Vayeitzei: Stone and Dreams

By Barry Kaplan, delivered Nov. 17, 2007

In last week's parsha, Jacob's mother Rebecca tells Jacob to flee from his brother Esau, who has threatened to kill him. Jacob agrees to leave, and his father Isaac blesses him.

This week's parasha begins with the parable of "Jacob's Ladder", continues with the 20-year period of Jacob's life with his wives, Rachel and Leah, and their father Laban, and ends with Jacob, Leah, Rachel and their children, fleeing from Laban. I will discuss "Jacob's Ladder" in my D'var Torah.

What is the story of Jacob's Ladder?
At sunset, after a day's walking, Jacob prepares for sleep. He piles some stones into a pillow-mound for his head, lies down, and dreams. In his dream, Jacob sees a ladder extending from the earth into heaven. Angels are climbing up and down the ladder. Jacob sees G-d standing over him. G-d says to Jacob that the land that he sleeps on will be given by G-d to Jacob's descendants, and that G-d will protect Jacob wherever Jacob goes.

Jacob awakes, recognizes the sanctity of the place where he has had this dream, and constructs a stone monument to the glory of G-d. Jacob vows that this location will become a house of G-d; and that he will manifest G-d's glory by dedicating one-tenth of his wealth to G-d.

What might be the significance of the stone pillow?
Jacob uses a stone pillow, not wood, or cloth, or a pile of earth, or his arm. Why? Stone is very hard, dense, and weighty. It is very easy to know through our senses. It doesn't move much. It doesn't change much. It is definitely "here and now." This is made more apparent when contrasted with the experience of dreams. Dreams lack a direct and immediate link to the physical world. Thee are illusory and intangible. Dreams are also solitary experiences; they are not functions of exchange or interaction between people.

What I draw from this is that the stone-pillow-and-the-dream provides a lesson about the duality of life - the physical and the transcendent. As humans in G-d's world, we need to be reminded that our lives are enriched when we have the perspective of being within a universe beyond our action and control.

A second level of interpretation of the stones is that they represent the 12 tribes of what is to become the nation of Israel. In the parsha, the first reference to stones - where Jacob rests his head to sleep - is plural. The second and last reference to stone, where Jacob builds a pillar monument sanctifying the place of his dream, is singular. Many commentators interpret this to mean that the various characteristics of the tribes will be melded into a single, strong nation.

What might be the significance of the ladder?
A ladder bridges two points in this case, the present and the future; and the physical and the spiritual. Ladders also define a path; a path that mitigates the dangers beyond the path. Climb a ladder without paying attention and there is an increased risk of falling and injury.

Jacob's ladder is a metaphor for the "Jewish path". The Jewish path, as I read the Book of Genesis to this point, incorporates the following:
Belief in one and only one G-d,
Tolerance as G-d showed Adam and Eve,
Acceptance of the laws G-d provided to Noah (no murder, stealing, sexual transgression, or tearing a limb from a live animal),
Pursuit of justice and respect for law,
For Chesed as modeled by Abraham, and
For the pursuit of knowledge as modeled by Isaac and Jacob.

Through the symbolism of angels descending the ladder, we have a new requirement for being on the path: to be engaged in the world, to be righteous in a world that is frequently dangerous and antagonistic to Jews and Judaism. But the symbolism of the dream, in my view, tells us that to be successful in this engagement in the physical realm, we need to recalibrate our moral compass and energize our spiritual conviction by frequently reconnecting with G-d.

What might be the significance of God's promise to Jacob?
G-d says to Jacob, "The ground upon which you are lying, to you I will give it, to you and your descendants. Your offspring shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread out powerfully westward, eastward, northward and southward." The commentators frequently draw two meanings from this. The first is that G-d, through this statement, tells us that the land of Israel is holy, and that by being in this holy location one is in the highest spiritual place on earth, in the words of Jacob: "The abode of God, the gate of the heavens." It is the place where the physical realm is closest to the spiritual realm.

The second meaning is that the Jews become "dust" they are worn down to almost nothing and are blown to the four corners of the earth. Ultimately, this is a good thing, in that the degradation sets up an appreciation for salvation which will occur at some point in the future. The "wearing down" also has the potential benefit of strengthening the righteousness and moral resolve of Jews.

What might be the significance of Jacob's construction of a stone monument to the glory of G-d?
Jacob takes the stone, the representation of the physical world, and builds a monument to sanctify G-d. He takes what is here-and-now and transforms it, links it, to the omniscient and infinite. Perhaps even more significant is that Jacob proactively, with enthusiasm and conviction, constructs the monument and vows to serve G-d - moving him, and the the children of Israel, from the vicissitudes of a life focused on the individual and the finite to a life imbued with the energy that comes from service to something greater than onesself. Jacob, unlike Noah, does not simply follow G-d's orders. Jacob, like his grandfather Abraham, actively, patiently, and contentedly engages in the world, knowing that when he follows the path G-d prescribes, his life, and the lives of those he touches, is made richer.

So, what are the key messages from this parasha?

In summary, I draw three important lessons from "Jacob's Ladder":

1. Jacob becomes Israel - in his name change and in metaphorical reference to a holy land. In this dream, G-d states that the Jews will be dispersed, will suffer, but are protected and will ultimately be redeemed.

2. We need to balance being-in-the-world with gaining spiritual nourishment through G-d. A good life harmonizes action and righteousness.

3. Our moral development is enhanced when we move beyond the "negative" commandments: don't murder, don't steal; to incorporate the "positive" commandments: respecting others, seeking justice, helping others.