Our Gemara on Amud Aleph debates the status of Eretz Yisrael post-exile, questioning whether the initial conquest of Israel’s holiness persists, affecting mitzvos like tithing and holy foods exclusive to the land. Similarly, does the Temple’s sanctity endure, obligating one to bring firstborn animals to Jerusalem while the Temple stands? The Gemara states, “The initial consecration of the Temple sanctified Jerusalem for its time and sanctified Jerusalem forever.”
Ben Porat Yosef applies this poetically to Yaakov’s exile to Charan (Bereishis 28:10-12):
Jacob left Beer-sheba, and set out for Haran. He encountered (vayifga) a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. He had a dream; a stairway was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky, and messengers of God were going up and down on it.
Why does the verse separate “left Beer-sheba” and “set out for Haran” instead of saying, “Jacob went from Beer-sheba to Charan”? Ben Porat suggests it highlights two journey aspects: leaving spiritual shelter (Beer-sheba, “well of the oath,” symbolizing the soul’s attachment to God) and entering a material world (Charan, implying potential divine wrath).
Even in spiritual pursuits, one may descend before ascending, symbolized by angels moving up and down the ladder. The plural language reflects dual facets in both physical and spiritual realms.
Halachically, the sanctity of Eretz Yisrael from the first conquest lapses upon exile, but the Temple’s sanctity, derived from the Shekhina’s spiritual presence, endures. Similarly, holiness through attachment to God persists despite temporary lapses. For Yaakov, and all of us, engaging in material pursuits while recovering holiness requires prayer and Torah study, represented by “encountered (vayifga, implying prayer)” and “stones (Torah letters, per Sefer Yetzira).”
This waxing and waning pattern applies to spiritual pursuits too, as ideas and emotions guide us variably. Trusting passions and emotions, to some extent, is necessary, reflecting a divine pattern of fluctuation in all existence.
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation 
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Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com