03 Dec DREAMERS

This week’s parsha opens with Yaakov escap-
ing the wrath of his brother Eisav. “Vayeitzei

Yaakov m’Beer Sheva, And Yaakov left Beer
Sheva, vayeilech Charana, and he went to

Charan. Vayifga ba’Makom, and he encoun-
tered ‘the Place’ ”. (Bereishis 28:10-11) Rashi

tells us that “the Place” is Har HaMoriah. The
most holy of places. The place of the Akeida.
The spot destined to be the home of the Beis
Mikdash.
Yaakov was en route to Charan. He almost
reached his destination, when he made an
about face. He was suddenly plagued with a

worrisome thought. How could he have em-
barked on a journey to Charan, without first

stopping to daven at the place where his father
and grandfather turned to HaShem in tefilla.
To daven at the place our ancestors davened.

What a z’chus. Every time I go to Eretz Yis-
roel, I stand in awe before the Kosel. Like so

many of Am Yisroel, we go to the Kosel again

and again, looking at the ancient stones, stand-
ing on the hallowed ground, turning to HaSh-
em with tefilla.

I will always remember our family’s first
trip to Eretz Yisroel. It was after the Six-Day
War. My parents’ dream became a reality. The
Kosel was ours. We could daven there once
again. There were plants growing out of the
stones. “How do plants grow out of stones”
my mother said, “only if they are watered by
ages of tears. Tears shed by our people as they
poured their hearts out.”
As so many have the custom, before leaving

Eretz Yisroel, we go to the Kosel to say “good-
bye”. One more tefilla. One more opportunity

to reach out to HaShem. To daven for our peo-
ple, our family, ourselves.

How is it possible that Yaakov left without

stopping at the place his father and zeide dav-
ened? Everything the avos did is a timeless

message for us. My mother taught that Yaakov
knew a day will come when there will be those

who travel far from their roots. They will for-
get their beginnings, their bond to HaShem

and His Torah will be weakened.
By making that return trip, Yaakov is leaving
us a message – one is never too far, too distant,
to return. It is never too late. HaShem is there,
waiting for us.

Vayifga baMakom,
And he encountered
“the Place”. Rashi
comments that the
term vayifga means
prayer. But why not
use a more typical

expression for dav-
ening – “vayispall-
el, and he prayed”.

Rashi explains that
as soon as Yaakov made the decision to return,
the distance between him and “the Place” was
shortened. “Shehkaftza lo ha’aertz, it was as
if the earth miraculously ‘jumped’ towards
him.” HaShem made Yaakov’s return trip
shorter and easier. Here, too, is a life lesson.
One who is sincere in his effort to reach out
and connect to HaShem will see the hand of
HaShem helping him along the way, guiding
him and watching over him. All we have to do
is to take the first step.
Vayifga, to pray. Each of our avos instituted
a different prayer. From Avraham we learn

to daven Shacharis. “And Avraham rose ear-
ly in the morning.” (Bereishis 22:3) From

Yitzchak we learn to daven Mincha. “And
Yitzchak went out to daven in the field before
evening.” (Bereishis 24:63) And the Midrash
teaches that upon his return to “the Place”,
Yaakov instituted the Maariv davening.

Evening. Time of darkness, symbolic of dif-
ficulty and distress. Agony and anguish. Yaa-
kov suffered so much. From the womb, he

was subjected to the kicking of Eisav. Later
on, he had to run for his life. He escaped to
the house of Lavan, where he was tricked
and taken advantage of. His beloved wife
Rochel had difficulty conceiving, only to die
while giving birth to her second son. As if that
wasn’t enough, Yaakov’s sons tell him that
his cherished son Yosef was mauled by wild
animals, while in actuality they sold him to a
band of slave traders. For twenty-two years,
Yaakov doesn’t know of Yosef’s whereabouts.
To top it all off, Yaakov’s daughter, Dina, is
abducted.
How much can one person endure. Anyone
in Yaakov’s shoes would justifiably throw his
hands up in desperation. Feeling disheartened
and despondent. But not Yaakov. His answer
was tefilla. We learn from Yaakov that it is
precisely in times of darkness, when one is
experiencing the maariv of life, and all seems
dark and bleak, we must make every effort to
daven.
Yaakov finally falls asleep baMakom, at that
very holy spot. It is there that Yaakov has his

famous dream of angels ascending and de-
scending a ladder reaching to the Heavens.

One would think that angels originate in the

Heavens, and descend to earth. Why does the
pasuk tells us ascending prior to descending.
There are several explanations, one of which
is that our good deeds, the mitzvos that we do,
go up to the Heavens, creating angels. They
are there to defend us and be our advocates.
And then they descend. They come down to
protect us.
The angels in Yaakov’s dream were climbing
up and down a ladder that was “mutzav artza,

embedded on earth, v’rosho magia ha’sho-
mayma, and it’s top reaching the Heavens.”

While we live in a physical world, our aspi-
rations should be pointing Heavenward, striv-
ing to reach great heights. “V’hinei HaShem

nitzav olav, And HaShem was standing over
him.” (Bereishis 28:12-13) So too with us.
With all the challenges we face, we should
know that HaShem is watching over us. We
are never alone.
It was on that holy spot that HaShem promises
Yaakov “The land on which you lie, I will give
it to you and your descendants.” The Maggid
of Kozhnitz expounds this pasuk to mean “the
land on which you laid yourself on the line”.
Yaakov certainly displayed extreme mesiras

nefesh in serving HaShem, and for that HaSh-
em granted him and his descendants our Holy

Land – Eretz Yisroel. How true this is today.
Do we not see that happening before our very
eyes? A land that at times we have to sacrifice
for, “to lay ourselves on the line”. To devote
ourselves to Torah study, often amidst extreme
hardship and difficulty. And a land for which
our brothers and sisters are willing to sacrifice
their lives. Ready to battle on the front lines
against a brutal enemy, bent on its destruction.
In Psalm 126, Dovid HaMelech writes,
“B’shuv HaShem es shivas Tzion, hayinu
k’cholmim, When HaShem will return the
captivity of Tzion, we will be like dreamers.”
As Yaakov dreamt then, we are still dreaming
today. We are dreaming to see shalom in Eretz
Yisroel, to see the hostages released from
captivity, to see an end to the suffering of our
people throughout the world, and to merit the
final geulah.