Parashat Vayetzei
November 9, 2021
Sophia Cohen (Class of 2016), Lower School Jewish Life Associate
Life over the last year and a half has certainly been a roller coaster ride, with many great highs and low lows — an idea that is represented quite literally in this week’s parashah. Parashat Vayetzei features many iconic moments in the tapestry of our forefather, Yaakov’s long life. Among those moments is the scene of סֻלָּם יַעֲקֹב, Jacob’s Ladder — arguably, one of the most widely recognized and discussed scenes in the entire Torah.
As the parashah opens, we find Yaakov running away from his home in Be’er Sheva. His father, Yitzhak, had just given him the elder birthright blessing, which he traded his brother Esav for in exchange for a bowl of lentil soup. Looking to escape his brother’s wrath, and to find a wife so he can begin a family of his own, Yaakov heads towards his uncle Lavan’s home in Haran to begin his new life.
While en route, he stops to rest for the night. Using a rock as a pillow, he dreams of a ladder that stretches from Earth to Heaven, with angels ascending and descending on it. Recognizing the significance of this dream and the holiness of this spot, he anoints the rock with oil and names the spot Beit El, House of God.
There have been a number of interpretations about what this dream means, but one that struck me comes from the Ancient Egyptian Jewish philosopher, Philo of Alexandria. Philo offers four interpretations of Yaakov’s dream sequence, with his final interpretation being that the ladder represents the flow of a human life: constantly experiencing highs and lows, and the desire to reconcile the two.
I’m sure none of us have to think too hard to come up with a few low moments from the last several months. My hope and prayer is that it is just as easy, if not easier, to think of the joyous moments that life has given us. This month at the Lower School, our Middat HaChodesh, monthly value, is Hodaya, gratitude. We are taking time to stop and reflect on our lives and say todah for all the good that we have. As we head into the holiday season with a new year on the horizon, and as we begin to prepare ourselves (and our stomachs!) for time with family and loved ones, I encourage everyone to reflect on life’s lower moments while never losing sight of all the good that goes hand in hand. Take some time to show gratitude for the cyclical nature of our lives. To quote Ecclesiastes, and 1960s rock group The Byrds, “To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under Heaven.”
And as we begin to dust off our chanukiyot, we remember the opinion of Beit Hillel as to which direction we should light the Chanukah candles:
מעלין בקודש ועין מורידין. May we increase in holiness and not decrease.
While en route, he stops to rest for the night. Using a rock as a pillow, he dreams of a ladder that stretches from Earth to Heaven, with angels ascending and descending on it. Recognizing the significance of this dream and the holiness of this spot, he anoints the rock with oil and names the spot Beit El, House of God.
There have been a number of interpretations about what this dream means, but one that struck me comes from the Ancient Egyptian Jewish philosopher, Philo of Alexandria. Philo offers four interpretations of Yaakov’s dream sequence, with his final interpretation being that the ladder represents the flow of a human life: constantly experiencing highs and lows, and the desire to reconcile the two.
I’m sure none of us have to think too hard to come up with a few low moments from the last several months. My hope and prayer is that it is just as easy, if not easier, to think of the joyous moments that life has given us. This month at the Lower School, our Middat HaChodesh, monthly value, is Hodaya, gratitude. We are taking time to stop and reflect on our lives and say todah for all the good that we have. As we head into the holiday season with a new year on the horizon, and as we begin to prepare ourselves (and our stomachs!) for time with family and loved ones, I encourage everyone to reflect on life’s lower moments while never losing sight of all the good that goes hand in hand. Take some time to show gratitude for the cyclical nature of our lives. To quote Ecclesiastes, and 1960s rock group The Byrds, “To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under Heaven.”
And as we begin to dust off our chanukiyot, we remember the opinion of Beit Hillel as to which direction we should light the Chanukah candles:
מעלין בקודש ועין מורידין. May we increase in holiness and not decrease.
Shabbat Shalom