The Stones That Joined Together
SICHOT
OF THE RASHEI HA-YESHIVA
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This week’s shiurim are dedicated by Abe Mezrich
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PARASHAT VAYETZE
SICHA OF HARAV YEHUDA AMITAL ZT”L
The Stones That Joined Together
Translated by
"He came upon the place and he turned in there, for the sun had set, and he took
from the stones of the place and placed [them] under his head, and he lay down
in that place… And Yaakov awoke early in the morning and he took the stone he
had placed under his head…" (Bereishit 28:11-18)
Rashi, citing the
Gemara (Chullin 91b), notes that the “stones” are subsequently called a
“stone,” and he elaborates:
"He formed them into a sort of border around his head, for he feared wild
animals. [The stones] began to argue among themselves: One said, 'Let the
righteous one lay his head upon me,' while the other said,
'Upon me.' The Holy One, blessed be He, made them into a single stone, and this
is why it says (afterwards), 'He took the stone (sing.) which he had placed
under his head.'"
What are Chazal trying to teach us in this midrash? What is the meaning
of this strange story about stones arguing among themselves and then joining
together? Ramchal, in his Messilat Yesharim, mentions this midrash
in his discussion of role of the different creations in the world:
"… For the world was created for the use of man, but this places him in a
position of great responsibility, for if he is drawn after the world and
distances himself from his Creator, he himself is corruped and the whole world
is corrupted with him. If, on the other hand, he controls himself and adheres to
God, using what exists in the world only to help him in serving God, then he is
elevated and the world itself is elevated along with him. For he brings about a
great elevation for all of Creation, insofar as it is placed at the service of
the man who is complete and sanctified with God's sanctity… and concerning the
'stones of the place' which Yaakov took and placed under his head, [our Sages]
taught: 'Rabbi Yitzchak said: This teaches that they all gathered in one place,
and each said, 'Let the righteous one lay his head upon me.'" (chapter 1)
According to Ramchal, the description of the stones arguing in their desperation
to serve Yaakov comes to teach us that all of Creation exists only to serve man
– and especially the righteous men. However, it is difficult to accept that this
is the entire message of the midrash, since it emphasizes not only the desire on
the part of the stones to serve Yaakov but also their "argument" and eventual
unification. The significance of the midrash therefore requires further
exploration.
A different version of the same midrash may shed light on our question:
"Rabbi Yehuda said: He took twelve stones – in accordance with God's decree that
he would father twelve tribes. [Yaakov] said, 'Avraham did not establish [the
twelve tribes]; Yitzchak did not establish them; what of me? If these twelve
stones join together, I will know that I will father twelve tribes.' When the
twelve stones joined together, he knew that he would establish the twelve
tribes." (Bereishit Rabba 68, 11)
According to the midrash here, the joining of the stones was not merely a
miraculous phenomenon, it was also an important omen for the future. The
symbolism of this must be understood.
The Rambam, in his Moreh Nevukhim (III:51), explains what occupied the
forefathers and Moshe Rabbeinu more than anything else:
"Their main quest throughout their lives was to produce a nation that would know
God and serve Him… for all their efforts were aimed towards publicizing God's
Oneness in the world and guiding people towards the love of Him."
The forefathers took on a dual mission: to establish a nation of worshippers of
God, and to spread the message of monotheism and love of God throughout the
world. In order for the Chosen Nation to be able to bequeath these values to the
entire world, they would need great and diverse powers, corresponding to the
special characteristics of all the different nations. For this reason Am
Yisrael had to comprise twelve tribes – each with its own special
characteristic to contribute to the overall effort: one tribe would bring valor,
another would engage in commerce, another would study Torah, etc.
When a single nation must combine many different elements, a question arises
concerning proper proportions and balances among them. In the parashot we
will be reading in the coming weeks, we find many conflicts going on amongst
Yaakov's household: Leah and Rachel clash over the mandrakes (duda'im);
the brothers turn against Yosef, etc. The matriarchs and the sons knew that they
were laying the foundations for a nation, and they fought over the character it
would take and the focus that would define it. Each tribe represented a certain
idea and believed itself to be at the center. Yaakov's role was to integrate all
of these forces, to build a nation which included all of these elements in the
proper proportions.
This explains the message of the story of the stones. Each stone symbolized a
certain aspect of Am Yisrael and wanted Yaakov to "lay his head"
upon it – i.e., to recognize its centrality. Yaakov knew that the nation he was
going to produce was supposed to be composed of different elements, and
therefore declared that if the stones would join together it would be a sign
that it was possible to build a nation within which all the different forces
would be united. The stones did indeed join together, and thus Yaakov concluded
that the objective could be attained.
A well-known midrash describes Rachel begging God for mercy on behalf of Am
Yisrael at the time of the Destruction of the
"'Master of the Universe – You know that Yaakov, your sevant, loved me greatly,
and worked for my father for seven years to earn me [in marriage]. When those
seven years were complete and the time came to me to be married to my husband,
my father conspired to exchange me for my sister as my husband's bride. This
pained me greatly, for I became aware of this conspiracy and I made it known to
my husband, and gave him a sign by which he could tell me from my sister, so
that my father would not be able to exchange us. But afterwards I regretted what
I had done, and overcame my own desires, and had mercy on my sister, that she
should not be humiliated. In the evening they gave my sister to my husband
instead of me, and I gave my sister all the signs which I had given to my
husband, so that he would believe that she was Rachel. I even lay under the bed
where he lay with my sister, and when he spoke to her she remained silent and I
replied to everything he said, so that he would not hear my sister's voice. I
performed this kindness towards her and was not jealous of her, and did not
expose her to humiliation. And if I – a mere mortal, dust and ashes, felt no
jealousy towards my rival sister, and did not expose her to shame and
humiliation – what of You, living and enduring merciful King? Why have You been jealous of idolatry
which has no substance, and exiled my children, and permitted them to be killed
by the sword, and their enemies to do to them as they please?'
This evoked God's mercy and He said, 'For your sake, Rachel, I shall return
The Maharal (Netzach Yisrael, chapter 34) explains Rachel's claim.
According to his view, Rachel knew that she was meant to be Yaakov's principal
wife, but also knew that he would not have only one wife: in order to father
twelve tribes who would contribute diverse strengths to Am Yisrael,
he needed to have other wives in addition to her. For this reason Rachel
conveyed the signs to Leah, thereby facilitating her marriage to Yaakov. In the
same way, she argues, God should forgive Am Yisrael because the
world is complex, with many diverse and competing forces; it is not yet ready to
attain the state of "God is One and His Name is One."
"And Yaakov awoke early in the morning and he took the stone he had put under
his head, and placed it as a monument, and poured oil over the top of it. And he
called the name of that place Beit-El." (Bereishit 28:18-19)
Yaakov takes the stone that symbolizes the unification of the different elements
within Am Yisrael, and transforms it into a monument. This
monument becomes "Beit El," the house of God: Am Yisrael, bringing
together its wealth of different strengths, is worthy and capable of being a
center for the dissemination of monotheism and love of God throughout the world.