This week’s Parsha, Vayeitzei, teaches us a great lesson in the unity to which we must aspire and achieve for us to accomplish our mission
The Parsha begins with a scene of our father, Yaakov, laying down for the night on the ground on the way to his Uncle Lavan’s home in search of a wife. “He took from the stones of the place and placed them around his head…And he took the stone which he placed around his head and set it as a monument.” Our Sages point out the seeming inconsistency. Initially he took multiple stones to place around his head and when he awoke he took the stone (singular) which he placed around his head; was it many stones or was it just one stone? Our Sages teach us that initially Yaakov took 12 stones to place around his head but the stones began to quarrel, each stone argued that it should be the one upon which Yaakov’s head shall rest. After all the stones made their argument they merged into one single stone.
This story requires an explanation. What does it mean that a stone has a position on what it should be doing? Furthermore, the argument sounds competitive with each stone trying to claim that other stones are wrong. Is there competition among stones?
Everything in HaShem's creation has its given purpose and it will accomplish its purpose by virtue of the fact that it was created for it. The bricks in my house were created to be in the walls of my house, and that is why they are there. These stones were created to participate in the founding of the Jewish people. The Midrash teaches us that these 12 stones were the very stones that were used in the construction of the alter upon which our father Yitzchok was elevated to be an offering by his father Avrahum. The event of Yitzchok’s elevation was a watershed in Jewish history. Our survival as a people is attributed to that event. The prophecy Yaakov had as he laid his head upon those stones was also a watershed in our people's history. These stones existed for the purpose of participating in the development of the Jewish nation. Their argument was not in the form of discussion nor was it a competition. Rather, it was an existential concern. Each stone knew that its existence on this world was to serve Yaakov in supporting his head for this prophecy. Every stone had this existential concern and since only a single stone could support his head they recognized that they have no existence if they remain separate, their very existence drew them into formation of a single stone. Each stone therefore gave up their independent individuality for the sake of realizing their ultimate purpose.
This event was the signpost for Yaakov and for his children how to understand the nature of our people. Every nation needs unity. Without unity there is strife and conflict. We are no different. However, there is greater need for our people to have unity - it is an existential need.
The purpose and mission of our people is to support the Shechina, the Presence of HaShem in this world. The Shechina is One and cannot be supported by a multitude. Her resting place must be a singular place, just like Yaakov’s head could not be supported by a multitude of stones.
For the existence of our nation to achieve our mission we need every member of our people to merge into the nation in a way that allows every other member to exist within our nation. This is not the unity of an orchestra where if there is one musician absent the orchestra can achieve its mission albeit imperfectly. Rather it is the unity of a Rolex watch where if there is even a small seemingly insignificant part missing the entire watch will not work.
Every member of our people is needed to create a complete nation upon which the Shechina can rest. No one person can support it and if we are missing anybody our nation is incomplete. The unity we require is that every member allows all the other members to be a part of our nation. Our unity is existential.
The twelve stones represent the twelve tribes of the our people. As they surrounded Yaakov and supported his mission in this world they understood that we cannot accomplish that mission as we stand divided. We must form one nation that supports Yaakov and his mission. This can only be accomplished when we define ourselves as a single unit.
This does not require that any Jew should relinquish his personal identity and become a zombie. Quite to the contrary. Each Jew must maintain his personal identity and his unique talents and to bring that uniqueness into the totality of the people. Just as every component of the Rolex is unique but nevertheless submits itself to being a part of a greater cause in order to realize the unique self so too must every member of our people maintain their unique self but submit it to the greater cause.
This lesson our Parsha is teaching us is if we are to achieve our mission every Jew must recognize that without the other Jew he cannot achieve his mission. Only as a single unit in which all the components are present will any single component meet success.
This week’s Parsha, Vayeitzei, teaches us a great lesson in the unity to which we must aspire and achieve for us to accomplish our mission
The Parsha begins with a scene of our father, Yaakov, laying down for the night on the ground on the way to his Uncle Lavan’s home in search of a wife. “He took from the stones of the place and placed them around his head…And he took the stone which he placed around his head and set it as a monument.” Our Sages point out the seeming inconsistency. Initially he took multiple stones to place around his head and when he awoke he took the stone (singular) which he placed around his head; was it many stones or was it just one stone? Our Sages teach us that initially Yaakov took 12 stones to place around his head but the stones began to quarrel, each stone argued that it should be the one upon which Yaakov’s head shall rest. After all the stones made their argument they merged into one single stone.
This story requires an explanation. What does it mean that a stone has a position on what it should be doing? Furthermore, the argument sounds competitive with each stone trying to claim that other stones are wrong. Is there competition among stones?
Everything in HaShem's creation has its given purpose and it will accomplish its purpose by virtue of the fact that it was created for it. The bricks in my house were created to be in the walls of my house, and that is why they are there. These stones were created to participate in the founding of the Jewish people. The Midrash teaches us that these 12 stones were the very stones that were used in the construction of the alter upon which our father Yitzchok was elevated to be an offering by his father Avrahum. The event of Yitzchok’s elevation was a watershed in Jewish history. Our survival as a people is attributed to that event. The prophecy Yaakov had as he laid his head upon those stones was also a watershed in our people's history. These stones existed for the purpose of participating in the development of the Jewish nation. Their argument was not in the form of discussion nor was it a competition. Rather, it was an existential concern. Each stone knew that its existence on this world was to serve Yaakov in supporting his head for this prophecy. Every stone had this existential concern and since only a single stone could support his head they recognized that they have no existence if they remain separate, their very existence drew them into formation of a single stone. Each stone therefore gave up their independent individuality for the sake of realizing their ultimate purpose.
This event was the signpost for Yaakov and for his children how to understand the nature of our people. Every nation needs unity. Without unity there is strife and conflict. We are no different. However, there is greater need for our people to have unity - it is an existential need.
The purpose and mission of our people is to support the Shechina, the Presence of HaShem in this world. The Shechina is One and cannot be supported by a multitude. Her resting place must be a singular place, just like Yaakov’s head could not be supported by a multitude of stones.
For the existence of our nation to achieve our mission we need every member of our people to merge into the nation in a way that allows every other member to exist within our nation. This is not the unity of an orchestra where if there is one musician absent the orchestra can achieve its mission albeit imperfectly. Rather it is the unity of a Rolex watch where if there is even a small seemingly insignificant part missing the entire watch will not work.
Every member of our people is needed to create a complete nation upon which the Shechina can rest. No one person can support it and if we are missing anybody our nation is incomplete. The unity we require is that every member allows all the other members to be a part of our nation. Our unity is existential.
The twelve stones represent the twelve tribes of the our people. As they surrounded Yaakov and supported his mission in this world they understood that we cannot accomplish that mission as we stand divided. We must form one nation that supports Yaakov and his mission. This can only be accomplished when we define ourselves as a single unit.
This does not require that any Jew should relinquish his personal identity and become a zombie. Quite to the contrary. Each Jew must maintain his personal identity and his unique talents and to bring that uniqueness into the totality of the people. Just as every component of the Rolex is unique but nevertheless submits itself to being a part of a greater cause in order to realize the unique self so too must every member of our people maintain their unique self but submit it to the greater cause.
This lesson our Parsha is teaching us is if we are to achieve our mission every Jew must recognize that without the other Jew he cannot achieve his mission. Only as a single unit in which all the components are present will any single component meet success.
