If this is the case, we can delve deeper into the yesod of Tefillah. The Kohen Gadol enters the Kodesh Kodashim on Yom Kippur – the holiest man, in the holiest place, on the holiest day. Chazal say any request he makes is granted, and among his Tefillot, the Gemara (Yoma 53b) includes: "The prayer of those who travel on the road should not enter before You." Why would the Tefillah of travelers otherwise be accepted automatically? 300,000 farmers cry out, "Ribbono Shel Olam, send us rain!" They gather for an Atzeret Tefillah, standing in their fields and blowing the shofar, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu listens. The skies fill with clouds, and rain seems imminent! But at that very moment, a Jew gets off a bus, needing to walk 2 kilometers home. The skies were clear earlier, and he has no umbrella or coat. Worse, he’s just recovered from pneumonia! "Ribbono Shel Olam, don’t let it rain now! Please!" Which of the two Tefillot will Hakadosh Baruch Hu listen to? He’ll listen to the traveler on the road, so the Kohen Gadol must explicitly daven that this prayer not be accepted. Why is that? Because while 300,000 farmers are davening for rain, the traveler prays with the desperation of an orphan, knowing no one else can save him. The farmers don’t need rain specifically – they need water, whether via rain or a loosening of water quotas by the government.
If this is the case, we can now move on to Yaakov Avinu and the Tefillah of Maariv. Yaakov is the symbol of all the hardships that a Jew can go through in his life. Even before birth, Yaakov Avinu was in a bad spot, sharing the womb with Eisav. Yaakov is described as running and struggling to get out – just to escape being near Eisav! They parted ways at the age of 13; Yaakov entered the Yeshiva of Shem v’Ever, and at the age of 63, he received the brachot from his father, after which Eisav plotted to kill him and he had to escape to the house of Lavan the Aramean. On the way, he stopped at the Yeshiva for another 14 years, just to be protected from Lavan! At the age of 77, he left the Yeshiva, with gifts for his future wife and her entire family, but who awaited him at the crossroads? Elifaz! The son of Eisav! And he had orders from his father to kill Yaakov! Only because Elifaz was raised on Yitzchak’s lap, did he have mercy. If Yaakov gave him all his possessions, he would report back that he fulfilled the command, as a poor person with nothing is considered as dead. Yaakov complied.
When Yaakov Avinu reached Charan, he saw Rachel Imeinu and began to cry. Rashi explains that Yaakov cried because he arrived with empty hands. Eliezer brought jewels and gifts, but he had nothing – Elifaz took it all. Yaakov then arrived at Lavan’s house, where he agreed to work seven years for Rachel. Have you ever heard of someone working to get married? The only one who needed to work for their marriage was Yaakov Avinu! After working seven years, the wedding day arrived, and they tricked him into marrying Leah instead of Rachel! He then worked another seven years to marry Rachel as well – 14 years in total. In the meantime, he had 11 children, but with no way to protect them or provide for them.
The Midrash says (Eicha Rabbah, 24): פָּתַח יַעֲקֹב וְאָמַר רִ בּוֹנוֹ שׁ ֶל עוֹלָם, לֹא עֶשְׂרִ ים שׁ ָנָה עָמַדְ תִּי בְּבֵית לָבָן, ָצָאתִי מִבֵּיתוֹ פָּגַע בִּי עֵשָׂו הָרָ שׁ ָע וּבִקֵשׁ לַהֲרֹג אֶת בָּנַי וּמָסַרְ תִּי עַצְמִי לְמִיתָה עֲלֵיהֶם, וְעַכְשׁ ָו נִמְסְרוּ בְּיַד אוֹיְבֵיהֶם כַּצֹאן לְטִבְחָה, דּוּלִים כְּאֶפְרוֹחִים שׁ ֶל תַּרְ נְגוֹלִים וְסָבַלְתִּי עֲלֵיהֶם צַעַר גָדוֹל בַּעֲבוּרָ ם, וְעַתָּה לֹא תִזְכֹּר לִי זֹאת לְרַ חֵם עַל בָּנַי?
Yaakov said, “Ribbono Shel Olam, did I not remain in Lavan’s house for twenty years? And when I departed, the wicked Eisav found me and sought to kill my children, and I endangered my life on their behalf. Now they’re delivered into the hand of their enemies like sheep to slaughter after I raised them and suffered the travails of child raising on their behalf, as most of my days I experienced great suffering for their sake. Will You not now remember this on my behalf to have mercy on my descendants?’
Chazal tell us that all the troubles we can imagine – Yaakov Avinu endured them! The Zohar writes (Shemot 138): It says לֹהָ יו-אֱ 'אַשְׁ רֵ י שׁ ֶאֵל יַעֲקֹב בְּעֶזְרוֹ שִׂ בְרוֹ עַל־ה – Blessed is he who has the G-d of Yaakov for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his G-d. Why does it refer to the G-d of Yaakov and not of Avraham or Yitzchak? It is because Yaakov did not seek help from his father or mother, and when he fled from his brother, he went alone with no possessions. And Hakadosh Baruch Hu helped him with all that he asked. Whoever trusts in Hakadosh Baruch Hu is the one who receives the heavenly assistance of לֹהָ יו-אֱ 'אַשְׁרֵ י שׁ ֶאֵל יַעֲקֹב בְּעֶזְרוֹ שִׂבְרוֹ עַל־ה.
Rabbotai, this Parsha contains a gift for every Jew, wherever they may be. Every Jew, during the years of their life, will face times when the sun sets early. For some, the sun sets in parnassah; for others, it sets in health; and for others in children and their education. The sun sets and everything seems dark. Nothing is working! Everyone cries out, "Ribbono Shel Olam, why have You obscured the sun for me?!"
ַע בַּמָּקוֹם ִפְג וַי – And he reached the place. When Yaakov Avinu was traveling, the whole world appeared like a wall before him. כ ּ ִ י ־ ב ָ א ה ַ שׁ ּ ֶ מ ֶ שׁ – Chazal say that the sun setting means that
