Parshas Vayeshev- Yakov's spiritual journey

The pasuk says "וישב יעקב בארץ מגורי אביו בארץ כנען" Yakov settled in his father's birthplace, in the land of Canaan.Yakov went to the house of Lavan and worked for him. Why did he go? In order to gather the sparks and elevate them and bring them to 'Aviv', his father in heaven. Canaan is from the lashon 'מסחר'- business. A person has to use money in order to gain money, like it says, you get what you put in.

A Jew's job in this world is to work with and elevate the physical things in this world. We have to do it for 'אביו' for Hashem. Everything we do is for Hashem, and not to receive a reward. And in order to make sure that we are not doing it for the reward, we should work specifically with simple things. We have to have kabalos ol- "Accepting the yoke' of heaven, doing it solely for Hashem and nothing else. We are called 'Tzivos Hashem', the army of Hashem. A soldier must give himself over to his commander and do everything he tells him to do without question.

In order for Yakov to give himself over completely to Hashem, he worked specifically with simple things, with sheep. Yakov worked with elevating the sparks. He worked hard. It was physically and spiritually hard.

Yakov had to run away from his home. He had to leave not knowing if he would ever return. He could have asked, why me? Why couldn't it be Esav who left? But he didn't question. Not only did he not question his lot in life, but he did it with a light heart, he went happily.

And he did not see leaving Eretz Yisroel as a 'yerida' descent, at all. In fact, on Yakov's deathbed it said 'His bed was complete'. This means that his life was complete, including his time by Lavan. He used it as a spiritual elevation, he elevated all of the sparks. And physically, he gained a lot of wealth.

And that's why the Torah uses the lashon 'בארץ כנען'. He elevated the sparks by Lavan, and also by Esev. When Yakov saw Esav again it says 'וישקהו' and Esav kissed him- with his whole heart. Yakov caused Esav to do teshuva. So Yakov came back physically richer, and spiritually richer.

So going to Lavan was not a yerida at all. He earned his parnassah in ruchnius and gashmiyus.

Each Jew must 'elevate the sparks', he must work with his gashmiyus and ruchniyus to create his own 'moshiach', and in that way to herald the coming of Moshiach for all Jews. May it be now.

-Based on a sicha of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

The lesson I learned from this was that just as Yakov did not question his journey and instead went happily, and that he recognized it as an opportunity and not a negative thing, we must realize that wherever we are in life we are there for a reason, and we can use it as an opportunity to do good, to become closer to Hashem. And when we realize that, we will be happy to be there, even if seemingly it is a 'bad' place for us. 

And also, 'whatever you put in, that's what you get out'. We have to work for things in life, sometimes really hard. But the reward will be great.

Good Shabbos to all!