5754

This weeks Parasha tells the story of the flight of Jacob and the experience that he had on the way: "He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place--and I did not know it!" And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." This last verse reads,in the Hebrew, "ma nora hamakom haze, eyn ze ki im beyt elohim, veze sha'ar hashama'yim." [Gen. 28:11:18

Now, it is easy enough to think that Jacob was impressed, but here we have more than just that. We may ask, precisely where was this awesome place which Jacob, upon awakening, would call "the abode of God" and "the gateway to heaven"? We ask, but the Torah is consistently indifferent -- it won't answer. Rashi tries to help. He notes that grammatically the noun is accompanied by a definite article: Ha-makom, literally "he came upon the place," and goes on to suggest that it must be a place already mentioned by the Torah. Accordingly, Rashi identifies "the palce" with the mountain upon which Abraham was ready to sacrifice Isaac, since the word 'hamakom' appears in both verses (Gen. 22:4). Reflecting rabbinic tradition throughout, Rashi then concludes (in Gen. 28:17) that indeed this spot was the Temple Mount in Jerusalem which truly linked heaven and earth. In short, long after the destruction of the second Temple, the rabbis deepened the sanctity of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount by making them the locus of the two narratives in Genesis." Khesed Avraham -- the "righteous act of Abraham" becomes also khalom ya'akov -- "the dream of Jacob."

However, they may have wronged the spirit of both stories, which is cast in the most general terms. In the case of Jacob, about to go into exile, the force of the unspecified place is to assure Jacob that God’s presence is not restricted to a single holy site or even the entire promised land. God would accompany and protect him beyond the borders back in Haran. The impulse to create a sacred piece of real estate ran counter to the message that God is universally accessible. Closer to the spirit of Genesis is the lesson taught by Rabban Gamliel not long after the Roman victory in 70 C.E.: "Why did God choose to reveal Himself to Moses in a lowly burning bush? To make the point that there is no place on earth which is devoid of God’s presence."

The Scriptures contain some 70different names for God, many of which we do not know and do not pronounce; rabbinic literature adds another 90 or more and no one as yet has bothered to tally the number added by Jewish mystics. Yet, maybe the most profound is the name that we can pronounce and write, and the most pious announce to one and all -- it is 'hamakom' -- you guessed it, 'the place!'

God is here perceived as the space in which the universe exists. God is neither outside the world nor a resident within it; the world constitutes a part of God. Transcending both gender and image, the conception expresses the grandeur and austerity of Jewish monotheism. It has the capacity to do justice to a universe more than 15 billion years old and still expanding.

We extend our sympathy to mourners in their moment of intense grief during the funeral and the period of 'shiv'a.' The words we use to console the mourners are, "May the All-encompassing One comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem -- hamakom yenakhem etkhem betokh she'ar veley tzi'yon vyrushala'yim." The divine name that we employ in this consolation is 'Hamakom.' The words stress that whatever the loss, the bereaved are not alone. Others in Israel have also been afflicted. And God shares their pain. No house of mourning, no place of suffering is without God’s presence. God softens the anguish of a community joined by fate and faith.

The challenge of viewing God as 'Hamakom' is to recognize God in the ordinary and every day. Our inclination to be awed only by the extraordinary dulls our senses to the miracles that surround us. Let us look around us and recognize that this is the place, even as father Jacob did. And may blessings and love flow from Hamakom, and fill all of us and all of our important places.

Amen

5755

This week we read in the Torah the story of the flight of Jacob from his parent's home. Ostensibly he goes to find a wife in Aram, but in fact, he must escape the danger of the wrath of his brother Esau -- who feels that he had been cheated by Jacob twice. We don't really know very much about Jacob -- or do we? The Torah tells us that he was "a quiet man, living in tents." We know that he used to cook -- as we read that he "cooked pottage; and Esau came from the field, and he was famished." We also know that he wanted to be the "first son" -- so that he made a bargain with his brother, who "sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils." We know that he listened to his mother and "pulled a trick" on his father to receive the blessing Yitzkhak wanted to give to Esau. We know that he left home with blessings -- and little else. The scion of a rich father and grandfather was allowed to leave home and travle as a penniless fugitive. Does this picture engender great pride in us for our third (and last) patriarch? We need to learn more about him!

The text of the Torah tells us that he came to a point in his flight when he was totally exhausted. He took "of the stones of that place," and put them under his head for his pillows, as he lay down in that place to sleep. He had to be very tired to fall asleep on a pile of rocks -- and should have had nothing but discomfort and nightmares, too. Instead, though, he had a dream -- nay, a vision: he saw "a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed; And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south; and in you and in your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with you, and will keep you in all places where you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you, until I have done that about which I have spoken to you." [Gen 28:12-16]

Would you not think that this experience, based on what we already know of Jacob, should have made him feel very fortunate, and possibly even a little superior to those around him? Yet, here we begin to see and understand what manner of man Jacob really is. The text tells us, "then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place--and I did not know it!' And he was afraid, and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.'" [Gen 28:16,17] Certainly Jacob is properly impressed by his vision. His reaction, though, is a total surprise to us.

Jacob could have gone on his way with a self satisfaction that borders on arrogance, "God is with me and I cannot fail." Yet, instead we read his words, "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and garment to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God..." [Gen 28:20,21] What kind of a reaction is this? God has promised him possession of the entire land, and a large family, and fame and fortune that will make him "a blessing" -- and all he asks is for is " bread to eat, and garment to put on?"

The sages explain this by saying that the bread is Torah, God's teaching, as we read in Proverbs (9:5), "Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mixed. Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding." As for the garment, the sages tell us that it is the Talit, the prayershawl, which is the mantle of Mitzvot, the deeds that follow from the study of Torah. Thus we understand that Jacob realizes that the promise of God is meaningless if his seed will not follow in the path of his father Yitzkhak and his grandfather Abraham. Just as Solomon was to plead with God, (Kings I 3:9) "Give therefore your servant an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and bad," so, also, Jacob is asking God to keep him faithful and true to his roots in the midst of the people that he will come across in his travels. He knows that none of them will share his faith, and he knows that the temptation to conform will be great. With the "bread" of Torah and the "garment" of mitzvot he is guaranteed to retain his identity -- and maybe he knows intuitively God's reply to Solomon: "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind... I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life..." [I Kings 3:11-13]

So Jacob, the third patriarch, progenitor of Solomon and of his father David, shall prosper in all he does.

Amen

5756

This week we read in the Torah about the "coming of age" of the third, and in some ways the most important patriarch of the Children of Israel. The reading begins in chapter 28, verse ten: "And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and remained there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed; And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south; and in you and in your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with you, and will keep you in all places where you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you, until I have done that about which I have spoken to you. And Jacob awoke from his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How awesome is this place! this is no other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." [Gen 28:10-17]

Jacob was well aware of his heritage. Later in the portion we read this week, when he leaves his father in law’s household in haste and is confronted by Laban in a possible hostile manner, Jacob says to him, "Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely you would have sent me away now empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night." [Gen 31:42] This name, "the fear of Isaac," is obviously a reference to the Akeda, the binding of his father by his grandfather upon the altar on Mount Moriah. If Jacob was aware of this, he must have also known with a certainty that "grandpa" pronounced the mountain a holy sight, "And Abraham called the name of that place Adonai-Yireh; as it is said to this day, In the Mount of the Lord it shall be seen." [Gen 22:14] However, the place where Yaakov goes to sleep for the night is not at Mount Moriah – but rather a place called "Luz," which Jacob renames "Beit El" after his night's experience We are left with two questions: Why didn’t Jacob stop in the place where his grandfather offered his father to God – and why was he so afraid of the place and found it to be so awesome.

The sages of Judaism explained that Jacob was escaping from his enemy, Esau, and did not have time to make a ‘detour’ to visit a shrine set up by Abraham. None the less, he was beset by great sorrow because he missed visiting that place – in the same way that generation upon generation of faithful Jews lived in constant sorrow because they could not go and visit the temple (which was built on Mount Moriah) and offer a sacrifice to God. The sages told the Jews that Rabbi Yokhanan ben Zaka’i had ruled that "Gmilut Khassadim," the doing of acts of loving kindness, was the equivalent of offering sacrifices in the temple – thus making possible Judaism's continuity after the temple was destroyed. Jacob’s flight from his brother and his night at Luz gave the sages another lesson to teach: Mount Moriah, and the Temple that stood upon it, can "move" from place to place.

Abraham fixed "the place where God is seen" to be Mount Moriah. Jacob knows this. Jacob misses Moriah and travels’ on to Luz. He goes to sleep at night, and lo and behold, the place where he lays his head becomes "the place where God is seen." Does this negate Abraham’s shrine? Not at all! The sages declare that God moved the mountain to accomodate Jacob. Yes, this is precisely and exactly the fulfillment of the saying, "If Mohammed can’t come to the mountain – the mountain will come to Mohammed." Only it is not Mohammed – it is Jacob for whom the mountain moves! The sages teach many a lesson based upon this interpretation of the reaction of Jacob to what he has seen. For one thing, there is a lesson about saving one’s life.

Jacob is the first "Jew" who lived after the events of the Akeda – and upon whom it wouldhave been incumbent to visit that place and worship there. Yet he does not, because his life is in danger. The lesson we learn is that "fulfilling one’s religious duty" is delayed when life is in danger. The second lesson is that when we have "kavanah" – which is purpose and devotion – we can "move mountains," which is to say that we can do almost everything.

Now, once asleep, Jacob had a dream, which is described in the words, "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it." [Gen 28:12] The sages ask, "how was the ladder set up – straight up, or on a slant?" They have an answer , to be sure -- and that is the reason they ask. They say, if the ladder was straight, you would not be able to see "angels" -- but only one angel, as the one on the bottom would hide all the others. Therefore we must assume that the ladder was on a slant. The sages view the ladder as a way for all mankind of ascending from the "physical" to the spiritual life. What is this kind of a tool of ascent called? I hope you guessed it! It is called "Torah!" Each rung on the ladder is a higher level in Torah erudition and spiritual development. If the ladder is straight, each rung directly above its predecessor, it reflects merely a higher level, not a distinct one. Since they are all in the same line, on the same plane, they are not different from one another—only higher, loftier. However, if the ladder is on a slant, each rung is in its own plane. Each is distinct from the preceding rung, not only in height, but also in position. It is as if each rung has its own very special and unique position in space and time, and consequently its own character. Likewise, as each one of us grows in knowledge and fulfillment of Torah, we are spirituality elevated, and we become totally new individuals.

Our sages tell us that if the previous generation can be likened to angels, then we are like humans. If we view them as humans, then we are no more than donkeys. As one grows spiritually, one becomes a new being. As one grows above his peers, he becomes a new personality, one totally distinct from his previous self. Nor is it simply a matter of quantity—the Torah scholar does not just happens to know more, he has acquired a greater and more profound knowledge of Torah, which has changed him and his total life experience. Therefore, he is on a totally different plane than his counterpart, a position that the unlearned person just does not comprehend.

Furthermore, when a ladder is standing straight, each rung "sees" only the one rung just above it. It will therefore perceive a distinction between two—one is on a higher level than the other. That may make a person complacent, thinking that there is one challenge left to ‘learn," and why should one bother. When a ladder is on a slant, however, the lower rung can see a whole "staircase" of possibilities for reaching higher and higher -- and with the road thus "mapped out" for him, he will begin an ascent of discovery and growth. The Jew is challenged to study and appreciate the beauty and profundity of Torah, to join all those who have mastered and excelled in Torah throughout the ages. As one ascends the ladder of Torah and mitzvot, one undergoes a transformation with each step. The very process is uplifting and ennobling. Ashrey mi she’amal baTorah, happy are those who labor in Torah, vyhi hashem menat khelkam – for the Lord shall be his portion. We are blessed with patriarchs such as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – but their nobility is only maintained by those who labor, even as they did, to do God’s will and serve His purposes. Amen

5757

This weeks Torah portion begins with our father Jacob coming near to the Promised Land, where his brother Esau still lived. Jacob has spent some two decades in the household of Laban, where he acquired two wives and two concubines, eleven sons and much sheep and wealth. You would think that with this success came self assuredness — but that is not so. The opening verses of the portion read, "Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, instructing them, "Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have lived with Laban as an alien, and stayed until now; and I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female slaves; and I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.’" The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him." Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies, thinking, "If Esau comes to the one company and destroys it, then the company that is left will escape." And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan; and now I have become two companies. Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him; he may come and kill us all, the mothers with the children." [Gen 32;4-13] The sages tell us that Jacob was, possibly, over-wrought with fear. After all, he did have the promise of God that he shall be blessed and protected, and yet he behaves in a servile manner, sending word to his ‘unworthy’ brother, who sold him the birthright, who did not receives the first blessing of Yitzkhak — he should have been more assertive.

We like to think and tell others that it is Christianity that teaches to ‘turn the other cheek’ — as, indeed, it does. It is also in Christianity that we read, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." (Mat. 5:5) However, this concept is not original with Christianity. We read in the thirty seventh Psalm, beginning in verse 11, "But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity. The wicked plot against the righteous, and gnash their teeth at them; the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that their day is coming. wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to kill those who walk uprightly; their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. Better is a little that the righteous person has than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will abide forever; they are not put to shame in evil times, in the days of famine they have abundance. But the wicked perish, and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. The wicked borrow, and do not pay back, but the righteous are generous and keep giving; for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off." And the prophet Isaiah had the same idea in mind when he spoke to the people of Israel saying, [29:19] "The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the neediest people shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. For the tyrant shall be no more, and the scoffer shall cease to be; all those alert to do evil shall be cut off— those who cause a person to lose a lawsuit, who set a trap for the arbiter in the gate, and without grounds deny justice to the one in the right. Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: No longer shall Jacob be ashamed, no longer shall his face grow pale." So, maybe a little humility and meekness is desirable. However, the sages tell us that Jacob actually over-did his pleading before Esau. We read further in the text about how Jacob sent helter skelter, anything he could grab, (the text says ‘min haba b’yado’ which means "whatever came into his hand") and sent waves of gift bearers with the following instructions, "When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, ‘To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you?’ then you shall say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob; they are a present sent to my lord Esau; and moreover he is behind us.’" He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the droves, "You shall say the same thing to Esau when you meet him, and you shall say, ‘Moreover your servant Jacob is behind us.’" For he thought, "I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterwards I shall see his face; perhaps he will accept me." [Gen 34:18-22] Having sent these massagers, Jacob spent a restless night at the river crossing. In the dark of night he sent the camp across the river while he remained behind and fought ‘with an angel’ — maybe his conscience, or maybe his weak ego that wished to remain in relative safety and complete obscurity in Aram. The ambition of the grandson of Abraham won the battle of the river-crossing, and in the morning there emerged a new personage on the scene: Yisrael, the man who fought with the angel and persevered. Not won, mind you, for there were to be other encounters yet before him. But he lived through the night, lived down his fears and was ready to face his brother at last.

Esau arrives to encounter his brother with four hundred men. Jacob, wanting to impress his brother, splits his ‘camp’ in two — first the concubines and their children, with some of the servants and sheep; next his two wives, their children, and himself, Yisrael, limping from the wound sustained in battle at the river crossing. Not much of a threat to prosperous Esau, who was overcome with compassion — and the meek was allowed to survive, to live on. Why? It is hard to say. Possibly Esau despised his birthright yet again -- when he saw that the recompense of the blessing of Yitzkhak was neither abundant nor prestigious. He, Esau, was master of the land; he had remained with the tents of his father while his brother spent the best years of his life working in vain for ‘uncle Laban’ — being cheated again and again before he cut loose. Esau never heard Isaiah, not read the Psalms, and he did not know the message of Zachariah [4:6] "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts." So, bemused by his brother’s servile behavior, confident in his own success, Esau waves aside his ‘gifts’ with the words, "I have enough, my brother, let that which you have be yours." But Yisrael insists, and Esau takes the gifts. The brothers then part company, and Jacob continues his travels by himself, free of fear and threat for the moment.

Did Jacob do the right thing? Should one bend his back and act meekly to survive. How far can one bend before one loses one’s shape, before one breaks in two? These are very significant questions that came up and were discussed again and again. At times, our sages advocated resistance. More often than not, they advocated compliance, speaking of the wisdom of our third patriarch. Jacob planted the seeds of future nationhood — giving birth to twelve sons. In time to come a great multitude would come out of this seed, to overflow into camps and armies, to conquer the land and make of it Eretz Yisrael — the land of Yisrael, the inheritance of Jacob the meek, who shall persevere and prosper.

It is obvious that Jacob knew the wisdom of Ecclesiastes, [3:1] "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;" The mark of a true leader is knowing which time is at hand. Jacob knew, and God blessed him in all he did. May we learn to discern the times and the seasons, and may God continue to bless us, as well. Amen

5758

This week we read in the Torah the portion of Va’yishlakh -- which means ‘and he sent.’ The reading begins with our father Jacob coming near to the Promised Land, where his brother Esau still lives. Jacob has spent some two decades in Aram of the two rivers, where he acquired two wives and two concubines, eleven sons, an unknown number of daughters and servants, and much sheep and wealth. One might assume that with this coming of age and success both in his personal affairs and business dealings, Ya’akov became assertive and self-confident — but that is not the case. The opening verses of the portion read, "Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, instructing them, "Thus you shall say to my lord Essau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have lived with Laban as an alien, and stayed until now; and I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female slaves; and I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.’" [Gen 32:4-6]

Our father Ya’akov is so full of fear that he splits his camp in two, in the hope that if Esau will attack and annihilate ‘Jacob’s camp,’ the other half will survive. He prays, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan; and now I have become two companies. Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him; he may come and kill us all, the mothers with the children." [Gen. 32:10-14]

The sages tell us that Jacob was, possibly, overwrought with fear. After all, he did have Yitzkhak’s blessing and promise that he shall be "Lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!" [Gen. 27:29] Furthermore, God promised him at Beit-El that he shall be blessed and protected, and yet he behaves in a servile manner, sending word to his ‘unworthy’ brother, who sold him the birthright, who did not receives the first blessing of Yitzkhak — he should have been more assertive.

After his experience of struggling with the angel, and his name change to Yisrael; after his ‘success’ in confronting Esau, coming to terms with him, and receiving from him a ‘charter’ to live on in the land, Jacob makes another poor choice, delaying his arrival at Beit-El to fulfill his commitment to God, which he swore while escaping the wrath of Esau: "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house; and of all that you give me I will surely give one tenth to you." [Gen 28:20-22] Instead, he arrives in the center of the Land of Canaan: "Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram; and he camped before the city. And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, he bought for one hundred pieces of money the plot of land on which he had pitched his tent. There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel." [Gen 33:18-20]

His grandfather, Abraham, had arrived there, too, on the same route, from the same land, and we read, "Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved on to the hill country on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and invoked the name of the Lord." [Gen 12:6-8] The commentators tell us that he removed himself from Shechem to avoid contact with the wicked Canaanites. Jacob stays -- and becomes a victim of the people of Shechem: they abduct his daughter, rape her and insist that she become wedded to her tormentor!

The sages asked, ‘why did this terrible thing befall Dina, the daughter of Leah and Jacob. They answered, because Jacob ingratiated himself with the wicked Canaanites of Shechem, and they took his grace for fear. Thus they had no respect for him, and they felt free to abduct his daughter and force her into illicit and unnatural sex -- and they had the audacity to ask Jacob to make this impure relationship permanent by allowing the rapist to marry his victim! What is even more disturbing than this proposition is the fact that Jacob may have considered allowing such a thing to happen! However, Dina’s brothers took matters into their hands. We read, "The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah." [Gen 34:13] They said that they could not consider their womenfolk marrying men who were not circumcised. All the men of Shechem then proceeded to have this ‘operation’ -- to be ready to marry these ‘newly available’ women.

The text continues, "On the third day, when they were still in pain, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and came against the city unawares, and killed all the males. They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went away. And the other sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled. They took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field. All their wealth, all their little ones and their wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and made their prey. Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me odious to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites; my numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household." [Gen 34:23-29]

However, the text tells us that this was a turning point for Jacob -- he had to assert and define himself, and he issued orders, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your clothes; then come, let us go up to Bethel, that I may make an altar there to the God who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone." [Gen.35:2,3] Jacob comes into his own, the honor of Israel and its strength is established, and "As they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities all around them, so that no one pursued them." [Gen.35:5]

Friends, things have not changed much since the days of our fathers. Shechem is still not a good place for Jews to live in, and the ‘inhabitants of the land’ still want to either assimilate or annihilate us. If we try to compromise, and if we act indecisively, we shall surely be defeated. We must remain vigil and strong, and we must not let down our guard for event one moment, until the Canaanites become civilized and accepting of us and of our sovereignty in the land that God promised us and that we then earned by the sweat of our labor and the blood of our finest men and women -- and even children. As Tziporah, Moshe Rabeinu’s wife declared, "Truly you are a bridegroom of blood to me!" We are wedded to the land, not by circumcision, but by the commitment of the heart, the soul, and our life’s blood. We have married the land, we are it’s "bridegroom of blood." Jacob and his seed shall persevere and prosper. Amen

5759

This week we read in the Torah in the book of Genesis, from 32:4 to 36:43. The portion is called Va’yishlakh -- which means ‘and he sent.’ The reading begins with our father Jacob coming near to the Promised Land, where his brother Esau still lives. Jacob has spent some twenty two years in Aram of the two rivers, where he "acquired" two wives and two concubines, eleven sons, an unknown number of daughters and servants, and much sheep and wealth. Our portion deals with the dramatic and fateful reunion of the two brothers, Jacob and Esau.

You would think that with this great success of Jacob’s, both in his personal affairs and business dealings, he would have become assertive and self-confident — but that is not the case. The opening verses of the portion read, "Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, instructing them, "Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have lived with Laban as an alien, and stayed until now; and I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female slaves; and I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.’" [Gen 32:4-6] Our father Jacob addresses his brother as "my lord," and speaks of himself as "your servant."

The messengers return and inform Jacob, "We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him." [Gen 32:7] We don’t know if Esau received his brother’s messengers and spoke to them, or if they just saw him ‘on the move’ -- at any rate, Jacob reaches the conclusion that Esau is getting ready for battle.

Our father Ya’akov prepares for conflict, splitting his camp in two, in the hope that if Esau will attack and annihilate ‘Jacob’s camp,’ the other half will survive. He prays, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan; and now I have become two companies. Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him; he may come and kill us all, the mothers with the children." [Gen. 32:10-14]

Still, Jacob tries to avoid conflict, and he sends another delegation to appease Esau, "he selected a gift for his brother Esau: two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, "Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds." He instructed the one in the lead: "When my brother Esau meets you and asks, 'To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?' Then you are to say, 'They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.'" He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: "You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. And be sure to say, 'Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.'" [Gen. 32:15-21]

Finally the long awaited (and, for Jacob, agonized over) meeting takes place. The text tells us of a typical meeting between brothers who have not seen one another in a very long time. Esau runs, alone, towards his sibling, his arms open to embrace him warmly. Jacob anxiety evaporates as the brothers kiss and hug warmly. Esau does not mention old rivalries, long buried transgressions, or once implied threats. He does not speak of forgiveness -- because he does not mentions any reasons for such a pardon. He calls Jacob ‘akhi -- my brother,’ while Jacob maintains the "proper" attitude to his ‘older’ brother by calling him ‘adoni -- master!’

There is a midrash, an interpretation of the text, which says that "anyone who wishes to show proper etiquette towards a king or a ruler and does not how -- should study closely this portion’s text, and learn from it a lesson in methods of peace making and conflict avoidance."

The sages tell us that Jacob was, possibly, overwrought with fear. After all, he did have Yitzkhak’s blessing and promise that he shall be "Lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!" [Gen. 27:29] Furthermore, God promised him at Beit-El that he shall be blessed and protected, and yet he behaves in a servile manner, sending word to his ‘unworthy’ brother, who sold him the birthright, who did not receives the first blessing of Yitzkhak — he should have been more assertive. Yet, the sages also praise the third patriarch for making a good choice, acting as a righteous ruler, diplomatically sending "mal’akhim," which are messengers, or ambassadors, not lowly servants, to personally greet and suggest to Esau that his brother is coming in peace and with a desire to ‘share his success’ with Esau. Jacob behaves in this manner to negate the source of Esau’s anger. Father Yitzkhak blessed Jacob with the words, "your brothers shall bow before you." Now Esau comes towards ‘the blessed one’ -- and he, Jacob, bows down and blesses him! This makes Esau conclude that he lost nothing by not getting his father’s blessing, since it did not come true.

After Jacob’s experience of struggling with the angel, and his name change to Yisrael, our third patriarch shows sensitivity and maturity in dealing with his pugnacious brother, allowing him to feel superior, and avoiding a confrontation. The two brothers are comfortable enough with one another that Esau suggests to his sibling that they travel on together -- and here again Jacob shows maturity and tact in avoiding being swallowed into the camp of Esau. "My lord knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die. So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the droves before me and that of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir." [Gen. 33:13-14] Jacob, renamed Yisrael, is ready to be master of his faith, with his brother no longer a threat, with their relationship established on his terms by his doings. The grandson of Avraham, the son of Yitzkhak is finally his own man, in his own land. The future will unfold!

Amen

5760

 This weeks reading in the Torah is va'yekhi, the last portion in the
first ofthe Five Books, Beresheet.  The text begins with the words, "And
Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the whole age of
Jacob was a hundred and forty seven years." [Gen 47:28] As in the
portion called "Kha'yey Sarah," meaning 'Sarah's life' - which spoke of
her demise - so, also this portion, va'yekhi, [he] lived, deals not with
the life but the death of the person who is the object of the verb.
Jacob has 'lived his life' in the last three portions - now his life is
coming to an end and the drama changes its very character from the tale
of a family to the history of a people, of a nation.

 There is just one more little event that takes place before the curtain
comes down on 'the age of the patriarchs.'  Jacob, like his father and
grandfather before him, must bless his offsprings and pass the mantle to
his successor.  We are told two anecdotes, one concerning the two sons
of Joseph, and the other concerning the blessing of all his children.
 Jacob falls ill, and Joseph comes to see him with his two sons.  Jacob
speaks to Joseph, and says, "And now your two sons, Ephraim and
Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you
to Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine." [Gen.
48:5] He then proceeds to lay his hands on the two, to bless them, and
we read, "And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon
Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's
head, changing his hands; for Manasseh was the firstborn." [Gen. 48:14]
Joseph protests, "Not so, my father; for this is the firstborn; put your
right hand upon his head." [Gen. 48:18] Jacob replies, "I know it, my
son, I know it; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be
great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his
seed shall become a multitude of nations." [Gen. 48:19]

 Joseph is a wise and sensitive man.  Surely he knew the family
history.  He was very aware that his grandfather, Yitzkhak, was the
younger child of his father, whose brother, Yishma'el, had to be exiled
because of brotherly rivalry, tearing the fabric of the family, breaking
Abraham's heart.  He was also aware that his own father was one of
twins, the younger child who was favored by his mother and by God.  He
knew that his father achieved his leadership of the family by besting
his brother with cunning and with guile - and condemning himself to
years of exile and the fear of death at the hand of his vengeful
sibling.  Finally, his own life's experience, his preferential
treatment by his father, the hatred of his brothers which brought about
his sale into slavery and years of humiliation and servitude.  All this
history was well known and on Joseph's mind as he saw his father
perpetuating the root of strife - preferring the young child over the
older one.

 However, the times of strife between brothers were done.  Ephraim and
Manasseh were not Yitzkhak and Yishma'el, nor were they Ya'akov and
Esav.  This is the generation of the Sons of Yisrael, educated in the
school of hard knocks and hard luck, seasoned by events that unfolded
before them to teach them an indelible lesson of interdependency among
siblings.  We have here a new phenomenon: a clan, made up of men who are
self-reliant and sure of themselves, devoid of petty jealousies and vain
ambitions -- willing to support one another.  They have lived in Aram of
the Two Rivers with Laban, their grandfather who wanted them for his
own; they lived in Canaan and struggled with poverty and famine, and
they have become strong and united.  Their father called them to his
death-bed and spoke to them: "And Jacob called to his sons, and said,
Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall
you in the last days.  Gather yourselves together, and hear, you sons of
Jacob; and listen to Israel your father." [Gen. 50:1,2] The father then
showed tremendous depth of knowledge and understanding of his children,
their past deeds and their nature.

 "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my
strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power;
Unstable as water, you shall not excel...  Simeon and Levi are brothers;
instruments of cruelty are their swords...  Judah, you are he whom your
brothers shall praise...  Your father's children shall bow down in your
presence...  The staff shall not depart from Judah, nor the scepter from
between his feet, until Shiloh come...  Zebulun shall live at the haven
of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall
be to Sidon.  Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two
burdens...  Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of
Israel...  Gad, a troop shall overcome him; but he shall overcome at the
last.  Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal
dainties.  Naphtali is a hind let loose; he gives goodly words.  Joseph
is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well...  His hands were made
strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob...  By the Almighty, who
shall bless you with blessings of heaven above...  The blessings of your
father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors to the
utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of
Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his
brothers.  Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour
the prey, and at night he shall divide the booty.  All these are the
twelve tribes of Israel; and this is it what their father spoke to them,
and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed
them..." [Gen 49:3...28]

 The brothers accepted and acquiesced to their father's words and
blessing.  They welcomed Joseph's two sons as brothers, and they united
to make a success of their life in Egypt.  This experience culminates
and climaxes the first stage of the establishment of the Jewish people,
and a worthy place to terminate the first of the five books of the
Torah.

5761 

This week we read in the Torah about the “coming of age” of the third, and in some ways the most important patriarch of the Children of Israel. The reading is the portion of Va’yetze, which begins in chapter 28, verse ten: “And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.” It is interesting to note that we say we start the “story of Jacob” with this portion, when much of what was essential to Jacob happened in last week’s portion - Toldot - the portion of our patriarch Yitzkhak.

And why not? After all, are we not all the product of our home and our family? Are we not fashioned by the experience we gain in the time that we spend under the roof of our progenitors? When then do we become “our own person?” The Torah tell us in the very name of this week’s portion: “Va’yetze” – when we go out, when we strike out on our own.

Again I leave the torah to speak of a contemporary issue. We are celebrating the second Shabbat in December, in the shadow of our neighbors’ decorated homes for the season of their holiday, the birthday of their savior. The story of the followers of the man Jesus of Nazareth is, like this week’s reading about father Jacob, a story of departure from the ‘house of the father’ to a different life style and a different set of beliefs. Jacob escaped the wrath of his brother. Jesus did not. It was his followers, in tragic circumstances, with the seeming end of the time of faith at hand, and they had to leave – not their home, not their father’s roof. They had to leave the envelope. They had to find an alternative to the faith of Abraham that would not only survive the Roman experience, but overcome it and conquer it. It is interesting to look at the Jews who followed Jesus as rebels against Rome who, in the final count, won the day and vanquished the enemy.

Jacob left his father’s house and moved in with Laban. Laban was an enemy of everything Abraham and Yitzkhak held dear. He lived with Laban and married his daughters, he worked for him and helped him to prosper. Yet all along he knew and prepared for the day when he would have to separate himself from him. The followers of Jesus were Jews in the beginning, and they were taken into exile with the Jews to Rome. It was in Rome that they “left their father’s home.” They began to change themselves to accommodate the Roman experience, to streamline and make their ways more accepted by the masses. The primary articles of faith of Judaism were given up: The unity of God was replaced by a trinity; the invisibility of God was superceded by the teaching that Jesus was “God in the flesh;” and the recognition of God’s sovereignty by accepting the day He hallowed (Shabbat) as a universal day of rest was eventually changed to celebrating “the Lord’s Day” on Sunday, the day of the resurrection. That made Christianity different from Judaism, and unacceptable to Jews as a continuing of the teachings of Jewish tradition. It also made it possible for Rome to accept this “new” religion as the state religion. The holidays of the Jews were jettisoned, and new holidays, actually tested and loved holidays of the Roman empire, were fashioned as part of the new religion. Customs, such as trees and beloved gift-giving saints were added to concepts that could never be a part of the faith of Abraham. The “birthday” of God... Boggles the mind! A true and complete departure. Let our neighbors enjoy their feasts, and let us remember and never forget that ours is the teaching of Abraham, Yitzkhak and Ya’akov, Moshe and David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. And so many, many more. Prophets and Rabbis, sages and martyrs. All of them consecrated the One God, Creator of the world and its Master. They lived and died within the same departure, a departure that implied a return home, a return to the fold, and a never ending faith in God’s ability to keep us under his ‘roof,’ his ever protecting canopy. It is this lesson that we must hold before our eyes as we see our neighbors’ decorations. Not all that shines is the sun, and not all that gives warmth is as bright as the sun. Let us rejoice in our heritage and give thanks for God’s great love of His people Israel.

Amen

Va'yetze 5763

This week's portion of the Torah actually continues the story of father Jacob, to whom we were introduced last week. This week's portion begins with the patriarch's flight of from his parent's home. Ostensibly he goes to find a wife in Aram. In fact, he must depart hastily, without entourage and without property of any kind – to escape the danger of the wrath of his brother Esau – who feels that he had been cheated by Jacob twice. We don't really know very much about Jacob -- or do we? The Torah tells us that he was "a quiet man, living in tents." We know that he used to cook -- as we read that he "cooked pottage; and Esau came from the field, and he was famished." We also know that he wanted to be the "first son" -- maybe prompted by his mother, Rivkah, who told him that she had had a prophecy that he would be the one to inherit his father. That is why he made a bargain with his brother, who "sold his birthright to Jacob." Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils – a thick lentils soup. We have also read in last week's portion Jacob listened to his mother and "pulled a trick" on his old blind father to receive the blessing Yitzkhak wanted to bestow upon his favorite son, Esau. We know that he left home with blessings -- and little else. The scion of a rich father and grandfather was allowed to leave home and travel as a penniless fugitive. Does this picture engender great pride in us for our third patriarch? We need to learn more about him!
So, this week's Torah reading tells us the story of the flight of Jacob and the experience that he had on the way: "He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place--and I did not know it!" And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." This last verse reads, in the Hebrew, "ma nora hamakom haze, eyn ze ki im beyt elohim, veze sha'ar hashama'yim." [Gen. 28:11:18]
There are a number of important messages to the Jewish people in this very first segment of the Torah reading. First, we are told that Jacob was a worth while person – for if he was not, he would not have had angels about him, protecting him from harm and leading him on the right path. Secondly, we learn about the depth of Jacob's religious sensitivity. He knew and understood that what he experienced was not merely a spooky dream about "scary spirits" without a source, without a message for him. Immediately upon awaking he proclaimed "Surely the Lord is in this place--and I did not know it! " - and went about making amends, proclaiming, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
Jacob recognized the holiness of the place – how much more so he must have recognized and adored the holiness of Him whose presence made the place holy. He understood at once that the ascending angels were his Canaan companions, and the descending angels will travel on with him. Jacob had the maturity and the presence of mind to create a covenant of his own with the God of his father and his grandfather: "And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and garment to put on, So that I come back to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God; And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house; and of all that you shall give me I will surely give the tenth to you." [ibid. 28:20-22]
Jacob then proceeds to Aram of the Two Rivers, where he meets and falls in love with Rachel, accepts Laban's offer to work seven years to marry her, and is then cheated on his wedding day, his beloved being replaced by her older and less liked sister Leah. Jacob complains about his betrayal and is offered the "perfect solution" – marry both sisters. Of course, there is a price to pay! More years of servitude must be endured – years that seem without end. Finally Jacob resolves that he must strike out on his own. The portion ends as it began: Jacob in flight. There are a number of differences, though - he is not traveling alone, he is not as young as he was when first he left his father's camp, and above all, he is not unknown to us. He is the father of eleven sons, master of a large retinue of women - wives and concubines, servants and much livestock. Much of his life is still before him. He is yet to resolve his differences with his brother Esau; he is still to return to his father's grace and mother's love - but he is well on his way.

Amen

Vayetze 5764

This week we read in the Torah about the "coming of age" of the third, and in some ways the most important patriarch of the Children of Israel. The text begins, "And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and remained there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed; And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south; and in you and in your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with you, and will keep you in all places where you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you, until I have done that about which I have spoken to you. And Jacob awoke from his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How awesome is this place! this is no other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." [Gen 28:10-17]
Our sages asked a seemingly silly question: "The text says, ‘a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven.' Was the ladder standing straight, or was it at a slant?" You may think that this is a strange question - but you know what I always teach: If they ask, its because they already have a great answer to give us. Well, this is very true.
Our sages taught that the ladder was standing on a slant, the bottom resting in Be'er Sheva with the top to Beyt El. Thus, the middle of the ladder coincided with the future site of Bait Hamikdash, the holy Temple on mount Moriah. In this manner one can see that God's protection stretches over the entire land, from way down in the south to the area north of the place of where God appeared to Abraham, which he called "behar adona'y yera'eh – the mountain where God shall be seen."
Another sage asked, "why was the ladder slanted?" The message of the angels ascending and descending would have been equally effective, he reasoned, if the ladder had stood straight. While various reasons are suggested for the ladder's specific position, this sage made a compelling observation which presents a great lesson. We may think of Torah as a ladder, and view each rung on this ladder as a "higher level" in Torah understanding – which leads to a more profound spiritual development. When the rungs are straight, each one directly above its predecessor, it reflects a higher level. It is like grading: you begin on the first rung and rise rung by rung as you master verse after verse, chapter after chapter. Since they are all in the same line, on the same plane, they are not different from one another – only higher, loftier.
When a ladder is on a slant, however, each rung is in its own plane. Each is distinct from the preceding rung, not only in height, but also in position. It is as if each rung has its own unique position and character. Likewise, as one masters the Torah and grows in spirituality, one becomes a totally new individual. One is not the same person as he was previously. He distinguishes himself from others who are not on his level. He cannot be compared to any individual who is not on his level of Torah and mitzvot.
Still another argument suggests that when a ladder is standing straight, each rung "sees" two rungs – the rung below and the one above it (except, of course, for the first rung that only sees a rung above). It will therefore perceive a distinction between the two – one is on a "higher" or a "lower"level than the other. When a ladder is on a slant, however, each rung cannot see anything either above or below it. One can see different plains, some above, some below, all distinct. One can therefore appreciate the beauty and profundity of Torah which is multi-faceted – and realize that as one ascends the ladder of Torah he, too, shall undergo a transformation with each step.
Jacob's ladder is a symbol of God's protection of His people, those who live by His teaching, even as it is a symbol of His teaching, the Torah. Each word that was transmitted by Him to our Fathers and to us, each mitzvah that we received, is like an angel ascending and descending – keeping the dialogue between us and our creator flowing, bringing us His blessing and the eternal message of His love and grace.