Bridging Heaven and Earth2 min read

The Midrash (Bereishes Rabbah 68:1) states that before his departure from Be’er Sheva to work in the fields of Lavan, Yaakov Avinu considered the lives of his forebearers and grew discouraged. “Esah einai el he’harim; al tikrei ‘harim’ elah ‘horim’” – Yaakov looked at the elevated lives of Yitzchak and Yaakov, lives shining with Torah and intense spirituality, and was frustrated with his lowly lot. But then he strengthened himself, saying, “ezri mei’im Hashem” – “Just as they remained bound with the Creator, so will I stay close to the Master of the world.”

The Ishbitzer explains (Mei Hashiloach Vol 1.) that Yaakov Avinu’s initial discouragement was founded upon the assumption that busying himself with the mundane responsibilities of making a living in Charan would necessitate distance from Hashem and His service. However, he soon came to the realization that because, “there is no place vacant from Him,” and “His glory fills the earth”, he would be able to remain connected to Hashem as a shepherd as well – not despite his occupation, but specifically because of it.

The Gemara (Niddah 30b) states that before a soul is sent down to the physical realm, it is taught that the world below is fraught with spiritual danger and sworn to a life of righteousness. The Lubavitcher Rebbe teaches that the entire purpose of the soul’s descent is to reveal the Godliness concealed within the mundanity of human life; to turn the human experience into a dwelling place for Hashem’s presence. This, he explains, is the meaning of the first verse in our parsha: “Vayeitzei Yaakov m’Be’er Sheva”: This refers to the departure of the soul from the upper realms after the vow (“shvuah”) is taken, “Vayeilech Charanah”: The word “Charanah” may be read “Charan, Heh”. The reason for the soul’s descent to this world is to demonstrate that hidden deep within the “Charan”, the wrath of an existence apparently devoid of Godliness, is the final “Heh” of Hashem’s Name, the Shechinah which longs to be revealed in the depths of physicality.

This idea is expressed once again in Yaakov’s famous vision. In this vision, Yaakov Avinu sees a ladder stretching from heaven to earth upon which angels are ascending and descending. This symbolizes the Jew’s task to draw his earthly endeavors up to heaven, and to draw heaven down into his earthly endeavors. The stones which unify under Yaakov’s head represent the ability for the disparate responsibilities of a Jew’s life – some of which are overtly spiritual in nature, and others which may be apparently devoid of any holiness – to become unified with the light of a common purpose, a single striving: to serve as a means toward closeness with Hashem. If there is one thing that all our unique life-circumstances have in common, it is the potential to use them as an opportunity to reveal the light of Hashem’s presence in the world. It makes little difference where one lives, what one does, or how one makes a living. Every inch of physicality is occupied by another ladder stretching heavenward; the abiding ability to encounter the Master of the world and shine His light in the world with honesty, health, clarity, and joy.

To discover the “heh” within Charan – this the is the goal of life.