The second verse of this week’s parsha begins “Va'yiphgah
Bamakom, and he [Yaakov] came upon the place. . .” (28:11). If you are
reading the parsha in English, this language may not seem strange, but the word
va'yiphgah is actually a bit odd. In fact, if one were to look the root pey
gimmel ayin in a Hebrew dictionary, one would find a strange assortment of
translations, ranging from encountering someone to being hurt or struck.
(Indeed, in modern usage, a piguah is an unexpected attack.)
The implication of the word yiphgah in the context of encountering someone is that of an unexpected meeting. It is what we today might call “bumping into someone,” which explains how it can also mean being hurt. There is an element of impact to the meeting.
Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch actually brings this idea by stating that the phrase Va’yiphgah Bamakom “cannot simply mean he chanced to come to a place…[it] never mean just a meeting, but always a meeting where the one makes an important impression on the other. Hence it is also used for the intentional going to meet with weapons, or to make a request, to attack or to urge. So that here, too, it must have been a place to which he had been meaningfully attracted and held.”
The implication of the word yiphgah in the context of encountering someone is that of an unexpected meeting. It is what we today might call “bumping into someone,” which explains how it can also mean being hurt. There is an element of impact to the meeting.
Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch actually brings this idea by stating that the phrase Va’yiphgah Bamakom “cannot simply mean he chanced to come to a place…[it] never mean just a meeting, but always a meeting where the one makes an important impression on the other. Hence it is also used for the intentional going to meet with weapons, or to make a request, to attack or to urge. So that here, too, it must have been a place to which he had been meaningfully attracted and held.”
The rest of the chapter of
the text describes Yaakov making a pillow of stones for himself, going to sleep
and dreaming of angels travelling up and down a ladder that stretches to
Heaven. This is followed by a promise of Divine protection. Until this
moment, Yaakov has been Yitzchak’s son. And while he has secured the birthright
and received his father’s blessing, this is his first direct encounter with
Hashem and the moment when it seems fully determined that he can be the heir to
the blessings of Avraham and Yitzchak. Certainly, this fulfills Rav Hirsch’s
understanding of the place having a striking impact upon Yaakov!
The words of the Torah are written for all generations, and I cannot help but think that the term yiphga has its own resonance in our own time. Yaakov’s arrival at the place of his dream has an impact on the entire history of the Jewish people and therefore the world. Yaakov wakes from his dream and recognizes the holiness of the place and vows that if all that he has dreamt really does come to pass then he will accept God as his Divine Master - which is what happened.
How often are we in our own lives given an experience that could and should impact us, but we allow the opportunity to build our connection with Hashem to dissipate. Perhaps we can learn from this section of the Torah that when we encounter an unexpected moment or place of holiness, we must grab on to it and let it make a lasting impact upon us.
The words of the Torah are written for all generations, and I cannot help but think that the term yiphga has its own resonance in our own time. Yaakov’s arrival at the place of his dream has an impact on the entire history of the Jewish people and therefore the world. Yaakov wakes from his dream and recognizes the holiness of the place and vows that if all that he has dreamt really does come to pass then he will accept God as his Divine Master - which is what happened.
How often are we in our own lives given an experience that could and should impact us, but we allow the opportunity to build our connection with Hashem to dissipate. Perhaps we can learn from this section of the Torah that when we encounter an unexpected moment or place of holiness, we must grab on to it and let it make a lasting impact upon us.
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