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שבת שלום - פרשת ויצא
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Video Shiur
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Click play to watch the video shiur by Rav Pesach Wolicki
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News and Notes
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The yeshiva was honored to host Rabbi Yona Reiss,
dean of Yeshivat Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan of
Yeshiva University, on Wednesday evening. Rabbi Reiss
offered a unique perspective on Rivka's attitude
toward Yaakov and Eisav, and noted the correspondence
between their lives and our own perspectives
toward the outside world.
Following Rabbi Reiss's shiur, the associate dean of
the Yeshiva University admissions department held
one-on-one meetings with Yesodei HaTorah students
for several hours. We have numerous students interested
in the Yeshiva University honors program, as well as its
prestigious Matmidim program, and we are pleased to
work together with Yeshiva University in facilitating
the application process.
Last Shabbat was an in-Shabbat, hosted by Rav Yaakov
Arram and his family. Along with beautiful davening,
an inspiring oneg, and
delicious meals, Rav Arram presented several shiurim,
and his family also sponsored kiddush and dessert, in
honor of his birthday.
Rav Adi Krohn is currently traveling in the United
States on behalf of the yeshiva, and Rav Yaakov Arram
will be leaving for the U.S. this Monday. If you would
like to reach them, feel free to call Rav Krohn at
347-225-1791, and Rav Arram at 609-713-4457.
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Parsha Insights
By Rabbi Scott Kahn
Parashat Vayeitzei opens with the account of Yaakov's flight from Be'er Sheva, as he flees toward Haran to escape the wrath of his murderous brother, Eisav. The Torah states that on the road, seemingly before he reached Haran, he "met up with the Place, and he slept there, for the sun had set." (Bereshit 28:11) It was at this point that Yaakov dreamt the famous dream of the ladder, with angels of G-d ascending and descending to and from the heavens. The Talmud notes that this place was, in fact, Har HaMoriah - the Temple Mount - and that Yaakov prayed before retiring, thus instituting the idea of Maariv.
Chazal note, however, that the simple implication of the pasuk is not that Yaakov stopped on his way to Haran, but that he actually reached Haran before sleeping on the Temple Mount. This is surprising, as Haran was his final destination, and Har HaMoriah lies in between Be'er Sheva and Haran. They explain this strange incongruity with the following story:
'Yaakov left Be'er Sheva and went to Haran.' It also states, 'He met up with the Place, and he slept there, for the sun had set!' [The meaning is that] when he arrived in Haran, he said, Is it possible that I passed by the place in which my ancestors prayed, and I didn't pray there? He decided to return; as soon as the thought entered his mind to return, the land contracted itself [i.e. the distance between his location and Har HaMoriah disappeared], and immediately, 'he met up with the place.'" (Sanhedrin 85b)
It is therefore surprising that upon awakening, Yaakov states incredulously, "Truly, Hashem is in this place, and I did not know!" (Bereshit 28:16) How could Yaakov not realize where he was? He had journeyed from Haran to this place - via kefitzat haderech, the miraculous contraction of the land - because he already knew about its inherent holiness!
Rashi implies that Yaakov's ignorance was a direct result of the kefitzat haderech. He had turned around in order to get to the Temple Mount, but he had reached only the city of Luz when the land miraculously - and without his knowledge - contracted, such that the Temple Mount now stood immediately underneath him. He believed that he was in Luz - renamed the following morning Beit El - but only upon awakening did he recognize that he had also reached Har HaMoriah.
A similar but somewhat different approach may be discerned by looking at the text of the Gemara itself. Through examining the text cited above, we can notice an important and relevant detail: that the kefitzat haderech that brought Yaakov to the Place occurred before Yaakov even took a single step. In the words of Chazal, "As soon as the thought entered his mind to return, the land contracted itself." In other words, the miracle occurred not with Yaakov's initial action, but merely with his decision to act! Indeed, Rav Yaakov Kamenetzky zt"l concurs that Yaakov did not realize what had transpired; as far as he knew, he went to sleep with the idea in his mind to travel back to Har HaMoriah. He had no inkling that he was, in fact, already there.
The Gemara is suggesting that not only a positive action, but even a righteous thought has awesome impact upon the world. This is echoed by the statement in Masechet Kiddushin that a man who marries a woman "on the condition that I am a perfect tzaddik" is legally married to her, even if he is a rasha gamur - a completely wicked individual! The Gemara explains that, "Perhaps thoughts of repentance entered his mind." (Kiddushin 49b; see Rambam Hilchot Ishut 8:5 for a qualification to this law.) The Gemara does not say that perhaps he repented, but that perhaps the thought of repenting occurred to him.
Jewish law demands action, and a life dedicated to fulfilling the divine will requires constant vigilance to assure that our actions accord with the lofty ideals of the Torah. We must remember, however, that our thoughts should be worthy of praise, as well. As the Nefesh HaChaim states, our thoughts can reach and affect spiritual worlds above in ways which our physical actions, and even our speech, cannot. (Shaar Aleph, Perek 14) While our priority must remain to act as servants of G-d, we should never lose sight of the reality that human perfection transcends action alone, and demands the refinement of even the sublime reaches of our minds.
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