There is a wonderful lesson in the pattern and rhythm of this week’s portion. Our story starts with the famous dream of the Angel’s going up and down the latter. Hashem reveals himself and promises Jacob that he would be the father of a people and that he would be protected.
Then the portion proceeds to tell us of fourteen years of hard labor for Jacob – while being lied to and deceived into marrying a different woman than he was promised. The pattern that sticks out is both simple and instructive.
The promise of success is an obligation to hard work – not a relief from it.
We see the pattern time again in the Torah – but this week’s portion makes it stand out. Being “chosen” is not simply a promise of a land – it is a covenant. It is a contract, and our side of the deal is a commitment to more work, more responsibility. The potential for greatness, or impact, is both and explicit and implicit call for more work, not less.
So if our potential and impact is to be a partner with Hashem in perfection the world through covenant… how great is the work that is required? What is the commitment that this potential calls for?
A destiny (or prophecy as in this week’s parsha) does not free you from effort – it obligates you to more.
The work we put in dictates how far along we can push our part of the partnership. That is our part. A call to action that is powerful and directed.
If we follow Jacob’s lead we can take this promise of covenant as an engine for impact – we must remember that like Jacob, we must work hard, toil and be willing to risk ourselves and our effort, and only then we can create hope for greatness.
Shabbat Shalom
General Overview: In this week's reading, Vayeitzei, Jacob travels to his uncle Laban. En route he stops at the Temple Mount where G‑d appears and assures him that he will return safely to the Land of Canaan. Jacob stays for twenty years in Charan before returning to Canaan. During his stay he shepherds Laban's sheep, and survives and prospers despite all his uncle's attempted deceptions. He marries Leah and Rachel, and the first eleven tribes are born.
First Aliyah: Jacob left Be'er Sheba and headed towards Charan, to his uncle Laban's home. While traveling, Jacob encountered "the place" (Mount Moriah) and since the sun had set, he lay down to sleep. In a dream he saw a ladder reaching up to heaven with angels ascending and descending its rungs. G‑d appeared and informed him that He would bequeath the entire land to his descendants, and that He would safeguard him until he returned to Canaan. Jacob awoke, and now recognizing the holiness of the location, he erected a monument to G‑d, named the location Beth El ("House of G‑d"), and vowed to tithe all his belongings when G‑d's promise of a safe return would be fulfilled.
Second Aliyah: Jacob continued on his journey, and arrived at a well located on the outskirts of Charan. Upon seeing Rachel, Laban's younger daughter, arriving with her father's sheep, Jacob single-handedly rolled off the heavy rock that sat atop the well, and gave water to the flock. Rachel told her father about the new arrival, and Laban rushed out to greet Jacob. Jacob went to Laban's home, and after spending a month, Laban offered Jacob the job of tending to his herds, and asked Jacob what he wished in terms of wages.
Third Aliyah: Laban had two daughters, the aforementioned Rachel, and her older sister Leah. Jacob loved Rachel and offered to serve Laban for seven years in exchange for her hand in marriage. Laban accepted the deal. After the seven years of service passed, Jacob asked Laban to make good on his word. Laban arranged a wedding feast, but switched daughters, giving Leah instead of Rachel. When Jacob protested, Laban offered to give Rachel too—in exchange for another seven years of service. One week later Jacob married Rachel, and began serving an additional seven years. Leah gave birth to four children – Reuben, Simon, Levi, and Judah – but Rachel remained barren. Rachel and Leah both gave their handmaids to Jacob as concubines. Rachel's maid, Bilhah, bore two children – Dan and Naftali – and Leah's maid also bore two children—Gad and Asher.
Fourth Aliyah: One spring day, Reuben picked jasmine plants from the field, and brought them to his mother. Rachel asks Leah for some of them, and Leah agreed, provided that Rachel relinquishes her turn with Jacob that night. Leah gave birth to another two sons – Issachar and Zebulun – and one daughter—Dinah. Eventually, Rachel, too, gave birth to a son, whom she named Joseph. At that point, Jacob asked Laban for permission to take his wives and children and return to Canaan. In response, Laban pointed out that his divinations revealed that his great wealth and blessings were due to Jacob's presence in his home.
Fifth Aliyah: "Specify your wages," Laban told Jacob. "And I will give it!" Jacob proposed that all the streaked and spotted sheep that would be born to Laban's sheep would constitute his payment. In return, Jacob would continue caring for Laban's flocks. Laban immediately removed all the existing spotted and streaked sheep from the herd and put them under his sons' charge—thus differentiating between the current ones, which belonged to Laban, and the to-be-born ones, that would belong to Jacob. Jacob made striped poles for the strong and robust sheep to view while they were mating. As a result, the sheep gave birth to striped offspring, and Jacob became fabulously wealthy—despite Laban's deceptive practices, and his continual changing of the terms of Jacob's pay. After an additional six years of service, G‑d commanded Jacob to return to Canaan. Jacob summoned his wives, who agreed that the time has arrived to leave.
Sixth Aliyah: Seizing an opportunity when Laban was away, Jacob took his family and belongings and slipped away. Before departing, Rachel stole one of Laban's idols. Laban pursued them. On the night before he reached them, G‑d warned Laban in a dream not to harm Jacob or his family. Laban reached Jacob on Mount Gilead and complained that he was deprived of the opportunity to bid them an appropriate farewell, and protested the theft of his idols. Jacob suggested that Laban search for his idol amongst his belongings, but Laban turned up empty-handed in his search.
Seventh Aliyah: Laban and Jacob made a peace treaty and erected a stone monument to seal the pact. Laban returned to Charan, and Jacob continued on his way. When he entered Canaan, he was greeted by a delegation of welcoming angels.
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