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Drash for Shabbat Vayeitzei By Dave Lugers - November 16, 2007 This week's parasha continues the story of Jacob, son of Isaac. He's deceived his father into giving him the blessing intended for Esau his brother, and then he suddenly hears the call of the open road. He begins the journey to Haran not knowing it will be more than 30 years before he sees his family again. At the end of his first day's travel, he chooses a soft rock for his pillow and lays down to sleep, dreaming of a ladder going from the earth to the heavens. Angels are ascending and descending the ladder and God speaks to him, offering to watch over Jacob, promising that Jacob's descendants will be numerous, and that the land where he is standing will be his. When Jacob awakens, he realizes that God was there with him during the night and makes a vow that if God does what Jacob heard in his dream, then Jacob will be faithful to God. Jacob's vow is conditional -- IF God does all the things he promised, THEN Jacob will be faithful to Him. Well, we know that our prophets love to bargain with God, but this is a different type of bargaining. In this case, he makes his vow conditional on God's performing as He promised Jacob in his dream. Perhaps God took into consideration that Jacob was just entering his adulthood, that he had just left home, and that he was going toward a new and strange place. Under these circumstances it's not surprising that Jacob was overwhelmed by the situation and reacted instinctively rather than using forethought. Unlike many other instances, God chose to have patience with Jacob and to ignore his audacity. The Torah uses many negative terms for Jacob: deceiver; liar, deceitful, opportunistic, schemer, and flatterer. Why is it that God continues to love this stiff-necked Israelite who "wrestles with God?" In Jacob's dream the angels are said to be ascending the ladder and then descending. We know that God has a strong interest in Jacob and in his destiny. Perhaps the angels were there to look after Jacob during the day, and at night they ascended to heaven and escorted God back down the ladder. The narrative can be interpreted in so many ways, depending on where the reader is spiritually in his own life. Possibly some of my Kabbalistic friends' philosophy is starting to rub off on me, but I like the idea of the ladder going to the heavens. To me, it represents a connection between God and us -- simple but effective. We all have our own spiritual ladders to climb toward God's helping hand. We start out on the first rung with our first tentative step and then, with confidence, we climb ever higher. There are two ways to go down a ladder and only one way up. On this Shabbat my wish for you is a firm footing for your ladder; and as you near the top, a great sense of balance. Shabbat Shalom.
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