Page 412 - BERESHIT

did Yaakov’s departure create a void if Yitzchak still continued to live
there? There are several answers.

1. The splendor and glory that Yaakov’s presence conferred onto Be’er
Sheva was in contrast to his brother’s presence.

2. Yitzchak Avinu no longer had the vigor of youth and did not learn
Torah with the same exuberant voice as Yaakov did. When Yaakov left
Be’er Sheva, his voice of Torah was replaced only by the sound of Eisav’s
sword jingling at his side.

3. Yitzchak personified the pillar of tefillah. Yaakov, on the other hand,
embodied the attribute of Torah. Because the pillar of Torah supersedes
that of tefillah, Yaakov’s departure left its mark on the residents of Be’er
Sheva.

Ordinarily, only someone who has a serious ailment or paralysis, chas
v’shalom, needs to lift their feet in order to walk. Why does the Torah
describe how Yaakov walked? Once he realized that he was at the very
gates of Heaven, Yaakov did not want to part ways. Yaakov had to order
his feet to pick themselves up and start walking. This is why the pasuk
says, “So Yaakov lifted his feet and went.”

Yaakov made an altar because he wanted to save a memento of his Divine

encounter and commemorate his spiritual gains. A small flask of oil

miraculously appeared, which Yaakov used to anoint and consecrate this

altar. The word has the same letters as the word . Yaakov’s

symbolizes the human body, which is marked by the placement of

a upon one’s grave. By placing a stone altar, Yaakov remembered

man’s frailty and eventual interment. Hashem reassured Yaakov by

miraculously sending a flask of oil, hinting that He would watch over his

as well.

When Yaakov returned to Canaan, he said, “I dwelled with Lavan and

kept all 613 mitzvot.” Similarly, the pasuk says, , which

refers to his returning (complete) in body and spirit. Despite the

length of his trip and the nisayon of Lavan’s house, the inanimate stone

altar did its job of keeping Yaakov in touch with his ultimate goal.