Vayeitzei and The Theme of Stones - Part II

Rabbi Dovid Miller also points out the theme of evehn - stone - in Vayeitzei and it continuing into Vayishlach when Yaakov made the matzeivah from an evehn and it is mentioned again in his brachah for Yosef. The word evehn appears for the first time in the Torah in connection with Yaakov and it comes in "with a fury."

Avraham's focus was on influencing people - chesed. Yitzchak was about depth, as represented by his digging of wells. This theme recurs for him. This represents inner directed correction - gevurah. The stone is the basic building block of the world. Yaakov was about tikkun olam. TheMedrash Rabbah says that because Yaakov was called evehn Yisrael we merited getting the Torah, written on an evehn. He's about Torah. Kedosheinu Kedosh Yaakov. He's about elevating the world.

Perhaps Yitzchak wanted to give the physical brachot to Eisav because Yaakov was spiritually inclined. What Rivkah got was that Yaakov was about elevating the physical into the spiritual and holy.

This explains his dream. The ladder, via Nefesh haChayim, points out, represents man's soul which connects two worlds. Man also elevates the world; that's the concept of evehn Yisrael. Thus Yaakov was able to keep the Torah under Lavan, as that was his specialty, elevating even the most physical.

Rabbi Israel Miller said that G-d told Yaakov to leave Charan when he started having physically oriented dreams about sheep.

Mesilat Yesharim says that once a person rules over himself then he can elevate the world. This is Yaakov, as represented by the stones of Yaakov and the way they united to be used for holy service.