Dear Friends,
This week’s parsha, Vayeitzei, opens with another life changing experience for our forefathers. Jacob has departed from Beersheba and decides to rest. He uses a stone as a pillow and goes to sleep. He dreams of a ladder that is grounded on Earth and stretches up to heaven. Angels are moving up and down the ladder. God speaks to Jacob telling him that his descendants will be many, that they will spread out in many directions, that all peoples will be blessed by them, and that ultimately God will bring him back to his homeland. In the morning he wakes and constructs an altar on the spot and names it Beit El (Bethel) meaning House of God.
Rabbi Kerry Olitzky comments that this encounter Jacob had with God was an open-ended journey.
The Torah is our story and not just the story of our ancestors, it reflects the fact that we too are on a journey. We move from one place to another. Sometimes they are the simple journeys of going from one location to a different one. And other times, they are the metaphysical journeys of our moving from one stage to another in our lives. Often people take these journeys and do not reflect on them, nor think about the forces at play that motivate our movement. In the case of this week’s Torah portion, not only did Jacob acknowledge that there were influences in his life that directed his travels, but he also took note of the presence of God even in the simple steps along the way. And to make sure that others took such note, he named the place of his recognition: Bet El–the House of God.
The entirety of Klal Yisrael (global Jewish Community) is on a journey. Since October 7th, we have experienced waves of anger, confusion, and fear. What will happen to our extended family in Israel and to us right here on the Northshore? We have an opportunity to directly change the path of our journey. For some it will be using their voice to share that hate against Israel or the Jewish people cannot be tolerated. For others it will be acting to ensure the safety of those being held hostage. Like Jacob, we need to acknowledge that we have the ability to be influenced, as well as recognize our ability to help direct a change in course. I believe that Rabbi Olitzky says it well when he comments, “The lesson of inclusion from this Torah portion is that while we can know that all of us are on a journey, we cannot know where the journey will ultimately lead. That is why we have to open our gates to the community so then when one’s journey leads people here; we are ready to receive them with open arms.”
Shabbat Shalom,
Danny Glassman