Anchoring in holiness before descending to galus

ויצא יעקב מבאר שבע וילך חרנה.

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

The Sefas Emes opens with Yaakov's departure into galus, which he will read as a paradigm for every Jew's descent from a place of holiness into the struggles of the world.

כתיב אשרי אדם עוז לו בך מסילות בלבבם כו'.

It is written: "fortunate is the man whose strength is in You, the highways are in their hearts" (Tehillim 84:6).

A person whose strength is rooted in Hashem carries within his heart the "highways" — the path of ascent back to Him.

כי מראות הסולם עולים ויורדים נראה שהי' בחי' עה"ד.

For from the vision of the ladder with [angels] "ascending and descending" (Bereishis 28:12), it appears that this was the aspect of the Eitz HaDaas (the Tree of Knowledge).

The fluctuation of rising and falling on the ladder reflects the world after the sin of the Eitz HaDaas, where good and evil are mixed and one's spiritual state is never constant.

ויעקב נתדבק בעץ החיים וזהו עוז לו בך כ"ב אתוון דאורייתא.

But Yaakov clung to the Eitz HaChaim (the Tree of Life), and this is "his strength is in You" — the twenty-two letters of the Torah.

Yaakov attached himself instead to the Tree of Life, which is the Torah; the "strength in You" refers to the twenty-two letters of the Torah, the constant, unwavering source of holiness.

מסילות בלבבם הוא בחי' הסולם ב' לבבות שאחר החטא נתערב טוב ורע.

"The highways are in their hearts" is the aspect of the ladder — the "two hearts," for after the sin good and evil became intermingled.

The plural "their hearts" (bilvavam) hints at the two inclinations within man after the sin, when tov and ra became mixed — this divided heart is itself the "ladder" of ascents and descents.

לכן יש עלי' וירידה שא"י הקדושה להתגלות בקביעות כמ"ש במדרש בפ' וישמע כו' מתהלך בגן מקפץ ועולה ע"ש.

Therefore there is ascent and descent, for the kedushah cannot be revealed in a fixed, permanent way, as the Midrash says on the parsha "and they heard [the voice of Hashem] walking in the Garden" (Bereishis 3:8) — "leaping and ascending," see there.

Because of the mixture of good and evil, holiness cannot rest permanently but only "leaps and ascends" — appearing and withdrawing — which is the nature of the ladder.

אבל יעקב הוא בחי' עץ החיים.

But Yaakov is the aspect of the Eitz HaChaim.

Yaakov, bound to the Tree of Life, represents a level above this fluctuation.

ה' נצב עליו והוא בחי' תתן אמת ליעקב בקביעות.

"Hashem stood over him" (Bereishis 28:13) — and this is the aspect of "give truth to Yaakov" (Michah 7:20), in a fixed, permanent way.

Hashem standing constantly over Yaakov reflects his permanent, unbroken bond — the "truth given to Yaakov" is a steady connection that does not rise and fall like the angels on the ladder.

וכמו כן בפסוק באר בשדה וגללו והשיבו הוא ג"כ בחי' הנ"ל שא"י לגלות הקדושה בקביעות.

And likewise in the pasuk of "a well in the field... and they would roll [the stone] and return it" (Bereishis 29:2-3), this too is the above aspect, that the kedushah cannot be revealed permanently.

The well covered and uncovered by the stone mirrors the ladder: holiness (the living waters) is revealed and then concealed again, never resting in a fixed, open state.

ולכן כתיב שלשה עדרי צאן שהוח בחי' אדם ובהמה כו' דכ' ואתן צאן מרעיתי כו'.

Therefore it is written "three flocks of sheep" (Bereishis 29:2), which is the aspect of "man and beast," as it is written "and you, My flock, the flock of My pasture [are men]" (Yechezkel 34:31).

The "flocks" at the well represent the human soul, which the pasuk in Yechezkel calls Hashem's flock; the three flocks hint at the levels of the soul within the body.

וג' עדרי צאן הוא בחי' נפש רוח נשמה ולכולם יש השתתפות בגוף בנפש הבהמיות לכן אינו בקביעות.

And the three flocks of sheep are the aspect of nefesh, ruach, and neshamah; all of them have a partnership with the body, with the animal soul (nefesh habahamis), and therefore it is not permanent.

The three levels of the soul are each bound up with the physical body and its animal nature, and because of that entanglement with the gashmiyus, their holiness too is unstable — subject to the rise and fall of the ladder.

אך בשבת יורד נשמה יתירה.

But on Shabbos a neshamah yeseirah (an additional soul) descends.

On Shabbos an extra dimension of soul is granted, of a different, higher order than the weekday levels of the soul.

ונקראת יתירה שהיא למעלה מתערובות כלי הגוף.

And it is called "additional" because it is above the admixture of the body's vessel.

The neshamah yeseirah is "extra" precisely because it transcends the body — it is not entangled in the mixture of physicality, and so it brings a steadier, higher holiness.

וזהו בחי' אדם אתם קרויין אדם על ידי התורה שהיא ההנהגה שלמעלה מן הטבע ויעקב הוא התורה לכן כתיב בו ויגל כו' בקביעות.

And this is the aspect of "adam" — "you are called adam" (Yevamos 61a) — through the Torah, which is the conduct that is above nature. And Yaakov is the Torah; therefore it is written of him "and he rolled [the stone off the mouth of the well]" (Bereishis 29:10), in a permanent way.

The title "adam" belongs to Yisrael through Torah, which operates above the natural order. Yaakov embodies Torah, so when he alone rolls away the stone, it expresses permanent, unobstructed revelation of the living waters — holiness that is not covered up again.

אבל יעקב אע"ה הכין דרך גם בזו המדריגה כמשרז"ל שתיקן ת"ע.

But Yaakov Avinu, peace be upon him, prepared a path also in this [lower] level, as Chazal said that he established the Tefillas Arvis (the evening prayer).

Beyond his own constant level, Yaakov also forged a way for those in the lower, fluctuating state — he instituted Arvis, the prayer of "night," teaching how to find Hashem even in darkness.

ועליו כתיב עוברי בעמק הבכא מעין ישיתוהו כמ"ש במ"א כי הצדיקים הרמים הולכים באלה הדרכים ועושין כל המקומות הנ"ל למעין נובע כמ"ש שקפץ הר המורי' ובא לכאן.

And of him it is written: "those who pass through the valley of weeping make it a wellspring" (Tehillim 84:7), as I have written elsewhere — for the lofty tzaddikim travel these paths and transform all the aforementioned places into a flowing wellspring, as it says that "Har HaMoriah leaped and came here" [to Yaakov].

The exalted tzaddikim pass through the "valley of weeping" — the dark, fallen places — and turn them into wellsprings of holiness. Chazal teach that the site of the Akeidah miraculously came to Yaakov; the tzaddik draws holiness even into the lowest places, making them flow with living water.

ואמרו חז"ל יעקב הוא בעל הקורה ונכנס בעובי הקורה והוא מסייע לנו בגלות כמ"ש במדרש וגללו והשיבו הוא רמז לגלות.

And Chazal said: Yaakov is "the bearer of the beam" who enters into the thickness of the beam, and he assists us in galus, as the Midrash says that "they would roll it and return it" is a hint to the exile.

Yaakov "carries the heavy beam" — he enters fully into the burden of exile and helps us bear it. The repeated covering and uncovering of the well alludes to the recurring exiles, through which Yaakov supports his children.

רובצים עלי' כמ"ש רובץ תחת משאו עזוב תעזוב.

"Crouching beside it" (Bereishis 29:2), as it says "crouching under its burden... you shall surely help" (Shemos 23:5).

The flocks "crouching" by the well evoke the pasuk of an animal collapsing under its load, which we are commanded to help lift — a hint that in galus we lie under a heavy burden, and Yaakov comes to help us raise it.

לכן בכל מקום שבנ"י בגלות מייגעין עצמן למצוא נקודה קדושה.

Therefore, in every place where Bnei Yisrael are in exile, they exert themselves to find a holy point (nekudah kedoshah).

The avodah of galus is to labor in every place to uncover the buried holy point — the hidden spark of kedushah waiting to be revealed.

יעקב אע"ה מסייע לנו.

Yaakov Avinu, peace be upon him, assists us.

In this labor of finding the holy point amid exile, Yaakov our forefather lends his strength to each of us.

ורמזו במדרש מחרן אנחנו. מחרונו של מקום כו' הידעתם שעתיד ללבן כו' ע"ש.

And they hinted in the Midrash: "we are from Charan" — from the charon (wrath) of the Omnipresent... "do you know [Lavan]?" — that He is destined "to whiten (l'laben)" [our sins], see there.

The Midrash plays on the words: "Charan" hints at Hashem's "wrath," and "Lavan" hints at "whitening" — teaching that the very fury and darkness of galus is ultimately destined to be turned into purification, cleansing Yisrael white.

ובגלות צריכין להתחזק ולהאמין כי הקב"ה עוזר לנו.

And in galus one must strengthen oneself and believe with emunah that Hakadosh Baruch Hu helps us.

The essential avodah of exile is to hold firm in emunah and bitachon, trusting that Hashem is assisting us even when His presence is hidden.

ושכל בני הגלות מוכנים הם לתקן כל אלה המקומות.

And that all the people of the exile are prepared to rectify all these places.

Every Jew in galus is equipped and destined to accomplish the tikkun of the places where he finds himself, uncovering their hidden holiness.

וכמו שהי' ביעקב שיצא מבאר שבע וילך חרנה ואיתא בזוה"ק המשל מי שנכנס לבור עמוק מקשר עצמו מקודם בחבל חזק כן נתקשר מקודם בבאר שבע כו'.

And as it was with Yaakov, who "went out from Be'er Sheva and went toward Charan" — and the Zohar HaKadosh brings the parable: one who enters a deep pit first binds himself with a strong rope; so too [Yaakov] first bound himself in Be'er Sheva.

Before descending into the "deep pit" of Charan, Yaakov first anchored himself in the holiness of Be'er Sheva — like a person who ties a strong rope before lowering himself into a pit, so he can climb back out.

עוז לו בך.

"His strength is in You."

That rope is the bond to Hashem — "his strength is in You" — which a person secures before entering the descent of galus.

וכמו כן נתן לנו הקב"ה מקודם התורה וביהמ"ק ואח"כ נתגרשנו לגלות.

And likewise, Hakadosh Baruch Hu first gave us the Torah and the Bais Hamikdash, and afterward we were driven into exile.

Hashem first provided Klal Yisrael with the "rope" of Torah and the Bais Hamikdash, and only then sent us into galus — so that we would already be anchored before the descent.

צריכין להתקשר בתורה ועבודה כדי לתקן כל הקלקולים.

One must bind oneself to Torah and avodah in order to rectify all the corruptions.

Holding fast to Torah and avodah is the rope by which we can both survive the descent of exile and repair its damage.

וכל ההארות מדורות הראשונים מאירין גם לנו בגלות שימי הטובה הם הכנה לימי הרעה.

And all the illuminations from the earlier generations shine for us too in galus, for the days of good are a preparation for the days of hardship.

The spiritual light of earlier, better times is not lost; it continues to illuminate us in exile, because times of good are given precisely to prepare and sustain us through times of difficulty.

וכמו כן בכל שבת קודש נותן הארה לימי המעשה ובמוצאי שבת הוא בחי' ויצא מבאר שבע וילך חרנה.

And likewise, every Shabbos Kodesh gives an illumination to the weekdays, and Motzaei Shabbos is the aspect of "and he went out from Be'er Sheva and went toward Charan."

Shabbos is the weekly "Be'er Sheva," storing up light for the coming week; leaving Shabbos to enter the workdays mirrors Yaakov leaving Be'er Sheva for Charan — a descent carrying the rope of Shabbos's holiness.

וצריכין להיות דבקים בהארת השבת גם בימי המעשה:

And one must remain attached with deveikus to the illumination of Shabbos even during the weekdays.

The avodah is to carry the light and deveikus of Shabbos into the ordinary weekdays — keeping hold of the rope of holiness throughout the descent into worldly involvement.

Summary: Yaakov's departure from Be'er Sheva to Charan is the paradigm of every Jew's descent into galus. The ladder's ascending and descending angels, and the well repeatedly covered and uncovered, reflect the post-Eitz HaDaas world where good and evil are mixed and holiness cannot rest permanently — true of the body-bound levels of the soul. But Yaakov, who clung to the Eitz HaChaim of Torah, attained a fixed, unwavering bond ("Hashem stood over him," "give truth to Yaakov"), and he paved a path for us even in the lower realm, instituting Arvis and helping us bear the burden of exile. Just as one ties a strong rope before descending into a pit, Yaakov first anchored himself in Be'er Sheva, and Hashem gave us Torah and the Bais Hamikdash before sending us into galus. So too each Shabbos illuminates the weekdays, and our avodah is to cling to that light and find the hidden holy point even in the darkest places.