Vayetzei The Heart of Klal Yisrael
At the heart of the Jewish nation lies a rock.
It was not always that way. Originally, the center point of our nation - kodesh hakadashim in the beit hamikdash (the inner sanctum of the temple) contained the aron hakodesh (holy ark) that held within it the luchot (tablets) and the Torah that had been written by Moshe. The Jewish people were thus a nation defined by God and Torah. That came to an end when the aron hakodesh was hidden away in anticipation of the Babylonian conquerors entering and destroying the first beit hamikdash. During the period of the second beit hamikdash, that ark remained hidden away and what lay in its place was a rock that was known as the even shetiya, the foundation stone of the world (see Yoma 53b).
How did a rock come to replace the Torah as the heart of the Jewish nation?
The period of the first beit hamikdash represented our ideal state, with Torah at our center and the tangible presence of God in our midst. This was lost as we slipped into behaviors that violated the Torah, including immorality, murder, and idolatry (see Yoma 9b and 21b). During the period of the second beit hamikdash, Hashem’s presence was less pronounced such that the dominant role of the mikdash was as the unifier of the Jewish nation rather than as the residence of God. It is for this reason, explained Maharal (Netzach Yisrael ch. 4), that what led to the building of the second temple was the unity of the Jewish people generated by the Purim story and what destroyed it was the disintegration of that unity via sinat chinam, vain hatred and divisiveness.
That unity is symbolized by the rock. Midrash (Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer ch. 35) notes that this was the rock that Yaakov designated at the outset of Parshat Vayeitzei as the future house of God. The Midrash also teaches that what ultimately appeared as a single rock had originally been twelve separate stones (Bereishit Rabba 68:11).
Rabbi Yehuda said: He took twelve stones. The Holy One blessed be He had decreed that He would produce twelve tribes. Yaacov said: ‘Avraham did not produce them and Yitzchak did not produce them. If these twelve stones join with one another, I know that I will produce twelve tribes.’ When the twelve stones joined together one to another, he knew that he would produce twelve tribes.
From its inception, this rock represented the vision of a unified Jewish nation, fusing together individual tribes and groups who could be as hardened in their separateness as rocks but who could transcend that and fuse together into a single nation. That unity is not a slogan but the foundation of our being and the core and essence of what defines us until we mature further and restore God and His word to their rightful place as the core of our national identity. As Rav Yitzchak Hutner taught, the words Shema Yisrael, “Hear O Israel”, are not just an introduction but an essential part of the Jew’s declaration of faith: our connection to G-d is built on our connection to each other and to the Jewish people (Pachad Yitzchak, Chanukah, 13:3).
The plight of the hostages, the ongoing war, and the serious threats that Klal Yisrael faces everywhere in the world, have recentered both the rock and the ark, the sense of national and spiritual connection essential to building Jewish identity across our people. We pray that b’shuv Hashem et shivat Tziyon, when Hashem will soon bring back the captives of Zion, hazorim b’dima b’rina yiktzoru, He will transform our tearful connection into a joyful and lasting bond.