Jacob and the Ladder Parashat VaYeitze - Genesis 28:10-22
Background to this story:
Abraham’s grandson and Isaac’s son, Jacob, along with his mother Rebecca, trick Isaac and steal Jacob’s older brother Esau’s birthright and blessing. In order to protect Jacob from Esau’s rage, Rebecca has Isaac send Jacob away to Haran, where Rebecca’s brother Lavan lives. At the beginning of Parashat VaYetze, Jacob sets out from home to go stay with his uncle. This story takes place on his way there.
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Jacob left Beer-sheva and set out for Haran. He came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. He had a dream; a ladder was set on the ground and its top reached the sky and angels of God were going up and down on it. And God was standing beside him and God said,
“I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac: the ground on which you are lying I will give to you and to your children. Your descendants shall be like 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.”
Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is here in this place and I did not know it!” Shaken up, he said, “How awesome this place is! This is none other than God’s house and that is the gateway to heaven!”
Early in the morning, Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He named that site Bethel (“House of God”) but the previous name of the city was Luz.
Jacob then made a vow, saying, “If God stays with me, if He protects me on this journey that I am making and gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear and if I return safe to my father Isaac’s house, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that You give me, I will set aside a portion of it for You.”
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Steps for Completing this Torah Hangout:
#1 Read the story about Jacob slowly and carefully.
#2 Respond to the following questions with a partner or on a sheet of paper:
- How do you think Jacob was feeling when he left home?
- How do you imagine the ladder in Jacob’s dream? Do you think it is a symbol of anything? What do you imagine the angels are doing?
- Given the fact that Jacob was running away from his home after tricking his father and brother, why do you think Jacob has this sort of dream? And why does God choose to bless him at this particular time?
- What does Jacob’s vow tell us about who he is and how he feels about God?
- Why does Jacob call the place he sleeps “Bethel”?
#3 Investigate the following piece of commentary and answer the related questions:
- The mystical book of the Zohar says that the ladder in Jacob’s dream is a symbol for prayer. How would you explain this idea?
- Many rabbis comment about how special the place is where Jacob sleeps and dreams about the ladder. Rashi says this place, which Jacob calls “Bethel,” meaning “God’s House,” is the very same place where Abraham tied up Isaac to sacrifice him and where King Solomon would later build the Holy Temple. Why do you think the rabbis decided these events all took place where Jacob had his dream?
#4 Based on your discussion, please answer following question on the blog:
Based on this story about Jacob, how would you describe his personality?
Carly says:
ReplyDeleteJacob might look like a nice person on the outside but is a very sneaky and tricky person on the inside. In his vow with God, he kind of took advantage of God in the same way he took advantage of Esau's birthright. Jacob knows that God wants him to worship Him so he makes a sort of trade with God.