In this week's parsha, the psukim open up with a very important story. Yaakov has left Be'er Sheva, he's headed to Charan, and on the way he stops at a mountain to sleep for the night. It is there that he has the famous dream about the ladder and HaShem promises that Yaakov will inherit the land and have a lot of descendants. I'd like to analyze the psukim and talk about one of the messages I get from this parsha, the first aliya specifically.
(י) וַיֵּצֵ֥א יַעֲקֹ֖ב מִבְּאֵ֣ר שָׁ֑בַע וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ חָרָֽנָה׃ (יא) וַיִּפְגַּ֨ע בַּמָּק֜וֹם וַיָּ֤לֶן שָׁם֙ כִּי־בָ֣א הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ וַיִּקַּח֙ מֵאַבְנֵ֣י הַמָּק֔וֹם וַיָּ֖שֶׂם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָ֑יו וַיִּשְׁכַּ֖ב בַּמָּק֥וֹם הַהֽוּא׃
(10) Jacob left Beer-sheba, and set out for Haran. (11) He came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place.
After this he has his dream and he sees the סֻלָּם֙ מֻצָּ֣ב אַ֔רְצָה וְרֹאשׁ֖וֹ מַגִּ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמָ֑יְמָה, the ladder from Earth to Heaven, and the angels ascending and descending upon it. HaShem appears to Yaakov and promises that He will be with him and protect him. Yaakov then wakes up and says something very interesting:
(טז) וַיִּיקַ֣ץ יַעֲקֹב֮ מִשְּׁנָתוֹ֒ וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אָכֵן֙ יֵ֣שׁ ה' בַּמָּק֖וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְאָנֹכִ֖י לֹ֥א יָדָֽעְתִּי׃ (יז) וַיִּירָא֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר מַה־נּוֹרָ֖א הַמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה אֵ֣ין זֶ֗ה כִּ֚י אִם־בֵּ֣ית אֱלֹה-ים וְזֶ֖ה שַׁ֥עַר הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃
What do these words mean? What was it that Yaakov didn't know? Rashi tells us that Yaakov had been sleeping on Har HaMoriya, the place where Chazal tell us the heaven and earth meet. So how can we understand these psukim? What was going through Yaakov's mind? I'd like to look at the Netziv to help us understand these words on a deeper level and how they can relate to us.
אכן יש ה׳ במקום הזה ואנכי לא ידעתי. כמצטער על שישן באותו מקום שהיה שם התגלות שכינה. וטוב היה יותר להרבות באותה שעה שם בתפלה ובקשה בהקיץ:
The Netziv says that Yaakov regretted the fact that he slept there. That time he spent sleeping would have been used better had Yaakov been davening or connecting with HaShem. After all, Yaakov was literally in HaShem's courtyard. So why didn't he take advantage of this opportunity?
ואנכי לא ידעתי שאלו ידעתי הייתי מכין עצמי לנבואה ולא כן עשיתי:
ואנכי לא ידעתי, if I had realized the special distinction of this site I would have prepared myself mentally for receiving these Divine insights.
It's this idea which I feel makes this story in the first aliyah relevant to us.
We, as a nation, are like Yaakov Avinu who didn't realize that Har HaMoriyah was such a holy place. He had so much to gain! He was standing in the house of HaShem; the gateway to heaven! But like the Sforno says, he didn't realize just how holy it was until after the fact, and he wasn't able to take advantage of it.
HaShem is so close to us, and we don't pay enough attention to it. We embody the passuk, אָכֵן֙ יֵ֣שׁ ה' בַּמָּק֖וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְאָנֹכִ֖י לֹ֥א יָדָֽעְתִּי. Hashem is so accessible, and we don't put in enough effort to find Him and connect to Him. We are "sleeping," if you will.
The passuk says "וַיִּפְגַּ֨ע בַּמָּק֜וֹם", "he happened upon the place". It has a connotation of surprise. We also know that the word מָּק֜וֹם can mean HaShem, leading the passuk to be read, "He chanced upon HaShem," which is exactly how we often live our lives.
We know that HaShem is in charge and running the universe, and we know that He's close by and accessible, but we don't actively try to seek Him out. Every so often when big things happen that are clearly Hashgacha Pratis, we say, "thanks for that!" but we don't take it further and try to look for the myriad other things that He does for us each day that we don't even recognize.
There's a quote from Rav Hutner ZT"L that puts this into perspective for me and gives me a lot to think about on this topic. He says, "The world's philosophers struggle to find a place for God in our universe. Our Sages struggle to find a place for the universe, since everything is Godly!" This mindset totally encompasses this idea.
We have the ability to see HaShem at every turn, to encounter Him at every moment in our lives, but we have to search for Him. If we want a connection to HaShem it is not enough to occasionally thank Him and recognize Him after the fact. We need to proactively seek Him out and try to find His actions in our seemingly "ordinary" lives. I think I can safely say that most of us want to grow in our relationship with HaShem, to strengthen it, and while we have so many opportunities, we don't capitalize on them. So what can we do?
If we have the desire to see HaShem in everything and to feel His presence, and we want to work on our relationship with Him, we need to internalize the quote from Rav Hutner and the message from Vayetzei. We need to review it until it is embedded in our minds and on our hearts and we realize how readily we can achieve closeness with HaShem and see His fingerprints in every moment of our lives.
So pay attention! Actively try to find HaShem in all the little things, like getting to the bus stop right on time or having exactly enough cash on you to pay for your coffee - because He's everywhere, He's available, and He's waiting for us to take advantage of it.