Vayetze: Leaving Town

Bereishit: 28: 10-16

Rolling out of town on the Amtrack Metroliner. Sitting in a seat facing backwards is making her nauseous, but it was the only seat left. She'll adjust. New Jersey is rolling by outside her window, in reverse. Goodbye oil tanks. Goodbye swamplands.

She and her parents had dropped off all her suitcases at Georgetown University last week. She had to come back to Tenafly for a surprise party for her best friend, who was going to Rutgers, with most of her other friends. But now she was back on track, so to speak. The train would get her back to Washington in time for her freshman college orientation.

Sitting across from a businessman with a loosened tie, busy on his laptop, and a society lady in a long leather coat. A little early in the season for leather. And the faux fur collar is definitely a fashion-don't.

She didn't know anyone at Georgetown-- just a second cousin once removed who was in her junior year. It seemed like a good choice for college, but as the train rolled south, she really wasn't too sure of anything.

She felt alone.

A petty fight she'd had with her father on the way to the train station didn't help matters much. Something about not treating her sister nicely. She would probably forget the whole thing by the time the train reached Maryland, but right now it weighed on her mind.

As the Metroliner pulled into Trenton, she rolled her coat up into a ball and stuffed it under her head. She dozed off for a second. A light, dreamless sleep.

Her cell phone began playing the Beatles Let It Be, her father's ringtone.

"Hi, Dad."

"Hi Kitten. I just called to wish you a good trip."

"Thanks, Daddy."

"And to bless you with a good first semester at school."

"Right back 'atcha, Daddyo."

"And to give you a d'var Torah."

"Wow, that's new."

"I know. I'm very unpredictable."

"Tell me about it."

"I think that your going to college alone on the train to Washington kind of reminds me of Yakov going down to Lavan's house, in Charan."

"But Dad, Yakov was fleeing from his brother who vowed to kill him. I'm just leaving for school."

"I know, I know. Your sister at present has no plans to do you in. But the day is still young."

"Ha, ha."

"I just mean that Yakov left Yitzchak and Rivka's house all alone on a distant journey, and he may have been feeling a bit discouraged."

"I'm not discouraged."

"Just bare with me."

"Fine."

"Then Yakov lays his head down on a rock at Beit El and takes a nap. He has a dream about the angels on the ladder, and then G-d comes along and tells him everything is going to be O.K. and that he'll be a great nation."

"O.K."

"So that's what I'm calling to tell you. Don't worry about a thing. You're going to do great in college. You may even be a great nation, someday."

"So Yakov gets G-d, and I get you?"

"Yup. You might say I'm your guardian angel."

"I guess you take what you can get."

"Exactly."

"I love you, Dad."

"Right back 'atcha, Kiddo."

Comments

[aunty rashi]

"Bare"???
I'm the Israeli on here...