And Yaakov went out of Beer Sheva and arrived in Charan. 28:10 “And he encountered the place, and he slept there because the sun had set” (28:11). Rashi says: When Yaakov arrived at Charan, he said: Is it possible that I passed a place where my fathers prayed and I did not pray there? When he set his mind to return, the land contracted for him: "jxcd zvitw and thereby made his journey shorter. Immediately the verse states: mF ¹w ̈O ©A r ̧©B §t ¦I ©e indicating that he arrived there miraculously.
The Ramban 28:17 agrees that Yaakov endured Kefitzas Haderech. However, he derives it from Eliezer who states when he was looking for a Shiddush for Yitzchok, He detailed to Lavan what had transpired at the well and said: o¦i® ̈r ̈d l ¤` mF −I ©d ` Ÿ¬a ̈`« ̈e “And I came this day unto the fountain —and Chazal derives: This day I embarked on the journey, and this day I arrived.” With respect to Yaakov Chazal interpreted it in a similar vein: r ©a® ̈W x ́¥` §A ¦n a Ÿ−w£r«©i `¬¥v¥I ©e :d ̈p « ̈x ̈g K¤l−¥I ©e “As soon as he left Beer Sheva he arrived in Charan on the very same day.” Hence, we have a dispute from which Posuk learns that Yaakov endured Kefitzas Haderech. But Yaakov merited this act. We also see that Eliezer merited the miracle of Kefitzas Haderech.
Rashi brings another insight to the word r ̧©B §t ¦I ©e means that Yaakov Davened there. We see that Yaakov did two things: He prayed and also had a miracle with Kefitzas Haderech. Now Eliezer merited his miracle because he was in the act of finding a Shidduch for Yitzchok. Yaakov was also looking for a Shidduch as we see in last week’s Parsha 28:1-2 And Yitzchok called Yaakov and blessed him, and he commanded him and said to him, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Besuel, your mother's father, and take yourself from there a wife of the daughters of Lavan, your mother's brother. He was commanded by his parents to go to Lavan. Therefore, he was merited the miracle of his miracle Kefitzas Haderech.
However, since Rashi explains that r ̧©B §t ¦I ©e means that Yaakov Davened there, we must say that even though Yaakov saw that he was merited a Miracle, he was afraid that now he would lose his rewards.
Yaakov said when he encountered Esav 29:11 I have become small from all the kindnesses and from all the truth that You have rendered Your servant, for with my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. Rashi explains his fears: My merits have diminished because of the kindnesses and the truth that You have rendered me. This explains why Yaakov had to pray for success in finding a Shidduch.
Eliezer too prayed for success after meriting the miracle. We see by Eliezer as he was dismayed at seeing what was unfolding with Rifka it says z ©r ¾©c ̈l Wi ¾¦x £g «©n D® ̈l d−¥` ̈Y §W ¦n Wi¬¦` ̈d §e0 (tf sf) , The word" "Wi ¾¦x £g «©n means a silent prayer. Another proof that Eliezer prayed is that Rashi 24:42 states ` Ÿ¬a ̈`« ̈e o¦i® ̈r ̈d l ¤` mF −I ©d So I came today: Today I left, and today I arrived. From here we learn that the earth shrank for him [his journey was miraculously shortened]. Rabbi Acha said:z Ÿea ̈` i ¥c §a ©r l ¤W o ̈z ̈gi ¦U d ̈t ̈i The ordinary conversation of the servants of the Patriarchs is more beloved before Hashem than the Torah of their sons, for the section dealing with Eliezer is repeated in the Torah, whereas many fundamentals of the Torah were given only through allusions. How beautiful is the word o ̈z ̈gi ¦U as the Gemarra Berachos 26b says: dlitz `l` giy oi`.
Now we see what is says by Yitzchok d−¤c ̈V ©A ©gE ¬U ̈l w² ̈g §v ¦i `¬¥v¥I ©e a ¤x® ̈r z Ÿe ́p §t ¦l. He was ready to meet his future wife. Rashi says ©gE ¬U ̈l is expression of prayer, as in Ÿegi ¦U K ŸR §W ¦i (ohkhv, t c"e 102:1): “He pours out his prayer Ÿegi ¦U is .d ̈N ¦t §Y o ŸeW §l
This is so powerful as we see both Eliezer and Yitzchok prayed by a Shidduch. This we also saw by Yaakov, which proves that by a Shidduch, even if there was a miracle with Kefitzas Haderech, they still had to pray. Therefore says the Rebbe of Radzimin the main success in a Shidduch is prayer. A lot of Prayer!
With this insight, we can add that Yitzchok created at that time the prayer of Mincha. Yaakov created the prayer of Maariv at that time when he prayed. Their prayers continue as we pray for their creation. The prayer of Shachris was created by Avraham. This is where his servant Eliezer, learned that to achieve anything in life, one must pray and pray again until Hashem will help.
Dovid Hamelech says in Tehilim 27:14 u ́¥n £`«©i §e w©f £−g 'd l ¤` dÀ¥E ©w 'd l ¤` dÀ¥E ©w §¹e L®¤A ¦l Pray to Hashem, be strong and He will give your heart courage, and pray again to Hashem l Ÿe ́w Æl Ÿw ©d a ½ Ÿw£r ©i. The duplicate of voice by Yaakov teaches us of persisting to persist in praying. The strength of Klal Yisrael is in their prayer.
(Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
