Seasoned travelers can advise that aside for preparing a proper itinerary and accomodations, the pleasure of a trip may often depend on your travel companion. You can have a terrible flight experience, with hour long delays and misplaced luggage, but if you are traveling with your best friend or a loved one, that trip may very well be remembered as cherished quality time. In this week’s parsha we learn of Yaakov’s harrowing escape from his brother Eisav’s murderous rage. Although Eisav had not uttered a word of his intentions to anyone, their mother Rivkah prophetically understood that he was out for blood and instructed Yaakov to flee eastward to her brother Lavan who lived in the distant land of Charan.
While his destination would serve as a secure physical haven from his brother Eisav, being in the vicinity of Lavan came with profound risks. Lavan was a merciless swindler and when it came to the moment of truth, he was prepared to murder Yaakov and his family. Only a direct warning from G-d dissuaded him from wiping out the fledgling Jewish family. Yaakov was traveling from a a terrible situation to a place he would never choose to visit under normal circumstances. To make matters worse, Eisav dispatched his son Elifaz to kill him, but Yaakov managed to convince him to strip him of all his possessions instead, thus arriving in Charan destitute. It would only make sense that his journey would be fraught with tension and fear. But the Torah relates that after spending a night on Mt. Moriah, the location of the future Holy Temple, “Light of foot, Yaakov set out for the land of the people of the east.” Yaakov was enthusiastic and optimistic as he journeyed from his murderous brother his deceitful uncle. Why? While he slept on Mt. Moriah, Yaakov dreamt of angels going up and down a ladder positioned on earth that reached the heavens. In the dream G-d spoke to him and reiterated His promise to Avraham and Yitzchak that their children will inherit the Holy Land and achieve historic greatness. Amongst the many detailed blessings Yaakov received in that dream, perhaps it was these words that fueled his enthusiasm that made him light of foot on his otherwise harrowing journey: “Behold, I (G-d) am with you.” Once Yaakov knew that he had the best travel companion possible, the turbulent journey became another element of the cherished quality time he would spend with G-d, elevating even the most depraved civilizations of the time, so that Charan would also become a place where divinity was more revealed. We all have our personal journey through life with a unique mission and purpose in preparing our world for the era of Moshiach. Remember G-d is your travel companion and every moment of life will be a joy.