Be'er Sheva: Praying Through Darkness by Torah's Light

1“Yaakov left Be'er Sheva and went toward Charan” [Bereishis 28:10]. R' Pinchas, in the name of R' Chanina bar Pappa, opened: “Then you will go on your way securely” [Mishlei 3:23]: this is Yaakov, as it says, “Yaakov left.” “When you lie down you will not be afraid” [Mishlei 3:24]: of Esav and of Lavan [Bereishis Rabbah 68:1].

2aThe Midrash can be explained in terms of avodah, and with it we will explain the verses that come just before there in Mishlei: “My son, let them not depart from your eyes; guard sound wisdom [tushiyah] and discretion [mezimah]” (Mishlei 3:21). Sometimes a person loses his way in the path of the intellect. The light of understanding has grown dark for him, and he has no glimmer of light [cf. Yeshayahu 50:10]. The advice for him is to set the holy Torah before his eyes, and by its light he will see light [cf. Tehillim 36:10]. For the Torah is called light, as it says, “For a mitzvah is a lamp and the Torah is light” (Mishlei 6:23). The Torah guides him to walk on the straight and desirable path, as it says there, “When you walk, it will lead you” (Mishlei 6:22). That is “My son, let them not depart from before your eyes,” which Rashi explains, “let them not become distorted before your eyes.” “Guard tushiyah and mezimah”: the holy Torah is called counsel, as it says, “They spurned the counsel of the Most High” (Tehillim 107:11). If you truly listen to the Torah's counsel, you will be saved from mezimah (scheming) and from all evil thoughts. As Chazal expound (Avodah Zarah 17b), “Discretion will guard you” [Mishlei 2:11]: the Torah will guard you from evil schemes.

2bThat is “Yaakov left Be'er Sheva and went toward Charan.” Yaakov Avinu showed us what to strengthen ourselves with when there is, Heaven forbid, charon af, burning wrath, in the world; the name Charan is related to charon. His counsel is Be'er Sheva. The holy Torah is called a be'er, a well — “a well that princes dug” [Bamidbar 21:18] — and sheva, seven, stands for the seven books of the Torah¹, as Chazal say (Vayikra Rabbah 11:1). That is, a person must know that he stands before Hashem only in the merit of the holy Torah, not on his own account. For how could a mortal of flesh and blood, a lowly creature, dare to raise his head and speak words before the Supreme King, were it not for Hashem's kindness? “For He desires kindness” [Michah 7:18]; He deals kindly with His world and “hears the prayer of every mouth.” Truly, every person must take this to heart and always reflect on it before praying. He should put his trust in Hashem, in His salvation and in His great mercy and kindness, that He will hear his prayer too, “the prayer of a poor man” [Tehillim 102:1]. “For Hashem listens to the needy” [Tehillim 69:34].

2cThis is what Chazal meant: “One may stand up to pray only in a mood of gravity” (Berachos 30b). Before praying, a person should take to heart how lacking and lowly he is. Then, with great humility and a broken heart, he should put his trust in Hashem that He will hear his prayer too. Through this the forces of impurity cannot take hold of his prayer, for “a broken and crushed heart, O God, You will not despise” [Tehillim 51:19]. That is what the verse says: “Then you will go on your way securely. When you lie down you will not be afraid”: of Esav and of Lavan, that is, of the grip of the forces of impurity and the accusers. “He encountered the place²” [Bereishis 28:11]: Rashi explains that this teaches that the earth contracted for him. This hinted to Yaakov that his prayers came only from Heaven, from the compassion of the Creator, and not from his own side. That is the meaning of “the earth contracted for him.” Because of this, it was a prayer of truth. That is “You will grant truth to Yaakov” [Michah 7:20].

2dThis is what Chazal said: “Yaakov instituted the evening prayer” [Berachos 26b]. “The deeds of the fathers are a sign for the children”: Yaakov Avinu made it possible for every person to pray even in the deep darkness of erev, evening, when his mind is me'urbav, confused, because of his many sins and transgressions. Even so, he can pray by relying on the Creator's compassion. That is the meaning of “the evening prayer has no fixed limit” and may be said “until dawn” (Berachos 27b; cf. Mishnah Berachos 1:1)³. The evening prayer does not come from the person's side, since his mind is confused. It comes solely from the Creator's compassion, and so it has no fixed limit, for “Hashem's kindnesses have not ended, and His mercies have not ceased” [Eichah 3:22]. He need only pray “until dawn,” until Hashem helps him and opens his eyes, and “like the light of morning” [Shmuel II 23:4] a light shines for him in a mind that is pure, clear and bright.