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Parasha Vayeitzei : Genesis 28:10-32:03
Hebrew College, Newton Centre, MA, USA
Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Hilton Head Island, SC;Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA
"Earth Angel"
This Torah portion gets its name, Veyeitzei (departed), from the first words of verse 28:10 in Genesis. Jacob departs and travels to his uncle Laban's home. Rashi says that the Torah could simply have stated that Jacob went to Laban's home without using the word depart. Rashi says, "A righteous person's departure from a place leaves a void. As long as this person lives in a city, he constitutes its glory, its splendor, and its beauty. When he departs, its glory, splendor, and beauty depart with him."
Night arrives, and Jacob arranges stones "around his head." He dreams of a "ladder set earthward and its top reached heavenward...and angels of God were ascending it and descending on it." (Gen. 28:12). When Jacob awakes he says, "surely God is present in this place and I did not know...and he named that place Beth-El (house of God)" (Gen. 28:16-19). He "took the stone (NB: singular) that he placed around his head and set it up as a pillar."
The Midrash notes that first the Torah says that Jacob took stones (plural) for his pillow. But in the morning he took the stone (singular) that was his pillow to make an altar. The Midrash says that the stones were quarreling because each one wanted to be the top stone on which Jacob's head would rest. God got tired of their quarreling, and I suppose so did Jacob, as who could fall asleep on a noisy pillow? God fused all the stones into one big stone.
The sages teach some interesting lessons from this. People should not vie and quarrel politically for leadership in the Jewish community. All members of the community need to be combined as one unit. All members of the community who wish to participate should be allowed to. The rabbis also teach that there were twelve stones that were combined as one. They say that each of the twelve tribes had its own customs. Each was unique and each had its own mission.
The rabbis of the Midrash also have different interpretations of the dream of the ladder. One says the ladder is
A third Midrashic interpretation says that the angels who protected Jacob while he was in the Promised Land went up to heaven, and lesser angels came back down. These angels would escort Jacob while he lived with Laban. This also taught Jacob that the
Our sages miss some interesting points that are important to us as liberal Jews. Jacob awakens to realize that God was in this place. The Hebrew word for place is "maqom." One of God's names is Maqom. Jacob, after having the dream, realizes that God is there with him. The verse says, "I did not know." Prior to the dream, Jacob did not know that God was with him. But Jacob does not take a philosophical leap, as his grandfather Abraham did. He calls this place God's house and makes an altar. The Talmud says this place was
The Talmudic sages follow suit two millennia later and devote Tractates of Talmud to the ritual sacrifices that will partially resume when the
God is always with us. God and heaven are not at the top of the ladder. The Torah says that God was down on earth with Jacob. "God was standing over him"(Gen. 28:13). God was not on the top rung. God was not floating like a figure in a Chagall painting. God was standing on terra firma. Each of us as Jews must ascend our own spiritual ladders. Angels do not come down to us. We must go up first. And what happens when we go up the ladder? We plateau and reach a comfort zone. The ladder is reset on this level. And then we repeat the process. Spiritual progress in Jewish Spiritual Renewal is never ending.
Our province is on Earth. God is with us everywhere and in every place. It is our responsibly as Jews to seek him by climbing. Climbing a ladder is not easy. It takes balance, skill, coordination, dexterity, and strength. Reaching God takes work. And when we have reached one spiritual plane, we are to incorporate that learning into our daily existence. And then the process of growth begins anew.
As Jews, we can never rest on our laurels. When we finish a religious text, and make a blessing, we immediately start a new book. When we finish the Torah on Simchat Torah, we immediately start reading Genesis.
Judaism is an active religion. It is not a religion of faithful acceptance of a creed. It is a religion that stresses not the mezuzah on the door, but the learning and love of God and each other that goes on behind that door. It is not a religion of being spoon fed once per Sabbath from the bimah. We are commanded to continually study. Angels do not come from heaven to us. We have to climb that ladder first. But when we reach out to find God, we will find that He has been here with us all along with His hand outstretched, ready to grab onto ours.
This idea is reiterated at the end of the Torah portion. "When Jacob went on his way, angels of God encountered him" (Gen. 23:2). Jacob decided to leave Laban's camp after twenty years to continue his service to God. Jacob made the first move. When he did, the Torah says that God came out to greet and accompany him.
Many times, we as liberal Jews are afraid to experience God or to increase our spirituality. Maybe we think folks will think we are becoming ultra-orthodox and call us "too Jewish." Maybe it is because we do not know what paths to take to do this. The prophet Hosea (11:7-14:10) sees this same fear during his time in the 8th-century B.C.E. "My people is unsure about returning to Me...but it does not rise."
Start with sincere quiet prayer and reflection. Continue by reading a Jewish book. Take another step with weekly Torah study. Set aside time each week for doing good deeds to those less fortunate. Make an appointment and speak with your rabbi, if he is spiritually based and of God and not of ego. Study and discuss theology with a friend, your spouse, or an online class. Read a step-by-step text on Jewish Spiritual Renewal. Closeness to God will come. "Whoever is wise will consider these words. He who is prudent will take note of them. The paths of God are smooth. The righteous walk in them." (Hos. 14:10). Enjoy the process!
Shabbat Shalom:
Hebrew College, Newton Centre, MA, USA
Via Shamash Org on-line class service
Jewish Renewal
Jewish Spiritual Renewal
Hilton Head Island, SC;Bluffton, SC, Savannah, GA
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