of sisters. (Bechor Shor)
It is not yet time that the cattle should be gathered together; water the sheep, and go and feed them (Gen. 29:7)
Rabbi Meir of Premishlan used to pray: "Father in Heaven! If it is not yet time to gather the lost flock of Israel in the Final Redemption, at least bless them abundantly from Your full and Holy Hand, that they may be able to anticipate and look forward to Your salvation, may it come speedily in our day."
G-d saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb (Gen. 29:31)
G-d forbid that our holy Patriarch Jacob "hated" his wife Leah! Rather, as is often the case among righteous people, Leah was forever critical of herself, always seeking character flaws to improve upon. (Kol Simcha)
This time I will praise the L-rd...and she left off bearing children (Gen. 29:35)
As brought down in the Talmud (Berachot 54), whenever a Jew offers thanks to G-d for the past, he must immediately take the opportunity to pray for the future. However, when Leah thanked G-d for the birth of Judah, she did not do this; thus "she left off bearing children." (The Rebbe of Lublin)
Reprinted from the 5762/2001 Vayeitzei edition of L’Chayim.
Behold, I Am with You
Behold, I am with you; I will guard you wherever you go, and I will return you to this soil; for I will not forsake you until I will have done what I have spoken to you. (28:15)
A chassid once came to R' Yisrael Friedman z"l (the Rizhiner Rebbe; died 1850) for advice. As he waiting his turn to see the rebbe, the rebbe's young son, Dovid Moshe (the future Chortkover Rebbe), approached him and asked him what he wanted.
"I need a yeshuah / salvation," the chassid said.
Young Dovid Moshe replied, "I'll wait here for you. I'd like to know what my father tells you."
A few minutes later, the man emerged and reported, "The rebbe assured me that Hashem will help."
"And what will be until He helps?" the boy asked.
"I really don't know," the man replied helplessly.
"Go back and ask my father," instructed little Dovid Moshe.
The man reentered and repeated the boy's question. Said, the rebbe, "Hashem will also help until He helps. There is proof of this in the Torah. Hashem promised Yaakov that He would not abandon him "until I will have done what I have spoken to you." Does this mean that Hashem will abandon Yaakov after He has fulfilled His promises? Obviously not! Rather, it means that Hashem will not refrain from caring for Yaakov even before He is ready to keep His promises to the patriarch."
Reprinted from the Parshat Vayetze 5785 email of R’ Yedidy Hirtenfeld’s whY I Matter parsha sheet for the Young Israel of Midwood in Brooklyn. (Excerpted from “The House of Rizhin” by Rabbi Menachem Brayer).
