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If Yitzchok lived in Chevron, why does the Torah (תורה) say "Vayeitzei Yaakov mi-Be'er Sheva"? The shiur demonstrates that this verse proves Yaakov spent fourteen years in the Yeshiva of Shem v'Ever in Be'er Sheva before traveling to Padan Aram. The location of the sulam's base in Be'er Sheva indicates that it was the gateway between the physical and spiritual worlds—precisely where a makom Torah should be.
Rabbi Zweig opens with a fundamental textual question on Parshas Vayeitzei: The Torah (תורה) states "Vayeitzei Yaakov mi-Be'er Sheva vayeilech Charana" — Yaakov left from Be'er Sheva and went to Charan. Yet we know from Parshas Vayishlach (35:27) that Yitzchok lived in Chevron (Kiryat Arba), not Be'er Sheva. If Yaakov was living at home with his parents, as indicated by the narrative where Yitzchok calls Eisav and Rivka calls Yaakov, why does the Torah say he departed from Be'er Sheva rather than from Chevron where he actually lived? This textual anomaly is precisely how Chazal derive that Yaakov spent fourteen years in yeshiva before going to Padan Aram. Rashi (רש"י) notes that there are fourteen years missing from Yaakov's chronology based on his age calculations. The fact that the Torah specifies his departure point as Be'er Sheva—when his family home was in Chevron—indicates he was somewhere else during those missing years. Since Be'er Sheva is not on the direct route from Chevron to Charan (it's actually south, while Padan Aram is northeast), the Torah must be telling us that Yaakov was residing in Be'er Sheva for a reason: he was learning in the Yeshiva of Shem v'Ever.
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Bereishis 28:10 (Parshas Vayeitzei)
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