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Parashah Insights by

Rabbi Yaakov Hillel Rosh Yeshivat Ahavat Shalom

Parashat Vayetze

Impressions of Sanctity

A Tzaddik’s Departure

“And Yaakov left Beer Sheva, and he went to Haran” (Bereshit 28:10).

Rashi, citing the Sages (Bereshit Rabbah 58:6), explains the wording of this

verse.

“And he left: it should have said only, ‘and Yaakov went to Haran.’ Why does it

[also] mention his departure [from Beer Sheva]? To teach us that the departure of a

righteous individual from a place makes an impression. For when a tzaddik is in a

city, he is its glory, its radiance, its beauty. When he leaves there, its glory leaves, its

radiance leaves, and its beauty leaves.”

“Glory” refers to good deeds, “radiance” to Torah, and “beauty” to good middot.

When a tzaddik leaves, all these qualities go with him. The holiness of a tzaddik is

like a powerful light source. The brilliant illumination of the light itself also casts a

more distant aura. When a tzaddik departs, the bright light force is gone, but the

aura, a faint glow of his spiritual light, still lingers on. This glow of sanctity will be

there forever, a source of blessing to all who live there.

Why do our Sages say that a tzaddik’s departure leaves behind an impression,

suggesting a positive, tangible presence, rather than saying that when he leaves,

there is a lack and his presence is missed?

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The Mekubalim teach that the departure of any sanctified entity makes an

impression (Etz Hayyim, Shaar Chaf-heh, Derush Zayin). The same is true of a

righteous individual who studied Torah, prayed, and served Hashem in a certain

place. He makes an imprint of sanctity there.

With this in mind, we can understand an interesting incident recorded by a

student of the Arizal. The Arizal would take his students to learn out in the fields,1 in

order to gather the “sparks of holiness” scattered in these out-of-the-way places.2

They noticed that the Arizal always left the beaten paths, and took them instead

through tortuous routes, maneuvering over boulders, bushes, tree trunks and

thorns. His students wondered. There was a path; why not use it, instead of

scrambling over the rocks? When they questioned him, he explained that the paths

had been leveled by Arab donkey and camel drivers, who had cleared the road for

themselves and their animals. The paths he led them through were paths of

holiness, tread by our saintly Forefathers. By walking along them, the Forefathers

had permanently imbued them with sanctity. As proof, he cited the verse, “The path

of the righteous is like the glow of sunlight, growing brighter until high noon”

(Mishle 4:18). The aura left behind by tzaddikim by walking the road lasts forever.

A Tzaddik’s Belongings

This is true not only of the tzaddik himself, but even of his belongings. Any object

which comes into contact with a tzaddik is elevated spiritually, absorbing the

impression of sanctity imprinted by his use. The Ramhal discusses this concept in

Mesillat Yesharim (Chapter 1).

He writes that it is a great source of spiritual elevation for any created entity to

serve a tzaddik, as we learn from our Sages’ words concerning the light which the

Al-mighty preserved for the righteous: “When the light saw that it would be hidden

away for the righteous, it rejoiced, as is written (Mishle 13:9), ‘The light of the

righteous rejoices’” (Hagigah 12a). The Ramhal also cites the Sages’ teaching about

the twelve stones which Yaakov placed around his head at Mt. Moriah: “They all

gathered together to one place, and each one said, ‘let the righteous one rest his

head on me’” (Hullin 91b).

1 By going to isolated, uninhabited areas, they fulfilled the pious concept of “going into exile,”

sharing, as it were, in the “exile” the Divine Presence has endured since the Destruction of the

Temple. 2 According to Kabbalistic teachings, there are “sparks of holiness” (nitzotzot) scattered

everywhere in our world, which must be retrieved and rectified by learning Torah in the remote

places where they are located. The Hidda teaches that this is the meaning of the term shakle

v’azle, literally “collecting and walking,” used in the Gemara (Devash L’Fi, Maarechet Bet, Ot tet-

vav.)

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An early example of this principle is the story of our Forefather Avraham’s

acquisition of the field of Efron the Hittite, the site of the Cave of Machpelah. The

Torah describes the transaction in the following words: “Vayakam sedeh Efron …

And the field of Efron which was in Machpelah which is before Mamre... became the

possession of Avraham”(Bereshit 23:17-18). Rashi explains the significance of the

unusual wording vayakam sedeh Efron, literally translated as “the field of Efron was

uplifted.” He writes, “Tekumah haytah lo. It was uplifted in that it left the possession

of a commoner and became the possession of a king.” The sole change in the

property was the transfer of ownership, and yet, once it became the possession of

our saintly Forefather Avraham, even a simple plot of ground was spiritually elevated.

An insight from the Hatam Sofer teaches us how very great the impact of an

owner on his belongings can be (Commentary on Bereshit 27:19,36).

When Yitzhak grew old, he instructed his son Esav to slaughter an animal and

prepare a meal for him, so that he would be worthy of a blessing. Rivkah, who had a

greater awareness of the true spiritual standing of her twin sons, overheard the

conversation, and insisted that Yaakov pose as Esav and receive the blessings in his

stead. To aid in the impersonation, she had Yaakov wear Esav’s cherished one-of-a-

kind clothing. The Hatam Sofer points out that for a tzaddik such as Yaakov, his

speech to his father on this occasion was perhaps a bit gruff – he told Yitzhak that he

had done what he wanted, and that he should just sit down and eat so that he could

get his blessing. In addition, Yaakov, an extremely pious person, spoke in a manner

which lent itself to double meanings. Esav, on the other hand, when he approached

his father to serve him, was surprisingly polite, even addressing him in the third

person (Bereshit 27:1-31).

What had happened to make the brothers step out of character like this?

The Hatam Sofer explains. When Yaakov spoke brusquely to Yitzhak, he was

wearing Esav’s clothing. The garments belonging to this wicked man had a

negative impact on Yaakov’s behavior. By the time he removed them, though, he

had imparted some of his own piety and sanctity to the clothing, so that when Esav

next put them on, he was moved to speak respectfully to Yitzhak.

Another example involving Yaakov is his overnight stay at Mt. Moriah, the future

site of the Bet HaMikdash, while on his way to Lavan’s home in Haran. Yaakov had

just spent fourteen years of intensive study in the yeshivah of Shem and Ever – so

intensive, our Sages tell us, that during that entire time, he did not once stretch out

in a bed for a good night’s sleep. When he settled down for the night in the open

field, he set up twelve stones from the altar erected by Avraham as a protective

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barrier around his head. One stone would be the “pillow” on which he would rest his

head. All the stones began clamoring for the privilege of serving as Yaakov’s pillow,

and miraculously, the twelve stones merged into one (Bereshit 28:11, Rashi;

Bereshit Rabbah 68:11,13; Hullin 91b).

Our Sages teach that the twelve stones represent the twelve Tribes of Israel

(Bereshit Rabbah 68:11). They combined into one single stone to show that they all

shared the same common goal, that of serving the tzaddik Yaakov. The Torah

continues, “And Yaakov rose early in the morning, and he took the stone he had

placed under his head, and he set it up as a monument and he poured oil over it”

(Bereshit 28:18). Centuries later, this stone monument became the cornerstone of

the Bet HaMikdash.

In this case, Yaakov had merely rested his head on the stone while he slept. And

yet, this was enough to instill it with such sanctity that it became the very foundation

of our Holy Temple! It follows that the physical person of a tzaddik who lives a life of

pure holiness is itself imbued with very great sanctity.

We also find this concept in the teachings of our Sages. They relate the story of

an elderly man from the Galilee was able to annul a problematic vow made by Rabbi

Shimon. When the Sages asked him how he had known what to do, he told them

that he was in possession of Rabbi Meir’s staff. Just looking at this holy object had

enlightened him with wisdom (Jerusalem Talmud Nedarim 29b).

With this in mind, we can also understand the events surrounding a halchic

dispute among the Sages. Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol (the Great) ruled one way, and the

other Sages ruled the opposite. In an attempt to prove his point, Rabbi Eliezer said,

“‘If the halachah is in keeping with my opinion, let the walls of the bet midrash

prove it.’ The walls of the bet midrash started tilting downward. Rabbi Yehoshua

reprimanded them, saying, ‘If Torah scholars are arguing with one another about a

matter of halachah, what is it to you?’ They did not fall because of the honor of

Rabbi Yehoshua, and they did not straighten up because of the honor of Rabbi

Eliezer” (Baba Metzia 59b).

What sort of proof are “the walls of the bet midrash,” and what relevance do they

have to a halachic dispute? While they obviously could not testify to the truth of a

halachic ruling, they could testify to something else: Rabbi Eliezer’s enormous

stature as a Torah scholar. The walls of the bet midrash where he had spent so

many hours, days, and years in intensive learning had absorbed the sanctity of his

Torah study, so much so that they defied nature and leaned over in his honor, in

order to prove his point.

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What was true of inanimate objects belonging to our great Sages was also true of

the animals they owned.

Our Sages tell us, “If the ancients are sons of angels then we are sons of man

(human beings). And if the ancients are sons of man, then we are like donkeys, and

not like the donkey of Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa and of Rabbi Pinhas ben Yair, but like

other donkeys” (Shabbat 112b). Rabbi Pinhas ben Yair’s donkey was special indeed;

our Sages relate that it could tell with just a quick whiff whether or not its fodder had

been tithed (Hullin 7a)! The Arizal teaches that simply by riding on it, Rabbi Pinhas

ben Yair had elevated a humble animal to an impressive level of spirituality (Shaar

HaMitzvot, Parashat Ekev, p. 42a).

As we see, a great tzaddik has the power to imbue even inanimate objects, as

well as living beings, with something of his sanctity.

Imprints of Evil

There is a principle that “G-d has made the one corresponding to the other”

(Kohelet 7:14), meaning two opposing forces which parallel one another. Just as the

sanctity of the righteous has the power to elevate, so too, the impurity of the wicked

has the power to defile and debase. This principle is highlighted in King David’s

words, “Happy is the man who did not walk in the counsel of the wicked, and in the

way of the sinners he did not stand, and in a gathering place of scoffers he did not

sit” (Tehillim 1:1).

The wording of the verse indicates that it was not only when the sinners and

scoffers were physically present that he stayed away from their haunts. Even after

they had left the scene, he still kept his distance, because the imprint of impurity that

the wicked impart clings to the location permanently. The power of that entrenched

impurity affects those who stand or sit there, even long after they are gone.

Based on this concept, we can explain our Sages’ teaching in Avot (3:2), which

cites this verse: “Rabbi Hanina ben Teradyon says, two who sit together with no

words of Torah between them are a gathering of scoffers, as it says, ‘And in a

gathering place of scoffers he did not sit.’”

Our Sages’ statement is surprising. How can we imagine two Jews sitting

together without sharing words of Torah? The Tanna tells us how this came about: it

is because they are seated in “a gathering place of scoffers.” Sometime before these

two gentlemen took their seats, the room had been occupied by sinners and

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scoffers, who defiled it with their evil deeds and words. The bad influence sank in,

causing even those who came by later, when they were already gone, to sit idly and

waste a golden opportunity for Torah study.

The Tanna continues, “But two who sit together and there are words of Torah

between them, the Divine Presence resides between them.”

When two people sit together and discuss Torah, it also tells us something about

the place where they are sitting: it must be that the Shechinah was already present,

brought to dwell there by tzaddikim who sanctified the location with their Torah and

mitzvot. Their positive influence still lingers on, and it inspires those who come later

to follow in their footsteps.

We find this principle in another teaching of our Sages as well. “When a person

sins in a closed room, who will testify against him? The walls and the roof” (Taanit

11a).

Our actions, carried out in the privacy of our homes, leave an indelible impression

on the walls around us.

The Sages describe the devastating extent of the damage wrought even on

lifeless entities by evil: “And G-d said to Noah, the end of all flesh has come before

Me, for the land is full of corruption because of them. I will destroy them from the

earth” (Bereshit 6:13). They teach that “even the three handbreadths that the plow

penetrates into the earth were destroyed” (Bereshit Rabbah 31:7) The earth was

lifeless and obviously incapable of sin, yet it was affected nonetheless by the

wickedness of its inhabitants. As the Torah tells us, “And the earth had become

corrupted before G-d” (Bereshit 6:11), leading to its destruction.

Dedicated by the Akedah

As we said, when Yaakov slept on Mt. Moriah, where he had his prophetic dream,

he established it as the future site of the Bet Hamikdash. However, even before

Yaakov, Avraham and Yitzhak had consecrated it as the future site of the Mikdash,

with Akedat Yitzhak (the Binding of Yitzhak). Akedat Yitzhak was an incredibly lofty

act of utter dedication to the Al-mighty on the part of our two saintly Forefathers.

For each of them, the test was greater than we may realize, because with the

Akedah, they were called upon to negate their own nature, the inherent lifelong trait

related to the root of their souls.

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Avraham was the ish hahesed, the man of lovingkindness; hesed was his very

essence. At the Akedah, he was commanded to behave cruelly not merely to a fellow

human being, but to his beloved, long-awaited only son. What is more, with the act

of slaughtering this son he would literally lose everything, for this was the child of

whom Hashem had said, “For through Yitzhak you will be considered to have

descendents” (Bereshit 21:12). By killing him, he would be severing his sole living

branch with his own hands.

There was even more to it than that. Avraham had spent his life educating the

world about the evils of human sacrifice, in particular the unspeakable practice of

sacrificing one’s children to the Molech, an infamous idolatrous deity of the times.

Now, with a single swipe of the blade, he would destroy his entire way of life, his

future, his progeny, and everything he had stood for – in public – throughout his life.

Because he was Avraham Avinu, he did it without hesitation, doubt, or question.

When it came to fulfilling Hashem’s Will, Avraham, the ish hahesed, was stronger

than iron.

Yitzhak’s primary trait was gevurah (Might), also known as din (Strict Judgment).

The trait of din is expressed in our Sages’ teaching, “let judgment (din) pierce the

mountain” (Yevamot 92a). Din does not veer from the straight and narrow path.

From the standpoint of din, there was no reason for Yitzhak to be killed; he certainly

did not deserve to die. By Yitzhak’s inherent nature, he should have insisted that he

be allowed to live and carry on his mission, without allowing anything whatsoever to

sidetrack him from this purpose.

And yet, Yitzhak gave himself up without a second thought, out of sheer love for

the Al-mighty – a supreme act of hesed. With this most difficult of trials, Avraham

and Yitzhak reached the highest levels of perfection, laying the foundation for the

building of the Bet HaMikdash.

Sanctified with Torah

However, the Heavenly Chariot is only complete when it has all three legs.

Yaakov, the third Forefather, also had to lay his own foundations at the site of the

Temple.

Yaakov, the “tzaddik of the world” (Avodat HaKodesh, Chapter 64), was the elite

of the Forefathers (Bereshit Rabbah 76:1). Our Sages tell us that “his bed was

perfect, [meaning that] all his sons were righteous” (Vayikra Rabbah 36:5), and that

“his image is engraved on Hashem’s Throne” (Targum Yonatan, Bereshit 28:12). In

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his sleep, Yaakov completed the task begun by Avraham and Yitzhak in their greatest

of trials. What was Yaakov’s special spiritual strength?

Yaakov, the prototype talmid hacham, was the “perfect man who dwelled in [the]

tents” of Torah study (Bereshit 25:27, Rashi). Our Sages teach that he “established

tents for Torah study (Pesikta Rabbati 5). He embodied truth, as we learn from the

verse “Grant truth to Yaakov” (Michah 7:20), and there is no truth other than Torah

(Jerusalem Talmud Rosh Hashanah 3:8). Yaakov was Torah: this was his great

spiritual power.

Let us try to understand more about how Yaakov completed the holy task begun

by Avraham and Yitzhak.

On his way to Haran and the home of Lavan, Yaakov made a stop to pray at Mt.

Moriah, the holy site where his saintly father and grandfather had prayed. It was still

daylight when he concluded his prayers, so he prepared to continue with his journey.

Suddenly the world around him turned pitch black, in the middle of the day! The

darkness was so thick and heavy that he was unable to travel any further. Hashem

had caused the sun to set early in order to detain Yaakov in the place where His

Shechinah was destined to dwell (Bereshit 28:11, Rashi; Bereshit Rabbah 58:10).

As we said, during the fourteen years that Yaakov learned in the yeshivah of

Shem and Ever, he had never allowed himself a decent night’s sleep. He reached

such a high level of sanctity that when he did finally lie down on Mt. Moriah, this act

alone made so powerful an impact on the sacred spot that it laid the foundation for

the building of the Bet HaMikdash.

That night, Yaakov was granted the prophetic vision of “a ladder standing on

earth and its head reaches the Heavens, and angels of G-d are going up and down

upon it” (Bereshit 28:12). Through this dream, he was shown the holiness of the

place where he was lying: it had a direct connection to Hashem’s Heavenly Throne.

In the words of the Torah, “And behold, Hashem was standing over him” (28:13).

This place was the connecting link between Heaven and earth.

Hashem told Yaakov, “I am Hashem, the G-d of Avraham your father and the G-d

of Yitzhak. The land you are lying on I will give to you and to your descendents”

(ibid.).

The connection between Yaakov and the land already existed, because of the

groundwork laid by Avraham and Yitzhak. Now Yaakov, by lying down on that

ground, forged the ultimate bond, consecrating it as the future site of the Bet

HaMikdash, G-d’s dwelling place on earth.

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Our Sages teach that just as there is a Bet HaMikdash on earth, there is a parallel

Bet HaMikdash in Heaven (see Rashi on Bereshit 28:17). The site where Yaakov

slept would forever be the junction connecting the two. Through this sacred spot,

blessing would descend to earth, to be channeled to Eretz Yisrael and from there, to

the rest of the world (Zohar, vol. III, p. 36a). Of this Hashem told him, “and all the

families of the earth will be blessed in you” (28:14).

When Yaakov awoke, he understood how very holy this mountain was. He said,

“Indeed G-d is in this place, and I did not know.” Realizing that it was the site of the

earthly counterpart of the Heavenly Bet HaMikdash, he continued, “How awesome

is this place. It is none other then the House of G-d, and this is the Gateway to

Heaven” (28:18)

Yaakov then “took the stone he had placed under his head, and he set it up as a

monument and he poured oil over it” (ibid.). This was the stone formed by the twelve

smaller stones which had longed to serve the saintly Yaakov. With the physical act of

lifting the stone and dedicating as an altar to G-d, he established it as the future

cornerstone of the Bet Hamikdash, the eternal resting place of the Shechinah.

The power of a talmid hacham’s presence is great enough to found the Bet

HaMikdash. Yaakov, who embodied Torah, had only to rest his head on the ground

to complete the work of his saintly ancestors.3

The Founders of the Sanctuary

The Zohar (vol. I p.11a) interprets the verse “And I, with Your great lovingkindness

shall come to Your House, I will bow to your Holy Sanctuary in fear of You” (Tehillim

5:8) in relation to the Forefathers: “‘And I, with Your great lovingkindness,’ is

Avraham. ‘I will bow to your Holy Sanctuary’ is Yitzhak. ‘In fear of You’ is Yaakov.”

What does the Zohar teach us with this statement?

The whole world was founded on the Rock of Shetiyah, at the heart of the Bet

HaMikdash. This site on Mt. Moriah is the gateway to Heaven, through which

Heavenly influx descends to earth, as our Forefather Yaakov saw in his prophetic

3 We may find it surprising that such great spiritual significance is attributed to Yaakov’s act of

lying down to sleep, surely a mundane physical function. However, this teaches us an important

lesson. Everything a Torah scholar does is imbued with sanctity. Our Sages mention the concept

of “the Dew of Resurrection” which Hashem will use to restore the dead to life in the future

(Hagigah 12b). That dew will be composed of the moisture that slips out of a weary Torah’s

scholar’s mouth as he falls into an exhausted sleep, because that too is holy.

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dream. Even before Creation, Hashem knew that this would be the place where He

would rest His Divine Presence, just as He foresaw everything that would transpire

throughout the history of the world.

Nevertheless, it was Hashem’s Will that the site be consecrated specifically by all

three Forefathers. Avraham and Yitzhak dedicated it with the Akedah, when Avraham

sacrificed his son and Yitzhak sacrificed his own life. This great act of devotion

sanctified it as the place where the Shechinah would dwell on earth, where sacrifices

would be offered and favorably accepted by the Al-mighty.

With the power of his Torah, Yaakov did even more. By sleeping on Mt. Moriah,

he established it as the site parallel to the Bet HaMikdash on high. This is the

meaning of his prophetic dream of “a ladder standing on earth and its head reaches

the Heavens.” It was Yaakov who made the Rock of Shetiyah the link connecting

Heaven and earth.

This was the enormous spiritual impact the tzaddik Yaakov made when he lay

down to sleep.

Early Impressions

In our times, perhaps even more than ever before, this parashah bears a critical

and very relevant lesson. We are inundated with negative influences at every turn.

Technology, the media, and sophisticated communications surround us everywhere.

The messages they impart and the morals they espouse are antithetical to Torah,

and we are constantly exposed. Of spiritual demons our Sages write, “Had

permission been granted to see them, no human being would be able to survive it”

(Berachot 6a). Today, the very air we breathe is filled with “demons” of another sort:

sound waves and visual images which freely transmit the worst of wickedness and

heresy to their attentive audiences. Our senses are relentlessly assaulted with

impurity, and it makes its mark on us from our earliest days.

We read of our people’s great Torah scholars in earlier eras and we are awed.

They were holy even in their youth, and acquired extensive, in-depth knowledge of all

facets of Torah. They achieved great heights in sanctity, refined middot, and

attained towering levels of spirituality. And yet, they were also people. How did they

climb so high? The answer is simple: they were spared the flood of negative, impure

influences which assails our generation.

We also want our children to grow in Torah, middot, and fear of Heaven, please

G-d. We can give them that opportunity, by clearing our homes and our lives of the

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impure influences which destroy sanctity. If we wonder why some of our children

feel little attachment to Torah and fall away from our sacred traditions, G-d forbid,

this is the answer. From childhood on, they are filled with impressions and ideas

contradictory to Torah values. They do their work, and our children are harmed,

sometimes even lost entirely, G-d forbid.

We as parents can make a firm commitment to do our very best to guard our

precious children from negative influences. We can see to it that they are exposed

only to what is positive and holy. If we do so, then with Hashem’s help, we will be

privileged to see great nahat from our sons and daughters.

This essay contains divre Torah. Please treat it with proper respect.