- Henry David Thoreau
This quote from Thoreau aptly describes the juncture in life that Ya'akov finds himself in as he begins his exile from family and home. "Va'yetzei Ya'akov - Ya'akov leaves," on his journey away from the quickly
unraveling family dynamics at home. Rashi comments on this verse to tell us that the reason why it includes both the language of "va'yeitze" and "va'yeleikh" is to inform us of the tremendous impact a righteous person has on a place, and, when they leave, the place they have left becomes notably worse. The language of "va'yeitzei" can mean more than just going away; va'yeitzei is indicative of the immediacy and necessity of the departure. He is not only going towards, "va'yeleikh," Haran, he is exiting Be'er Sheva. While the note by Rashi is certainly true, the inclusion of the language of "va'yeitze" hints at the abrupt and unexpectedness of this move. Ya'akov was suddenly thrust away from the safety and comfort of his known world and now finds himself on the road, by himself.
It is precisely in this moment of tension and disjointedness that Ya'akov experiences transcendence. "Va'yifgah ba'Makom - And he encounters the place." Rashi informs us that this "place" is none other than The Place - Mount Moriah, the foundation stone of the world and the place where Heaven and Earth meet. It is in encountering this place that Ya'akov comes to encounter God. Furthermore, this specific encounter becomes the paradigm for the Divine encounter we as a community experience every day, that of the evening tefillah. It is paramount that we take a moment and probe deeper into the word that defines this moment. This moment is encapsulated in the phrase "va'yifgah," an encounter or a meeting. The language of pegiah comes up in a few other places in Tanakh. In both Joshua 16:7 and 19:11 we find the term being used in the allocation of portions of the Land of Israel to the tribes. The usage of a word that has been defined by Hazal, our Sages, to be a prayerful word, in what appears to be a wholly mundane activity of allocating land is very telling. The term also comes up in Jeremiah 7:16 in the midst of a rebuke of the Jewish people for their departure from the ways of Torah.
The theme that unites both the Joshua texts and the narrative in our Parsha is experiencing a Divine encounter when you least expect it. One might consider the division of lands and the setting up of borders to be an act totally devoid of holiness. One can imagine a terrified Ya'akov, alone for the first time, fearing the revenge of his brother and the disappointment of his father not expecting to experience Divine transcendence at that moment. What is most striking is the rebuke that Jeremiah offers the people in chapter seven is for their transgressions against one another; in their acts of theft, oppression, murder and other violations against their fellow person. Jeremiah rails against the false separation between those acts which are a violation against God and those against other people. All misdeeds impact on our ability to encounter God. The opposite is of course also true. All actions we perform that help others impact positively our encounter with God. Whether the action we are speaking about is the proper division of land or refraining from stealing both fall within the prayerful category of pegiah.
May we strive to encounter God not only in shul but in every area of our lives.
Shabbat Shalom.
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