English translation — ויצא א

1.

On the verse¹

<b> </b>"And he lay down in that place" it says in the Midrash²

: "Here he lay down,

but all the 14 years that he was hidden in the house of Ever he did not lie down",

and then a second opinion: "Here he lay down,

but all the 20 years that he stood in the house of Lavan he did not lie down"

(as it says³

<b> </b>"and my sleep fled from my eyes").

Further he continues in the Midrash "And what was he saying?

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: the fifteen Songs of Ascents that are in the Book of Psalms,

what is the reason,

A Song of Ascents of David, 'Had it not been for the Lord who was for us,' let Israel now say⁴,

Israel the elder

(Yaakov our father).

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said: the entire Book of Psalms he would say,

what is the reason,

But You are holy, enthroned upon the praises of Israel⁵,

Israel the elder".

The simple meaning of the question "And what would he say" cannot be "with what was Yaakov Avinu occupied in the house of Lavan"

Because it states explicitly that he worked with Lavan's sheep with all his strength⁶

<b> </b>until "by day etc. by night and my sleep fled from my eyes" -

But the question is: what did Yaakov say

(prayed,

learned)

in order to be able to overcome the difficulties in Charan and in the house of Lavan?

Being in the house of Lavan, Yaakov was indeed in a situation and state of exile,

he went away from the house of Yitzchak his father to be in the house of Lavan,

And there he occupied himself with “Lavan’s flock”&lt;sup&gt;7&lt;/sup&gt;,

Lavan’s flock.

Until his being in Lavan’s house effected in him a descent from his level&lt;sup&gt;8&lt;/sup&gt;,

as Rashi says&lt;sup&gt;9&lt;/sup&gt;

&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;that Yaakov said “If he comes for deceit, I too am his brother in deceit,”

d.

e.

that in him there was, as it were, the matter of deceit in the likeness of Lavan’s deceit&lt;sup&gt;10&lt;/sup&gt;.

Therefore the question arises: How did he pass through and withstand the matter of the exile?

- Certainly this was through "the voice is the voice of Jacob" which nullifies the "hands" and the opponents of Jacob and his affairs, as per Chazal¹¹

<b> </b>the question is "What would he say?"

To this the Midrash answers,

that these were the "fifteen Songs of Ascents in the Book of Psalms",

or "the entire Book of Psalms"; this gave him the strength that he should be able to endure the matter of the exile.

2.

One must however understand: בשלמא according to the opinion that "all of the book of Psalms he would say" is understandable the connection of the saying to Yaakov at the time "when he stood in the house of Lavan".

For being in a situation where simply he could not learn Torah in depth

(at least — not as when he was "hidden in the house of Ever")

he said praises to the Most High and such praises upon which "they take reward like [the laws of] plagues and tents"¹²

; what however is the special connection of the "fifteen Songs of Ascents in the book of Psalms" to his situation in the house of Lavan?

One will understand this with an introduction to what the Chida¹³

<b> </b>brings that the "fifteen Songs of Ascents David said, peace be upon him, corresponding to the fifteen years that the forefathers lived together"

Our father Abraham lived "a hundred years and seventy years and five years"&lt;sup&gt;14&lt;/sup&gt;,

Isaac was born when Abraham was "a son of a hundred years"&lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt;,

and Jacob was born when Isaac was "a son of sixty years"&lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;

&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;- it comes out that there were "15 years that the patriarchs lived together".

And based on this one can say,

that Jacob said the "fifteen Songs of Ascents that are in the Book of Psalms" in order thereby to arouse the merit

(also)

of his patriarchs Abraham and Isaac,

i.

e.

that in addition to his own merits and powers,

there should also be drawn to him the powers of Abraham and Isaac,

through which specifically he was able to endure the difficulties in the house of Laban,

as

He said "Were it not for the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, Who has been with me etc."¹⁷.

3.

The reason why he had to attain the merit of all the Patriarchs in order to overcome the trials of Laban,

will be understood from the advice that is brought¹⁸

<b> </b>how to be victorious in the war against the evil inclination in general,

which was learned from a literal war that took place in the times of the old Rebbe:

The order of "battle formations" in general is,

that "they divide each one his army into three parts,

one part in the middle ..

and two hands to the right and to the left,

and likewise the opposite side also arranges itself into three such parts,

and they fight these against those".

And the success in the war

(which was in that time)

came through that they set up "his three camps" opposite one camp of the enemy,

that "through this he certainly overcomes it".

And likewise one learns regarding the spiritual war,

the war against the evil inclination: in order to defeat the evil inclination one must arouse "all three attributes of holiness

(love, fear, and mercy)

against one attribute of the husk,

and through this surely they will cast it down and defeat it"¹⁹.

And therefore one must have the "fifteen Songs of Ascents" which are "corresponding to the fifteen years that the patriarchs lived together" in order to go through and withstand the matter of the exile -

The three Patriarchs are indeed

(corresponding to)

the three attributes of holiness,

love and awe and mercy²⁰,

and when one has all three Patriarchs together,

that is

one gathers together all three attributes of holiness together - then²¹

<b> </b>one has the power to withstand all the trials of exile and to nullify them.

i.e.

i.e.

Based on this, one can explain the allusion

(according to the way of Chassidus)

and the precision in the number "fifteen Songs of Ascents"

(and "fifteen years that the Patriarchs lived together")

The number 15 indicates the first two letters of the name Havayah - Yud Hei

(in gematria 15²²).

And the difference between Yud-Hei and Vav-Hei is,

that the letters Vav-Hei are the aspect of the middot

(and malchut),

and the letters Yud-Hei are the aspect of the mochin

(Yud - chochmah,

Hei - binah)²³.

And this is the concept of the "fifteen years that the patriarchs lived together": so that all three middot could be together²⁴

- "the patriarchs lived together" - requires that in the middot shine the light of the mochin

(Yud-Hei).

Because since the mochin are higher than the manner of division of the middot,

therefore they effect the inclusion of the middot.

5.

This is, however, seemingly not sufficient:

The fifteen Songs of Ascents in the book of Psalms are called by the name "song",

since "song" is connected to a matter of joy — so how could Yaakov say "Song of Ascents",

a matter of song,

being in a situation and state of exile&lt;sup&gt;25&lt;/sup&gt;?

True indeed,

that in these psalms it speaks about help etc.,

the giving of strength to overcome the exile,

but how can one stand in revealed joy

(which then is fitting to say song

(and as our Rabbis of blessed memory said&lt;sup&gt;26&lt;/sup&gt;

<b> </b>"One does not say song except over wine"))

when one finds oneself in Charan,

the fierce anger of the Omnipresent&lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt;

<b> </b>and in the house of Lavan?

Is the explanation in this: the descent of our father Jacob to the house of Laban was for the sake of ascent,

it should be "and the man increased exceedingly exceedingly"²⁸.

And since Jacob saw the ultimate purpose of his descent

(the ascent that would come forth from it),

therefore, while being in the house of Laban, he said "Song of Ascents"²⁹.

6.

Every matter comes to expression with emphasis in its beginning and head.

And so in our matter,

that the ascent that comes through the descent into exile,

is emphasized in the first of the "Fifteen Songs of Ascents":

The conclusion and seal of the first Shir Hamaalos

(that "everything follows the seal"³⁰)

is "I am peace, but when I speak, they are for war" - which means that although even though he wants peace, nevertheless "they come to fight against me"³¹,

that the war

(spiritual)

is the concealment and hiding of the exile,

and in particular the matter of the trials that are preventing and hindering from serving G-d and they "come to war" against this.

And in that he says "Shir Hamaalos" regarding "they are for war",

the greatness of the elevation that emerges through the war is emphasized.

And the explanation in this: A Jew may not allow himself in, nor even place himself in a state of trials,

And on the contrary,

He must pray "Do not bring us etc. and not to a trial"&lt;sup&gt;32&lt;/sup&gt;.

Therefore he says "I am peace",

That he seeks a service in a way of peace

(Which is not connected with war and trials).

But nevertheless,

Due to the elevation which specifically comes through war and trials,

The Most High sometimes causes that "they come to fight with me",

That among the "they"

(plural term - "this physical world etc. that is called the public domain"&lt;sup&gt;33&lt;/sup&gt;)

- There should be such ones who come to fight and disturb from the service of G‑d.

And also this he says "Shir HaMaalos": not only are the trials not preventing him from avodas Hashem and do not cause any weakness in his avodah,

but on the contrary,

they evoke in him an addition of strength and courage with greater emphasis and greater intensity,

and this brings him to a state of "shir".

7.

Every matter in Torah is an eternal lesson,

so it is understood from this,

that all the above is a lesson for all the time of exile and a special lesson for our time,

the difficulty of the exile,

the generation of the heels of Moshiach:

When one thinks oneself into the double and multiplied darkness of the generation of the footsteps of Moshiach,

until that according to Torah there is a place to ask "from where will my help come"&lt;sup&gt;34&lt;/sup&gt;,

one can nevertheless fall into despair,

G-d forbid -

is the lesson from the above: since the descent of Jews into exile

(which is analogous to "and Jacob went out etc. and went to Charan"&lt;sup&gt;35&lt;/sup&gt;)

is for the sake of the ascent,

so that there should be the "advantage of light from darkness" and "advantage of wisdom from foolishness"&lt;sup&gt;36&lt;/sup&gt;

&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;- must be the "I will lift up my eyes"&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt;,

one must look

(and in the manner of "I will lift up my eyes")

to the ultimate purpose of exile,

the ascent that will be in the future redemption&lt;sup&gt;38&lt;/sup&gt;

&lt;b&gt; &lt;/b&gt;- and then it is not only that one is not affected by the darkness of exile,

but on the contrary,

one stands in a state and condition of revealed joy - "Song of Ascents".

Heaven forbid - exile is a matter of "darkness" and "foolishness" etc.; and a Jew in exile - the Torah of Truth says clearly and explicitly that he is a "son who was exiled from his father's table"&lt;sup&gt;39&lt;/sup&gt;.

And if the son feels otherwise and says otherwise - then the special darkness and lowliness of his exile is understandable.

But one must contemplate the intention in this - that it should be "the advantage of light from darkness" and "the advantage of wisdom from foolishness".

And through this is revealed and one feels the answer

(on the question "From where will my help come")

in the question itself - according to the inner explanation⁴⁰,

that the "help" is drawn from the aspect of "nothingness" - one cannot grasp the aspect,

it is higher than intellect and understanding etc.,

from "Names" -

and the "help" is drawn also into the order of descent,

and in revelation and it effects there - "my help is from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth"⁴¹,

until in heaven and earth literally.

(From the sicha of Shabbos Parshas Vayeira 5740)