Vayeitsei (And He Went Out)
(Sefer Bereishit) Genesis 28:10-33:19

28:10- "And Yaakov went out from Beersheva, and went toward Charan.
11- And he came upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he
took of the stones of that place and put them for his pillows and lay down in that place to sleep.
12- And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven:
and behold the angels of Elohim ascending and descending on it.
13- And, behold, YHVH stood above it, and said, I am YHVH Elohim of Avraham thy father, and the Elohim of Yitzchak: the land whereon thou lie, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
15- And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou go, and will bring thee
again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
16- And Yaakov awakened out of his sleep and he said, Surely YHVH is in this place; and I knew it not.
17- And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of Elohim, and this is the gate of heaven.
18- And Yaakov rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
19- And he called the name of that place Bet El: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
20- And Yaakov vowed a vow, saying, If Elohim will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
21- So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall YHVH be my Elohim:
29:1- Then Yaakov went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east.
10- And it came to pass, when Yaakov saw Rachel the daughter of Lavan his mother's brother, and the
sheep of Lavan his mother's brother, that Yaakov went near, and rolled the stone from the well's
mouth, and watered the flock of Lavan his mother's brother.
11- And Yaakov kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.
26- And Lavan said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.
28- And Yaakov did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
31- And when YHVH saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.
32- And Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she called his name Reuven: for she said, Surely YHVH has
looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me.
33- And she conceived again, and bore a son; and said, Because YHVH hath heard that I was hated, he
has therefore given me this son also: and she called his name Shimon.
34- And she conceived again, and bore a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me,
because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi.
35- And she conceived again, and bore a son: and she said, Now will I praise YHVH: therefore she called
his name Yehudah; and ceased bearing.
31:11- And the angel of Elohim spoke unto me in a dream, saying, Yaakov: And I said, Here am I.
13- I am the Elohim of Bet El, where thou anointed the pillar, and where thou vowed a vow unto Me: now
arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.”

“My beloved spoke, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.”
(Song of songs 2:10)

“And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I, YHVH will make myself known
unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.”
(Numbers 12:6)

“How long will thou forget me, O YHVH? forever? how long will thou hide thy face from me? How
long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be
exalted over me? Consider and hear me, O YHVH my Elohim: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.”
(Psalms 13:1-3)

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.”

 (Joel 2:28)

“But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and
ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.”

(Malachi 4:2)

Vayeitsei Summary:
1. The Stones of a Prophet From Pillow to Altar:
Vayeitsei is a parasha, which demonstrates the calling to the child of the Covenant to go out from his familiarity and be ready to be blessed. Like the blossoming lives of his parents, Yaakov is ready to embark on a journey of acquisition, which includes the discovery of love. Yet, if he is to accommodate the abundance awaiting him, he must first find love in the Keeper of his soul. With this necessity to arise into the House of El, Song of Songs 2:13 tells of the fertileness of the soul who departs with a blessing:
“The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, My
love, My fair one, and come away.”
The site of Bet El, the chosen place where Yaakov witnessed the Ladder of the Most High, is by its name, a House of Elohim here, his encounter with the Almighty testifies of his recently received blessing from father Yitzchak. The Patriarch had arisen in his sleep to behold the heavenly messengers as their ascending and descending stirred him into the Presence of HaShem. Though Yaakov would yet face more refining trials ahead, from this point it was clear, this man had readied himself for the Divine Dream. Living a life, trusting in the promises relayed by the Fathers, Yaakov with believing heart, listened to the voice of the prophetess, and became properly positioned to hear from Elohim. He was fast becoming a man of great understanding. It was from his perspicacity that he could acknowledge the moment as one, so Holy and pivotal in his life, that it be memorialized by an altar. What Avraham experienced and relayed to his seed surfaces mightily in the loins of Yaakov. With Elohim’s promise to preserve him in all his goings and then return him again back into the land sworn to his Fathers, Yaakov openly declares the event by way of an oil-anointed pillar of stones, speaking of the Covenant; Psalms 78:5-6 remind us:
“For He established a testimony in Yaakov, and appointed a law in Yisrael, which He commanded our
fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know
them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children.”
The Torah, and this declaration within it, is given not just as a token of what we should do, but also of what we should expect for own lives. The Covenant is stretched out to us to today; we should live lives filled with anticipation of Bet El. We must get to the House of Elohim. Psalms 24:3 points the way:
“Who shall ascend into the hill of YHVH? Or who shall stand in His holy place? He that has clean
hands, and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall
receive the blessing from YHVH, and righteousness from the Elohim of his salvation. This is the
generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Yaakov. Selah.

2. Leah’s Children Justify their Mother :
With the interest of man going to her sister, Rachel, Leah was to be preferred by HaShem. Slighted from the start because of her looks, this Matriarch experienced what would become an archetype for the life of those hoping to be fruitful. With each birth of a son, comes a synopsis of the struggles to be met on the road to Covenant. First is Reuven, “See a Son!” “May my Husband take notice of what I have done.” Second is Shimon, “Hearing.” “Now, my Beloved has heard of my contempt.” Next, is Levi, “Joined.” “A cord of three is not easily broken, my Love is united with me and I with Him.” At last is Yehudah, “Praise.” “My mouth will extol the loving mercy of my Master.” Their names reflect the resting place that Leah, a prototype for the overlooked, found when handed the promise. For it was in Yehudah, praise, where she finds the reassurance in her soul. Despite the anguish of rejection and sorrow, the culmination in praise for the Messianic promise helps her line find the favor for which she so yearned.