Parashat Vayeitzei is unique in that it contains no parsha petucha or setuma - the entire portion is one long, continuous and uninterrupted unit. No other parasha in the Torah has this structure. Rashi notes this as reflecting Yaakov Avinu’s inner state: from the moment he left Eretz Yisrael until he returned and was greeted by the angels of God, his focus never wavered. His heart remained fixed on one goal - to return to Eretz Yisrael.
In Parashat Vayeitzei, the Torah tells us:
בראשית כ"ט:כ'
וַיַּעֲבֹד יַעֲקֹב בְּרָחֵל שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים וַיִּהְיוּ בְעֵינָיו כְּיָמִים אֲחָדִים בְּאַהֲבָתוֹ אֹתָהּ׃
“So Yacob served for Rachel seven years, and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.”
At first glance, this is puzzling. When a person longs for something precious, time does not fly - it slows. Days feel longer, not shorter.
The Sefas Emes, Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter of Ger (3 Tishrei 5607,- 22 Shevat 5665), writes ( תר"נ 5660) that כימים אחדים does not mean the days passed quickly, but that the days were bound together, united, all pointing in one direction. The yamim were echad - many days, but one purpose, one mission, one unwavering focus.
Yaakov’s life in Charan was not a new chapter. It was a continuation of the same journey he had always been on. Each day carried the same clarity and inner purpose. He did not settle in Charan, did not blend into its culture, did not become part of Lavan’s world. He was preparing - step by step, breath by breath - for the moment he would return to Eretz Yisrael. His years in Lavan’s house did not weaken his focus; they strengthened it.
The lesson is clear: when a heart is anchored to a holy purpose, the days do not scatter. They align. They become כימים אחדים - many days, one direction.
In our own lives, we often find ourselves scattered across different places - geographically, emotionally, spiritually. Work, pressures, and the noise of life can pull us in countless directions. It is easy to forget the larger mission of the Jewish people. Yaakov Avinu reminds us that wherever a Jew may be, his inner compass must point to Eretz Yisrael.
A Jew may be temporarily in “Charan,” but his heart must remain at home:
לִבִּי בְּמִזְרָח וְאָנֹכִי בְּסוֹף מַעֲרָב
“My heart is in the East 15 Adar I 4635, - 24 Elul 4871)
Galut is not a place to settle. Galut is a place to preserve, to strengthen, to hold tight to who we truly are - until we can return home. These years must be yamim achadim: different days, but united by one purpose - to come home.
Those of us already living in Eretz Yisrael must recognize the extraordinary z’chut we have. To rise each morning on the soil of the Avos, to breathe the air of nevuah, to live in the land where every step is touched by mitzvah - this is a privilege generations before us only dreamed of. We must never grow used to it. Living in Eretz Yisrael is a gift beyond measure, a kindness from Hashem that should fill us with gratitude each day.
For those who do not yet live in Eretz Yisrael, their destiny and the fullest expression of Jewish life lie here. Even without rising antisemitism, every Jew should aspire to live where a fully Jewish life can flourish - among our people, keeping all the mitzvot, and breathing an atmosphere shaped by Torah, kedushah, and a shared destiny.
Even before arriving physically, every Jew can begin the journey by praying for Eretz Yisrael, supporting it, and shaping life around the dream of returning home.
When we live with the awareness that Galut is not a place to settle, every day - no matter where we are - becomes part of one path leading back to Eretz Yisrael, where the Jewish soul finds its true fulfillment, purpose, and home.
We must strive to make that journey not only spiritual - praying, supporting, and shaping our hearts toward Eretz Yisrael - but physical as well, bringing ourselves, our families, and our future back to the land where we truly belong.
Like Yaakov Avinu let us make all our days Yamim Achadim, united in purpose toward Eretz Yisrael.