Towards the beginning of Parashat Vayetze we read of Yaakov's famous dream in Beit-El, in which he beheld a ladder and angels and heard God's promise to protect him along his journey and return him safely to his homeland. The Torah describes Yaakov's astonishment upon awakening: "Yaakov awoke from his sleep and said, 'Indeed, the Lord is in this place, and I was unaware.' He was frightened and said, 'How awesome is this place; this can only be a house of God, and this is the gate of the heavens!'" (28:16-17).
Leaving aside the precise meaning of the terms "awesome," "a house of God" and "the gate of the heavens," it clearly emerges from Yaakov's response that he was stunned specifically by the possibility of experiencing a prophecy at that particular site. What rattled Yaakov was not the fact that he beheld a prophetic vision, but rather that such a vision could occur at this location ("the Lord is in this place…How awesome is this place…"). How might we explain this reaction of Yaakov to his discovery that his current location was graced with some unique quality?
Shadal explains:
He criticized himself for having been distressed over his flight [from his brother] and over his having to sleep along the road, and for not trusting in God, and perhaps in his distress he cursed that site. "This can only be…": I did not sleep in a bad place, as I had thought, but rather it is as if I had slept in a house of God and the gates of the heavens, for behold God has seen my plight.
According to Shadal, when Yaakov was forced to lie down and sleep along the road, he felt embittered over his plight. He resented having to flee from his brother and travel all the way to Charan, a journey that required him to sleep out in the open, on the ground, without proper provisions. Shadal goes so far as to speculate that Yaakov perhaps even "cursed" the site where he had to sleep (e.g. "Look at this awful place where I have to spend the night; rather than sleeping in a warm house on a comfortable bed, I have to sleep in this horrible place!").
But after beholding his prophetic vision, Yaakov came to the startling realization that he "did not sleep in a bad place," that the site where he slept was indeed a blessed place. This is a place where God spoke to him, answered his prayers and promised him protection. Yaakov in effect exclaimed, in astonishment, "This is not a bad place at all – this is like the house of God!"
A meaningful lesson emerges from Shadal's understanding of these verses. Often in life we find ourselves in situations and places which we would have much preferred to avoid, challenges and difficulties which we would ideally never wish to confront. At times, however, we will discover, like Yaakov, that these situations are really "the house of God, the gates of the heavens," they somehow prove to be far more beneficial than we would have ever imagined. Just as Yaakov was surprised to discover that the dusty, rocky road to Charan could become "the house of God," so can the unpleasant situations we sometimes confront actually become positive experiences that, as in the case of Yaakov, give us strength and confidence for the long journey ahead.