Yaakov, the hidden light, and the evening prayer

והנה אמרו חז"ל כי יעקב תיקן תפלת ערבית.

Now, Chazal said that Yaakov instituted the tefillas arvis (evening prayer).

Of the three Patriarchs who established the daily prayers, Yaakov is associated with the night prayer — fitting his role with the realm of darkness.

דכתיב וירא כו' האור כי טוב ויבדל ראה שאין רשעים כדאי להשתמש באור המאיר מימות עולם ועד סופו וגנזו לצדיקים.

As it is written, "And He saw… the light, that it was good, and He separated" — He saw that the resha'im (wicked) were unworthy to make use of the light that shines from the beginning of the world to its end, and He concealed it for the tzaddikim.

The primordial Or HaGanuz (hidden light) was withdrawn from the wicked and stored away for the righteous, a separation built into the act of creation.

נמצא במה שתיקן יום ולילה אור וחשך.

It emerges that by establishing day and night, light and darkness —

The very division of day from night is itself this same separation of light from the unworthy.

בזה נתברר האור זרוע לצדיק.

through this it became clarified that "light is sown for the tzaddik."

The structure of day and night reveals that the hidden light belongs to the righteous, who alone can receive it.

וסוף ההבדל נעשה ביצחק כי הבדלה בשמאל.

And the completion of this separation was effected through Yitzchak, for separation is on the "left."

Yitzchak embodies gevurah (the "left" side, din), the force of division — through him the separation of the worthy from the unworthy was carried out, as Yaakov was distinguished from Esav.

וניתן האור ליעקב וחושך לעשו.

And the light was given to Yaakov and the darkness to Esav.

In the splitting of Yitzchak's offspring, Yaakov inherited the side of light and Esav the side of darkness.

רמז לדבר ויקרא לאור יום וכתיב ויקרא שמו יעקב ויקרא את שמו ישראל.

A hint to this: "And He called the light Day," and it is written "And he called his name Yaakov," "And He called his name Yisrael."

The shared language of "calling" links Yaakov to the "day" and the light.

ולחושך קרא לילה וכ' קרא שמו אדום.

"And the darkness He called Night," and it is written "his name was called Edom."

Esav, called Edom, is paired with the "night" and the darkness.

ויעקב קיבל האור כי טוב והוא התורה דכתיב תתן אמת ליעקב ואין אמת אלא תורה אור ואין טוב אלא תורה אור כי טוב.

And Yaakov received "the light, that it was good," which is the Torah, as it is written "Grant truth to Yaakov" — and "truth" is nothing but Torah, "light"; and "good" is nothing but Torah, "the light, that it was good."

The hidden light given to Yaakov is the Torah itself, which Chazal identify with both "truth" and "good" — both names belonging to Yaakov.

ולפי שיעקב הי' עצם אור המאיר מסוף העולם ועד סופו לכן הוא מתקן כל הערב.

And because Yaakov was the very essence of the light that shines from one end of the world to the other, therefore he repairs all of the evening.

Since Yaakov is bound to the hidden light, it is fitting that he established the evening prayer — bringing light into the very time of darkness.

והוא בחי' נחלה בלי מצרים כמ"ש על המענג את השבת זוכה לנחלה בלי מצרים לכן בשבת לא כתיב ערב כמו בכל ששת ימי המעשה כי בשבת גם חושך לא יחשיך כחשיכה כאורה.

And this is the aspect of "an inheritance without boundaries," as is said of one who delights in Shabbos that he merits "an inheritance without boundaries." Therefore regarding Shabbos "evening" is not written, as it is for each of the six days of activity, for on Shabbos even darkness does not darken — "as the darkness, so the light."

Yaakov shares the quality of Shabbos, where no "evening" is recorded because darkness loses its power and shines like light itself — a boundless inheritance untouched by the constrictions of night.

וכן הי' בחי' יעקב.

And such was the aspect of Yaakov.

Yaakov himself lived in this Shabbos-like state, where darkness held no sway over him.

וז"ש ואומר אך חושך ישופני ולילה אור בעדני.

And this is the meaning of "And I said, surely darkness shall cover me — but the night is light about me."

The verse expresses how what seemed to be threatening darkness was transformed for the tzaddik into light.

כמ"ש בגמ' ריש פסחים.

As is said in the Gemara at the beginning of Pesachim.

The Sefas Emes references the Talmudic discussion there of this verse.

כי מה שנתירא מן החושך.

For what he feared was the darkness.

At first Dovid HaMelech (the speaker of the verse) dreaded the night and its darkness.

אבל בזה שתיקן הקב"ה להיות מבדיל בין יום ולילה נמצא כי לילה אור בעדני ולרשעים חושך ואור לצדיקים.

But since the Holy One, blessed be He, arranged to separate between day and night, it emerges that "the night is light about me" — darkness for the resha'im, but light for the tzaddikim.

The very separation of day and night reveals that the night, frightening to the wicked, becomes radiant for the righteous.

וזה עיקר העדות על הצדיקים כדכ' יומם יצוה ה' חסדו כי חסד ה' על כל הברואים.

And this is the essential testimony concerning the tzaddikim, as it is written "By day Hashem will command His chesed" — for Hashem's chesed is upon all creatures.

By day, Hashem's kindness extends to all of creation indiscriminately, so daytime light gives no special testimony about the righteous.

אבל בלילה שירו עמי זה העדות שהצדיקים אור זרוע להם גם בלילה ובעוה"ז שנקראת לילה יש להם הארה מעין עוה"ב בכח התורה ומצות:

But at night, "His song is with me" — this is the testimony, that for the tzaddikim light is sown even in the night; and in this world, which is called "night," they have an illumination resembling the World to Come, through the power of Torah and mitzvos.

It is in the darkness that the tzaddik's distinction shows: he carries light into the night. Even this world, which is a kind of "night," is illuminated for the righteous with a foretaste of Olam Haba through their Torah and mitzvos.

Summary: Hashem concealed the primordial light from the wicked and stored it for the tzaddikim, building this separation into the very order of day and night. Yaakov, the essence of that hidden light and of the Torah, inherited the side of light (while Esav took darkness), and so he instituted the evening prayer — bringing light into the dark. Like Shabbos, the tzaddik experiences a boundless inheritance in which darkness does not darken; and the true testimony to the righteous is that even in the "night" of this world they shine with a foretaste of the World to Come through Torah and mitzvos.