“And Yaakov departed from Beer Sheva, and went to Horan.” (Bereshit, 28:10) It is written in the Midrash (Bereshit Rabba, 68:1), “A song of Ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains [harim in Hebrew], from where will my help come (Tehilim, 121)? I lift my eyes to the parents [horim in Hebrew], to my teachers [hora’ah in Hebrew is instruction] and my parents … He [Yaakov] went back and said, ‘Why should I give up hope in my Creator? God forbid that I should give up hope in my Creator, but rather [as the verse continues], my help comes from God.’” When Yaakov went out from Beer Sheva, having no food to eat, nothing in his possession, and needing to go to Lavan to tend sheep for his livelihood, he became greatly despondent, for owing to his situation he saw himself as quite small in comparison to his father and grandfather. Avraham and Yitzchak did not have to concern themselves at all with matters of this world, but were constantly involved in Divine service and ma’ase merkava, the secrets of the Torah. But Yaakov had to occupy himself with these small matters. “He returned and said, ‘I will not give up hope in my Creator,’” which means that even though they were free for great and lofty matters, and I am occupied in mundane things, nonetheless there is also the service of God in this, for He is the one who formed all.
וַיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע וַיֵּלֶךְ חָרָנָה. בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (בראשית רבה פרשה ס"ח,א') "שִׁיר לַמַּעֲלוֹת אֶשָּׂא עֵינַי אֶל הֶהָרִים מֵאַיִן יָבֹא עֶזְרִי", אֶשָּׂא עֵינַי אֶל הַהוֹרִים לְמַלְּפָנַי וְלִמְעַבְּדָנַי וכו' חָזַר וְאָמַר מַה אֲנָא מוֹבֵיד סִבְרִי מִן בָּרְיִי לֵית אֲנָא מוֹבֵיד סִבְרִי מִן בָּרְיִי ח"ו אֶלָּא "עֶזְרִי מֵעִם ה'". הָעִנְיָן בָּזֶה כְּשֶׁיָּצָא יַעֲקֹב מִבְּאֵר שֶׁבַע וְלֹא הָיָה לוֹ לֶחֶם לֶאֱכוֹל וְלֹא שׁוּם דָּבָר וְהוּצְרַךְ לֵילֵךְ אֶל לָבָן וְלַעֲסוֹק בַּצֹּאן לְמַעַן פַּרְנָסָתוֹ, נָפַל דַּעְתּוֹ מְאֹד, לַאֲשֶׁר הִבִּיט וְרָאָה עַצְמוֹ קָטָן מְאֹד נֶגֶד אֲבוֹתָיו, כִּי הֵם לֹא הָיוּ צְרִיכִים כְּלָל לְהַבִּיט לְעִנְיְינֵי הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְהָיוּ עוֹסְקִים תָּמִיד בַּעֲבוֹדָה וּבְמַעֲשֵׂה מֶרְכָּבָה, וְהוּא יִצְטָרֵךְ לַעֲסוֹק בִּדְבָרִים קְטַנִּים כָּאֵלּוּ, חָזַר וְאָמַר לֵית אֲנָא מוֹבֵיד סִבְרִי מִן בָּרְיִי, הַיְינוּ אַף שֶׁהֵם הָיוּ בִּדְבָרִים גְּדוֹלִים וַאֲנִי רוֹאֶה אֶת עַצְמִי בִּדְבָרִים קְטַנִּים, מִכָּל מָקוֹם גַּם בָּזֶה יֵשׁ עַבְדוּת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ כִּי יוֹצֵר הַכֹּל הוּא.
“And Yaakov departed from Beer Sheva, and went to Horan.” (Bereshit, 28:10)
It is written in the Midrash (Bereshit Rabba, 68:1), “A song of Ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains [harim in Hebrew], from where will my help come (Tehilim, 121)? I lift my eyes to the parents [horim in Hebrew], to my teachers [hora’ah in Hebrew is instruction] and my parents … He [Yaakov] went back and said, ‘Why should I give up hope in my Creator? God forbid that I should give up hope in my Creator, but rather [as the verse continues], my help comes from God.’” When Yaakov went out from Beer Sheva, having no food to eat, nothing in his possession, and needing to go to Lavan to tend sheep for his livelihood, he became greatly despondent, for owing to his situation he saw himself as quite small in comparison to his father and grandfather. Avraham and Yitzchak did not have to concern themselves at all with matters of this world, but were constantly involved in Divine service and ma’ase merkava, the secrets of the Torah. But Yaakov had to occupy himself with these small matters. “He returned and said, ‘I will not give up hope in my Creator,’” which means that even though they were free for great and lofty matters, and I am occupied in mundane things, nonetheless there is also the service of God in this, for He is the one who formed all.