Tag: Genesis 28

Jacob’s Ladder

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וַֽיַּחֲלֹ֗ם וְהִנֵּ֤ה סֻלָּם֙ מֻצָּ֣ב אַ֔רְצָה וְרֹאשׁ֖וֹ מַגִּ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמָ֑יְמָה וְהִנֵּה֙ מַלְאֲכֵ֣י אֱלֹהִ֔ים עֹלִ֥ים וְיֹרְדִ֖ים בּֽוֹ׃

He had a dream; a stairway was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky, and messengers of God were going up and down on it.
Genesis 28:12 (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)

There is a fascinating rabbinical thought about this passage in Genesis 28. It notes that the angels are described as going UP, and then going DOWN, and not the other way around.

These angels live on earth. They go up “to heaven” and then return to their assigned abode.

The imagery tells us that the angels get their assignments from God and carry them out on earth. They go up the ladder to report what they have seen, and then come back down to execute God’s commands.

It is a dream. It is meant to be seen like a parable.

Remember: “angels” is “malakim,” or “messengers.” A messenger is a deliverer of God’s message. Sometimes the message is through words; sometimes it is through action. The message is God’s will and purpose.

“Jacob’s Ladder” is a visual representation of “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”

The Foundation is Rest

Posted on by jovial_cynic

וַיִּפְגַּ֨ע בַּמָּק֜וֹם וַיָּ֤לֶן שָׁם֙ כִּי־בָ֣א הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ וַיִּקַּח֙ מֵאַבְנֵ֣י הַמָּק֔וֹם וַיָּ֖שֶׂם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָ֑יו וַיִּשְׁכַּ֖ב בַּמָּק֥וֹם הַהֽוּא׃

He came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place.
Genesis 28:11 (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)

The great stone that becomes the symbol of the foundation of the house of God is introduced to us as a place Jacob lays his head.

To rest.

An Eternal Stone

Posted on by jovial_cynic

וַיִּפְגַּ֨ע בַּמָּק֜וֹם וַיָּ֤לֶן שָׁם֙ כִּי־בָ֣א הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ וַיִּקַּח֙ מֵאַבְנֵ֣י הַמָּק֔וֹם וַיָּ֖שֶׂם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָ֑יו וַיִּשְׁכַּ֖ב בַּמָּק֥וֹם הַהֽוּא׃

He came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place.
Genesis 28:11 (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)

In Genesis 28, Jacob rests his head on a stone and goes to sleep. In a dream, he saw the stairs to heaven and the place where God and the angels dwelled.

It’s in this dream that God begins his covenant relationship with Jacob.

But there’s something about this stone.

וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֨ם יַעֲקֹ֜ב בַּבֹּ֗קֶר וַיִּקַּ֤ח אֶת־הָאֶ֙בֶן֙ אֲשֶׁר־שָׂ֣ם מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָ֔יו וַיָּ֥שֶׂם אֹתָ֖הּ מַצֵּבָ֑ה וַיִּצֹ֥ק שֶׁ֖מֶן עַל־רֹאשָֽׁהּ׃

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.
Genesis 28:11 (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)

After the dream, Jacob takes this same stone and sets it up as a pillar, which is like a single-stone altar.

And then he pours oil on it. He anoints it. Why?

The rabbis tell us that the oil was more than symbolic. It’s a physical mark that he sets on the stone so he can find it again later.

From the casual glance, it looked like any other rock, small enough to use like a pillow.

So Jacob marked it. To remember.

וְהָאֶ֣בֶן הַזֹּ֗את אֲשֶׁר־שַׂ֙מְתִּי֙ מַצֵּבָ֔ה יִהְיֶ֖ה בֵּ֣ית אֱלֹהִ֑ים וְכֹל֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּתֶּן־לִ֔י עַשֵּׂ֖ר אֲעַשְּׂרֶ֥נּוּ לָֽךְ׃

And this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, shall be God’s abode; and of all that You give me, I will set aside a tithe for You.”
Genesis 28:11 (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)

One rabbinical teaching is that this stone represents the “naval of the globe,” being the very first stone God created. It’s the same stone that would set the foundation for the Ark of the Covenant as it rested in the Holy of Holies later in scripture.

A Kind of Sickness

Posted on by jovial_cynic
In Genesis 28, when Esau saw that Isaac blessed Jacob and that Isaac was displeased he had taken Canaanite wives, Esau went and took a wife from the family of Ishmael, thinking he might earn his father’s favor back.

His wife’s name is מַחֲלַת (Mahalath), which is linked to music and singing. But the word is actually rooted in “sickness.”

Perhaps this desperate attempt at earning his father’s love is like that; it’s a sickness that cannot be cured by our efforts.

The Intended Blessing

Posted on by jovial_cynic
We know the story of Isaac giving Jacob the blessing instead of giving it to Esau. But do you recall that there are two blessings given to Jacob?

The first is in Genesis 27, where the blessing is primarily about material abundance and position among his brothers, and among the nations:

Now may God give you of the dew of heaven,
And of the fatness of the earth,
And an abundance of grain and new wine;
May peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you;
Be master of your brothers,
And may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be those who curse you,
And blessed be those who bless you.”
Genesis 27:28-29 (NASB)

The second blessing is in Genesis 28, where Isaac pronounces God’s blessing over Jacob. It’s a much bigger blessing. It’s the IMPORTANT one.

May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a multitude of peoples. May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you, so that you may possess the land where you live as a stranger, which God gave to Abraham.”
Genesis 28:3-4 (NASB)

Here, Isaac is not deceived. He knows exactly who he is giving this blessing to.

So I wonder if Rebekah’s intended deception was unnecessary. Perhaps she was so worried about material possessions and status of her son, she forgot that God had already promised to bless Jacob.

Perhaps Isaac was always going to give this bigger blessing to Jacob.