Drawing holiness into the darkness

במדרש ע"פ ויחלום כמה לך בשרי בארץ ציה כו'.

In the Midrash on "and he dreamed" (Bereishis 28:12): "my flesh longs for You in a parched land" (Tehillim 63:2).

The Midrash links Yaakov's dream to the verse of yearning for Hashem "in a parched land" — a place of dryness and concealment.

כי יעקב אבינו ע"ה לא הוצרך לחלומות.

For Yaakov Avinu, peace be upon him, had no need for dreams.

On his lofty level, Yaakov did not normally require dreams to perceive Hashem.

אך כי הלך לחו"ל ושם לא הי' יכול לראות בהקיץ. לכן נראה לו בחלום.

But because he went to chutz la'aretz (outside the Land), and there he could not see while awake, therefore it was revealed to him in a dream.

Leaving Eretz Yisrael for the "outside," a place of concealment, Yaakov could no longer perceive Hashem in a waking state, so revelation came through a dream.

והנה יעקב רצה בזה שיתגלה לו השי"ת גם במקום החושך אשר מוכרח להיות ע"י חלום.

And behold, Yaakov desired through this that Hashem reveal Himself to him even in the place of darkness, which necessarily had to be by way of a dream.

Yaakov actively wished for Hashem's revelation to reach even into the dark place of galus — and in such a place revelation can only come through the lower channel of a dream.

וז"ש כמה לך שמצפה לראות גם בארץ ציה כנ"ל.

And this is "my flesh longs for You" — that he yearns to see even in a parched land, as above.

His longing "in a parched land" expresses the desire to find Hashem precisely in the barren, concealed places.

וזה עצמו ענין תפלת ערבית וגם מ"ש חז"ל תפלת ערבית רשות שא"א לבוא לתפלה זו רק מי שאין צריך לזה ובעצמו חפץ להכניס עצמו במקום החושך כדי להכניס הארת הקדושה גם במקומות הללו.

And this itself is the matter of tefillas arvis (the evening prayer); and also what Chazal said, that arvis is reshus (optional) — for one cannot come to this prayer except one who does not need it and yet himself desires to enter into the place of darkness in order to bring the radiance of holiness even into these places.

Arvis, recited at night (darkness), parallels Yaakov's dream. Its being "optional" means it belongs to one who is not compelled by need but freely chooses to enter the dark in order to draw the light of kedushah even there.

זה יכול להתפלל ת"ע כנ"ל.

Such a one can pray arvis, as above.

Only one who willingly seeks to illuminate the darkness truly fulfills the avodah of the evening prayer.

ואמרנו כי זה פי' ובשכבך.

And we said that this is the meaning of "and when you lie down" (Devarim 6:7).

The Shema's "when you lie down" hints at this same idea of serving Hashem in the time and place of darkness.

שיהגה האדם כל היום בעבודת הבורא וישתוקק תמיד לזה וממילא יהרהר גם בשכבו ממש בדברי תורה.

That a person should meditate all day in the service of the Creator and constantly yearn for it, and then automatically he will think, even as he actually lies down, in words of Torah.

If one engages and longs for avodas Hashem all day, the longing carries over so that even while lying down at night his thoughts turn to Torah on their own.

וז"ש ודברת בם כו' בשכבך ממש כנ"ל:

And this is "and you shall speak of them … when you lie down" — literally as you lie down, as above.

"When you lie down" is meant literally: the day's yearning naturally extends into Torah thoughts at the moment of rest, bringing holiness into the night.

Summary: Yaakov, who needed no dreams, received his revelation in a dream only because he had entered the concealment of chutz la'aretz — and he desired this, wishing Hashem to be revealed even in the place of darkness. This is the avodah of tefillas arvis, "optional" because it belongs to one who freely chooses to enter the dark and draw holiness into it. So too "when you lie down": one who yearns for avodas Hashem all day will, even at rest in the night's darkness, naturally meditate on words of Torah.