(20) Jacob then made a vow, saying, “If God remains with me, if He protects me on this journey that I am making, and gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear, (21) and if I return in peace to my father’s house—the LORD shall be my God.
Furthermore, we can ask another question here regarding when Jacob says that 'HaShem Li L'Elokim' - 'G-D should be for me Lord', we already know that the name used here for G-D (the Tetragrammaton) implies the attribute of Mercy of G-D and the term Elokim (Lord) is used to connote the attribute of Judgement. (Source for this in the Zohar below)
(יא) אֶלָּא הָא אִתְּמָר יְיָ בְּכָל אֲתַר רַחֲמֵי אִיהוּ, וַדַּאי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, יְיָ שְׁמֵיהּ אִיהוּ, דִּכְתִיב, (ישעיהו מ״ב:ח׳) אֲנִי יְיָ הוּא שְׁמִי, וְחָמִינָן דִּלְזִמְנִין אִתְקְרֵי שְׁמֵיהּ אֱלהִים וְהוּא דִינָא בְּכָל אֲתַר
Every place the Tetragrammaton is used, its discussing mercy. Certainly this is the name of the Blessed on be He, as we see this from the scriptures -
Isiah 42:8 - "I am the G-D, that is My name;
I will not yield My glory to another, Nor My renown to idols."
There are times when G-Ds name is referred to as Elokim (Lord), and each time it is connoting strict judgement.
'"Jacob then made a vow, saying, “If God remains with me.... and gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear.."
Wasn't Jacob the choice forefather to G-D? So how is it possible that he has to come and pray for such lowly physical needs like food and clothing? (Have you ever seen the chief advisor of a powerful king go hungry and without nice clothing?)
To answer this question we are going to say that actually, Jacob, may he be loved by peace, was praying for a very very great matter, which is indeed fitting for a man of his stature to be praying for! He was praying for the full and final rectification that is destined to come in the future to humanity.
As it was written and taught by the sages of Israel - 'After the sin of Adam and Eve, the whole of creation was broken, and because of this, until we are able to produce bread to eat, we have 10 specific acts of working and hustling to get to the end result starting from seed to bread. The same goes for clothing, there is a required 10 acts of labor needed in order to end up with the end product called clothing. This was not the case before the sin of Adam and Eve. Whereas in Eden, G-D had given bread to eat and clothing to wear, literally without any required work on Adam and Eves part. And similarly, in the future we will returtn to that edenic status may it come speedily in our days as a full rectification.
As it says in the writings of the sages -
וְתוּ, יָתֵיב רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל וְקָא דָרֵישׁ: עֲתִידָה אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁתּוֹצִיא גְּלוּסְקָאוֹת וּכְלֵי מֵילָת שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״יְהִי פִסַּת בַּר בָּאָרֶץ״..
And furthermore: Rabban Gamliel sat and interpreted a verse homiletically: In the future, the World-to-Come, Eretz Yisrael will produce cakes and fine wool garments that will grow in the ground, as it is stated: “Let abundant grain be in the land.”
וְאָמַר רַבִּי אָבִין הַלֵּוִי: הַנִּפְטָר מֵחֲבֵרוֹ אַל יֹאמַר לוֹ ״לֵךְ בְּשָׁלוֹם״, אֶלָּא ״לֵךְ לְשָׁלוֹם״, שֶׁהֲרֵי יִתְרוֹ שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ לְמֹשֶׁה ״לֵךְ לְשָׁלוֹם״, עָלָה וְהִצְלִיחַ. דָּוִד שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ לְאַבְשָׁלוֹם ״לֵךְ בְּשָׁלוֹם״, הָלַךְ וְנִתְלָה.
וְאָמַר רַבִּי אָבִין הַלֵּוִי: הַנִּפְטָר מִן הַמֵּת אַל יֹאמַר לוֹ ״לֵךְ לְשָׁלוֹם״, אֶלָּא ״לֵךְ בְּשָׁלוֹם״, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְאַתָּה תָּבוֹא אֶל אֲבֹתֶיךָ בְּשָׁלוֹם״.
And Rabbi Avin HaLevi said: One who takes leave from another should not say to him: Go in peace, but rather, he should say: Go to peace. As we see that, on the one hand, Jethro said to Moses: “Go to peace” (Exodus 4:18), and Moses ascended and was successful. On the other hand, David said to his son, Absalom: “Go in peace” (II Samuel 15:9), and Absalom went and was ultimately hanged.
Rabbi Avin HaLevi also said: One who takes leave from a dead person should not say to him: Go to peace, but rather, one should say: Go in peace, as it is stated: “But you shall go to your fathers in peace” (Genesis 15:15).
When one departs from the living, if he says, 'go in peace', it implies that this person is already full and rectified, and that he has already achieved total wholeness. The issue with this is that the living can continuously achieve wholeness without end, which is why we only say to the living 'go to peace', as if to say, connect yourself to the reality of peace, and always increase in that peace! But when you depart from the dead, you say 'go in peace', because this person has already reached his final fullness, and in that case its fitting to say 'go in peace', as this person is already at, and in peace.
As well, in our very own daily prayers we ask for this same final rectification!
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה הַמְבָרֵךְ אֶת־עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּשָּׁלוֹם:
Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who blesses His people Israel in peace.
In the beginning God began to create heaven and earth—