ספר בראשית

With G-d's Blessing

The Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 69:1) quotes the pasuk in Tehillim (63:3), "My soul yearns for You, my heart pines for You. So I shall see You in holiness." The Midrash teaches that the greater one's desire and longing to serve Hashem in a spiritually dry place, the more one will merit to connect with holiness when some revelation comes. This concept comforted Yaakov, who was exiled from Eretz Yisrael to a spiritually barren land. Despite this, his intense longing allowed him to merit the vision in his dream, "So I shall see You in holiness." This intense revelation matched his desire, encouraging him as he "lifted his feet."This principle applies individually and universally. One's longing for Hashem during mundane, spiritually dry times will result in a closer connection in the world to come. Similarly, the longing felt during the weekdays, filled with mundane tasks, parallels a parched land. This longing will subsequently be rewarded on Shabbos, a taste of the world to come, allowing one to bask in Hashem's glory.

The pasuk (Bereishis 30:25) states, “When Rachel gave birth to Yosef, Yaakov said to Lavan, send me.” Rashi explains this as the prophecy fulfillment: “The house of Yaakov will be fire, and that of Yosef a flame.” It is written in Tehillim (127:4), “Just as arrows in the hands of a mighty warrior, so too are the days of one’s youth.” This suggests that a person's actions can have a greater impact in areas where they themselves may be limited. Yaakov initially fled from Esav to Lavan's home, but upon the birth of his children, he returned.Hashem gave man potential, and our mission is to actualize it, as stated in Bereishis (2:3), “He created them to do.” This means Hashem endowed everything with the power to spread and multiply. The more one's progeny, the greater the power of their source. This principle also applies to good deeds; the primary progeny of the righteous are their mitzvos and good deeds. Beyond the inherent potential given to each person, there is also an opportunity for additional strength through perfecting one's actions. This extra power is symbolized by Yosef. When Yosef was born, Yaakov no longer feared Esav. Just as a flame reaches further than the fire itself, one’s actions can extend their influence to places beyond their physical reach. Thus, Yaakov went to Charan to find his weapons and arrows, representing the actions that would protect him and extend his influence.