In our parshah, we encounter a phenomenon in the life of Yaakov Avinu: The physical world itself altered and accommodated the needs of man. Chazal teach on the pasuk “And he took of the stones of the place and placed them around his head” that the stones began quarrelling with one another – this one declaring, “Upon me shall the tzaddik rest his head,” and that one insisting the same. Immediately, Hakadosh Baruch Hu fused them into a single stone, as the pasuk concludes, “And he took the stone that he had placed at his head.” Reality, in its very essence, reshaped itself to suit the resting place of Yaakov Avinu.
At first glance, such a description of the briah seems utterly remote from the reality we inhabit, contrary to the nature of the world. It appears to belong exclusively to the exalted madreigah of the Avos, while our own reality constantly tempts and pulls us toward gashmiyus, exerting a powerful influence on our behavior that can make us ever more materialistic.
The Ramchal’s Revolutionary Insight
Yet the Ramchal, in the opening chapter of Mesillas Yesharim, reveals that these very words of Chazal are addressed directly to us; they come to demand from us a mehalech and depth in our avodas Hashem. In his words: “The world was created for the use of man. Man, however, is the center of a great balance: If he is drawn after the world and distances himself from his Creator, he is corrupted and he corrupts the world with him. But if he rules over himself, cleaves to his Creator, and uses the world only as a tool for the service of his Creator, he is elevated and the world is elevated together with him. For this is a tremendous elevation for all created things when they serve the adam hashalem who is sanctified with the kedushah of Hashem Yisborach… And this is what our Sages meant when they said regarding the stones that Yaakov placed at his head (Chulin 91b): R. Yitzchak said, ‘This teaches that they all gathered themselves to one place, each one saying, “Upon me shall the tzaddik rest his head.”’”
Beyond Personal Perfection
From the Ramchal it emerges that beyond the personal obligation to perfect oneself through the taryag mitzvos, which correspond to the spiritual stature of man, as the Ramchal spoke about previously at length, avodas Hashem contains an additional layer of depth: Man is not merely a private individual whose task ends with his own fulfilment of mitzvos and personal perfection. He bears responsibility for the world around him as well; it is incumbent upon him to raise the entire world together with himself through his avodah.
We thus see that although the world indeed exerts a pull in its direction, it simultaneously harbours a profound inner aspiration to conform to the level of man. Man possesses the power to determine the very character of the world: when he directs himself toward his Creator, the world is drawn in the same direction; if he directs himself toward the world, the world remains as it was and even drags him towards it.
Two Ways of Seeing the World
Take, for example, our interest in worldly events. That interest can be in two opposite directions. One may be swept along by superficial curiosity, chasing whatever is novel or sensational. Alternatively, one may approach
the same events with depth and contemplation, seeking to discern the conduct of the Borei Olam. We can recognize in the worldly current events a demand to make changes. When a person adopts the latter stance, the world speaks to him differently—the events in the world speak to him in an entirely different language than it did before.
This aspect of avodah is not simply a call to observe the taryag mitzvos with greater intensity. It is a far broader demand that touches upon one’s entire stance in life. Throughout all his affairs and conduct, a person must constantly examine himself: Where is my focus directed? Am I being pulled after the world, or am I striving upward and carrying the world with me to a higher plane?