Vayetzei - Ishbitzer - 2024/5785

Jacob left Beer-sheba, and set out for Haran.

[MJF notes: Avraham & Yitzhak were in a spiritual, God-space, but Yaakov was involved in the world, and felt small. We are connected to Yaakov/Yisrael - this is us - but the question is how we can maintain God-consciousness throughout our days.]

“And Yaakov departed from Beer Sheva, and went to Horan.” (Bereshit, 28:10)
It is written in the Midrash (Bereshit Rabba, 68:1), “A song of Ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains [harim in Hebrew], from where will my help come (Tehilim, 121)?"

I lift my eyes to the parents [horim in Hebrew], to my teachers [hora’ah in Hebrew is instruction] and my parents …

He [Yaakov] went back and said, ‘Why should I give up hope in my Creator? God forbid that I should give up hope in my Creator, but rather ... my help comes from God.’”

When Yaakov went out from Beer Sheva, having no food to eat, nothing in his possession, and needing to go to Lavan to tend sheep for his livelihood, he became greatly despondent, for owing to his situation he saw himself as quite small in comparison to his father and grandfather.

Avraham and Yitzchak did not have to concern themselves at all with matters of this world, but were constantly involved in Divine service and ma’ase merkava, the secrets of the Torah. But Yaakov had to occupy himself with these small matters.

“He returned and said, ‘I will not give up hope in my Creator,’” which means that even though they were free for great and lofty matters, and I am occupied in mundane things, nonetheless there is also the service of God in this, for He is the one who formed all.

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.

[MJF notes: this is something about waiting for Hashem to appear to us..or preparing to make a blessing on unborn potential, eg the business about tithing embryos/things that are still in their potential state? Also something about the state of mercy?

“And Yaakov departed ….” (Bereshit, 28:10)
Why did Yaakov Avinu not pray for his journey immediately upon leaving Beer Sheva, but waited until here (Beit El, north of Jerusalem) for his prayer, “if God will be with me and guard me …”for this was the prayer for his journey?

This matter may be understood based on what is written in the Gemara (Bechorot, 56a), “Rav Asi said, Rabbi Yochanan said, if one acquires ten embryos in ten pregnant cows [and the animals were born after he had already owned them], all are brought into a pen and tithed.” The Gemara asks, “are we not taught, if one buys from a friend, or receives as a gift, he is exempt from having to tithe [for he must tithe only those animals born while in his possession]? Rabbi Elazar said, I say that Reb Yochanan appeared in my dream and solved it favorably. [He must tithe the unborn animals, even if they were received as embryos in animals that did not need to be tithed], for it is written, ‘so you shall do,’ [“Give Me the firstborn of your sons, so you shall do to your cattle …” Shemot 22] meaning at the time they are being ‘done’ [or fit to be offered in the Temple].” This means that if he acquired them at a time when he was obligated to tithe, then he is exempt from tithing except for the unborn animals he acquired.

It is similar here with Yaakov Avinu.The solution of Rabbi Elazar only came to him after he saw Rabbi Yochanan in a dream, meaning that the only one who would understand this is the one to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, shows His attribute of mercy.

Rabbi Yochanan represents this quality of God’s mercy, as it says in the Gemara (Berachot, 57a), “whoever sees Yochanan in his dream, the miracle of miracles will be done for him.”

Therefore Yaakov Avinu could not pray first. In his prophetic spirit he saw all that would happen to him on his journey, and he also knew that his prayer would finish with “all that you give me I will give a tenth thereof,” so he then asked the same question as mentioned earlier in the Gemara, that one who acquires something is exempt from tithing. Therefore he could not offer this prayer, for with Yaakov it was said (Bereshit, 31:41), “I have worked six years with your sheep,” and if so, he was one who had acquired. It was only after God had appeared to him in a dream, and with Yaakov Avinu God was addressed with the title “the merciful,” as it is said (Bereshit, 33:5), “the children which God has been merciful in giving His servant.” This is akin to what is said in the Gemara, “I saw Reb Yochanan (the attribute of mercy) in a dream.”

Therefore Yaakov knew that something new would be done for him, as it is written, “at the time of doing,” and Yaakov bought the sheep from Lavan in their mother’s wombs, before “the time of doing,” or birth, as his conditions with Lavan concerned the sheep that would be born from now on, and the blessing of God came upon them in their mother’s wombs. Thus they were required to be tithed. Once he understood this reason he could well pray, “if God will be with me … I will give a tenth … ”

[MJF: The souls of all Israel are included in Yaakov Avinu]

“And behold God was standing on him ….” (Bereshit, 28:13)
God’s revelation in the world depends on three factors, place, time, and person. Place is the Holy Temple, where there is a revelation of His Godliness. The choicest of times is Shabbat, a time of the revelation of His Godliness. And person, the souls of Israel unto whom He is revealed. Here these three factors are complete; the place of the Temple, as it is said, “this is none other than the house of God”; the choicest of times, for surely this revelation took place on the holy Shabbat; and person, this is Yaakov Avinu, the choicest of souls, in whom all the souls of Israel are included, as it is written (Yesahya, 29:23), “Yaakov shall not be ashamed … for when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify My name, and sanctify the Holy One of Yaakov …”

[MJF: This is amazing - the verse itself is a blessing. Also two kinds of standing - Omed vs Nitzavim.

Omed = this is the state of us working to connect with Hashem. Here we could include the Amidah where we are praying the Shemone Esrei, and Amud (where we are trying to get connected to Hashem through learning an Amud of Talmud/Gemara.

Nitzavim = this is where Hashem is always there and always connected. It is a special kind of standing. Think of the pasuk "Atem Nitzavim", and here we could understand that as being the awareness that as Jews we are always connected to Hashem.]

“And behold God was standing on him ….” (Bereshit, 28:13)
This verse is in itself a blessing. Just as the Kedusha (sanctity) of Shabbat is fixed and exists without any act of sanctification or awakening from below on the part of Israel, as it is sanctified only by God Himself, unlike the other festivals where Israel sanctifies them, so the Kedusha of Yaakov Avinu is like the Kedusha of Shabbat, sanctified by God and needing no awakening from below. Therefore the verse does not say “omed alav” (the normal way of saying “standing on him”) but rather “nitsav” (a special kind of standing). The meaning of omed is that now He is standing on him but not before, only now from the power of his own awakening, while nitsav that He was always connected to him.

“… And He said, I am Hashem, God of Avraham your father, and God of Yitzchak ….” (Bereshit, 28:13)
It is written in the holy Zohar (Bereshit, 150a), “Yisrael is in the middle of everything, he receives the [the effusion of God’s abundance] first from the source of everything …” This verse says “your father” regarding Avraham but not regarding Yitzchak. The attribute of Avraham is love, and the attribute of Yitzchak is fear. In a place of abundant love, fear is constricted, and similarly when the attribute of fear is complete, then love is constricted. However, with Yaakov Avinu, the two attributes balanced each other, and this is called the attribute of tiferet, harmony or beauty—the attribute of Yaakov Avinu, which contains both of them, and they do not contradict each other.

“… I will give to you and your offspring the land on which you are lying ….” (Bereshit, 28:13)
This blessing is saying that your thoughts were clear and pure even when you were sleeping. “And all the families of the earth will be blessed in you and in your offspring” means that you will adorn all the nations with your words of Torah, as it is written (Devarim, 4:6), “for they are your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations.” “And behold, I am with you.” “I” is written in the form Anochi, as opposed to the usual form Ani, for the additional letter, caf, teaches of the unceasing source of life, as is written in the Sefer Yetsira (Ch. 4:41 in the version of the Ari”zal), and the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him all the refinement that he would have to suffer, so therefore He promised him, “and I will guard you everywhere you shall go, and I shall return you to this land.” “I shall return you” (hashivoticha in Hebrew) is the term for returning a lost article. “Hashevat aveida,” for one cannot stand on the Torah unless he has first failed in keeping it (tractate Gittin, 43a), meaning that through the very act of failing man has an even greater desire for Torah. This is the formulation of hasivoticha, meaning teshuvah, the return to the Torah.

“The name of the older one was Leah and that name of the younger one Rachel ….” (Bereshit, 29:16)
It is written in the Midrash (Kohollet Rabba 7:3), “A man has three names—one is what his father and mother called him, one is what other people call him, and one is the name he acquires for himself.” “The name his father and mother called him,” refers to the qualities that are recognized in the infant immediately after he is born, if he will be wise or foolish, lazy or industrious, and the like. In the first generations this wisdom was clear and apparent to all; and they would see in the face of the infant the attributes of his nature, and in this way Lavan called his daughters appropriate names according to his understanding of their natures. The name Rachel teaches that she bears jealousy and (the need for) victory in her heart, but does not let this go out of her lips, as it is written (Yesahya, 53:7), “as a lamb [rachel] is silent before its shearers,” and her jealousy was for the sake of Heaven, as it is written, “and Rachel was jealous of her sister” (and wanted to populate the tribes who would bring the Torah to the world).
The name Leah is similar to the word nilei, or exhausted, in that she was always exhausted from the thirst for God’s salvation. Concerning the name that other people call him, this is what others see in his nature and dealings in his chosen occupation. And the name he acquires for himself is how he fixes and heals his deficiency, even those he was born with, and this is the meaning of the verse (Mishlei, 3:9), “it shall be health to your navel,” meaning to the lack that he has from the moment of birth, for it says in the Gemara (Sotah, 45:2), “the beginning of man’s formation is from his navel.” This is as the prophet Yesahya said (48:8), “you are called a sinner from the womb,” as the name he acquires for himself is far greater than the name he was born with. Name always signifies the source of life, as the entire soul is exemplified in it.

“And she said, this time I will thank God ….” (Bereshit, 29:35)
It is written in the Gemara (Megillah, 6b), “Rabbi Yitzchak said, if a man tells you he tried but did not find, do not believe him. I did not try/make an effort but I did find him, do not believe him. I tried/made an effort and I found, believe him.”

Of course the Gemara does not deal in nonsense. If one who says I tried but did not find, and we can see that he tried very hard and did not find, and another says I did not try very hard but still I found, and we can see that he did not put in much effort but still found, so if so, then why would we say not to believe them?

Yet the depth of the matter is explained with Rachel and Leah. Surely with our matriarch Rachel, how much did she plead and pray that God would show His salvation and give her children, yet still it did not help her since it says, “and Rachel was jealous of her sister.” It had to be made clear whether this jealousy was kinat sofrim, envy at another’s good behavior for the sake of Heaven, or the normal jealousy of the world according to nature, God forbid.

This is the way in which God deals with man. When He gives His good in the form of an attribute, in that very attribute He creates a lack, and the good within cannot come into action until the lack has been healed. Before this lack is healed all the prayers and self-mortification that a man attempts will be of no use until the lack is healed and he experiences salvation.

[Ari: the middah tova comes in the form of the chisaron.

- Davening - instead of davening, let me find my zivvug, give me the clarification beneath it].

Therefore, it was necessary to clarify Rachel’s attribute of jealousy, and before this was clarified all prayer and struggle was useless.

This is why Yaakov became angry with her when she asked him to pray for her. This must be understood, for did she not act according to the law? Whosoever has discord in his house is to go to the sage, and the sage will ask for mercy on his behalf (Baba Batra, 116a; so Rachel was doing just this in going to Yaakov in her distress). This same question was asked by the Ramban of blessed memory. Yet since it was written before she went to Yaakov, “and Rachel was jealous,” therefore Yaakov became angry because before she even came to him she needed to clarify her jealousy. Then when she said to Yaakov, “here is my handmaid before you … and I too will build [the future tribes] from her,” we see that her intentions were for the sake of Heaven because she included her handmaid in her household (that she did it for the children and not just for herself). And this is the meaning of “I tried and did not succeed, do not believe him,” for even though we see that truly he tried very hard, he did not exert himself in the place where he was supposed to.

This is like one who wants to enter a house but knocks on a wall far away from the door; even if he knocks all day it will not help him. If he goes to the door and knocks, then it will be opened for him right away. “I did not try and I succeeded [I tried and I found]” is understood from Leah. When she gave birth to Yehuda she said, “this time I will thank God,” since she did not ask for this, already having taken her portion before in giving birth to more children more quickly than the other matriarchs, so it seems as if she did not try but still succeeded. Yet with God all was according to judgment. God testified concerning her that she had struggled very much regarding her first three children, as she said (with Reuven), “for God has seen my poverty” (with Shimon), “for God has heard that I am despised.”

Thus God gave her Yehuda, like a man who gives an additional portion to a friend who takes a great amount from him. The additional amount that the Holy One, blessed be He, gives is greater than the initial portion. This is the preciousness of the soul of Yehuda. He was greater than his brothers because all the greatness went out from him. On this she said, “this time I will thank God,” for a soul like this is not born from the power, reward, or righteousness of a person, but only from the blessing of God. When it comes from the power of man it only comes according to his actions, but when God gives the additional portion from His side then it is without any limit; therefore His additional portion is greater than the main portion. Therefore when it says “vatahar od,” “and she conceived again,” concerning Shimon and Levi the ta’am (cantillation mark for the melody) called munach zarka is used, yet when it says “and she conceived again,” for Yehuda, the ta’am for the melody is kadma ve’azlah, meaning without any effort. Understand this.

This is as we pray in the Amida prayer, in the first of the Eighteen Benedictions, “who owns all, and remembers the kindness of the forefathers, and brings a redeemer to their children’s children for the sake of His name with love.” “Owns all” means that God is involved with all of His creation, for nothing He created was superfluous. “And remembers the kindnesses of the Patriarchs” means that God remember the good that the Patriarchs would do with all their power and all their souls, bringing the entire world close to God, and not standing for a second without love and fear. Nevertheless, “He brings a redeemer to their children’s children for the sake of His name,” for it is not enough to reveal the light of the king messiah in the merit of the Patriarchs, only for the sake of His name. This is as it is written in the Gemara (Sanhedrin, 100a), “whoever gives the poor his entire amount in this world, the Holy One, blessed be He, gives him His entire amount in the world to come.” Because they exerted themselves with all their power, that the glory of Heaven should be revealed by means of them, therefore the attribute of justice dictates that the Holy One, blessed be He, should pay them according to the full amount of His blessed power.

And Jacob went out from Be’er Sheva, and went toward Haran. (Genesis 27:10)
The Midrash quotes Jacob as saying: “‘I will lift my eyes to the mountains. From where will my help come?’ (Psalms 121:1). What! Have I lost hope in my Creator? G‑d forbid, I certainly have not lost hope in Him; rather ‘My help comes from G‑d, who made heaven and earth’ (ibid. 121:2).”
This teaches us that when the heavenly court wants to mete out punishment to a person, they first take away his trust in G‑d. It is therefore wise to beseech G‑d to strengthen out trust in Him.
Toldos Yaakov Yosef, Misphotim

And he dreamt, and behold a ladder set upon the earth, with it top reaching heaven, and behold, the angels of G‑d ascended and descended on it. (27:12)
The Hebrew word for “ladder,” sulam, has the same numerical value as the word for “money,” mamon. This ladder – money – is set upon the earth, as it is a very material thing, yet its “top” reaches heaven, for it can bring a person eternal reward. “The angels of G‑d ascended and descended on it.” This refers to human beings. Some ascend to great heights through the proper use of money, and some descend to the depths of hell, as the verse says, “Wealth safeguards its owner for his detriment” (Proverbs 5:12).
Turei Zahav, VaYetze

“[Rabbi Akiva] used to say: Everything is given on collateral, and a net is spread over all the living…” (Pirkei Avos 3:16).
The Hebrew word “spread,” prusa, is from the word pras, “reward,” which itself is related to the word “livelihood,” parnasa. The net of parnasa is spread over the entire world. Everyone is so preoccupied with making a living that no one has the time to think about serving G‑d.
Bas Ayin, Bamidbar

And he dreamed, and behold a ladder standing upon the earth, and its top reached up to heaven; and behold the angels of G‑d were going up and down on it. (Genesis 28:12)
The Baal Shem Tov brought angels down into this world. But he said “I am not going to look into their faces; for, since the Creator made them to be in heaven, I probably don’t need to see them. I will only ask them how they serve G‑d. Perhaps I can learn their mode of service, and serve G‑d the same way.
Divrei Yisroel

I am the L‑rd, G‑d of Abraham, your father, and G‑d of Isaac. (27:13)
This is why we say in our prayers: “G‑d of Abraham, G‑d of Isaac [and G‑d of Jacob],” and not “G‑d of Abraham, Isaac [and Jacob].” For a person should never rely on the spiritual searching and path of worship of his fathers, just as Isaac and Jacob did not rely upon the conclusions that their father Abraham reached. Each one sought to understand the oneness of G‑d for himself, and to reach his own conclusions as to how to serve Him. Thus, we link G‑d’s name with each of the forefathers individually.
Korban Ha’Ani, Bechukosai

It is known that the Forefathers corresponded to the sefirot of Chesed, Gevurah and Tiferet. Abraham embodied the quality of Chesed – loving-kindness. He loved and showed generosity to the entire creation, and tried to instill in them faith in G‑d, and a de.sire to serve Him; because the trait of Chesed corresponds to love. Through Abraham’s great dedication to this trait, he came to recognize and comprehend the Creator, and realize that G‑d runs the entire world.
Isaac learned and received this approach from Abraham; however, he still wanted to come to his own understanding of G‑d. This is as the verse says: “Know the G‑d of your fathers, and serve Him” (I Chronicles 28:9). One should not merely accept this service as a tradition, to be fulfilled by rote. Therefore, Isaac devoted himself to the trait of piety. And out of his great care [to fulfill the will of G‑d], he came to know and comprehend G‑d for himself, besides what he received from his father.
Now, Jacob realized that there must be a middle way in the operation of the world, that mediated between Chesed and Gevurah, because the world could not survive if it can only function according to one of these two extremes. Therefore, he devoted himself to the trait of Tiferet. Through this, he arrived at a deeper perception of G‑d than his fathers, and is called the “Chosen of the Forefathers.” He saw that the world could not exist in unmitigated judgment, and so tempered it with the trait of Compassion.
Likutey Yakarim, p. 9b

The land upon which you lie, I will give to you… (28:13)
Rashi states that G‑d folded up the entire land of Israel under Jacob’s head. This means that Jacob would not have to travel from place to place to retrieve his sparks, but could find them in his place.
Ben Poras Yosef, p. 18b

And behold, G‑d was standing over him, and said: “I am the L-rd, the G‑d of Abraham your father, the G‑d of Isaac. The land upon which you are lying, I will give to you and to your descendants. And your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread out to the west, to the east, to the north and to the south. And in you and in your seed will be blessed all the families of the earth.” (Genesis 28:13-14)
Rabbi Yitzchok said: “This teaches us that the Holy One folded up the entire Land of Israel under him, that it should be easy for his children to conquer.
Why was it necessary to fold up the land and why wasn’t the promise that it would be easy to conquer sufficient?

Elsewhere, I wrote an explanation of the Talmud’s statement:
“A place finds favor in the eyes of those who live there.”
And on tractate Berachos:
“Rabbi Yossi ben Chanina said: ‘What is the meaning of, “[Where is G‑d, that brought us up out of the land of Egypt; that led us] . . . through a land that no one passed through, and where no man (adam) settled?’ (Jeremiah 2:6). Since no one passed through, obviously no man could have settled there. Rather, it teaches us that any land that Adam decreed for settlement became settled, and every land that he did not decree for settlement, was not settled.”

We can understand this by means of the Arizal, who taught that Adam’s sin cast all the sparks of the holy souls among the impure shells, causing good and evil became intermingled. These [sparks] must be sifted out through Torah study, serving G‑d, and performing mitzvos – all with G‑d’s help, which is the Divine Presence among us. This is the mystery of “Give strength to G‑d” (Psalms 68:35), for when the sparks are sifted out, they ascend as “feminine waters.” Thus, Israel was exiled among all the seventy nations, to the place of the sparks, and each individual Jew must go into exile to the place of the sparks of his own soul, to extract and rectify them.
The exception is Egypt, of which it states: “you shall never see them again” (Exodus 14:13). This is because: “they despoiled the Egyptians” (ibid. 13:36) – “like a trap empty of fish.” Not one holy spark was left there, though the Shechinah had been in complete exile there. They removed from there all the portions of goodness that had been intermingled with the evil and the impure shells.
This happened through the intervention of da’at and thought, as it states: “It is sorted out in thought.” For Moses is the “da’at” of holiness, which is “good,” as it is written: “And she saw that he was good” (Exodus 2:2). About this, the Sages said:
“‘And another prophet like Moses did not arise in Israel…’ (Deuteronomy 34:10) – in Israel, he did not arise, but among the nations he did arise. And who was he? Balaam!”
Moses and Balaam were both in the mystery of da’at, but one was from the side of holiness, and the other from the side of impurity. First, good and evil were intermingled, as a result of the Adam’s sin, and that of Cain and Abel. Later, it was rectified, so that Moses emerged completely good, and Balaam was separated from him. He was equal to Moses, but in the da’at of the impure shells. Thus, it is written: “He knows the knowledge (da’at) of the Most High” (Numbers 24:16). Moses’ generation, too, was known as the Generation of Knowledge (dor de’ah), and Moses is in every generation in order to perfect it.

Now, it is known that the sparks fell into the kelipat nogah, and that “nogah” has the numerical value of the word “grace” (chen). This is the meaning of: “A place finds favor in the eyes of those who live there.” Because the sparks from the root of a person’s soul fell into the kelipat nogah, which is called chen. Therefore, the place where he lives finds favor in his eyes, so that he will extract his own sparks from the kelipat nogah.

This was also what Rabbi Yossi ben Chanina meant: “Every land that Adam decreed would be inhabited….” That is, any place that the sparks fell due to Adam’s sin, when good and evil became intermingled, was decreed upon to be inhabited, so that a person whose soul-sparks are there should retrieve them.

Now, let us return to the Baal Shem Tov’s explanation of the verse. A person travels from place to place in order to redeem the sparks of his own root soul. But G‑d folded up the entire Land of Israel under Jacob’s head, so that he wouldn’t have to travel. The entire land was gathered beneath him; he could redeem them right there.

Why did G‑d so this for Jacob, and not the other Forefathers, or other individuals. It could as I heard from Rabbi Nachman [Horodenker], on the first Mishnah of tractate Pe’ah:
“These are the things that when a person does them, he eats from their fruits in this world, while their primary reward waits for him in the world to come… making peace between friends or between husband and wife, and the study of Torah is equal to them all.”
Just as both peace and disharmony exist in throughout the world, so they exist in each person, following the principle of “space, time, and soul.” A person can contain two conflicting individuals within him, but if he wants, he can remove the inner division and draw unity into the world. This is by studying Torah, and inevitably, this affects the physical realm as well. Thus, “the study of Torah is equal to them all.” Even though there is an aspect of peace, by means of the Torah, everything is fixed.
But to my mind, the answer is straightforward. Just as the general population rectifies the world through their actions, so Torah scholars can do this through their Torah study. For actions are created from the Torah. The Torah is the tool of the Holy One, and through it, the world was created. Thus, “the study of Torah is equal to them all.”

But to my mind, the answer is straightforward. Just as the general population rectifies the world through their actions, so Torah scholars can do this through their Torah study. For actions are created from the Torah. The Torah is the tool of the Holy One, and through it, the world was created. Thus, “the study of Torah is equal to them all.”

Now, Jacob was the aspect of the Torah itself, as it is written: “The voice is the voice of Jacob” (Genesis 27:22), and “Give truth to Jacob” (Micah 7:20), for the Torah is called “truth.” Therefore, he could sort out [the sparks] in his place, whereas someone else would have had to travel around, because “the study of Torah is equal to all.” Thus, G‑d folded the entire Land of Israel under Jacob, so that he could extract the sparks through the study of Torah, which corresponds to the entire world. This is the meaning of “and you shall spread out to the west, to the east, to the north and to the south.” That is, while you are still in your place, you will sift out all the sparks from the four corner of the earth, and not need to journey around, for “the study of Torah is equal to all.” And thus, the Talmud states that this was not like Abraham, of whom it was written: “Rise and walk the land, its length and breadth” (Genesis 13:17). He needed to travel from place to place to take them out. But of Jacob it is written: “the land upon which you are lying…” for there the sparks have fallen.
Ketones Passim, p. 35b-c

Jacob was the aspect of Truth, which is the beginning, middle and end. This is the meaning of G‑d’s folding up the Land of Israel under him, so that he didn’t have to exert himself at all to separate out the sparks.
Degel Machane Ephraim, Bechukosai

Surely, G‑d is in this place, and I did not know it! (28:16)
Meaning, “If I had known it, I would not have slept here.” That is, if a person knows how to unite this trait, it would not be called sleep.
Katones Passim, p. 35a

Jacob awoke from his sleep, and said “Surely, G‑d is in this place, but I did not know it. And he was afraid, and said. “How awesome is this place! This alone is G‑d’s house, and this is the gate to heaven.” (Genesis 28:16-17)
There is a problem [with this verse]. Had another person been standing there claiming that it was not G‑d’s house, but another house, such as an inn or something similar, it would have been correct to tell him: “It’s not as you say. This alone is G‑d’s house!” But since there was no one there to contradict him, why did he say it that way? He should have said: “This is surely G‑d’s house!”
This can be explained with the Gemara: “Rabbi Yinai proclaimed, ‘Woe to one who lacks a courtyard, but makes a gate to the courtyard!” According to Rashi, the Torah is the gate that leads to the fear of G‑d. Now, it is known that before going to Haran, Jacob learned Torah for fourteen years in the study hall of Shem [and Ever]. Yet, during that entire time, he never felt the awe of G‑d that he felt on Mount Moriah, the place of the Holy Temple. Therefore, he said, “Since I see how awesome this place is, I decree and declare that this alone is G‑d’s house. This is His main dwelling place. As it says: ‘My house shall be a house of prayer…’ (Isaiah 56:7). And all that I learned in the study hall of Shem is only the gate to heaven; it is only the gate to fear.”
Kesser Shem Tov, part 2, p. 5c

And Jacob made a vow, saying “If G‑d will be with me, and will protect me on the journey that I am taking, if He gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I return to my father’s house in peace, then Hashem shall be my G‑d.” (ibid. 28:20-21)
“In all your ways know Him” (Proverbs 3:6) – whether things are going well or not. For when misfortune befalls a person, G‑d forbid, he should think that it comes to atone for his sins.
However, when a Tzaddik experiences good, he should worry that he is using up his merits. This is the meaning of: “…then Hashem (Y-H-V-H) shall be my G‑d (Elo-him).” Perhaps, [thought Jacob], the name Y-H-V-H, which represents the attribute of compassion, is in fact Elo-him – the attribute of Strict Judgment. Therefore, I must constantly add to my merit.
Tzava’as HaRivash, p. 12b; Ohr Torah, Vayetze

And Jacob lifted up his feet. (ibid. 29:1)
These are the aspect of the lowest levels. For when Tzaddikim experience a state of constricted-consciousness, they uplift the sparks that are relegated to the lowest levels.
Degel Machane Ephraim, Vayetze

Rachel was shapely and beautiful to look at. And Jacob loved Rachel… (ibid. 29:17-18)
This was because Jacob had the attribute of Tiferet (“Beauty”). Whenever he saw something attractive, he would say: “If this beauty so becomes a physical thing, how much higher would it be if it was dedicated to praising and glorifying G‑d.
Ohr Torah, Vayetze

He took along his kinsmen and pursued [Jacob] for seven days, and he overtook him in the Gilead Mountains. (ibid. 31:23)
It is known that mystically, Jacob corresponds to Da’at, for the aspects of Jacob and Moses are identical. The only difference is that one is within and the other without, one is the inner aspect of Da’at, and the other, the outer aspect of Da’at.
Now, before Jacob went to the House of Lavan, Da’at and Torah were in concealment. Numerous fundaments of Torah were scattered on the lowest levels because Da’at was not revealed in the world. Many of them were concealed in the house of Laban. These were the very words of Torah that are written in the sefer Torah describing Jacob’s deeds while there. These deeds held the potential Torah that Jacob removed and purified from the depth of the kelipot of Laban; for though his kelipot was great, Jacob extracted all of them during the twenty years he was there.

Thus, when Laban pursued Jacob, it was because some Torah still remained hidden within him. This made up the very verses that describe his pursuit and debate with Jacob, until the end of the parasha. The Torah in these verses remained clothed in Laban, for Jacob had not yet removed them. G‑d therefore caused Laban to pursue Jacob, in order to bring him the Torah that had not yet been fully removed. When he overtook Jacob, and spoke the words that are written, Jacob extracted them all, until nothing remained. For everything that happened with Laban, and all the events recorded in the verses, was all Torah and avodas Hashem. [His going there] was all in order to reveal Torah from the aspect of Haran, which is the depths of the impure shells, to cause a revelation of holiness, and include it in the supernal Torah.
Me’or Einayim, Vayetze

According to the Sefer Yetzirah the word ‎המקום‎ in this ‎verse is a reference to the name of G’d, [as we are familiar ‎with from the haggadah shel pessach, ‎ברוך המקום‎. Ed.] The ‎reason that this word serves as a euphemism for G’d’s name is to ‎remind us that He is ‎מקומו של העולם‎, “the One to Whom all of ‎‎‘Space’ belongs, seeing He has created it.” In keeping with this ‎approach we must translate the words: ‎וישם מראשותיו‎, as related ‎to ‎ראשית‎, “beginning of time,” i.e. the Jewish people featured first ‎in G’d’s thinking, and the word ‎וישכב‎, may be broken up into ‎יש ‏כ'ב‎, the material world i.e. ‎יש‎, is based on the 22 letters of the ‎Hebrew alphabet. [The letter ‎ו‎ at the beginning, is of ‎course, only a grammatical tool for turning the future tense into ‎an immediate past tense. Ed.]‎
Still another way of looking at this verse is based on a ‎statement in the Talmud Chagigah‎ 14. We are told there about ‎four sages who decided to investigate the mystical aspects of the ‎Torah, commonly known as the pardes, (acronym for the ‎four approaches to valid interpretations, ‎פשט, דרוש, רמז, סוד‎) Of ‎these 4 scholars only one returned unharmed either physically or ‎mentally, i.e. Rabbi Akiva. After his experience Rabbi Akiva ‎warned anyone who would emulate him that when he would ‎come to ‎אבני שיש טהור‎, “stones made of pure marble,” he should ‎not be misled into considering this ‎מים, מים‎, (mistaking the ‎phenomenon for completely transparent and therefore pure ‎water). Rabbi Akiva quoted a verse from psalms 101,7 ‎דובר שקרים ‏לא יכון נגד עיני‎, “he who speaks deceitfully shall not stand before ‎My eyes.”‎
In order to gain an understanding of what Rabbi Akiva alluded ‎to here, we must first of all remember a rule that governs all ‎legitimate exegesis of the Torah. The rule is that the 288 sparks ‎which descended into the material world from the primordial ‎world of Tohu, i.e. a world in which the Shechinah was ‎the only manifestation of a creative spirit, and attached ‎themselves to one or the other outstanding human being, have ‎one thing in common. The persons so endowed must believe ‎without doubt or reservation that all parts of the universe ‎wherever, are the product of the One and only Creator Who has ‎infused them with “life” (according to their respective functions). ‎Their continued existence is totally dependent on this Creator, ‎and this Creator dispenses of His largesse not only to those who ‎believe in Him but also to those who hate Israel. (and, by ‎extension, hate Him) The difference between the former (the ‎‎tzaddikim) and the latter consists primarily in the ability of ‎the tzaddikim to “pull down” additional largesse from the ‎celestial reservoir thanks to their standing in that hierarchy. In ‎doing so, they divert some of this largesse away from the infidels, ‎the wicked.

[MJF: God's "largesse" - eg how blessings are being distributed]

The tzaddikim, thanks to their service of the Creator ‎with all their hearts, enable G’d to “clothe Himself” in an ‎attribute reflecting a certain degree of “pride,” i.e. satisfaction ‎that free willed creatures whom He has created have turned to ‎Him, although they had options that appeared to them as an ‎easier way of coping with life on earth. [Some of these ‎words are mine, Ed.]Once G’d has clothed Himself in that ‎attribute, He looks at the wicked with disdain, withholding His ‎largesse from them. In due course, this process results in the ‎wicked on earth suffering a total defeat and this is what Moses ‎referred to in Exodus 15,1 when he described G’d as ‎אשירה ליהוה כי ‏גאה גאה סוס ורוכבו רמה בים‎, “let me raise my voice in song to ‎‎Hashem, Who has taken ‘pride’ in triumphing, hurling both ‎horse and its rider into the sea.” The downfall of the gentiles ‎occurs simply because G’d no longer supervises their fates.‎It follows that it can be said of the tzaddikim that by ‎means of their good deeds they are directly responsible for how, ‎to whom, and in what quantities G’d’s largesse is dispensed. The ‎vessels, i.e. instruments, used by the tzaddikim, are the ‎musical instruments with which the Levites accompany the ‎sacrificial offerings presented by the priests. The Levites would ‎raise or lower their voices on occasion when singing, in ‎accordance with the norms used by musicians. Raising their ‎voices meant that they wished G’d’s largesse to be withheld from ‎the wicked, whereas lowering their voices was an invitation to G’d ‎to dispense His largesse to all His creatures in the lower regions, ‎including the wicked, such largesse being the result of G’d’s ‎mercy and love for His creatures.‎
It is a rule, and that is why it is referred to in our sages’ ‎parlance as ‎כלל‎, something inclusive, all-embracing, that while ‎G’d’s largesse is in transit to earth, having commenced in the ‎celestial regions, this largesse does not have a specific colour, i.e. ‎is not addressed to anyone specifically. It is only when this ‎largesse reaches the creatures on earth that it is directed to ‎specific addresses. ‎
When we speak of largesse in general terms, we view this as ‎comprising all the letters in the alphabet, whereas when we speak ‎about specifics, we view this as the respective letters in the ‎alphabet. Different deserving people have different needs, so that ‎if someone is in need of being well received by the prospective ‎employer to whom he applies for a position, he needs to be ‎endowed with ‎חן‎, projecting an outgoing pleasant personality. It ‎is the task of G’d’s largesse in this case to be converted into the ‎letters that spell ‎חן‎, charm, grace. If another tzaddik is in ‎need of immediate parnassah, livelihood, for himself and his ‎family, the means to purchase food, then G’d’s largesse needs to ‎be translated into the letters of the alphabet appropriate for this. ‎This process of the largesse being translated into immediately ‎usable form is known as ‎רוחב‎, “width;” as it alludes to the ability ‎of G’d’s largesse to adapt to the individual needs of different ‎people. The word ‎רוחב‎ is especially appropriate in this ‎connection, as width may be extended in either direction, i.e. the ‎‎tzaddikim are free to direct relatively more of G’d’s largesse ‎in the direction of the righteous or the wicked, as they may see ‎fit.‎

The Talmud Yuma 77, relates that there was a fountain ‎of water emanating from the Holy of Holies inside the Temple, (or ‎beneath its floor) which at its source was as thin as the point of a ‎needle, but dramatically increased in width as it progressed. It ‎describes this dramatic increase in width in its stages so that by ‎the time the water of this fountain left the holy precincts of the ‎Temple compound it had swollen to be like the spout of a small ‎jar. The Talmud illustrates how the largesse emanating from G’d ‎increases dramatically as it reaches regions where it is really ‎needed. Eventually this fountain becomes a river or stream ‎providing from its life giving waters to even the most distant ‎parts of the worlds, our planet. Our author elaborates somewhat ‎on the intermediate stages described in the Talmud in detail; I ‎believe the point has been made, so I’ll skip this.‎

‎ Our author proceeds to analyze each word in the ‎Talmud’s parable. He states further that in his sleep, the ‎‎tzaddik triggers the dispensation of G’d’s largesse, as during ‎his sleep, when his soul is in the celestial regions, he conveys ‎thoughts in those regions that he had been entertaining in his ‎waking hours. His Creator is especially receptive to his wishes ‎while his soul is close to Him during his sleep. According to the ‎‎Sefer Yetzirah, chapter 4, the letters of the Hebrew alphabet ‎are also known as ‎אבנים‎, “stones,” the author describing them as ‎being used to build the physical universe and engraving ‎themselves on respective parts of it. In light of the description in ‎the Sefer Yetzirah, it is easy for us to understand that when ‎Yaakov lay down after having taken from “the stones of G’d,” i.e. ‎the letters G’d had used in creating His universe, that he prepared ‎during his sleep to beseech G’d to dispense of His largesse to His ‎creatures on earth.‎
‎ Our author proceeds to analyze each word in the ‎Talmud’s parable. He states further that in his sleep, the ‎‎tzaddik triggers the dispensation of G’d’s largesse, as during ‎his sleep, when his soul is in the celestial regions, he conveys ‎thoughts in those regions that he had been entertaining in his ‎waking hours. His Creator is especially receptive to his wishes ‎while his soul is close to Him during his sleep. According to the ‎‎Sefer Yetzirah, chapter 4, the letters of the Hebrew alphabet ‎are also known as ‎אבנים‎, “stones,” the author describing them as ‎being used to build the physical universe and engraving ‎themselves on respective parts of it. In light of the description in ‎the Sefer Yetzirah, it is easy for us to understand that when ‎Yaakov lay down after having taken from “the stones of G’d,” i.e. ‎the letters G’d had used in creating His universe, that he prepared ‎during his sleep to beseech G’d to dispense of His largesse to His ‎creatures on earth.‎