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Communit

Torah Portion

With Faith In God
We Can Face The Future

burdened but not crushed. We can
draw out of the depth of our soul
powers untapped and sometimes
even unknown, for we are stronger
than we think. We can mobilize our
deepest reserves rather than surren-
der to the weakness of self-pity.
Perhaps the ladder is a call to man
his week's sedrah (Torah
to discover the courage that will
portion) begins with the
enable him to move higher and lift
scene of a wanderer,
himself out of the depth of his
Jacob, fleeing his home to
despair.
escape the wrath of his brother,
It is as though God called from
Esau.
heaven and said: "Climb, Jacob,
On the road to his uncle's home in
climb." Jacob objects. "I'm
Haran, Jacob had reason to
tired. I just left my par-
be fearful. Behind him, his
ents. My brother is clearly
brother Esau might be clos-
an enemy and if I should
ing in, eager to kill him for
walk the wrong road, he
the theft of his birthright.
will kill me. Who knows
Ahead was a strange land
what dangers I will yet
and unknown circum-
face?"
stances.
But the call persists:
Jacob went to sleep and
"Jacob, I know how tired
that night and had a
you are, but climb, just
remarkable dream of angels
climb." Because of his
RABBI I RWIN
ascending and descending a
ascent, Jacob received
GRO NER
ladder rising to heaven. God
Divine blessing.
Special to the
appears and reassures Jacob
For most of us, courage
Jewish News
that the land upon which he
conjures up images of feats
is resting will be given to
of daring. Courage is also
him and his descendants
the willingness to risk fail-
and all the world would see his
ure in order to create a new and bet-
descendants as a source of blessing.
ter reality. Courage is the ability to
At some point in every human life,
pick ourselves up after loss and pain
we find ourselves like Jacob, living
and to go about the business of liv-
through a crisis of danger and
ing. Courage is the remarkable
doubt. We visit a hospital's intensive
human resilience, which enables us
care unit to see a loved one gravely
to suffer ss
lo and to continue to live
ill. Others have been in that "place
and celebrate life.
of terror," lying in a hospital bed
The story of Jacob's dream sug-
wondering, as did Jacob, if they
gests that wherever we are and what-
would survive.
ever our circumstance, though we,
There are other life crises less omi-
too, might lie down at night with
nous, but no less significant, when
fear and uncertainty— with concern
we feel frightened and alone. I think
and doubt — we have the potential
of the man or woman whose mar-
of arising refreshed, realizing that we
riage has ended in divorce, the busi-
are in God's presence.
nessman-whose enterprise has failed,
With this knowledge; we can per-
the mourner who has lost a dear
severe and thereby merit God's bless-
one, the person in the "middle years"
ing.
who yearns to begin a new career.
The dream of Jacob's ladder can be
a symbol for today: the sign of God's
presence.
How do we interpret the symbol?
The ladder might be seen first as the
Can you find instances when the
potential of prayer. Just as angels
words of prayer sustained you as
were ascending and descending the
an individual? Cite some exam-
ladder, so can man join heaven to
ples from recent events when
earth with the words of prayer.
human resilience was put to the
To pray like Jacob means to pray
test. Discuss how this affected
in the dark without being discour-
our daily lives.
aged and embittered, to pray because
we are saddened but not broken,

Shabbat Vayetze:
Genesis 28:10-32:3;
Hosea 12: 13-14: 10.

T

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11/23
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