Vayetze וַיֵּצֵא - And He Went Out
Torah Portion: Genesis 28:10-32:3
Genesis 29:1-17
29 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east. 2 He looked, and saw a well in the field, and saw three flocks of sheep lying there by it. For out of that well, they watered the flocks. The stone on the well’s mouth was large. 3 There all the flocks were gathered. They rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, watered the sheep, and put the stone back on the well’s mouth in its place. 4 Jacob said to them, “My relatives, where are you from?”
They said, “We are from Haran.”
5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?”
They said, “We know him.”
6 He said to them, “Is it well with him?”
They said, “It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep.”
7 He said, “Behold, it is still the middle of the day, not time to gather the livestock together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them.”
8 They said, “We can’t, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well’s mouth. Then we will water the sheep.”
9 While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she kept them. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother, Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban, his mother’s brother. 11 Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. 12 Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s relative, and that he was Rebekah’s son. She ran and told her father.
13 When Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister’s son, he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things. 14 Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” Jacob stayed with him for a month. 15 Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?”
16 Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and attractive.
Today’s Meditation:
In verse 11, Jacob “lifted up his voice and wept.” That’s curious. Why did he weep? Could it be that when he met Rachel, he knew his prayers for a wife had been answered? Have you ever had a time when Hashem responded to your prayers in such a magnificent and obvious way that it took your breath away and you wept?
I recall a time when we were searching for a house. It had to be a unique house because we have two adult disabled sons and need a specific type of space. One day, while driving down a street in the town we wanted to live in, I saw a house for sale. The next day, we saw it. When we walked into the house, I felt like crying. It was exactly what we were praying for and what we had been looking for. And another miracle was that the sellers accepted a very unusual offer from us. Hashem was truly in this.
Today’s Challenge:
Look all around you during the day to see how Hashem is moving in your life. Look for the “woman who will come to the well”. Seek the unusual and deliberately look to see what He is doing. When you see Him answering your prayer and/or doing something distinctly His, give Him all the praise and glory.
