Remove the foreign gods that are in your midst. The text should have said “in your hands,” as it later states and they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hands. This is because every action is preceded by thought, and contemplation of sin comes before the actual deed. Therefore, he commanded them to first purify the sin of improper thoughts, saying “Remove the foreign gods that are actually within you,” for Jacob said “Perhaps my children have sinned and blessed [cursed] God in their hearts,” and they had been contemplating the idols that were in their hands, “and purify yourselves.” Through this, God will create for you a pure heart. Or it could be said to refer to general sinful thoughts that come from the evil inclination, which is called a “foreign god that is within you,” as our Sages said (Shabbat 105b) regarding the verse There shall be no foreign god within you(Psalms 81:10) - what is the foreign god that is within a person’s body? This refers to the evil inclination. Afterward, he warned them about rectifying the sin of action, saying to remove the filthy garments and clothe themselves in clean garments, for we find in many places that clothing is a metaphor for actions, as it is written (Ecclesiastes 9:8) At all times, let your garments be white. Regarding this, he said and change your garments. And let us arise and go up to Bethel. For one cannot come to the king’s gate in clothing soiled with sin and iniquity until they first rectify both the sin of thought and action. And they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hands. Through this they rectified both the sin of action and thought as one - the action literally through nullifying the idols in their hands, and the removal of the evil inclination [the foreign god that was actually within them] was also alluded to in their saying the foreign gods that were in their hands As our Sages said (Bereishit Rabbah 34:10), the wicked are under the control of their hearts, but the righteous have their hearts under their control and in their hands. This is the meaning of the foreign gods that were in their hands - indicating that what was within them was now in their hands. This is a correct allusion that makes sense.

“And he built there an altar.” And adjacent to this verse is and Devorah died. The Ramban questioned what the connection is between Devorah’s death between these two verses. I say that this is similar to what our Sages said (Moed Katan 28a): Why is the death of Miriam juxtaposed to the passage of the Red Heifer? To teach you that just as the Red Heifer atones, so too does the death of the righteous atone. Similarly here, where it speaks of the death of Rebecca and Devorah, as they learned from the verse “Allon Bachut [Oak of Weeping], Jacob indicated that their deaths were an altar of atonement. Therefore, he built an altar in the place where he learned of their deaths. And God blessed him — this refers to the blessing of mourners, just as He blessed Isaac after his mother’s death. And what is stated and she was buried beneath Bethel hints that he eulogized her appropriately, for Bethel was on a mountain, and if he had not properly eulogized her, the mountain would have trembled upon them, as they interpreted regarding Mount Gaash (Shabbat 105b). The verse further tells us that he eulogized more than was appropriate, as it says beneath Bethel under the oak. What is meant by beneath? Rather, he began beneath the city, and from there he extended the eulogy until under the oak. This is indicated by the Hebrew letter ”mem“ in mitachat [from beneath], as he moved from place to place and eulogized in several locations. Our Sages said (Moed Katan 27b) that whoever grieves excessively over a dead person will end up weeping over another dead person. Therefore, this place was called Allon Bachut [Oak of Weeping] — referring to another weeping, because it was there that he was told of the death of his mother Rebecca, or it hints at the death of Rachel which also occurred near this place.

“Your name is Jacob, your name shall no longer be called Jacob.” From the fact that it states your name is Jacob it implies that the name Jacob will remain in its place and not be uprooted. Yet afterwards it says your name shall no longer be called Jacob Rather, this certainly comes to tell us not that the name Jacob will be uprooted, but that it will become secondary [to the name Israel]. However, regarding Abraham, our Sages said (Berakhot 13b) that whoever calls Abraham by the name Abram transgresses a negative commandment. The reason for this difference is because with Abram, it was not stated “your name is Abram” as it was stated here your name is Jacob.

And by way of allusion, I have a way to explain Jacob’s two names in reference to the two redemptions, since we find in our Rabbis’ teachings that the Exodus from Egypt will not be completely uprooted, but rather the remembrance of the miracles of the Exodus will become secondary, while the remembrance of future miracles will become primary. Similarly here, they said that the name Jacob will not be completely uprooted, but will become secondary while the name Israel will be primary. Therefore, both are one matter. And so it says regarding the final redemption, And the crooked shall become straight (Isaiah 40:4). The word akov [crooked] is derived from the name Yaakov [Jacob], and mishor [straight] is derived from the name Yisrael [Israel], meaning “straight to God.” And since it is said As in the days when you left Egypt, I will show you wonders (Micah 7:15), this teaches that the future miracles will not be greater than the miracles of Egypt. So why will the miracles of Egypt become secondary? Because during the redemption from Egypt, their merit was not sufficient to bring them out with an upraised hand, and they needed to proceed with cunning and deception, saying “Let us go sacrifice to the Lord our God.” And every fugitive goes in haste, as it is written you shall eat it in haste (Exodus 12:11). And regarding the Babylonian redemption, it is obvious that it was not a complete redemption but merely a temporary visitation, and there too it is said Flee from Babylon, flee from the Chaldeans (Isaiah 48:20).

However, in the final redemption, after the sin has been completely purged through the length of this current exile, their merit will be sufficient for them to depart with an upraised hand, on a straight path rather than with cunning/deception [reference to Jacob’s name’s meaning] and not in haste, as it is written For you shall not go out in haste, nor shall you depart in flight (Isaiah 52:14). This is what is meant by “the crooked shall become straight.” Nevertheless, the name Jacob will not be completely uprooted, and similarly, the memory of the Exodus from Egypt will not be completely uprooted, so that both redemptions will be remembered together, and they will know and recognize the difference between them which was caused by sin. For without doubt, they were evil and sinful in Egypt, as explained in Ezekiel’s prophecy (Ezekiel 20:8), which is why it is fitting that it [the first redemption] should be secondary. Similarly, the name Jacob is not completely uprooted for this reason, and additionally because the redemption serves two purposes: the redemption of bodies from subjugation and troubles, and the redemption of the soul in terms of spiritual matters that were given to Israel, as indicated by the names Jacob and Israel — one physical and one spiritual, as explained by Rabbeinu Bachya. And even though the spiritual is primary, nevertheless the name Jacob will not be completely uprooted, because a person needs to give a portion to both this and that. However, the name Abram was completely uprooted, because for all generations he remains the father of many nations, as both the tents of Edom and Ishmael are among his descendants.

“And God went up from him in the place where He had spoken with him.” Rashi comments that he doesn’t know what this verse comes to teach us. However, it appears to me that it comes to teach us that the Patriarchs themselves are the [Divine] chariot, and that the Temple below is aligned with the Temple above, as is known. For Jacob was now in Bethel and Luz, and there is the gate of heaven, as these two places were connected with Mount Moriah, as explained above in Parshat Vayetzei (28:16). If the verse had not specified in the place where He had spoken with him, I would have said that the Divine Presence went to another place and from there ascended to its dwelling. Therefore, it needed to specify that God ascended directly from this place, such that Jacob remained below while the Divine Presence ascended above to its dwelling in the heavenly Temple, which is aligned with the place where He spoke with him in the earthly Temple.