Finding Hashem in concealed places

במדרש אז תלך לבטח כו'. אם תרוץ לא תכשל כו'.

In the Midrash: "Then you shall walk securely…" "If you run, you shall not stumble…"

The Sefas Emes opens with the Midrash's promise that one who follows the Torah's path can even run without stumbling, walking in safety.

פי' אף כי יעקב ברח כדכתיב ברח לך וכתיב ויברח יעקב.

The meaning is: even though Yaakov fled, as it is written "flee for yourself," and it is written "and Yaakov fled" —

Yaakov's departure is described as flight, a hurried escape from Esav, which would seem the opposite of secure, measured walking.

אעפ"כ כתיב ויצא וילך כו'.

nonetheless it is written, "and he went out, and he went."

Yet the Torah also frames his departure as a composed "going out" and "walking," not merely panicked flight.

כי הצדיק מיישר הדרך.

For the tzaddik straightens the way.

A tzaddik turns even a hurried, dangerous road into a straight and proper path.

אף שצריך לרוץ הוא בדרך ישר.

Even though he must run, he does so on a straight path.

Though circumstances force Yaakov to run, his running is itself "yashar" — aligned and upright — so he does not stumble.

וכ' מבאר שבע איתא שהתקשר עצמו היטב מקודם שיצא לחרן.

And it is written "from Be'er Sheva" — it is taught that he bound himself well before he went out to Charan.

"He went out from Be'er Sheva" teaches that Yaakov first firmly attached himself to kedushah at his point of departure before entering the dangerous environs of Charan.

שכל זה הי' להכין מקום לבנ"י.

For all of this was to prepare the way for Bnei Yisrael.

Yaakov's careful preparation was not for himself alone but to pave the way for his descendants in all their future galus journeys.

לכן הכניס עצמו בכל המקומות שנסתר שם מאוד כבודו ית'.

Therefore he entered into all the places where His glory is greatly concealed.

Yaakov deliberately descended into spiritually dark places where Hashem's presence is deeply hidden, in order to reveal it there.

כדכתיב ויפגע במקום.

As it is written, "and he encountered the place."

The verse "vayifga bamakom" marks his arrival at such a concealed place, where he nonetheless connected to Hashem.

שנכתב עליו לשבח שהרגיש והתעורר גם שם חיות השי"ת.

which is written about him in praise — that even there he sensed and awakened to the life-force of Hashem.

It is to Yaakov's credit that even in that hidden place he perceived and aroused the indwelling vitality of Hashem.

וכתיב יש ה' במקום הזה ואנכי לא ידעתי מכלל שהי' מקום מרוחק מאד שהי' קשה להאמין שיהי' שם חיות השי"ת.

And it is written, "Surely Hashem is in this place, and I did not know it" — from this we learn that it was a very distant place, where it was hard to believe that the life-force of Hashem could be there.

Yaakov's astonishment shows just how remote and concealed the place was — so far from revealed kedushah that one could scarcely believe Hashem's vitality dwelt there.

והראהו השי"ת כי מלא כל הארץ כבודו וזה תפילת ערבית:

And Hashem showed him that "the whole earth is full of His glory" — and this is the prayer of Maariv.

Hashem revealed to Yaakov that His glory fills even the darkest places; this is the meaning of Yaakov instituting Tefillas Maariv — finding and serving Hashem amid the night and concealment.

Summary: Though Yaakov fled from Esav, the Torah also calls his departure a composed "going out," for a tzaddik straightens his path and can even run without stumbling. Yaakov first bound himself to kedushah at Be'er Sheva, then deliberately entered the most concealed places to prepare the way for Bnei Yisrael's future journeys through galus. Even where Hashem's glory was most hidden, he sensed the Divine life-force, and Hashem showed him that "the whole earth is full of His glory" — the inner meaning of the nighttime prayer of Maariv that Yaakov established.