Parashat Vayetzeh begins with the story of Yaakov Avinu’s departure from his home in Be’er Sheva. We read that he slept along the road, and during the night, he beheld the famous vision of a ladder with angels.
But there is something that happened even before the dream that should catch our attention.
The Torah tells that as Yaakov prepared to sleep, he took some stones and וישם מראשותיו – he placed them around his head. The commentaries explain that he put them around his head to protect himself from wild animals during the night.
At first glance, this seems very difficult to understand. Would these stones really protect Yaakov from wild animals? Was he safe because of some stones around his head? What about the rest of his body? And wouldn’t the animals be able to crawl, climb or jump over the rocks?
The answer is simple, but very powerful, and very relevant to each and every one of us.
Yaakov did what he could. He was in a difficult situation, forced to flee from his brother, who wanted to kill him. He was traveling far away, and needed to sleep on the side of the road. There was going to be danger. So he did what he could, placing stones around his head, and left the rest up to Hashem. Sure enough, Hashem appeared to him and assured him that He would be protecting him throughout his journey.
Anyone who has reached their 40s or 50s has experienced this firsthand. We have all faced situations where we did not know how things were going to work out, problems that seemed to have no solution, but somehow, in the end, we were ok. All of us have seen miracles, whether in regard to livelihood, health, raising children, shidduchim, or some other area of life. When we do what we can, and leave the rest to Hashem, He comes through.
As we get older, we aren’t able to do all the things we were able to do when we were younger. We have less energy, and we might also find it difficult to learn new skills. When this happens, we need to just do what we can. We shouldn’t just give up. We need to trust that once we take whatever “stones” we can, Hashem will then help us – just as we’ve seen Him do countless times throughout our lives.
Rashi, in his commentary to this parashah, writes, based on the Gemara, that Yaakov originally traveled past the spot where he slept and had his dream. This was the future site of the Bet Ha’mikdash, and after Yaakov passed this area, he realized that he had not stopped to pray at this special location. He turned around and started making his way there so he could pray. Hashem made a miracle and brought Yaakov there quickly, in an instant, so he would not have to travel the whole way.
Once we make the decision to work hard, to do the best we can, to put in the effort, Hashem will help us and we will see results. We need just to do our part – and then Hashem will do His.