Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 6 Kislev, 5784
Parsha Vayeitzei (Genesis 28:10 – 32:3)
First Portion: Genesis 28:10 – 28:22
It’s a new week, and a new Parsha! Vayeitzei means “and he departed.” Looking back the past two years, this has ALWAYS been a time in my life where I have needed to leave things behind. I love this quote from the Chumash to put us in the right frame of mind:
“Just as your soul “departed” from its heavenly abode, you too should not confine yourself exclusively to a spiritually and religiously comfortable environment. Judaism’s vision of a perfect world cannot be fulfilled from excessive insularity.”
Ok first. I’ll confess. I had to look up “insularity” in the dictionary. It means: “ignorance of or lack of interest in cultures, ideas, or peoples outside one’s own experience.”
Just pause here. Reflect on this.
A perfect world cannot be fulfilled from excessive insularity.
Given the happenings across the globe – how much insularity is happening right now? Whether it’s the chaos of the middle east; the chaos of politics in our country; the chaos of the economy. We are choosing to double down on cultures, ideas, beliefs, ideologies that are COMFORTABLE for us as opposed to EXPOSING ourselves and taking an interest in things outside our own experiences.
So. Until now – we’ve been focused on within. Looking within. The journey of spiritual freedom and liberation is all within us. AND. At the SAME TIME. We need to expose ourselves EXTERNALLY to things that make us a little (or a lot) uncomfortable. Why?
Because it changes us. We depart from our “stuck”ness. With this in our minds and hearts, let’s dig in:
10And Jacob left Beer sheba, and he went to Haran.
11And he arrived at the place and lodged there because the sun had set, and he took some of the stones of the place and placed [them] at his head, and he lay down in that place.
Jacob traveled. And. He allowed external factors to have him stop. And take a break. He didn’t “push through.” I remember as a child driving to Florida from Pennsylvania every year. There were battles in the car about when to stop and when to “push through.” This tension was palpable. But here? Jacob just accept the universe. The sun set, he stopped and rested. And when he did, this is what happens:
12And he dreamed, and behold! a ladder set up on the ground and its top reached to heaven; and behold, angels of God were ascending and descending upon it.
13And 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.
14And 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.
15And 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.”
Now – many of you know I do dream interpretation (hire me if you are curious!). First, let’s look at Jacob’s OWN interpretation:
16And Jacob awakened from his sleep, and he said, “Indeed, the Lord is in this place, and I did not know [it].”
17And he was frightened, and he said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
I wrote about this in the past, but this year, I have something to add to Jacob’s dream. And please. Feel free to push back.
What if the “place” Jacob was talking about wasn’t LAND. What if? In that place – Jacob recognized Hashem was in HIM. The “place” Jacob was talking about was within himself? Let’s revisit the dream:
12And he dreamed, and behold! a ladder set up on the ground and its top reached to heaven; and behold, angels of God were ascending and descending upon it.
What if Hashem was showing Jacob, his body was connected to the Universe? To Hashem? And his soul was flowing back and forth between this earthly reality and a spiritual domain that existed beyond him?
13And 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.
Hashem connects Jacob here with Abraham and Isaac. What if Hashem was speaking directly to Jacob’s soul – the soul was literally laying on the land (body) that Hashem gave to Jacob for the experience on earth. And, Hashem was going to give that body to the seed of Jacob – his children. Like Abraham, the miracle child Isaac, and Jacob who wasn’t SUPPOSED to be the master of Esau. And yet – here Jacob was. About to become master to Esau. Through his seed (Spoiler Alert – Joseph).
14And 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.
Now – the dream shifts doesn’t it? We were talking about land (Jacob’s body) to now talking about seed. To me? Seed represents potential. Potential energy. The seed could either germinate into a powerful tree, creating a powerful forest. Or the seed could fail to germinate. Basically become bird food.
Either way? Hashem wins; the seed with germinate into a powerful forest or provide nourishment. The choice would be Jacob’s – nurture and water the seed – or neglect it.
The dream ends:
15And 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.”
Remember – Jacob is dreaming here – when Hashem says he will restore him to the land – Jacob will have his soul restored to his body. And. If you think about Jacob’s seed – Joseph (seed) leaves his body (family) and then is restored. And. Jacob becomes the master.
Just my thought. Let’s keep going:
16And Jacob awakened from his sleep, and he said, “Indeed, the Lord is in this place, and I did not know [it].”
17And he was frightened, and he said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
I believe Jacob recognized at THIS moment? He knew his Neshama. He knew Hashem was in him. He knew he was set apart, Holy. Jacob was the house of Hashem. Jacob was the gate of Heaven.
How about us? What do we take away?
Do we see ourselves as the house of Hashem? The Gate of Heaven? Are we seed that is here to produce nourishment for others? Or are we here to produce trees? We can be seed. Or we can be fruit. That is our power. That is our choice. Here’s what Jacob did:
18And 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.
19And he named the place Beth El, but Luz was originally the name of the city.
20And Jacob uttered a vow, saying, “If God 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;
21And if I return in peace to my father’s house, and the Lord will be my God;
22Then this stone, which I have placed as a monument, shall be a house of God, and everything that You give me, I will surely tithe to You.
Jacob makes a vow. He recognizes Hashem is in him. But he has doubts that will be for all time. He is concerned Hashem will leave him, it would seem. He places a monument – if Hashem takes care of him, and returns in peace to his father’s house (where he is buried) – the monument will become a house of God – symbolizing all Hashem has done. And whatever Hashem gives to Jacob – Jacob will return.
So – what is our potential? Do we see ourselves merely as seed for birds to feed on? Or do we see ourselves as a potential tree – with strong roots? How we see ourselves? That is how our lives will go. It starts within.
Those are my thoughts. What are yours?
Here is my commentary from the past two years:
Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 3 Kislev, 5783
We start a new Parsha this week! “He departed.” And it is fascinating to look back a year ago when I started working for the Arc Otsego. So many “departings” since then. All for the good.
This week, I’m reflecting on being dust, and clumping together. I have experienced the transformation from seeing myself as lint in the lint trap – to valuable dust that clumps.
Today I’m excited to travel to a wolf sanctuary near here. To try new things and experience new ideas; on my own. Hashem has been faithful this past year. As I continue to “depart” from who I was, and move towards spiritual freedom and liberation, I am aware of the faithfulness of Hashem and my Neshama within. They have been kind, caring and compassionate.
What are your thoughts entering the week? Where do you need to depart?
Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for Kislev 3, 5782
(IMPORTANT MILLER FAMILY UPDATES INCLUDED!!!)
This weeks Parsha is Va-Yetze which means “and he departed.” It tells the story of Jacob leaving home; his comfort zone.
It is fascinating to me that the week we are reading about Jacob departing, I am also departing. I am leaving my “home” career of Higher Education. On Tuesday, I start a new job – as Employee Development Coordinator for The Arc Otsego. It is very exciting and scary at the same time. I am leaving the comfort of a career I have been engaged with for 25 years professionally. I am leaving the comfort of always having one adult at home with the kids, as this is the first time my wife and I will be working together.
It is also exciting because I will be able to engage in areas I love; Training, Development, Mentorship, Strategic Planning, but won’t be on call 24/7 for work for the first time in a LONG time! It is exciting because it is new. It is exciting because I will be working for the same Organization that the wife works for! It is exciting because Hashem has provided for our family financially when we most needed it!
So as we turn a new chapter in the Miller family story, we set out anew. There is a lot to learn from Jacob as he sets out from Beer-Sheba, where his father pitched a tent after Abraham passed.
The Midrash (Genesis Rabbah) talks about Beer-Sheba – it means “the well of the oath.” According to the midrash, “Jacob said ‘I do not want Abimelech to approach me and demand, ‘Swear to me, like your grandfather swore to me’ and then I would cause the rejoicing of my descendants to be delayed by seven generations,’ because Abraham’s oath with Abimelech delayed the entry of the Jewish people into the land of Israel by seven generations.”
Rabbi Issachar Berman b. naphtali ha-kohen wrote “Since Isaac made an oath with Abimelech, we find that the full conquest of the land of Israel, including the lands of Sihon and Og, was delayed until seven generations after Isaac.”
So basically Jacob left to further avoid delay the fulfillment of the journey that had already been delayed by his father.
As I reflect on this, I am chewing on internally the things that cause me to delay my journey, and the reaching of my destination. When have I been called to make a change and “depart” my comfort zone, but have been unwilling? Hashem works everything out in His perfect timing, yet we have a role to play in that process.
What are some things you’ve delayed changing or departing from that have kept you from reaching your journey?
Jacob comes to Mount Moriah on his journey. He took stones and placed them around his head and lay down in that place.
Jacob had a dream; most of us are familiar with Jacob’s ladder. It was wedged into the ground and it’s top reaches to heaven. Angels of God were going up and down it.
Let’s stop here. Because I haven’t really dug into this idea or passage in the past. There are many ideas written about the ladder and angels. These caught my heart;
- Rabbi Israel Ba’al Shem Tov wrote the following: “the word sullam (ladder) has the same numerical value as mamon (money). Money is extremely materialistic, it is “wedged into the ground”; but on the other hand, I’d used for the right purposes it can bring you to the greatest spiritual heights. ‘Angels of God were going up and down it’ – people, who are all angels of God, constantly rise and fall with the challenge of wealth. For some, money brings them from spiritual greatness to tragic collapse; for others, it is the ladder to heaven.
- Certainly with the Miller family financial situation, this past week has been a significant change in our wealth potential. We went from potentially defaulting on our mortgage to now potentially having more resources each month than we have had in the past. This concept (the challenge of wealth) is important as we depart our previous chapter and move into this new one.
- Where have you experienced the “challenge of wealth?” Has it been a ladder to heaven? Or has it brought tragic collapse? That’s a critical piece of our journey!
- In the version of the Torah I am reading, it writes this about Angels; “In Jacob’s dream, he saw guardian angels ascending and descending from a ladder. Every time you observe a commandment, an angel is appointed to watch over you and protect you.” When I read “observe a commandment” what I hear in my brain is “do a mitzvah.” So anytime we engage in light and live according to Hashem’s desires for us, we get a guardian Angel. That is a pretty cool thought. Someone to watch over us! I’ll confess, I would never envisioned the concept of guardian angels as a Jewish concept, to be honest. In modern society, angels seem to be associated with other religions.
Those are some interesting insights (and application) for me. What are your thoughts?
Next, Hashem is standing over Jacob. As he did with Abraham and Isaac, his message is one of comfort. “I am God, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. I will give to you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be as widespread as the dust of the earth, and you will be strong to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.”
Rabbi Aaron Lewin of Rzeszow writes; “The children of Israel are compared to “stars” and “sand” and “dust.” Stars are distant from one another, and they do not touch. Grains of sand are piled together, but they are not stuck together, unlike dust which tends to stick together. God said ‘your descendants will be as widespread as the dust of the earth.’ If your children live in unity, sticking together as the dust of the earth, then they will receive the following blessing: “You will be strong to the west, to the east, to the north, and to the south.”
This is convicting as our kids are not unified. We try and work on this, but it’s something as we “depart” from our comfort zone we really need to lean into and focus on. How do we build unity in our children?
Our kids are (currently) like Jews; many different opinions and ideas, fighting with one another to be right, and creating conflict with one another. At the end of the day, yes, we are a family; but there is deep division. As Jews, we tend to be the same way. Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist….lots of opinions, struggling to be unified.
One of my observations (both in my own journey, and observing the journey of our children and friends) is that all of us are looking “to matter.” And the conflicts are all grounded in the sense of questioning whether we really matter to our father; Hashem. Does Hashem care about us? Are we “Jewish enough” for Him? My kids wonder whether they are “good enough” or even sometimes “bad enough” to matter to us as parents.
The truth of it is, we matter. That is the fundamental truth we struggle to accept. I think we will see Jacob’s ongoing struggle with this as well (as I consider his wrestling with Hashem that will be coming).
Hashem wants unity. He wants us to be dust – clumping together. He wants us to be grains of sand – small and spread out and ready to move. He wants us to be stars in the sky; appearing microscopic and requiring a telescope to see, but in reality larger than the brightest sun.
I’ll confess. That’s not how I’ve seen myself. I see myself as yukky as the dust in the dryer trap (grimacing each time I reach to clean it out), as annoying as grains of sand that get into places when I go to the beach and are rough on my skin, and as small and as insignificant as the stars in the sky; always there but not being seen because of the flashy lights that keep us from looking up at the sky.
There is a choice to be made there.
And Hashem doubles down here in case we doubt. He adds to his affirmation of Jacob, “Look I am with you, and I will guard you whenever you go. I will bring you back to this land, for I will not abandon you until I have carried out what I have spoken for you.”
Using this knowledge, I just shared with our middle daughter, Natana about this. She’s seemed really engaged with her Jewish identity. We talked about being “dust” and how it can be yukky. Of course, Natana being Natana, found ways to also see dust as positive; without dust there can’t be clean. That’s a fundamental Jewish concept of needing to go down in order to go up. As we talked further she got the concept of dust sticking together. We talked about ways for the family to be engaged with more unity.
Aviyah came in and asked for a bagel toasted with cream cheese. I asked Natana if she could take care of that and immediately connected that with unity. Hashem is amazing!
Jacob wakes up from his dream and is frightened. Not in the way he is scared; but an awe. “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God. This is the gate of heaven!”
He goes on to make a vow to Hashem. If;
- God will be with me
- God will guard me on this route in which I am going
- God will give me bread to eat
- God will give me garments to wear
- I return in peace to my fathers house
- God will be my God
Then Jacob will respond as follows;
- The stone I have placed as a monument will be a house of God
- I will separate tithes for you from everything Hashem has given
I am chewing on this a lot. In our lives, God has already delivered 1-6. Even when we had no income, He provided.
How will I respond?
What about you?
One response
[…] then spends 12% of his life being afraid until Joseph was taken away from him. If you go back to my commentaries here (from the Parsha “And He Departed” BTW) and reread them – we see this shift. It […]