Now, at the beginning of Parshat Va'yetze, we find God's first "hitgalut" to Yaakov (see 28:10-17). Even though God's promise in this "hitgalut" echoes His earlier promises to Avraham and Yitzchak, Yaakov's reaction differs drastically from that of his predecessors - he makes a "neder."
To understand why, we must first consider Yaakov's predicament before God appears to him at Bet-el.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |