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Man: A Heavenly Concern
I
n Parshat Vayetze, we
and He promises to return
encounter Jacob in his
Jacob to the promised land of
hurried exit from Canaan,
Canaan.
afraid of his angry brother
The ladder image offers us
Esau from whom he wrestled
a Godly image. God is con-
the patriarchal blessing.
cerned for His chosen one and
When he lays his exhausted
provides the angelic protec-
Rabbi Scot
body down to sleep, Jacob
tion necessary for Jacob’s suc-
Berman
has a vision that has been
cess especially in trying times
depicted in art, literature
— times that Jacob is on the
Parshat
and biblical interpretation
run and headed to a foreign
Vayetze:
throughout the ages: the
and hostile environment.
Genesis
mysterious ladder rooted on
The angels ascending and
28:10-32:3;
Earth and reaching up to the
descending the ladder express
Hosea 12:13- God’s concern for man. But,
heavens with angels of God
14:10.
(malachei E-lohim) ascend-
if not for the second image,
ing and descending upon it
the image with God actually
(Genesis 28:12).
standing over Jacob, one could too
Rashi, drawing upon a rabbinic
easily see the world without God
midrash, explains that the angels
in it. The address by God to Jacob
provided an escort for the righteous
directly and done so in such personal
man Jacob. Each angel had a singular terms makes it unmistakable to our
job. The angel ascending the lad-
protagonist that God is with him.
der had the role of escorting Jacob
The ethical care for His charge
and providing for his protection
demonstrated by the angels teaches
while traversing the holy land. The
us that God sees to it that Jacob’s
descending angel served as Jacob’s
needs are met. It is an expression of
new escort while outside the land of
God’s caring for His selected one.
Israel. This reading provides an eth-
Held up as a mirror of Godly behav-
ical overlay to God’s interaction with
ior, it impresses upon us the need to
Jacob. The Godly way — the angelic
take care of those under our charge.
way — is the one that ensures Jacob
But again, acting and behaving eth-
is properly protected for and well
ically can easily be detached from
treated.
God directly. Hence, the image of
The very next verse is also part of
God standing over Jacob and speak-
Jacob’s vision and no less important
ing to him directly, repeating the
than the ladder image: “And God
promises to Jacob made to his grand-
stood over Yaakov and said: ‘I am
father and father Abraham and Isaac.
God, God of Abraham your father
It is all too easy for us to navigate
and God of Yitzchak. The land upon
our world without recognizing the
which you lay, to you and your off-
presence of God in our lives. The
spring is given.’” The next verses
vision of Jacob provides us with the
expand upon this one and essentially unmistakable love and concern that
reiterate the Abrahamic blessing.
God has for Jacob and, by extension,
God will give the land of Canaan to
all Israel. ■
Jacob and his children. His numbers
Rabbi Scot A. Berman is head of school at
will multiply. God will protect Jacob
Farber Hebrew Day School – Yeshivat Akiva.
38
November 15 • 2018
jn