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CHUMASH
Parshas Vayeitzei - Sheini with Rashi
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Yaakov comes to Charan and wants to marry Rochel.
Since Hashem promised Yaakov in his dream that he would be safe, he went to Charan happily, knowing it would be good. On his way, he had to cross the Yarden river. Hashem made a neis and the river split so he could walk across easily!
When he reached Aram Naharayim, he saw a well, covered with a big rock. Near it were three flocks of sheep together with their shepherds, sitting and waiting. They were waiting for everyone else to get there so they could move the rock, since it was too heavy to do it without everyone helping.
Yaakov asked the shepherds if they knew Lavan, and they said yes. “How is he?” Yaakov asked. “He’s fine,” said the shepherds, “and as a matter of fact, here’s his daughter Rochel coming with his sheep!” (Lavan had Rochel take care of his sheep, since he didn’t have any sons to do it.)
Since Yaakov didn’t know that the rock was so heavy, he asked the shepherds why they were just waiting there instead of giving the sheep water and taking them back to the fields. They explained that they needed to wait for everyone to come. They were still talking to him when Rochel came with the sheep to the well.
When Yaakov saw her, he rolled the rock off the well all by himself, and gave water to his uncle Lavan’s sheep.
Yaakov kissed Rochel and cried, because he knew with Ruach Hakodesh that they would get married. But he also knew that they wouldn’t both be buried together in Me’aras Hamachpeilah, which made him cry. He also cried because he didn’t have any presents to give to her. (Eisav’s son Elifaz had stolen everything from him on the way.)
Yaakov explained to Rochel that he was her cousin, and that he wanted to marry her. Rochel told him to be careful because her father was very tricky! Yaakov said he wasn’t worried — he could be as tricky as Lavan if he needed to be, but if Lavan would be honest, Yaakov would be honest too.
Rochel ran and told her father (her mother had already passed away). Lavan ran to meet him, hoping that Yaakov had a lot of money, like when Eliezer came to get Rivkah. Lavan hugged and kissed Yaakov, but not because he loved him or because he was happy to see him — really he just wanted to see if he was hiding any money. When he saw there wasn’t any money, he brought Yaakov home anyway. Yaakov explained that he was running away from Eisav, and that Elifaz had taken all of his money, but he didn’t tell Lavan yet that he wanted to marry Rochel.
Lavan said, “Since you have no money, you can only come here since you’re my nephew. You can stay here for a month if you work as my shepherd.” So Yaakov stayed a month and watched his sheep.
Lavan then asked Yaakov how to pay him. He said to Yaakov, “Just because we’re related, do you have to work for free?”
Yaakov had an idea of the payment he wanted — that Lavan should give him permission to marry Rochel!
To understand what is about to happen, the Torah tells us that Rochel had an older sister.
Lavan had twin daughters, Leah and Rochel. Everyone always thought that since Lavan has twin girls, and Yitzchak has twin boys, they would marry each other. So Leah (who was older) always thought she would have to marry Esav, the older twin, and she cried so much about it that her eyes were always red and swollen — but Rochel was beautiful.
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Today’s kapitelach of Tehillim are Lamed-Tes through Mem-Gimmel.
In today’s tehillim there is a posuk that says, “Ach Betzelem Yis’halech Ish. “A person walks in the dark (because only Hashem knows the way things really are).
In a maamar,the Rebbe Rashab explains this posuk in another way! “Ach BeTzelem Yis’halech Ish” — a person goes with Tzelem, with a koach called “tzelem” that helps a Yid in his Avodas Hashem.
We all sometimes need a push to get us started in doing the right thing!
A thought can come into our mind and get us excited to do something good. This could be from a Bas Kol, a voice from Hashem that the neshama hears, that makes it really want to act the way Hashem wants. Even though we can’t hear it, our neshama does, and it puts thoughts into our head that can make us do teshuvah!
Every morning, when we wake up, Hashem puts a special koach in the air! It makes us excited about starting the day right and acting the way Hashem wants.
All this is part of the Tzelem that the posuk is talking about, the hidden koach that goes with a Yid and inspires him to do what’s right!
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TANYA
Kuntres Acharon Siman Daled
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The Tanya is still talking about how special doing mitzvos is, even more than the feelings of the neshama to Hashem (Ahava VeYirah). Today the Alter Rebbe tells us three more reasons why doing mitzvos is special. One of them is that there is a very high Ruchnius koach hidden inside the Gashmius mitzvos we do! This koach is even HIGHER than the Ruchnius koach that is in the neshama itself!
We see a similar thing with food:
Why does a person need to eat from plants and animals, even though they are not as ruchnius’dik as a person? Because inside of them are pieces of kedusha (nitzutzos) that are from an even higher place of ruchniyus than the neshama!
When we eat food with nitzutzos of kedusha, our neshama is able to use the gashmiyus of the food to make the neshama stronger, and to bring these pieces of kedusha that are hidden in gashmiyus close to Hashem.
That is also why we need to do mitzvos with Gashmiyus things: Because only they have this high Ruchniyus koach inside of them, and only through the mitzvos can we bring them out of hiding and use them the way Hashem meant them to be!
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A Yid was put in the world to live like Hashem wants, to have Yiras Shomayim and midos tovos. But Hashem put gashmiyus into the world, and a Yid has a Yetzer Hara that can make him act differently. What do we do?
There are three ways to deal with it and they are different ways in Torah. Today we will see how special Chassidus is!
The first way is called Mussar. It teaches how the gashmiyus is very dangerous and we need to stay away from it. When the gashmiyus is weakened then the ruchniyus can be strong.
The second way is called Chakira. It teaches about how special ruchniyus is, and says that when we learn about ruchniyus, the gashmiyus won’t get in the way.
Chassidus, however, teaches us that BOTH the gashmiyus and the ruchniyus are special. They are both created by Hashem. Hashem made them both for one purpose — so that the world will be able to see and feel Hashem through the mitzvos that we do, especially when Moshiach comes.
That’s why Chassidus teaches that we need to have both in our Avodas Hashem. We need to learn and daven and feel ruchniyus, but it needs to make our guf and the gashmiyus also become more aidel so that the ruchniyus and kedusha can also be felt in them!
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Today we learn about two kinds of Tzoraas:
1) (Mitzvas Asei #102) When there is Tzoraas on clothes we need to follow the halachos of how they become Tomei, and how they can become Tahor!
2) (Mitzvas Asei #103) When there is Tzoraas on a house we need to follow the halachos on how it becomes Tomei, and how to make it tahor.
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In Rambam, we learn about today’s second mitzvah.
Perek Yud-Daled: The Rambam teaches us about what kinds of houses can get Tzoraas, and what it looks like.
Perek Tes-Vov: This perek teaches us the halachos of how the kohen decides that the house is Tomei, and how to make it Tahor again.
Perek Tes-Zayin: We learn how people or things can become Tomei from a house with tzoraas.
Now we finish the halachos of Tzoraas! The Rambam often finishes a section of halachos with a lesson for us to learn. Here is the lesson from Tumas Tzoraas: Tzoraas comes from speaking Lashon Hara — talking about other people in a not-nice way. The Rambam tells us that this isn’t a Yiddishe way to talk — Yidden talk about Torah, and Hashem gives them brachos because of it!
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There are four things that need to happen if a condition is made at the time of Kiddushin:
1) The condition has to say what happens if the condition is met, AND if it isn’t.
2) First he has to say the positive — if it happens, there is Kiddushin, and if not, there is not Kiddushin.
3) The condition has to be said before the action — before giving a ring or shtar.
4) The condition has to be something possible. If it is impossible, they are married right away, because it must have been a joke!
So the chosson might say, “I am giving you this ring to marry you, if my father agrees — if he doesn’t, we won’t be married.” This is the right way to make a condition, and the halacha is that if his father agrees, they are married.
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Yidden have a minhag that when they meet, one says “Shalom Aleichem,” and the other person answers, “Aleichem Shalom.”
It’s not just a pattern of talking, it means something very special!
But why do we do it that way? Why does the other person answer the opposite?
There is a joke that it’s because two Yidden can never agree on anything, but that’s not the real reason!
Every person has his own understanding and his own opinion. When we get together, we want to have Achdus! We want that two different people should be able to help each other become better.
So the first Yid says, “Shalom Aleichem!” “Let’s bring Shalom among the different opinions that we have!”
The other Yid doesn’t just repeat what the first person says. He shows that he really agrees, and says it in his own words too: “Aleichem Shalom!” “Yes, I also want that!”
See Likutei Diburim vol. 1 p. 3, Likutei Sichos vol. 25 Parshas Vayeitzei
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The eleventh posuk of the Yud-Beis Pesukim starts with the word Vezeh. This posuk comes from the Tanya, and it speaks about the very important shlichus each of us have!
Vezeh Kol Ha’adam — This is what a person’s life is all about!
Vesachlis Briyosav — It is the reason why he was created
Uvriyas Kol Ha’olamos — and the reason all of the worlds were created,
Elyonim Vesachtonim — from the highest Ruchnius worlds and everything in this Gashmius world:
Lihiyos Lo Dira Zu Besachtonim — In order to make this world a home for Hashem!
How do we make the world a home for Hashem?
By learning Torah, doing mitzvos, and sharing the light of Torah and mitzvos with other people!
There are so many things in the world, and many of them look important. But when we think about this posuk, we realize that there is only one thing that is important: Yiddishkeit!
Our Torah learning, doing mitzvos, sharing Yiddishkeit with other people — that is the most important shlichus there could be! That is the reason Hashem created us, and the reason for everything else Hashem created. There is nothing more important!
See Der Rebbe Redt Tzu Kinder vol. 5 p. 260
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The Navi tells us, “Hikon Likras Elokecha Yisrael,” prepare to greet your Aibershter!
The Chachomim teach us that this means to prepare before we daven, by making sure we are dressed right. Even if we are davening in our house, we should be wearing nice clothes. We should try to wear something that we would not be embarrassed to be wearing if important guests suddenly came.
Unless a person is very old, sick, or weak, we should not daven in pajamas. Even if someone does have to wear pajamas, it is best to put something on top if possible.
This way we show that we are prepared to daven to Hashem.
See Kitzur Shulchan Aruch siman Yud-Beis with Piskei Teshuvos, ha’ara 2
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לעילוי נשמת הרה״ח ר׳ דניאל יצחק ע״ה בן ר׳ אפרים שי׳ מאסקאוויץ
שליח כ"ק אדמו"ר נשיא דורנו למדינת אילינוי
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In this week’s parsha, Parshas Vayeitzei, we learn about Yaakov’s important shlichus. His parents sent him to Charan to get married. Yaakov asks Hashem to be with him and protect him in Charan, and that Hashem should bring him back to the home of his father! Hashem gives him this bracha, promising him that He will bring him back to his father’s home.
The shlichus of Yaakov Avinu is a hora’ah for OUR shlichus in the world — to make Hashem a Dira Betachtonim.
We get sent out to “Charan,” to different parts of the world that don’t look like they are full of kedusha, to make them a comfortable place for Hashem. Before we go out on our shlichus, we ask Hashem to be with us and protect us.
But why do we also ask Hashem to bring us back? Isn’t the main thing to be doing the shlichus well? Why does it matter whether or not we go back?
This is the lesson we learn from Yaakov: It is very important to do our shlichus well, but that’s not the only thing that Hashem wants. Hashem wants us to finish our job, so we can come back to Eretz Yisroel where we belong! Even if we are doing well in our shlichus in the world, we need to remember that the GOAL is to finish the job and come back to our home — to the world the way it is supposed to be, when Moshiach comes. Knowing this gives us chayus in our shlichus, to finish up the job and bring Moshiach now!
See Sefer Hasichos Parshas Vayeitzei 5748
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לע"נ התינוק זאב ארי' ע"ה בן יבלט"א הרה"ח ר' שניאור זלמן שי' גליק
נפטר ב' מנחם אב ה'תשע"ג
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