When Dov Ber (later to be known as The Maggid of Mezritch) was a small child of ...
And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth (Gen. 28:14)
G-d promised Jacob that the Jewish nation will be like the humble dust: Everyone treads upon it, but in the end, the dust has the last word and covers all. The Jewish people, after suffering at the hands of the nations of the world, will eventually be victorious and prevail. (Tzror Hamor)
Surely G-d is present in this place and I did not know it (28:16)
When does man feel the presence of G-d? When “I did not know it”--when the I is ignored and the person works on negating his own ego. (Panim Yafot)
Then Jacob rose up and set his sons and wives upon the camels (31:17)
When Jacob finally left Charan to return to Israel, he was a rich man with many possessions, though he had arrived there with neither silver, gold, nor cattle. Although at first glance it appears that Jacob’s living amongst the idolators of Charan was a step backward, it was in this merit that he acquired his great wealth and established his family. So too, is it with this final Exile. Although the trials and tribulations have been many, when Moshiach comes and brings the Final Redemption, we will first realize the great advantage and good that came from it. (Lubavitcher Rebbe)
And he lay down in that place (28:11)
Our rabbis teach that this was the first time Jacob lay his head down to sleep, having spent the previous 20 years working in Lavan’s house, saying the entire book of Psalms each night. We learn from Jacob’s behavior that even as we go about our daily lives and attend to our jobs and responsibilities, our “heads” should be concerned with Torah and our thoughts directed toward holy matters. (Likutei Sichot)
