| Dear Friend,
We are pleased to share an insight by the Rebbe on parshat Vayeitzei, excerpted from our Daily Wisdom, adapted by Rabbi Moshe Wisnefsky.
You Are Being Pursued
He [Laban] took along his kinsmen and pursued him for the distance of a seven-day journey, catching up with him at Mount Gilead. (Gen. 31:23)
There are aspects of our Divine mission that G-d has explicitly commanded us to do; these are the Torah's commandments, some of which apply to all humanity and some of which apply only to the Jewish people. It is our task to find out what these obligations are and how to fulfill them, and then to actively carry them out.
In addition, however, there are aspects of our Divine mission that are implicit rather than explicit. G-d does not articulate these challenges explicitly; instead, He presents us with opportunities and hopes that we rise to the occasion, taking the Divine cue.
In this context, we are taught that while Jacob was living with Laban, Jacob proactively fulfilled all of the Torah's explicit instructions.
In contrast, Laban's pursuit of Jacob symbolizes how G-d "pursues" us, presenting us with further opportunities to fulfill our potential.
Thus, we are entirely justified in feeling as though we are being pursued in life; G-d is "chasing" after us, constantly providing us with opportunities for spiritual growth and for disseminating Divine consciousness to others. --Daily Wisdom Vol. 3
Gut Shabbos, Rabbi Yosef B. Friedman Kehot Publication Society
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