Vayigash

After Yosef revealed himself to his brothers, he sent them back to Canaan to bring his father back with them to Mitzraim. Filled with joy that his son was still alive, Yaakov begins his journey down to Mitzraim. Along the way, he stops in Beer-sheva to offer sacrifices before proceeding. The posuk tells us ויאמר אלוקים לישראל במראות הלילה Hashem spoke to Yaakov in night visions, telling him not to fear going down to Egypt for it was there that he would become a great nation.

The משך חכמה brings our attention to something quite unique in this posuk. We never find that Hashem talks to Avraham & Yitzchok at night. Only by Yaakov do we find that Hashem talks to him at night. What's the significance of this; why does Hashem talk to Yaakov at night?
The answer relates to the fact that Yaakov is now headed outside of the land of Canaan to live, the first exile of the Jewish people. Therefore, Hashem came to him at night to show him that, even in the darkness of the exile, Hashem can still be with Klal Yisroel. As the gemara says, when the Jews went to Bavel, the Shechina went with them.

We see Yaakov's connection to לילה by the korbanos, too. The gemara tells us that Avraham instituted the Shachris prayer, Yitzchok the Mincha prayer while Yaakov instituted the evening prayer, which represents the burning of the limbs on the mizbaiach which, unlike any other sacrifice, could be done at night too.
Chazal tell us that the Shechina doesn't rest on a Navi outside of Eretz Yisroel unless the Navi had already prophesied in Eretz Yisroel; just like the burning of the limbs on the Mizbaiach can be done at night only if the korban was started during the day.

‎Continues the משך חכמה, when the Jews hold on to the ways of their forefathers & uphold the ancient traditions, Hashem will be with them even in the most troubling, darkest of times. However, when we don't hold on to our fathers’ ways & forget the treaty we have with Hashem, then the Shechina leaves us & we’re on our own.
How can we avoid this? What can we do to ensure that we don't forget the ways of our fathers & keep Hashem with us in this bitter exile?

When Yosef brings his brothers to Pharaoh, he tells Pharaoh that they are shepherds, upon which the posuk says, that was כי תועבת מצרים כל רעה צאן, since all shepherds are abhorrent to Egyptians. The Chidushei Harim says that Yosef was giving the brothers advice that would be good for the Jews throughout the ages in exile. He said that they had a profession that was abhorrent to the Egyptians so that the Egyptians would stay away from them. He was telling the brothers not to try to imitate the lifestyle or culture of the Egyptians. Rather, the secret to Jewish survival is to remain on the outside, not getting too close to our host country.
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As Reb Chaim Volozhin used to say "if a Jew doesn't make Kiddush, to sanctify one’s self by maintaining a Jewish lifestyle, then the non-Jew will make Havdala for him & then he will realize that he's truly different. Nowadays this ‎is especially true with all the Anti-Semitism that's rampant in the streets. We have to make sure that we separate ourselves & maintain a holy lifestyle so that we will have Hashem on our side to combat the hatred & bring us to the final redemption!