Ramban, the great interpreter of Torah and mystic of the thirteenth century, noted, “What happens to the fathers is a portent for the offspring.”
Ramban meant that sometimes there is a convergence that takes place between generations that may never actually meet. For example, a grandfather may pass on a story which becomes a key to unravel the mission of his granddaughter many years later. Perhaps some act may appear meaningless in its own time but become a gift only revealed many years afterward. There are times, Ramban implied, when one generation places a seed in the ground that lies dormant until germinated by a later generation.
An example of this is intergenerational transfer that occurs in Genesis And Abram passed through the land, until the site of Shechem, until the plain of Moreh….1 Rashi comments that, “And Abram passed through the land,” means that Abram entered and continued his trek, “until the site of Shechem.” That is, Abram ventured into this unknown land of Canaan following the command of God and, for some inexplicable reason only stopped when he reached the town of Shechem. The Lord God told Abram to build an altar on land that would support such holiness. 2 Abram chose Shechem.
Why did the Patriarch choose this place to halt his journey and build the altar? What did Abram see? Did the Patriarch sense something palpable coming from this place? He could have stopped and built his altar in any place, even Jerusalem. Why then did Abram stop his family’s migration at Shechem? More: Abram knew that not only was this the place to build his altar but there was also something powerful he needed to deposit into the earth that would remain quiescent; it would wait until its appointed time to germinate and sprout much later there.
*
Many years later after the death of Moshe Rabbenu, Joshua led the people into the Land. There they engaged in a series of struggles before they were able to settle peacefully in the land. After Joshua‘s major victory at Ai he arrived in Shechem. There, Joshua took and arranged large pieces of stone and engraved on them words of the holy Torah. Joshua assembled all the elders and judges and stood next to the Ark that the Israelites carried since Mt Sinai as he proceeded to renew the holy covenant with God at Shechem. Why did Joshua choose this place to renew the covenant? He was following the same instructions given to Moses one generation before. This was the second time the covenant was enacted. 3 Both covenants were struck at Shechem.
Time passed. Many wars were fought under Joshua’s leadership. Among the more famous were the battles of Jericho where the walls tumbled and Gibeon where the sun halted its movement across the heavens. Joshua fought a massive war against an alliance of armies in Jerusalem and a northern war against a Canaanite despot, Jabin. After many years of conquest, setbacks and tireless leadership Joshua realized that death was coming close. With that knowledge Joshua gathered his people together for a final goodbye. His words were well-chosen, expressed and delivered. The chosen place for his farewell address? Shechem. 4 Joshua understood the innate sanctity of the place. His soul recognized the holiness of that city and so connected with his forefathers in his final act.
In earlier history, Shechem was set aside as a City of Refuge 5. A City of Refuge was a protected sanctuary ordained at the time of Moses to shield anyone who had committed, or was accused of a terrible crime. There the accused could flee and live free from fear of vengeful families. The refugees would live in safety until a court could determine whether they were guilty or innocent.
Going even further back, Shechem is mentioned in the Torah in Jacob’s lifetime. After an exile of twenty-two years Jacob returned to Canaan to resume his life after some horrible experiences. He wrestled an angel, confronted an estranged and angry brother and narrowly escaped his ruthless father-in-law. Now, in his middle-to-late years, Jacob settled into the Holy Land. Of all the possible location where did Jacob choose to live? Shechem.
Jacob purchased the property of Shechem for 100 kesitas from Hamor, the prince of the country 6. To mark his new home and dedicate the balance of his life to God, Jacob built an altar to honor the Holy One, blessed be He...just as did Abraham two generations before….just as Moses would hundreds of years later….and Joshua after him.
*
According to a tanna, one of the nameless and faceless ancient sages, Shechem is a place where bad things happen. 7
Jacob's arrival at Shechem was to be the beginning of a new and tranquil part of Jacob’s life. It was not. No sooner had Jacob secured his tent into the ground when his daughter, Dinah, was violated. The rapist was coincidently (Is there such a thing?) named for the city where he lived, Shechem. Jacob’s sons responded with violence of their own. They destroyed the city, killed all the males and stripped Shechem bare.
In the ashes of his home- the place that was supposed to have been his new -found haven - Jacob wept. Why was his life so difficult? Dismayed and deeply pained Jacob gathered all the gold, silver and valuables that were pillaged by his sons. Jacob then carried them out to the place where his grandfather, Abram, first built an altar to God upon his arrival in Canaan. Jacob dug a deep hole and buried the tainted loot. The tree under which Abraham had built his altar remained a silent witness to Jacob’s pain as he threw brown clods of earth over the spoils.
With shadows of the past casting a dank pall over Shechem, the Torah informs us, “Now, his [Joseph] brothers went to pasture their father's flock in Shechem.” 8 Joseph was sent out to find his brothers. Instead, Joseph the dreamer narrowly escaped death. This was the last time Joseph would ever see the town of Shechem. Joseph was dragged off was as a young man weighed down by chains and sold to passing merchants as a slave.
Years later, just before Jacob died he deeded to Joseph a single inheritance-- the city of Shechem. 9 In Shechem Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery and it was to Shechem that the bones of Joseph were brought from Egypt hundreds of years later for their final interment.
What do all the disparate events mean? How do we understand the meaning of Shechem? Is it holy? Profane?
Something about the physical space of Shechem acted as a magnet to Abram. It compelled Joshua to set up an altar in the same place where Moses erected one a generation before. A force pulled both leaders to make and confirm a covenant with God in Shechem. It was also the place of much pain for Jacob, Dinah, Jacob’s sons; Shechem was the place of Joseph’s betrayal and finally his sepulcher. Was the draw that Abram felt to Shechem diminished by the rape of Dinah? What made this place so compelling, life-changing and powerful?
In the time of the resurrection of the dead, many camps will arise in northern land of Israel because that is where the Messiah is going to be first revealed, since it is part of Joseph's territory. 10
That which is secret shall be revealed. In the holy prayer recited immediately after the Shma, a hint of the meaning of all the allusions to Shechem and the future of the Jewish people can be deciphered. The prayer begins, Baruch Shem K’vod Malchuto. Taking the first letter of each word we can see secreted in Hebrew B’Shechem, “in Shechem.”
Baruch Shem kevod malchuto ends with, l'olam va'ed, “for all time.” The Hebrew letters of these last two words spell lamed-vov, or thirty-six. Taken altogether the entire phrase indicates, "in Shechem, thirty-six."
*
The original first light that was cast at the beginning of time did not emanate from the sun. Genesis tell us that light preceded the great orb. This first light was a different sort of light; a spiritual illumination that had its source elsewhere. It was the supernal light of Creation which God secreted away for the righteous people of history yet-to-be. 11 This light shone for thirty-six hours before God hid it away. This light is redemption; when it is released, all evil will be banished. From this hidden light comes the tradition of the lamed-vov, the holy thirty-six.
Perhaps in a subtle way the Torah is trying to show the reader the incalculable worth of Shechem. People of great vision immediately saw the place for what it really was: a locale where the Ultimate Light would reveal itself. Even people not spiritually aware who visited Shechem felt the ripples that emanated from that spot. That is why so many eventful happenings occurred there. Even in our time, we watched as Joseph’s tomb was vandalized and decimated. None of the other resting places of the Patriarchs has been disturbed. Only Joseph’s tomb in Shechem. It still exerts a power.
Perhaps this is the place where God will finally begin the final redemption. Shechem is where the bondage began when Joseph was sold as a slave and it will become the beacon where the light of the lamed-vov will shine from in the future.
1 Genesis 12:6
2 Midrash Yalkut Shimoni
3 Deuteronomy 27
4 Joshua 24
5 Numbers 35
6 Genesis 33 18-19
7 Sanhedrin 102a
8 Genesis 37:12
9 Genesis 48:22
10 Zohar, Vayakhel 220a
11 Berachot 52b
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
The House of Jacob Shall be a Fire
"The house of Jacob shall be a fire.” Prophet Ovadia 1:18
Angels seem to appear at each pivotal moment in the life of Jacob. When heaven feels like it is about to collide with the earth under Jacob’s feet, he is met by these celestial visitors.
Imagine. A mother advising her child to take a blessing using subterfuge. The young man obliges by donning fur to deceive his aged and blind father. It is a highly emotionally charged moment. Jacob is caught in a tight web where, if he fails, the rest of his life will be a misery. If Jacob succeeds, phantasms or demons will crowd and hound him until he dies. It is an impossible situation. Almost blindly, mechanically, Jacob walks toward the inevitable.
Imagine. A throaty howl of anguish rises from his father’s bedside when Esau understands that his brother has collected the birthright prize. Wild and uncontrolled, Jacob knew that the target of the howl was directed at him. Jacob was the cause of the unleashed anger. Echoing through the valleys, the screeches of Esau reverberate through the universe. The anguished cries fill his ears. Jacob hears, understands, and believes the death threat against him by his twin, Esau. Imagine an interminable exile.
As Jacob fled from his home to escape the mark of death, he dreamt of a ladder bridging heaven and earth. Jacob felt the hollows of his stomach expanding. At once, the vision filled him with awe and a vast understanding. The vision could not have come at a better time. Shorn of love and protection; deprived of his home; alone and empty; Jacob is reassured by the heavenly angels that his exile is part of a greater plan. He called the place Bayt El, the House of God.
Was there a deeper meaning to this vision of Jacob? Was it only to assuage the awful feelings of betrayal and loneliness? Or was there something more? The Midrash 1 informs us that the angels ascending and descending the heavenly ladder represents something greater than the portal to heaven. It revealed the course of history or, more accurately, the future. Throughout the coming epochs, powerful nations would rise to great heights. They would conquer nations and despoil entire continents. Ultimately, each nation would falter and then disappear into the vast abyss of time. Jacob and his progeny, however, were promised that they would live throughout all the tumultuous times and survive beyond each nation. Jacob received an assurance, a guarantee that this exile was purposeful.
Question: Do we get what we need? Does God provide for us? Looking over past years has there been a guiding hand gently charting our course through life? Has our past been a random series of events or a pathway that can be seen only with from a distance?
A day rolls into years as Jacob ages and negotiates a long series of painful deceptions. Life is not easy for Jacob. Finally, the tortured past catches up with the painful present.
‘It is time,’ Jacob decides. Determined to recover the fragments of his past life, Jacob makes the choice he had carefully avoided for too long: he will return and confront the reason for the years of exile. A decision has been reached: the years have not dulled the ache. Putting off the inevitable reckoning does nothing to deaden the pain. Jacob has already tried that for more than two decades. Still, the nightmares continued.
If Jacob is ever going to be whole, he will have to face his nemesis- and the other part of his soul - Esau. Even this decision is not simple. Once again, Jacob finds that he must run from the clutches of another who seeks to destroy him. Nothing is linear for the patriarch. Each choice he makes is fraught with painful choices and great hurdles. In the final analysis, it is only through God’s intervention that the life of Jacob is spared.
On the eve of meeting his brother, Jacob has a second encounter with angels. In a camp called Machanyim, they come to Jacob. Jacob converses with the angels and asks them to guide him towards his ultimate confrontation.
The angels assure Jacob that he is not alone. In fact, they imply that they have been with Jacob all through his journey. They have provided guidance when Laban came to accost Jacob with the flocks of sheep. The angels watched over Jacob as he worked for his father-in-law. They were even responsible for his financial success as well as his survival. The angels protected and guided Jacob through the last treacherous encounter with Laban. Repeatedly, the angels materialize to suggest to the patriarch that he has never been entirely alone. It is not incidental or trivial that the angels now appear to Jacob. He is full of anxiety and they reassure him that his actions and his life matter.
Question: Is it possible that you are never truly alone? Could it be that our lives are criss-crossed with the footprints of heavenly beings? With enough insight, would he be able to see them like Father Jacob?
Finally, for the last recorded time in the Bible, Jacob encounters an angel. This time it is significantly different, however. The angel does not come to Jacob with comfort or support. There are no promises of deliverance. He offers death.
Jacob wrestles the angel until dawn. When the sun rises, Jacob gains a blessing from the heavenly messenger. The blessing? A name change. Now Jacob has become Israel.
What was the apparition that attacked Jacob? Was it really an angel? Rashi reveals that it was the protecting angel of Esau. Stealing across the river in the blank starless night, Esau’s angel stealthily crept up on Jacob, hoping to destroy him. The Talmud records that the fight was so ferocious that the dust kicked up by their engagement covered the land and traveled up to heaven. 2
Jacob refused defeat despite a hip injury. He clung to both life and hope throughout the long night. Giving up may have cost Jacob his life. Or perhaps it would have meant that his life was a tragic mistake. Either choice he would make led to a dismal end. Jacob refused either option. He grasped the destructive angel, tenaciously clinging to him and demanding that he be blessed. It is a blessing like the one that he coveted so long ago at his father’s bedside.
Alternative ending: Jacob endured the darkest moment of his life. That unlit night Jacob found and revealed truest self. In a remote land, naked and vulnerable, Jacob encountered his yetser hara, the darkest part of himself. The angel was actually a part of Jacob that was unwanted, unacknowledged. It now became unavoidable: Jacob had to face segments of his past that were guilty of connivance and duplicity. If was ever going to become whole, Jacob had to confront his soul and scourge the wounds festering there.
Question: The question sits at the door of our psyche and will not go away. It gnaws at our soul and saps our strength. The incessant demands can be ignored for so long, and no longer. When we ultimately open the door who wins? He who is ready for the dark night of reckoning.
Jacob announces to the angel: "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 3 The angel responds to Jacob’s demand with a question, "What is your name?"
How can it be that the angel does not know Jacob’s name? Has he not been sent on a mission to find and destroy Jacob? It is not possible that the angel does not know who his intended victim is.
Kalonymos Kalman Shapira, the rabbi of the Warsaw Ghetto, offered a novel insight. Hurt by the fight, the angel prepares to leave the wounded Jacob.
"Is that it?” Jacob is incredulous. “Is that all? Is this the fate of the Jewish people? We are forever to fight and be hurt and reviled? Our destiny is to suffer? Our lot is to endure hardship? Our future is pockmarked with struggle? We merely survive and then you turn your back and walk away from us? I cannot let this happen! It must nor be!
“Give me more. Bless me! I demand a blessing that will be worthy of a people yet-to-come, my descendents. Bless the future nation that resides within me. I want you to bensch me!
Jacob was not only seeking the survival of his people and a respite from their enemies; he was demanding redemption. It is not enough to endure and emerge from suffering; there must be a kernel of hope that lies at the end; a Divine promise.
The angel asked Jacob’s name because Jacob means "holds onto the heel." Jacob entered the world fastening on to the heel of his twin brother, Esau. Throughout his life, Jacob continued to grasp on to the heels of others. The angel now reveals that this will no longer be true. That is why the heavenly emissary asks, "What is your name?"
For too long Jacob was defined by his name. In order to change the future the angel changes the present. That is why the angel says to Jacob, This is my blessing; your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, “for you have striven with the Divine and with man and you have overcome." 4
In having the chutzpah to demand a promise from the angel, Jacob was rewarded. The future was determined by his willingness to open his heart. The angel promises redemption. To this day, we bear the name of that promise.
Question:What do we ask of God when we pray? As our hearts open for the Almighty what spills out? To what level does our soul aspire? For Jacob, it was nothing less than the ultimate redemption. For you?
1. Midrash Tanchuma, Vayetze 2.
2. Hullin 91
3. Ibid., 32:27
4. Genesis 32:29
Angels seem to appear at each pivotal moment in the life of Jacob. When heaven feels like it is about to collide with the earth under Jacob’s feet, he is met by these celestial visitors.
Imagine. A mother advising her child to take a blessing using subterfuge. The young man obliges by donning fur to deceive his aged and blind father. It is a highly emotionally charged moment. Jacob is caught in a tight web where, if he fails, the rest of his life will be a misery. If Jacob succeeds, phantasms or demons will crowd and hound him until he dies. It is an impossible situation. Almost blindly, mechanically, Jacob walks toward the inevitable.
Imagine. A throaty howl of anguish rises from his father’s bedside when Esau understands that his brother has collected the birthright prize. Wild and uncontrolled, Jacob knew that the target of the howl was directed at him. Jacob was the cause of the unleashed anger. Echoing through the valleys, the screeches of Esau reverberate through the universe. The anguished cries fill his ears. Jacob hears, understands, and believes the death threat against him by his twin, Esau. Imagine an interminable exile.
As Jacob fled from his home to escape the mark of death, he dreamt of a ladder bridging heaven and earth. Jacob felt the hollows of his stomach expanding. At once, the vision filled him with awe and a vast understanding. The vision could not have come at a better time. Shorn of love and protection; deprived of his home; alone and empty; Jacob is reassured by the heavenly angels that his exile is part of a greater plan. He called the place Bayt El, the House of God.
Was there a deeper meaning to this vision of Jacob? Was it only to assuage the awful feelings of betrayal and loneliness? Or was there something more? The Midrash 1 informs us that the angels ascending and descending the heavenly ladder represents something greater than the portal to heaven. It revealed the course of history or, more accurately, the future. Throughout the coming epochs, powerful nations would rise to great heights. They would conquer nations and despoil entire continents. Ultimately, each nation would falter and then disappear into the vast abyss of time. Jacob and his progeny, however, were promised that they would live throughout all the tumultuous times and survive beyond each nation. Jacob received an assurance, a guarantee that this exile was purposeful.
Question: Do we get what we need? Does God provide for us? Looking over past years has there been a guiding hand gently charting our course through life? Has our past been a random series of events or a pathway that can be seen only with from a distance?
A day rolls into years as Jacob ages and negotiates a long series of painful deceptions. Life is not easy for Jacob. Finally, the tortured past catches up with the painful present.
‘It is time,’ Jacob decides. Determined to recover the fragments of his past life, Jacob makes the choice he had carefully avoided for too long: he will return and confront the reason for the years of exile. A decision has been reached: the years have not dulled the ache. Putting off the inevitable reckoning does nothing to deaden the pain. Jacob has already tried that for more than two decades. Still, the nightmares continued.
If Jacob is ever going to be whole, he will have to face his nemesis- and the other part of his soul - Esau. Even this decision is not simple. Once again, Jacob finds that he must run from the clutches of another who seeks to destroy him. Nothing is linear for the patriarch. Each choice he makes is fraught with painful choices and great hurdles. In the final analysis, it is only through God’s intervention that the life of Jacob is spared.
On the eve of meeting his brother, Jacob has a second encounter with angels. In a camp called Machanyim, they come to Jacob. Jacob converses with the angels and asks them to guide him towards his ultimate confrontation.
The angels assure Jacob that he is not alone. In fact, they imply that they have been with Jacob all through his journey. They have provided guidance when Laban came to accost Jacob with the flocks of sheep. The angels watched over Jacob as he worked for his father-in-law. They were even responsible for his financial success as well as his survival. The angels protected and guided Jacob through the last treacherous encounter with Laban. Repeatedly, the angels materialize to suggest to the patriarch that he has never been entirely alone. It is not incidental or trivial that the angels now appear to Jacob. He is full of anxiety and they reassure him that his actions and his life matter.
Question: Is it possible that you are never truly alone? Could it be that our lives are criss-crossed with the footprints of heavenly beings? With enough insight, would he be able to see them like Father Jacob?
Finally, for the last recorded time in the Bible, Jacob encounters an angel. This time it is significantly different, however. The angel does not come to Jacob with comfort or support. There are no promises of deliverance. He offers death.
Jacob wrestles the angel until dawn. When the sun rises, Jacob gains a blessing from the heavenly messenger. The blessing? A name change. Now Jacob has become Israel.
What was the apparition that attacked Jacob? Was it really an angel? Rashi reveals that it was the protecting angel of Esau. Stealing across the river in the blank starless night, Esau’s angel stealthily crept up on Jacob, hoping to destroy him. The Talmud records that the fight was so ferocious that the dust kicked up by their engagement covered the land and traveled up to heaven. 2
Jacob refused defeat despite a hip injury. He clung to both life and hope throughout the long night. Giving up may have cost Jacob his life. Or perhaps it would have meant that his life was a tragic mistake. Either choice he would make led to a dismal end. Jacob refused either option. He grasped the destructive angel, tenaciously clinging to him and demanding that he be blessed. It is a blessing like the one that he coveted so long ago at his father’s bedside.
Alternative ending: Jacob endured the darkest moment of his life. That unlit night Jacob found and revealed truest self. In a remote land, naked and vulnerable, Jacob encountered his yetser hara, the darkest part of himself. The angel was actually a part of Jacob that was unwanted, unacknowledged. It now became unavoidable: Jacob had to face segments of his past that were guilty of connivance and duplicity. If was ever going to become whole, Jacob had to confront his soul and scourge the wounds festering there.
Question: The question sits at the door of our psyche and will not go away. It gnaws at our soul and saps our strength. The incessant demands can be ignored for so long, and no longer. When we ultimately open the door who wins? He who is ready for the dark night of reckoning.
Jacob announces to the angel: "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 3 The angel responds to Jacob’s demand with a question, "What is your name?"
How can it be that the angel does not know Jacob’s name? Has he not been sent on a mission to find and destroy Jacob? It is not possible that the angel does not know who his intended victim is.
Kalonymos Kalman Shapira, the rabbi of the Warsaw Ghetto, offered a novel insight. Hurt by the fight, the angel prepares to leave the wounded Jacob.
"Is that it?” Jacob is incredulous. “Is that all? Is this the fate of the Jewish people? We are forever to fight and be hurt and reviled? Our destiny is to suffer? Our lot is to endure hardship? Our future is pockmarked with struggle? We merely survive and then you turn your back and walk away from us? I cannot let this happen! It must nor be!
“Give me more. Bless me! I demand a blessing that will be worthy of a people yet-to-come, my descendents. Bless the future nation that resides within me. I want you to bensch me!
Jacob was not only seeking the survival of his people and a respite from their enemies; he was demanding redemption. It is not enough to endure and emerge from suffering; there must be a kernel of hope that lies at the end; a Divine promise.
The angel asked Jacob’s name because Jacob means "holds onto the heel." Jacob entered the world fastening on to the heel of his twin brother, Esau. Throughout his life, Jacob continued to grasp on to the heels of others. The angel now reveals that this will no longer be true. That is why the heavenly emissary asks, "What is your name?"
For too long Jacob was defined by his name. In order to change the future the angel changes the present. That is why the angel says to Jacob, This is my blessing; your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, “for you have striven with the Divine and with man and you have overcome." 4
In having the chutzpah to demand a promise from the angel, Jacob was rewarded. The future was determined by his willingness to open his heart. The angel promises redemption. To this day, we bear the name of that promise.
Question:What do we ask of God when we pray? As our hearts open for the Almighty what spills out? To what level does our soul aspire? For Jacob, it was nothing less than the ultimate redemption. For you?
1. Midrash Tanchuma, Vayetze 2.
2. Hullin 91
3. Ibid., 32:27
4. Genesis 32:29
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
The Rock, Jacob and Me
Torah text:
Verses 10-11. Jacob left Beersheba and went to Haran. And he arrived at the Place [Makom].
How could he have arrived at the place, i.e. Haran? He was not even close to it. Haran was a long journey from Canaan. Jacob had just begun his journey! Much later, Jacob finally arrived there. So where was Jacob that the Torah insists that he had arrived? Where had he arrived if he was not yet there?
Jacob had set out for Haran, his mother's home of origin, but found that there was a far more important destination than the one that was on his itinerary. Something profoundly important was intended for Jacob on the road to Haran. A voice was calling. He stopped. What did Jacob see when he arrived at the appointed "place?" What did he hear that made him stop?
Makom is one of the seventy names of God. Jacob witnessed the pulsating strength of Makom (the Place) from afar. He saw the Ineffable. Jacob was drawn to the Holy of Holies. Hundreds of years later when the Lord revealed Himself to Moses, God said, the “Makom is with Me." (Exodus 33:21)
What if Jacob passed by the Makom of God without seeing it? What if Jacob was so preoccupied with his life-crisis that he missed the Presence of the One? We would certainly understand. Jacob had reason to be distracted: his brother threatened to kill him; his family life was in ruins; he had abandoned his aging parents.
What if Jacob was looking in the other direction and sullenly plodded all the way to Haran? He would have seen nothing but he eddies of dust rising from his footfalls on the trail.
What if the Messiah sits on the corner holding a cardboard sign saying: I am hungry and homeless? And we pass by? What if in our daily rush we derail the next budding scientist on their way to discovering a cure for Alzheimers by telling them they are worthless? What if we miss a child's outstretched hand? What if we miss the point of life?
Torah text:
Verse 11. And he arrived at the Place and lodged there because the sun had set.
Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: Our forefathers instituted the daily cycle of three prayers. Abraham was the first to create the morning, Shacharit, prayer. As Genesis 19:27 explains, "Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before God." Isaac instituted the Mincha, afternoon prayer. "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening." Gen. 24:63 Jacob initiated the evening prayer, as it says above, "And he arrived at the Place... because the sun had set." Midrash Rabbah
Torah text:
Verse 12. A ladder stood on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven…
The holy Zohar reveals the meaning of this passage: this is prayer. Deep contemplative prayer reveals itself as a cosmic roadway to God. Words spoken from the soul break through any physical or psychic barrier and unveil the ladder which we climb to meet the Holy One.
Torah text:
Verse 12. …and behold, angels of God were ascending and descending upon it.
Two Angels descended and two ascended at one time. What happened when they met in the middle? The breadth of a single Angel’s wings spread beyond the eyesight. When their paths intersected at the center of the great ladder, the span of the four Angels stretched outward to six thousand parsangs.
*
Why were some Angels going up and others coming down?
They were curious. The Angels wanted to peer at the sleeping figure of Jacob. As he lay resting on the stones of Mt Moriah, the Angels were intrigued. They gazed and then gaped at Jacob. In heaven they had seen his double! The Angels were anxious and vexed to see the heavenly correlate of Jacob on earth. They flowed down the ladder in pairs to stare at the Jacob below and then compare him the figure of Jacob above. Two Jacobs existed; one in heaven the other on earth. Hullin 91b
All things in the universe have their counterpart, their twin. God constructed a dividing line in the initial stages of the creation of the cosmos called the firmament. The firmament divides these twin likenesses. What happens below is reflected on high. That which happens above also happens below. This idea is crystallized by the Hebrew prayer, May He Who makes peace in the upper world cause peace to flow downward into our universe. Each side of the firmament is not just a mirror image of the other; actions in one sphere have an immediate impact in the other.
No action is inconsequential. No word uttered in meaningless. A single act could alter the cosmos. Our lives are critical to the universe. We count. We matter.
Torah text:
Verses 13-15. Behold, the Lord was standing over him, and He said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac; 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 spread your strength westward and eastward and northward and southward. Through you shall be blessed all the families of the earth and through your seed. 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...
A long time ago in ancient Alexandria, Egypt, there lived a very old man. Rabbi Eleazar once met him as he was traveling through Alexandria nearly two thousand years ago. The old man peered at Rabbi Eleazar in the dusty marketplace. Rabbi Eleazar felt the gaze of the wizened one upon him. He turned. Shalom Alecha, “May you know peace,” Eleazar greeted him.
"Come," was the only word the old man uttered as he turned into a hovel. Time stopped on the street. All sounds ceased. Eleazar followed him into the darkened room.
The old man told him, "I have a great tradition, a secret,” he began. "You know the ancient tale: The great Lord God told Jacob that he would be blessed. He told Jacob that he would never be alone and that his children would inherit the riches of the land.”
The old man, turning to Rabbi Eleazar, asked, "And did Jacob question him? Did Jacob balk, eve for a moment? Did he think he was delusional? Did the patriarch ask for proof?
"No. This is the true greatness of the man Jacob. He was a man of faith."
Excerpted from Sanhedrin 111a
Torah text:
Verses 17-18 …He said, "How awesome is this place! …. Jacob 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.
A dedicated rock? A monument to God on a mountain-top? Jacob consecrated a rock because he had a fantastic dream at that place?
The rabbis of the Talmud gave that rock a name. They called it Even Shteyia or "The Foundation Stone." The Even Shteyia was not just a rock; is was the navel of the world. Like all births, the world had a seed, a starting point.
At the start of Creation, God placed this rock in the midst of the boundless swirling waters. From this one rock grew tentacles, great arms of earth that moved and spread across the globe until whole continents rose out of the depths.
The Even Shetyia remains the center of the world. It is the foundation which began and continues to hold up our universe. Just as all eyes focus on Israel, holiness emanates from Jerusalem from the midst of the land. In Jerusalem, we focus our gaze on Mount Moriah where the Holy Temple once stood. When at the Temple, the soul turns towards the Even Shetiyia.
From this stone pulsed the Power that Jacob saw as he lay his head down. Where Jacob placed his head keyed into the sustaining power of the universe.
The soul knows and years to be connected with the One. While our physical senses are often distracted, our soul always searches for and recognizes the truth. The breath of life continues to search fro its source. The greatest, most sublime joy happens when we bend of physical will to our purest soulful voice. When we listen to our soul we are most alive.
Verses 10-11. Jacob left Beersheba and went to Haran. And he arrived at the Place [Makom].
How could he have arrived at the place, i.e. Haran? He was not even close to it. Haran was a long journey from Canaan. Jacob had just begun his journey! Much later, Jacob finally arrived there. So where was Jacob that the Torah insists that he had arrived? Where had he arrived if he was not yet there?
Jacob had set out for Haran, his mother's home of origin, but found that there was a far more important destination than the one that was on his itinerary. Something profoundly important was intended for Jacob on the road to Haran. A voice was calling. He stopped. What did Jacob see when he arrived at the appointed "place?" What did he hear that made him stop?
Makom is one of the seventy names of God. Jacob witnessed the pulsating strength of Makom (the Place) from afar. He saw the Ineffable. Jacob was drawn to the Holy of Holies. Hundreds of years later when the Lord revealed Himself to Moses, God said, the “Makom is with Me." (Exodus 33:21)
What if Jacob passed by the Makom of God without seeing it? What if Jacob was so preoccupied with his life-crisis that he missed the Presence of the One? We would certainly understand. Jacob had reason to be distracted: his brother threatened to kill him; his family life was in ruins; he had abandoned his aging parents.
What if Jacob was looking in the other direction and sullenly plodded all the way to Haran? He would have seen nothing but he eddies of dust rising from his footfalls on the trail.
What if the Messiah sits on the corner holding a cardboard sign saying: I am hungry and homeless? And we pass by? What if in our daily rush we derail the next budding scientist on their way to discovering a cure for Alzheimers by telling them they are worthless? What if we miss a child's outstretched hand? What if we miss the point of life?
Torah text:
Verse 11. And he arrived at the Place and lodged there because the sun had set.
Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: Our forefathers instituted the daily cycle of three prayers. Abraham was the first to create the morning, Shacharit, prayer. As Genesis 19:27 explains, "Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before God." Isaac instituted the Mincha, afternoon prayer. "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening." Gen. 24:63 Jacob initiated the evening prayer, as it says above, "And he arrived at the Place... because the sun had set." Midrash Rabbah
Torah text:
Verse 12. A ladder stood on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven…
The holy Zohar reveals the meaning of this passage: this is prayer. Deep contemplative prayer reveals itself as a cosmic roadway to God. Words spoken from the soul break through any physical or psychic barrier and unveil the ladder which we climb to meet the Holy One.
Torah text:
Verse 12. …and behold, angels of God were ascending and descending upon it.
Two Angels descended and two ascended at one time. What happened when they met in the middle? The breadth of a single Angel’s wings spread beyond the eyesight. When their paths intersected at the center of the great ladder, the span of the four Angels stretched outward to six thousand parsangs.
*
Why were some Angels going up and others coming down?
They were curious. The Angels wanted to peer at the sleeping figure of Jacob. As he lay resting on the stones of Mt Moriah, the Angels were intrigued. They gazed and then gaped at Jacob. In heaven they had seen his double! The Angels were anxious and vexed to see the heavenly correlate of Jacob on earth. They flowed down the ladder in pairs to stare at the Jacob below and then compare him the figure of Jacob above. Two Jacobs existed; one in heaven the other on earth. Hullin 91b
All things in the universe have their counterpart, their twin. God constructed a dividing line in the initial stages of the creation of the cosmos called the firmament. The firmament divides these twin likenesses. What happens below is reflected on high. That which happens above also happens below. This idea is crystallized by the Hebrew prayer, May He Who makes peace in the upper world cause peace to flow downward into our universe. Each side of the firmament is not just a mirror image of the other; actions in one sphere have an immediate impact in the other.
No action is inconsequential. No word uttered in meaningless. A single act could alter the cosmos. Our lives are critical to the universe. We count. We matter.
Torah text:
Verses 13-15. Behold, the Lord was standing over him, and He said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac; 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 spread your strength westward and eastward and northward and southward. Through you shall be blessed all the families of the earth and through your seed. 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...
A long time ago in ancient Alexandria, Egypt, there lived a very old man. Rabbi Eleazar once met him as he was traveling through Alexandria nearly two thousand years ago. The old man peered at Rabbi Eleazar in the dusty marketplace. Rabbi Eleazar felt the gaze of the wizened one upon him. He turned. Shalom Alecha, “May you know peace,” Eleazar greeted him.
"Come," was the only word the old man uttered as he turned into a hovel. Time stopped on the street. All sounds ceased. Eleazar followed him into the darkened room.
The old man told him, "I have a great tradition, a secret,” he began. "You know the ancient tale: The great Lord God told Jacob that he would be blessed. He told Jacob that he would never be alone and that his children would inherit the riches of the land.”
The old man, turning to Rabbi Eleazar, asked, "And did Jacob question him? Did Jacob balk, eve for a moment? Did he think he was delusional? Did the patriarch ask for proof?
"No. This is the true greatness of the man Jacob. He was a man of faith."
Excerpted from Sanhedrin 111a
Torah text:
Verses 17-18 …He said, "How awesome is this place! …. Jacob 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.
A dedicated rock? A monument to God on a mountain-top? Jacob consecrated a rock because he had a fantastic dream at that place?
The rabbis of the Talmud gave that rock a name. They called it Even Shteyia or "The Foundation Stone." The Even Shteyia was not just a rock; is was the navel of the world. Like all births, the world had a seed, a starting point.
At the start of Creation, God placed this rock in the midst of the boundless swirling waters. From this one rock grew tentacles, great arms of earth that moved and spread across the globe until whole continents rose out of the depths.
The Even Shetyia remains the center of the world. It is the foundation which began and continues to hold up our universe. Just as all eyes focus on Israel, holiness emanates from Jerusalem from the midst of the land. In Jerusalem, we focus our gaze on Mount Moriah where the Holy Temple once stood. When at the Temple, the soul turns towards the Even Shetiyia.
From this stone pulsed the Power that Jacob saw as he lay his head down. Where Jacob placed his head keyed into the sustaining power of the universe.
The soul knows and years to be connected with the One. While our physical senses are often distracted, our soul always searches for and recognizes the truth. The breath of life continues to search fro its source. The greatest, most sublime joy happens when we bend of physical will to our purest soulful voice. When we listen to our soul we are most alive.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The Alchemy of Perfection
And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb.” Rav Judah noted, quoting his teacher Rav, the word is not nations (goyim) but overwhelming powerful leaders (gayim).1
In the aftermath of the Great Flood, the few survivors began to venture out and repopulate the world. Essentially, they were no different than the first dyad of the universe, Adam and Eve. Noah and his family were the new founders of the human race. The world needed to be re-seeded and this time goodness must prevail over evil.
However, there were differences between this first family and Adam and Eve. The Garden was gone. Expelled from a world of perfection, Noah and family had only a dim memory of that place. For them Eden was only a distant story. Also now present in the world were consequences of actions. The world was obliterated because of its propensity towards evil. Cain was marked and shunned because of his vicious act of murder. And the final and ultimate change in the universe was the proximity of God to His children. Gone were the days of the close watchful eye of the Shechina over the world. God was more distant.
While the unfolding story of Genesis sounds bleak (after all, if people failed the test of Eden, what chance does humanity have?) there is a subtext, a quiet almost unnoticeable tale, being woven between the pages of the holy Torah. This subtext first makes its first appearance at the conclusion of the story of Noah. There, our attention is gently directed to one of the sons of Noah, Shem. In chapter ten, the wording describing his life is significant. Firstly, the line of Shem is motioned twice. Secondly, the words used to describe Shem and his lineage arrests the searching mind. There is something here.
Shem, together with his great-grandson Ever, began to look at the universe differently than anyone had seen it before. They studied. They argued. Shem and Ever founded an Academy, a Yeshiva, where Torah became the key Text. Torah? Where is the Torah? Of course, Mt. Sinai had not happened! How could there a Torah to study?
It had always been waiting to be discovered. The implicit Torah is first revealed in the early chapters of Genesis when God differentiates two types of animals on the Ark, pure and impure. More is revealed when the Holy One gives seven commandments to the fledgling civilization, survivors of the Flood. 2 Piecing these fragments together, Shem and Ever began to realize that not only was there a God but a design as well. How could it be otherwise? they reasoned. Every idea starts with a sketch. Every building needs a plan as well as an architect. Torah is the blueprint of the world, the underpinning of all that exists.
Quietly they spent their time in Canaan studying Torah and developing a deep understanding as men of God. They invited students into the universe of the Divine. Bringing them great light, Shem and Ever coursed an unerring path to God. While the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever continued its process of deliberate and careful study, Abraham began to discern the meaning of God in distant Babylonia.
As Abraham traveled, he opened his tents with a dual purpose. His generosity of spirit compelled the patriarch toward tzedaka. The Midrash tells his tent was open from all fours sides so that Abraham could spot a traveler from a long distance from any direction. He would then rush to invite them to his home. Simultaneously, the Patriarch had another purpose in mind. Abraham would take the opportunity to educate the idolatrous masses. Abraham used his considerable wisdom to teach the people of the land the meaning and purpose of life. Revealing to his visitors the breadth of a universe with God as its Creator, Abraham opened eyes and unblocked souls wherever he drove his tent pegs into the earth. That is why the Torah mentions that when it was time to leave for Canaan Abraham and Sarah took “all the souls they had made in Haran.” 3
Time brought new life and different responsibilities. With the birth of his son, Isaac, Abraham began to educate his offspring by example. He taught him how to behave, what to do and how to find God. It was not enough, though. A father can do only so much. Even Abraham.
Isaac was thirty-seven years old. Sarah became acutely aware of the great need for their son to learn more Torah. Abraham and Sarah both saw their limitations; it was time send Isaac away. The experience of learning from his peers would also be invaluable for him. They sent Isaac to study at the famous Yeshiva of Shem and Ever. There he rifled through the ancient tomes and refined his character for many years.
Shem, old and wizened, personally taught Isaac having seen in his eyes vast depths. New avenues of the mystic realm were opened up before Isaac. Everything he was taught he kept. Each morsel of knowledge was held fast. An illui, one of the luminaries, Isaac embraced and seemed to almost intuit everything he was taught. The Holy One Himself was moved to bless Isaac. 4 Finally, the son returned home from his studies.
As with all people since the time of Adam, Abraham passed from this plane of the universe. He was mourned by his many students and family. Interred in the resting place he had purchased for Sarah, Shem and Ever came to present the eulogy for Father Abraham. They quietly intoned, “Woe to the generation that has lost its captain.” 5
The wheel revolves: Death was overshadowed by the joy of new life. Isaac bound himself to a woman, Rivkeh. Rivkeh became pregnant. Yet the carrying did not go as it ought to have gone. It was wrong. Terrifying clashes inside of Rivkeh made her shake and fear. Time would not pass quickly enough as every moment caused Rivkeh to suffer. “If this is how it is, how can I go on?” she cried. Remembering what she had heard from her husband countless times before, Rivkeh went to “inquire of God.” Where would she go to find the answers she needed but to the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever? A renowned prophet, Shem would direct Rivkeh. He would tell her what to do. 6
She told the venerable tzaddik, ‘On the way here I passed an idolatrous temple and one of my children pushed hard to make his way through the birth canal. Now that I am here in your Yeshiva the other is moving to come out!’
Shem nodded. He then deciphered the internal agony of Rivkeh: “Two nations are in your womb.”
Isaac was not Abraham. Abraham had hundreds of students throughout his long life. Isaac had only one: Jacob. 7 When Shem pronounced the prophecy over Rivkeh’s feuding unborn children that one would be good and the other evil, Isaac patiently waited watched and listened. Jacob became the sole focus of his father because Isaac had learned something invaluable in his long years of study at the Yeshiva.
Isaac was not Abraham. The old Patriarch was expansive. Abraham reached out toward everyone. He was intent on turning the world toward goodness. He was a powerful force for monotheism. Abraham used all his energy to change the world. Isaac knew it was folly. Redemption begins with only one, he thought. The birth of twins was no accident. It was a deliberate separation of the tangled and confused mass of Cain and Abel, Abraham and Lot, and now Jacob and Esau. The intertwining of good and evil must be broken, Isaac believed. First, I must weed out the dangerous, most invidious side of humanity. In Jacob, will be found all that is good, noble and right. He will forever be the righteous warrior against the forces of evil in the world.
And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb.” Rav Judah noted, quoting his teacher Rav, the word is not nations (goyim) but overwhelming powerful leaders (gayim).
1 Avodah Zarah 11a
2 Genesis 9:1-17
3 Genesis 12:5
4 Genesis 25:11
5 Baba Batra 5
6 Rashi
7 Rambam, Avodah Zarah Rambam 1:2
In the aftermath of the Great Flood, the few survivors began to venture out and repopulate the world. Essentially, they were no different than the first dyad of the universe, Adam and Eve. Noah and his family were the new founders of the human race. The world needed to be re-seeded and this time goodness must prevail over evil.
However, there were differences between this first family and Adam and Eve. The Garden was gone. Expelled from a world of perfection, Noah and family had only a dim memory of that place. For them Eden was only a distant story. Also now present in the world were consequences of actions. The world was obliterated because of its propensity towards evil. Cain was marked and shunned because of his vicious act of murder. And the final and ultimate change in the universe was the proximity of God to His children. Gone were the days of the close watchful eye of the Shechina over the world. God was more distant.
While the unfolding story of Genesis sounds bleak (after all, if people failed the test of Eden, what chance does humanity have?) there is a subtext, a quiet almost unnoticeable tale, being woven between the pages of the holy Torah. This subtext first makes its first appearance at the conclusion of the story of Noah. There, our attention is gently directed to one of the sons of Noah, Shem. In chapter ten, the wording describing his life is significant. Firstly, the line of Shem is motioned twice. Secondly, the words used to describe Shem and his lineage arrests the searching mind. There is something here.
Shem, together with his great-grandson Ever, began to look at the universe differently than anyone had seen it before. They studied. They argued. Shem and Ever founded an Academy, a Yeshiva, where Torah became the key Text. Torah? Where is the Torah? Of course, Mt. Sinai had not happened! How could there a Torah to study?
It had always been waiting to be discovered. The implicit Torah is first revealed in the early chapters of Genesis when God differentiates two types of animals on the Ark, pure and impure. More is revealed when the Holy One gives seven commandments to the fledgling civilization, survivors of the Flood. 2 Piecing these fragments together, Shem and Ever began to realize that not only was there a God but a design as well. How could it be otherwise? they reasoned. Every idea starts with a sketch. Every building needs a plan as well as an architect. Torah is the blueprint of the world, the underpinning of all that exists.
Quietly they spent their time in Canaan studying Torah and developing a deep understanding as men of God. They invited students into the universe of the Divine. Bringing them great light, Shem and Ever coursed an unerring path to God. While the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever continued its process of deliberate and careful study, Abraham began to discern the meaning of God in distant Babylonia.
As Abraham traveled, he opened his tents with a dual purpose. His generosity of spirit compelled the patriarch toward tzedaka. The Midrash tells his tent was open from all fours sides so that Abraham could spot a traveler from a long distance from any direction. He would then rush to invite them to his home. Simultaneously, the Patriarch had another purpose in mind. Abraham would take the opportunity to educate the idolatrous masses. Abraham used his considerable wisdom to teach the people of the land the meaning and purpose of life. Revealing to his visitors the breadth of a universe with God as its Creator, Abraham opened eyes and unblocked souls wherever he drove his tent pegs into the earth. That is why the Torah mentions that when it was time to leave for Canaan Abraham and Sarah took “all the souls they had made in Haran.” 3
Time brought new life and different responsibilities. With the birth of his son, Isaac, Abraham began to educate his offspring by example. He taught him how to behave, what to do and how to find God. It was not enough, though. A father can do only so much. Even Abraham.
Isaac was thirty-seven years old. Sarah became acutely aware of the great need for their son to learn more Torah. Abraham and Sarah both saw their limitations; it was time send Isaac away. The experience of learning from his peers would also be invaluable for him. They sent Isaac to study at the famous Yeshiva of Shem and Ever. There he rifled through the ancient tomes and refined his character for many years.
Shem, old and wizened, personally taught Isaac having seen in his eyes vast depths. New avenues of the mystic realm were opened up before Isaac. Everything he was taught he kept. Each morsel of knowledge was held fast. An illui, one of the luminaries, Isaac embraced and seemed to almost intuit everything he was taught. The Holy One Himself was moved to bless Isaac. 4 Finally, the son returned home from his studies.
As with all people since the time of Adam, Abraham passed from this plane of the universe. He was mourned by his many students and family. Interred in the resting place he had purchased for Sarah, Shem and Ever came to present the eulogy for Father Abraham. They quietly intoned, “Woe to the generation that has lost its captain.” 5
The wheel revolves: Death was overshadowed by the joy of new life. Isaac bound himself to a woman, Rivkeh. Rivkeh became pregnant. Yet the carrying did not go as it ought to have gone. It was wrong. Terrifying clashes inside of Rivkeh made her shake and fear. Time would not pass quickly enough as every moment caused Rivkeh to suffer. “If this is how it is, how can I go on?” she cried. Remembering what she had heard from her husband countless times before, Rivkeh went to “inquire of God.” Where would she go to find the answers she needed but to the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever? A renowned prophet, Shem would direct Rivkeh. He would tell her what to do. 6
She told the venerable tzaddik, ‘On the way here I passed an idolatrous temple and one of my children pushed hard to make his way through the birth canal. Now that I am here in your Yeshiva the other is moving to come out!’
Shem nodded. He then deciphered the internal agony of Rivkeh: “Two nations are in your womb.”
Isaac was not Abraham. Abraham had hundreds of students throughout his long life. Isaac had only one: Jacob. 7 When Shem pronounced the prophecy over Rivkeh’s feuding unborn children that one would be good and the other evil, Isaac patiently waited watched and listened. Jacob became the sole focus of his father because Isaac had learned something invaluable in his long years of study at the Yeshiva.
Isaac was not Abraham. The old Patriarch was expansive. Abraham reached out toward everyone. He was intent on turning the world toward goodness. He was a powerful force for monotheism. Abraham used all his energy to change the world. Isaac knew it was folly. Redemption begins with only one, he thought. The birth of twins was no accident. It was a deliberate separation of the tangled and confused mass of Cain and Abel, Abraham and Lot, and now Jacob and Esau. The intertwining of good and evil must be broken, Isaac believed. First, I must weed out the dangerous, most invidious side of humanity. In Jacob, will be found all that is good, noble and right. He will forever be the righteous warrior against the forces of evil in the world.
And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb.” Rav Judah noted, quoting his teacher Rav, the word is not nations (goyim) but overwhelming powerful leaders (gayim).
1 Avodah Zarah 11a
2 Genesis 9:1-17
3 Genesis 12:5
4 Genesis 25:11
5 Baba Batra 5
6 Rashi
7 Rambam, Avodah Zarah Rambam 1:2
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