Carrying the inner Shabbos point into galus

ויצא יעקב מבאר שבע כו'.

"And Yaakov went out from Be'er Sheva…" (Bereishis 28:10).

The parsha opens with Yaakov departing from Be'er Sheva on his way to Charan — a journey the Sefas Emes reads as a model for living in galus.

בודאי הי' יציאה זו הכנה ועצה על הגלות שנוכל לתקן עצמינו גם בחו"ל.

Surely this departure was a preparation and a strategy for the galus, so that we would be able to repair ourselves even outside the Land.

Yaakov's leaving Eretz Yisrael was meant to forge a path for his descendants, teaching that spiritual refinement is possible even in exile.

ויעקב אע"ה הכניס עצמו ברצון במקום שנסתר ונעלם כבוד ה' להמשיך גם שמה כבוד שמו.

And Yaakov, our father, peace be upon him, willingly entered a place where the glory of Hashem is hidden and concealed, in order to draw the glory of His Name even there.

Yaakov deliberately went into a place of concealment in order to reveal Hashem's presence even in the darkest, most hidden places.

ובאר שבע הוא בחי' שבת והיא הנקודה הנותנת חיים לכל הדברים שנכללים בשבע מדות.

And Be'er Sheva is the aspect of Shabbos, which is the inner point that gives life to all things — which are included within the seven middos.

"Be'er Sheva" (the well of seven) hints at Shabbos, the source-point that vitalizes the seven middos (the seven lower sefiros through which all creation is sustained).

ומ"מ אף שיצא משם.

And nevertheless, even though he went out from there,

Although Yaakov physically left Be'er Sheva,

הפי' ג"כ שהי' מקודם דבוק בפנימיות החיות שהוא באר שבע דהיינו שלא הי' דבוק בגשמיות ומדות רק בחיות השי"ת בלבד.

the meaning is also that he had first been attached to the inner vitality — which is Be'er Sheva — that is, he was not attached to physicality or to the middos, but only to the life-force of Hashem alone.

His "going out from Be'er Sheva" also means he carried its inner light with him: before leaving he had bound himself to the inner vitality of Hashem, not to material things, so he took that connection into Charan.

ובמדרש אז תלך לבטח ויצא יעקב כו'.

And in the Midrash: "Then (az) you will walk securely" (Mishlei 3:23) — [applied to] "And Yaakov went out…"

The Midrash connects Yaakov's secure journey to the word "az" (then), which the Sefas Emes now unpacks.

כי פי' אז כמו אז ישיר שפי' ז"ל הדביקות בבחי' הח' שלמעלה מהטבע שנכלל בז' מדות וא"ז גי' ח'

For the meaning of "az" (then) is like "Az yashir" (Then Moshe sang) (Shemos 15:1), which [Chazal] explained as the attachment to the aspect of "eight," which is above nature, encompassed within the seven middos — and "az" (אז) has the gematria of eight.

The word "az" (aleph=1, zayin=7) equals eight, representing the supernatural dimension that lies above and within the natural seven. Attaching to this "eighth" point means binding to what transcends nature.

והיינו שיעקב אבינו ע"ה הי' בטל אליו ית' בכל הבחי' ולכך הי' בכחו להכניס עצמו במקומות המסוכנים.

That is, Yaakov our father, peace be upon him, was nullified before Him in every aspect, and therefore he had the power to bring himself into dangerous places.

Because Yaakov lived in complete bittul (self-nullification) to Hashem, he was rooted in the supernatural "eighth" and could safely enter spiritually perilous places without being harmed.

וזהו ויצא מבאר שבע דייקא.

And this is precisely "and he went out from Be'er Sheva."

The verse specifies Be'er Sheva to teach that his strength to depart came from that inner source.

שעי"ז הי' יכול לצאת ומבחי' באר שבע הי' היציאה [וע' בזוה"ק ב' הפי' ע"ש]

For through it he was able to go out, and the departure came from the aspect of Be'er Sheva. [And see in the Zohar the two explanations there.]

His very ability to go out into galus was drawn from the inner light of Be'er Sheva (Shabbos). The Sefas Emes references two readings in the Zohar.

וכן יש לכל אחד ללמוד עצה היעוצה במדרש הנ"ל קודם עשיות כל דבר גשמי למסור נפשו לה' אחד להתדבק בפנימיות החיות מהשי"ת בלבד.

And so each person should learn the counsel advised in the above Midrash: before performing any physical act, to give over his soul to Hashem, the One, to cleave to the inner vitality from Hashem alone.

The practical lesson: before any mundane activity, one should bind himself to Hashem in mesirus nefesh, connecting first to the inner life-force.

ועי"ז יוכל להתקדש אף במעשה גשמיי.

And through this he can become sanctified even within a physical act.

This prior attachment allows even ordinary, material deeds to become holy.

וכן בכל שבת קודש למשוך חיות לכל ימי השבוע ע"י התקשרות בכל לב בש"ק שיש התגלות לכל איש ישראל.

And likewise, on every holy Shabbos, [one should] draw vitality for all the days of the week by binding himself wholeheartedly on Shabbos kodesh, when there is a revelation [available] to every Jew.

Shabbos, like Be'er Sheva, is the source-point. By connecting fully to its revealed light, one draws spiritual vitality into the entire coming week.

ובאר שבע בחי' שבת כנ"ל.

And Be'er Sheva is the aspect of Shabbos, as above.

The Sefas Emes restates the equation: Be'er Sheva corresponds to Shabbos.

וילך חרנה בחי' ימי המעשה ועבודה.

"And he went toward Charan" (Bereishis 28:10) — the aspect of the weekdays and of labor.

Charan represents the workdays, the realm of mundane effort, into which one carries the light of Shabbos.

וז"ש רש"י ז"ל כשהצדיק בעיר הוא הודה זיוה הדרה.

And this is what Rashi says: "When the tzaddik is in the city, he is its splendor, its radiance, its glory" (Rashi, Bereishis 28:10).

Rashi teaches that a righteous person's presence illuminates the entire place where he resides.

היינו בחי' צדיק ושבת שהוא הנקודה הפנימיות שיש בכל דבר.

That is, the aspect of the tzaddik and of Shabbos, which is the inner point that exists within everything.

The tzaddik and Shabbos share the same quality: they are the hidden inner point that gives life and radiance to all things.

ושזוכר האדם זאת יוכל להמשיך כל המעשה אל הפנימיות כנ"ל.

And when a person remembers this, he is able to draw all of his deeds toward the inner dimension, as above.

By keeping this inner point in mind, a person can elevate all his actions and connect them to their inner source.

וכשחסר נקודה הנ"ל פנה הודה זיוה כו'.

And when that point is lacking, "its splendor and radiance depart…" (Rashi, ibid.).

When the inner point — the tzaddik, the awareness of Shabbos — is absent, the place loses its glory and light.

וי"ל עפ"י הנ"ל מ"ש רש"י ז"ל יציאת צדיק מן המקום עושה רושם הפירוש להיפוך ג"כ שקודם שיצא התדבק עצמו ביתר עוז באופן שיהי' נדבק בו ונחקק ונתרשם שלא ישכח הנקודה הנ"ל גם בחרן.

And one can explain, based on the above, what Rashi says: "the departure of a tzaddik from a place leaves an impression" — the explanation [works] in the reverse direction as well: that before he left, he attached himself [to the inner point] with even greater force, in such a way that it would cling to him and be engraved and impressed upon him, so that he would not forget that inner point even in Charan.

Rashi's "leaves an impression" usually describes the effect on the place left behind. The Sefas Emes reads it inwardly: before departing, the tzaddik bound himself so powerfully to the inner point that it became engraved within him, ensuring he would not lose it amid the spiritual challenges of Charan.

[ולכך נכתב ויצא שגם זה הי' הארה יתירה כנ"ל כנודע שכל דבר שבקדושה מניח רושם] ועושה רושם לטובה כנ"ל:

[And therefore it is written "and he went out," for this too was an additional illumination, as above — as is known, that everything of holiness leaves an impression] and makes an impression for the good, as above.

The very phrasing "and he went out" signals an added light: the holiness Yaakov gathered before leaving left a lasting, beneficial imprint on his soul, which he carried into exile.

Summary: Yaakov's departure from Be'er Sheva to Charan is a model for living in galus. Be'er Sheva represents Shabbos and the tzaddik — the inner point that vitalizes all things and connects to the supernatural "eighth" dimension (the gematria of "az") that lies above nature. Because Yaakov lived in complete bittul, rooted in this inner vitality, he could enter dangerous, concealed places and reveal Hashem's glory there. The lesson: before any mundane act, and through every Shabbos, one should bind himself to the inner life-force of Hashem, engraving that connection so deeply that it remains even in the "Charan" of everyday labor — leaving a lasting impression for the good.