Many Jews left South Africa over the years, for various reasons. One community leader said: “All those who were unhappy in South Africa are unhappy in their new countries. The people who were happy in South Africa are happy in their new country.” If you run away from somewhere, you take your unhappiness with you. We should never run away from, we should run towards something else.
Initially Ya’akov was running away – but if the salient sentiment is running away, then you often spend your life running away from your problems. But then we are told that Ya’akov left Be’er Sheva and went to Charan. Rashi famously comments on the seeming superfluous words that Ya’akov left Be’er Sheva – why do we need to know where he left from? He says that because after he left, the place was never the same again. And then we are told that he went to Charan – because when we leave a place, it is not about where we are leaving, but to where we are going. …...more
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