Vayeitzei: Sleepy?

By Zachary Fish Yaakov’s dream is one of the most iconic moments in the Torah—angels ascending and descending a ladder, Hashem standing above him. I heard a mehalach on this story from Rav Schachter that I find extremely inspiring:

The Gemara in Chullin explains that when the angels in Yaakov’s dream ascended to the Kisei HaKavod, they saw four images engraved there—one of them was Yaakov’s. And they were shocked. How could someone whose image is part of the heavenly throne itself be lying there, asleep? The angels were so disturbed by this that they wanted to harm him. But Hashem intervened, standing over Yaakov. Hashem’s message was clear: a little sleep is okay, even necessary, but it can’t go beyond what’s needed. The angels weren’t wrong—too much sleep does present an issue of wasting potential.

Rav Schachter ties this to an idea from the Baal HaTanya. The Baal HaTanya, speaks of two types of teshuva. The first is for the sins we’ve committed, but the second is for not living up to our potential. This second kind of teshuva is what Yaakov’s dream challenges us to think about. Are we letting ourselves rest too much, figuratively or literally, when we should be striving for more?

Yaakov’s reaction to the dream is striking. He wakes up and says, “V’chein Hashem b’makom hazeh, v’anochi lo yadati." Rav Schachter quoted the  Pninim M’ikrah* ("a sefer of vorts") that Yaakov knew Hashem was there, but he didn’t realize he had a place on the Kisa Hakavod as well. How often do we recognize Hashem in our lives but fail to see how much we matter in His vision?

Yaakov’s dream is a wake-up call—literally and figuratively. While taking time to recharge has its place, the message is about recognizing the importance of using every moment and every opportunity to fulfill our potential. Hashem reminds us that we’ve been given incredible gifts—time, energy, and ability—and it’s our responsibility to channel them toward meaningful growth and purpose.

May we take this lesson to heart, striving to maximize the potential Hashem has placed within us and using every moment to accomplish the great things we’re capable of achieving.

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*I think this is the name of the Sefer. This is what I had in my notes. Didn't get a chance to verify.