Dealing with the world

One of the reasons Yakov leaves Beer Sheva , our sages teach us, is that he did not want to make a treaty with Avimelech the way his grandfather and father before him did. Making a treaty with Avimelech would suggest a position of " you do your thing, and I will do mine, and lets not bother each other". Yakov's purpose was to  transform and transcend physicality and the impure or selfish energies, not by being far away and separated from them, but by being amidst them and then transforming and  transcending them.

When Yakov comes to "the place" that, Rashi tells us will be the site of the future Bais Hamikdash, it becomes suddenly dark , he lays down and has his dream.The Rebbe in a sicha given in Kislev of 5752, explains that there is something positive about the fact that Yakov , at the site of the future Bais Hamikdash is in a lying position; feet, symbolizing physicality on the same level as his head, symbolizing the intellect and the higher faculties. This is connected with Yakov's essential mission, elevating the lowest worlds. The dream itself, of a ladder with it's feet on the ground and its upper part reaching up into  the heavens is also a symbol of the lower and upper worlds integrating and  connecting one to the other.

He goes down to Charan, a place linked to G-d's anger, and there he manages to weave around all of Lavan's crafty plans, and manages to release and elevate all the hidden sparks buried and trapped with Lavan, so that he is able to create the foundation for the future of the Jewish people and to leave with great wealth.

Yakov is identified with the sfirah of Tiferet, which is connected to the idea of balance, balance between Chesed and Gevurah, and also balance between the physical and spiritual worlds. All of Yakov's children emerge from Charan with the faith and the world view of their father, serving Hashem with all parts of themselves involved, elevating the physical to spiritual heights and bringing the light of spirituality into the physical realm around them.

Let us be inspired to follow in the path of Yakov, an integrated and balanced path, that allows for all parts of the 'self' to find a means of expression in the service of Hashem and in the service of elevating even the lowest of worlds.