The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
R' Frand began his first vort by noting that Ya'akov saw angels at the beginning of the parsha when he was on his way to Lavan having left the Yeshiva of Shem V'Ever and at the end of the parsha when he was leaving Lavan and on the way back to Cana'an.
R' Frand quoted the Avir Ya'akov which asks - the angels Ya'akov saw in the beginning of the parsha were viewed in a dream which is a less significant viewing and the angels at the end of the parsha were viewed while awake. But since Ya'alkov was coming from the Yeshiva shouldn't he have been on a higher level and more deserving of seeing the angels while awake then at the end when he was coming from Lavan?
R' Frand gave two different answers. The first answer was prefaced with a question that was asked to R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ZTL about the Shema on Yom Kippur. In Ma'ariv on the night of Yom Kippur we say Baruch Shem K'Vod Malchuso out loud and then in Ma'ariv on Motzei Yom Kippur we say it quietly. But at the beginning of Yom Kippur we are just starting the day and at the end we are at the pinnacle of holiness and purity. So why do we not say it aloud then?
R' Shlomo Zalman answered that it matters where you are going to. When we enter Yom Kippur we are headed towards kedusha so we say it aloud. In the ma'ariv after we are already headed towards chol and are likley thinking about what the break-fast meal will be. So at that point it is said silently.
So too by Ya'akov - when he was leaving Yeshiva and headed towards Lavan he was leaving kedusha so he saw the angels in a dream. But when he was leaving Lavan and heading towards the land of his fathers he was headed towards kedusha and saw the angels while awake.
R' Frand gave a second explanation based on the Rambam in Hilchos Talmud Torah. The Rambam writes that all Jews are required to learn Torah whether they are young, old, wealthy, poor or even if they have a wife and young children. Why is this last? Because its the most difficult. Ya'akov when he was coming from Yeshivas Shem V'Ever was coming from a place where learning was easy, so he did not merit to see the angels while awake. But when he was coming from Lavan and still had found time to learn even though he had 4 wives and 13 children, then he merited to see the angels while awake.
R' Frand said a second vort related to Leah and the fact that she stopped having children after giving birth to Yehuda and thanking Hashem as it states in Bereishis 29:35 - וַתַּ֨הַר ע֜וֹד וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֗ן וַתֹּ֨אמֶר֙ הַפַּ֨עַם֙ אוֹדֶ֣ה אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה עַל־כֵּ֛ן קָֽרְאָ֥ה שְׁמ֖וֹ יְהוּדָ֑ה וַתַּֽעֲמֹ֖ד מִלֶּֽדֶת.
But why should her thanking Hashem be a reason that she stops having children?
R' Frand quoted the Ba'al HaTurim who explains that the problem was that Leah said thanks but did not make a request for the future. The Rambam writes in Hilchos Berachos the general principle that we should cry out for the future and thank Hashem for the past. We cannot be complacent and say - its enough, Hashem wants us to ask for more.
R' Frand gave various examples from davening, including that in Hallel we end with Ana Hashem Hoshiah Na, Ana Hashem Hatzlicha Na. [I heard a similar vort previously that this is why Modim ends with a request as well].
R' Frand closed the vort by quoting the Abir Ya'akov who in turn said in the name of R' Hutner that Hoda'ah has two aspects - saying thank you and admitting. When a person says thank you he needs to acknowledge as well.
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