Removing the Stone:
Vayetze and the Black Friday
of Ulpan-Or, the International Center
for Hebrew and Israeli Culture Studies.
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Torah portion וַיֵּצֵא / Vayetze opens with Yaakov fleeing from Esav and leaving Eretz Yisrael.
According to R. Manitou this is not just family drama but the prototype of Jewish exile: exile born out of שנאת אחים – brotherly hatred.
Yaakov, representing the “micro-Israel,” is sent into the world to rediscover what true אֲחָוָה – achva, brotherhood really means.
Between the famous ladder dream and the meeting with Rachel, the Torah slips in a small scene — so small many readers overlook it:
Yaakov arrives at a well.
A huge stone blocks the water.
Three flocks wait around it.
The shepherds insist the heavy stone can be moved only when all the flocks gather together.
Then Rachel arrives, and Yaakov alone rolls the stone away.
A simple story…
But in Manitou’s teaching, this is one of the deepest philosophical confrontations in the Torah.
“Achai, me’ayin atem?” “My brothers, where are you from?” — The Hebrew worldview vs. the worldview of fear
Yaakov opens with:
“הָאַחִים — achai — my brothers.”
Then the deeper question:
“מֵאַיִן אַתֶּם — me’ayin atem —where are you from?”
Do you know that your existence comes from אֵין־סוֹף — Infinite Goodness?
Do you know that life is a gift, not a punishment?
The shepherds answer:
In other words:
Yaakov: “The Source of life is goodness.” Shepherds: “No — the Source is wrath, scarcity, danger.”
Once you believe you live in a world built on anger, your daily posture becomes:
- There is not enough for everyone
- Others threaten my existence
- Survival requires uniformity, not unity
- Only those inside “our group” can access blessing.
This is exactly why the shepherds claim:
“We can roll the stone only when all the flocks unite as one block.”
Uniformity (אחידות) becomes salvation.
Yaakov’s worldview is completely different:
True unity (אחדות) allows each flock to keep its identity Blessing is not limited.
And salvation comes through ethical action, not forced merger
Yaakov’s act — opening the well for all
When Rachel arrives, Yaakov finds the strength to move the stone alone.
Manitou sees this as a symbol of the Jewish mission:
Israel is not here to monopolize the well
Nor to demand that all nations become copies of us
But to open the Source so that life can flow for all
This is why the Torah emphasizes:
“וַיִּגַּשׁ יַעֲקֹב — Yaakov drew near.”
Approach – Engage – Act.
One person, acting with faith and love, can accomplish what entire groups—stuck in fear—cannot.
It reminds us of the modern “OODA” loop.
The OODA loop is a decision-making framework developed by U.S. Air Force Colonel John Boyd. It stands for:
Observe → Orient → Decide → Act
John Boyd was a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and military strategist, nicknamed “Forty-Second Boyd” because he could defeat any opponent in simulated air combat in less than 40 seconds.
Boyd flew F-86 Sabres during the Korean War era and became obsessed with a puzzle: American F-86 pilots had a 10:1 kill ratio against Soviet MiG-15s, even though the MiG-15 was technically superior in many performance metrics (could climb faster, turn tighter, accelerate quicker).
The Key Discovery: Boyd discovered the F-86 had two critical advantages:
- Better visibility – bubble canopy gave pilots superior situational awareness
- Faster control response – hydraulic flight controls allowed quicker transitions between maneuvers
These advantages meant American pilots could observe and act faster than their opponents, completing more decision cycles in the same timeframe.
How the OODA loop works:
- Observe – Gather information about the current situation
- Orient – Analyze and contextualize what you’re seeing based on your experience and knowledge
- Decide – Choose a course of action
- Act – Execute your decision
Boyd’s Broader Impact: Beyond the OODA loop, Boyd influenced:
- The design of the F-15 and F-16 fighter jets
- U.S. military doctrine in the Gulf War (his theories influenced the “left hook” maneuver)
- Modern maneuver warfare and overall business strategy
Black Friday — A Modern Charan
Why does this matter today?
Because we live in a moment saturated with דֶּרֶךְ חָרָן — the Charan psychology: fear, scarcity, pressure, competition.
Even the name “Black Friday” carries echoes of panic:
“If I don’t grab it, someone else will.” “There won’t be enough.” “Everyone must rush together or miss the blessing.”
(Today Orly and I experienced the Black Friday panic firsthand. We tried ordering a few things online, but the network overload kept freezing the screen. After multiple attempts, we just gave up.)
This is the shepherds’ worldview:
- “The water is limited.
- We all have to push together.
- Only a closed group can survive.”
But the Torah offers a different model:
A short Chassidic story — The stone on the heart
A chassid once told his Rebbe:
“Rebbe, my heart feels like a stone. I pray, I learn, but nothing flows.”
The Rebbe replied:
אֶבֶן – Even – Stone
Used idiomatically in modern Hebrew:
נגולה לי אבן מהלב – “A stone fell off my heart” → relief
אבן נגף – a stumbling block
אבן דרך – milestone
Israel Now — Rolling Stones Together
In today’s Israel — with ongoing fighting, two killed hostages still in captivity, several northern and southern families still displaced, and national tension — the message of Vayetze speaks with striking clarity:
We all feel stones:
- Stones of worry
- Stones of grief
- Stones of political division
- Stones of exhaustion
But we also see Yaakov’s path everywhere:
- Soldiers protecting one another with profound brotherhood Communities embracing evacuees
- Strangers helping strangers
- Volunteers, reservists, families opening homes
- Small acts of love pushing stones away
Parashat Vayetze whispers:
May we merit to keep removing them — in our homes, our communities, and across Am Yisrael — until the well of life, strength, and unity flows freely again.
