Toward the end of Parashat Vayetze, we read of the formal pact made by Yaakov and Lavan in Gilead. Yaakov and his family left Lavan’s home without informing him, and Lavan pursued and ultimately caught up to Yaakov’s family at Gilead. The two decided to make a formal treaty and pledged never to harm one another. Afterward, the Torah relates, “Lavan returned to his place. And Yaakov went along his way, and angels of God met him” (32:1-2).
The Meshekh Chokhma observes that this verse aptly captures one of the basic distinctions between the righteous and the wicked. Laban “returned to his place,” he went to the place where he had previously been, whereas Yaakov “went along his way” – he continued moving onward. One of the characteristics of habitually sinful people is stagnancy and complacency, the lack of desire or ambition to progress, advance, grow and improve. They stubbornly and arrogantly insist upon the adequacy of their current standing, and so they stay in place. The Meshekh Chokhma notes in particular the fact that Lavan “returned to his place” even after his experiences with his righteous son-in-law. People with an interest in learning and growing would relish the opportunity to bask in the presence of a towering figure like Yaakov, and return from such an encounter with a spiritual charge. But Lavan simply “returned to his place,” unaffected by his exposure to the righteous patriarch.
Yaakov, on the hand, “went along his way.” The righteous are constantly journeying, moving forward, working to improve and build upon their past achievements. As the Gemara comments toward the end of Masekhet Berakhot, “Torah scholars have no rest – neither in this world nor in the next world.” They continuously and tirelessly work and struggle to reach the next rung in the ladder of human perfection. Yaakov could never just “return to his place” and stay where he is; he rather “went along his way,” moving forward along the lifelong pursuit of greatness.
It is for good reason that Yaakov’s persona is often associated with his dream of the “ladder stationed in the ground, whose head reached the heavens” (28:12). He exemplifies the desire to constantly rise and ascend, to achieve “heavenly” perfection even while stationed here on earth. And our nation which bears his name – Am Yisrael – also bears the responsibility to follow his example and live lives characterized by constant progress and growth