BSD ' would it be possible to air the following. "The house of the G-d of Yaakov"
(Isaiah 2:3)
Kislev 11, 5784/November 24, 2023
"Lech lecha - Go forth," G-d said to Avraham, initiating a life long relationship. HaShem would visit Avraham numerous times after that, and in each case, it was HaShem, and not Avraham, who initiated the meeting. True to his reputation, Avraham was the ideal host, always receiving his Guest graciously. Yitzchak, likewise, was the passive recipient of HaShem's occasional visits. G-d was quick to reassure the two patriarchs, promising their safety and the glorious future of their offspring.
Not so with Yaakov. Yaakov, as a youth, very cleverly was able to wrest the status of the firstborn from his ravenous brother Esau, who gladly traded his exalted status for a bowl of porridge. And some years later Yaakov successfully hoodwinked his father Yitzchak into giving him the blessing of the firstborn, once again outmaneuvering Esau. But, when as a result of his ruse, Esau swore to kill him, Yaakov found himself on the run, alone, having never received any heavenly assurance that his path would prove secure. First born blessings aside, Yaakov, far from home, was truly on his own.
Fleeing for his life, the setting sun and dark night that followed, was more than a metaphor for Yaakov's situation as his arrived at a place called Luz. It was a stark and dark reflection of Yaakov's reality. No way back home and an unknown and ominous future before him. Yaakov, carrying with him only the most minimal of provisions, gathered some rocks to place around his head to provide himself with some sense of security, and laid himself down to go to sleep. Notwithstanding the border of stones, which, perhaps he thought could guard him from the encroachment of wild animals, Yaakov, asleep on the ground, far from home and far from his destination, was at his most vulnerable.
"And he dreamed, and behold! a ladder set up on the ground and its top reached to heaven; and behold, angels of G-d were ascending and descending upon it." (Genesis 28:12) Yaakov had a dream. It was born out of his heart, out of his hopes and his fears. Yaakov's dream was his, and his alone, and in his dream he built a ladder, teeming with angels, that led him to HaShem. Having never been visited by HaShem as his fathers were, yet in desperate need of haShem's reassurances of safety and blessing, Yaakov made the first move, initiating a meeting with HaShem. Yaakov's ladder, placed firmly on the ground and ascending to the heavens, knocking on G-d's door, was Yaakov's bold, and perhaps even brazen, first direct visitation with G-d. You haven't come to me as you did to my fathers, so I am coming to You. And, of course, G-d was waiting at the top of the ladder, neither offended nor taken aback by Yaakov's daring display, but welcoming and reassuring:
"And behold, HaShem was standing over him, and He said, "I am HaShem, the G-d of Avraham your father, and the G-d of Yitzchak; the land upon which you are lying to you I will give it and to your seed. And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall gain strength westward and eastward and northward and southward; and through you shall be blessed all the families of the earth and through your seed. And behold, I am with you, and I will guard you wherever you go, and I will restore you to this land, for I will not forsake you until I have done what I have spoken concerning you." (ibid 28:13-15) Yaakov received from HaShem the exact same promise of safety and of future blessing that his forefathers had received. Why did G-d compel Yaakov to make the first move, to initiate their first heart-to-heart, rather than appear unexpectedly before Yaakov, as He has done for his fathers?
The answer lies in what occurred next: "And Yaakov awakened from his sleep, and he said, 'Indeed, HaShem is in this place, and I did not know it.' And he was frightened, and he said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of G-d, and this is the gate of heaven.' And Yaakov arose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had placed at his head, and he set it up as a monument, and he poured oil on top of it. And he named the place Beit El, but Luz was originally the name of the city. And Yaakov uttered a vow, saying, 'If G-d will be with me, and He will guard me on this way, upon which I am going, and He will give me bread to eat and a garment to wear; And if I return in peace to my father's house, and HaShem will be my G-d; Then this stone, which I have placed as a monument, shall be a house of G-d, and everything that You give me, I will surely tithe to You.'" (ibid 28:16-22)
Yaakov, who until now had been only at the receiving end of blessings, realized that he could advance no further without first hammering out his relationship with HaShem. His father's blessings notwithstanding, Yaakov needed to hear from HaShem. And more importantly HaShem needed to hear from Yaakov. A young man who had made it this far based on purchasing the firstborn status of others and deceiving his blind father into blessing him, was long due for a face to face meeting with HaShem. Was Yaakov worthy of the blessings he had received? This must have been a question that plagued him, and one that he needed to answer, not only to himself, but also to G-d. And so, unlike his fathers, Yaakov, having received G-d's promise for his well being, awoke from his dream, and made haShem a promise in return, a promise that He could not refuse: "this stone, which I have placed as a monument, shall be a house of G-d." And with that simple commitment, Yaakov created the future of his children forever. Yaakov understood that to receive, one must be willing to give, and the greatest gift he could conceive of to give to G-d was a house of G-d, a Holy Temple.
Yaakov's promise to G-d was forever, and its unbreakable and unshakeable status is reconfirmed by the prophet Isaiah: "And it shall be at the end of the days, that the mountain of HaShem's house shall be firmly established at the top of the mountains, and it shall be raised above the hills, and all the nations shall stream to it. And many peoples shall go, and they shall say, 'Come, let us go up to the HaShem's mount, to the house of the G-d of Yaakov, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His paths,' for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of HaShem from Jerusalem." (Isaiah 2:2-3)
In his darkest hour, Yaakov reached for the heavens and from darkness created a promise of light. May we also have the courage to make Yaakov's dream and promise to HaShem a reality in our day.
BSD ' would it be possible to air the following. "The house of the G-d of Yaakov"
(Isaiah 2:3)
Kislev 11, 5784/November 24, 2023
"Lech lecha - Go forth," G-d said to Avraham, initiating a life long relationship. HaShem would visit Avraham numerous times after that, and in each case, it was HaShem, and not Avraham, who initiated the meeting. True to his reputation, Avraham was the ideal host, always receiving his Guest graciously. Yitzchak, likewise, was the passive recipient of HaShem's occasional visits. G-d was quick to reassure the two patriarchs, promising their safety and the glorious future of their offspring.
Not so with Yaakov. Yaakov, as a youth, very cleverly was able to wrest the status of the firstborn from his ravenous brother Esau, who gladly traded his exalted status for a bowl of porridge. And some years later Yaakov successfully hoodwinked his father Yitzchak into giving him the blessing of the firstborn, once again outmaneuvering Esau. But, when as a result of his ruse, Esau swore to kill him, Yaakov found himself on the run, alone, having never received any heavenly assurance that his path would prove secure. First born blessings aside, Yaakov, far from home, was truly on his own.
Fleeing for his life, the setting sun and dark night that followed, was more than a metaphor for Yaakov's situation as his arrived at a place called Luz. It was a stark and dark reflection of Yaakov's reality. No way back home and an unknown and ominous future before him. Yaakov, carrying with him only the most minimal of provisions, gathered some rocks to place around his head to provide himself with some sense of security, and laid himself down to go to sleep. Notwithstanding the border of stones, which, perhaps he thought could guard him from the encroachment of wild animals, Yaakov, asleep on the ground, far from home and far from his destination, was at his most vulnerable.
"And he dreamed, and behold! a ladder set up on the ground and its top reached to heaven; and behold, angels of G-d were ascending and descending upon it." (Genesis 28:12) Yaakov had a dream. It was born out of his heart, out of his hopes and his fears. Yaakov's dream was his, and his alone, and in his dream he built a ladder, teeming with angels, that led him to HaShem. Having never been visited by HaShem as his fathers were, yet in desperate need of haShem's reassurances of safety and blessing, Yaakov made the first move, initiating a meeting with HaShem. Yaakov's ladder, placed firmly on the ground and ascending to the heavens, knocking on G-d's door, was Yaakov's bold, and perhaps even brazen, first direct visitation with G-d. You haven't come to me as you did to my fathers, so I am coming to You. And, of course, G-d was waiting at the top of the ladder, neither offended nor taken aback by Yaakov's daring display, but welcoming and reassuring:
"And behold, HaShem was standing over him, and He said, "I am HaShem, the G-d of Avraham your father, and the G-d of Yitzchak; the land upon which you are lying to you I will give it and to your seed. And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall gain strength westward and eastward and northward and southward; and through you shall be blessed all the families of the earth and through your seed. And behold, I am with you, and I will guard you wherever you go, and I will restore you to this land, for I will not forsake you until I have done what I have spoken concerning you." (ibid 28:13-15) Yaakov received from HaShem the exact same promise of safety and of future blessing that his forefathers had received. Why did G-d compel Yaakov to make the first move, to initiate their first heart-to-heart, rather than appear unexpectedly before Yaakov, as He has done for his fathers?
The answer lies in what occurred next: "And Yaakov awakened from his sleep, and he said, 'Indeed, HaShem is in this place, and I did not know it.' And he was frightened, and he said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of G-d, and this is the gate of heaven.' And Yaakov arose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had placed at his head, and he set it up as a monument, and he poured oil on top of it. And he named the place Beit El, but Luz was originally the name of the city. And Yaakov uttered a vow, saying, 'If G-d will be with me, and He will guard me on this way, upon which I am going, and He will give me bread to eat and a garment to wear; And if I return in peace to my father's house, and HaShem will be my G-d; Then this stone, which I have placed as a monument, shall be a house of G-d, and everything that You give me, I will surely tithe to You.'" (ibid 28:16-22)
Yaakov, who until now had been only at the receiving end of blessings, realized that he could advance no further without first hammering out his relationship with HaShem. His father's blessings notwithstanding, Yaakov needed to hear from HaShem. And more importantly HaShem needed to hear from Yaakov. A young man who had made it this far based on purchasing the firstborn status of others and deceiving his blind father into blessing him, was long due for a face to face meeting with HaShem. Was Yaakov worthy of the blessings he had received? This must have been a question that plagued him, and one that he needed to answer, not only to himself, but also to G-d. And so, unlike his fathers, Yaakov, having received G-d's promise for his well being, awoke from his dream, and made haShem a promise in return, a promise that He could not refuse: "this stone, which I have placed as a monument, shall be a house of G-d." And with that simple commitment, Yaakov created the future of his children forever. Yaakov understood that to receive, one must be willing to give, and the greatest gift he could conceive of to give to G-d was a house of G-d, a Holy Temple.
Yaakov's promise to G-d was forever, and its unbreakable and unshakeable status is reconfirmed by the prophet Isaiah: "And it shall be at the end of the days, that the mountain of HaShem's house shall be firmly established at the top of the mountains, and it shall be raised above the hills, and all the nations shall stream to it. And many peoples shall go, and they shall say, 'Come, let us go up to the HaShem's mount, to the house of the G-d of Yaakov, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His paths,' for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of HaShem from Jerusalem." (Isaiah 2:2-3)
In his darkest hour, Yaakov reached for the heavens and from darkness created a promise of light. May we also have the courage to make Yaakov's dream and promise to HaShem a reality in our day.