Parashat Vayetzei

December 1, 2022

Rabbi Harry Pell, Associate Head of School

When we think of the important moments in Parashat Vayetzei, there are many that likely stick out in our minds. For me, I think of Yaakov escaping from his brother Esav, and then his dream of angels ascending and descending the ladder. I think of Yaakov’s time with Lavan, during which he meets and ultimately marries first Leah, and then Rachel, even if he would have preferred the reverse. And I think of Yaakov’s realization that he can’t stay with Lavan and that he must therefore go on his way, even if that means eventually facing Esav.
When we focus on these highlights of the parashah, it’s easy to think of them as the major moments of intensity for Yaakov, and it would follow that they must be the most important aspects of this week’s reading. If there is wisdom to be drawn from the parashah, it would stand to reason that the wisdom must be tied to these moments that stand out. But what if, in focusing on what stands out, we miss the backdrop?

In a beautiful display of biblical symmetry, the very first pasuk of Parashat Vayetzei sees Yaakov on a journey:
וַיֵּצֵ֥א יַעֲקֹ֖ב מִבְּאֵ֣ר שָׁ֑בַע וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ חָרָֽנָה׃ 
Jacob left Beer-sheba, and set out for Haran.

And the second to last pasuk also sees Yaakov on a journey:
וְיַעֲקֹ֖ב הָלַ֣ךְ לְדַרְכּ֑וֹ וַיִּפְגְּעוּ־ב֖וֹ מַלְאֲכֵ֥י אֱלֹהִֽים׃ 
Jacob went on his way, and messengers of God encountered him.

Yaakov is on a journey when the parashah begins, and again as the parashah is ending. Or perhaps what the Torah is trying to teach us is that Yaakov was on a journey the entire time, even when he was in Haran. The highlights of the parashah weren’t just episodes in Yaakov’s life, but milestones in the ongoing journey of Yaakov’s life, literally and figuratively. 

And maybe the Torah isn’t just teaching us that Yaakov was on a journey, but that each of us is on a journey. Each of our lives is a journey. Like Yaakov, we may think that the purpose of our lives is to get where we are going and to accomplish what we are meant to accomplish, but actually, the journey is never-ending for as long as we are fortunate to be on it. We never get where we are going, we never stop learning and growing, and we are never “done.” As the oft-quoted saying of unknown authorship goes — life is a journey, travel it well.

Shabbat Shalom