It seems that we often have our deepest insights in moments of profound personal crisis, when everything we know about ourselves does not help us cope. Jacob is on the run. All his life he has been a trickster who manipulates others to get the outcome he desires. Having betrayed his brother, Esau, one too many times Jacob is now fleeing his home for unknown territories where he hopes he will find safety. He must leave everything he knows and loves behind. The place where he lies down to sleep in the midst of his flight is on the boundary between the Land of Israel and the lands beyond. He is in a liminal space, a place of transition, emotionally, spiritually and physical. Jacob dreams of a ladder connecting heaven and earth and sees holy beings descending and ascending. He sees God’s presence beside him and receives this blessing, “Your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you and your descendants. Remember, I am with you: I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:14-15) Jacob who deceived his father and stole his brother’s blessing now receives a blessing from God, for who he is, not for who he is pretending to be. Each of us has an authentic self, seeking expression. But we often repress or distort it, until the circumstances of life force us to confront who we really are. I hope we do not have to suffer as Jacob does, but that each of us in our own “dark night of the soul,” can find the support and guidance that Jacob did so long ago.
Vayetzei, Genesis 28:10-32:3, Parshat Hashavua for Shabbat, December 3, 2022
December 9, 2022 by Dean Kertesz • Drashot
It seems that we often have our deepest insights in moments of profound personal crisis, when everything we know about ourselves does not help us cope. Jacob is on the run. All his life he has been a trickster who manipulates others to get the outcome he desires. Having betrayed his brother, Esau, one too many times Jacob is now fleeing his home for unknown territories where he hopes he will find safety. He must leave everything he knows and loves behind. The place where he lies down to sleep in the midst of his flight is on the boundary between the Land of Israel and the lands beyond. He is in a liminal space, a place of transition, emotionally, spiritually and physical. Jacob dreams of a ladder connecting heaven and earth and sees holy beings descending and ascending. He sees God’s presence beside him and receives this blessing, “Your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you and your descendants. Remember, I am with you: I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:14-15) Jacob who deceived his father and stole his brother’s blessing now receives a blessing from God, for who he is, not for who he is pretending to be. Each of us has an authentic self, seeking expression. But we often repress or distort it, until the circumstances of life force us to confront who we really are. I hope we do not have to suffer as Jacob does, but that each of us in our own “dark night of the soul,” can find the support and guidance that Jacob did so long ago.