In the classic movie Casablanca, a visitor to Rick's Place inquires about Rick: "He is like any other man," she is told, "only more so."
The same description might be used to describe Yaakov, the greatest of the Avot, in my opinion.
Our parsha opens with perhaps the most famous "dream sequence" in all the Torah. Yaakov lays down to sleep and sees a vision of a ladder going up to Heaven, with angels ascending and descending upon it.
This episode is introduced by the unusual phrase, "vayifga bamakom." Some translate this as "he encountered the place"; others as "he prayed at the place" (by tradition, this was Mt. Moriah, the future site of the Temples). But we, alas, know that the word vayifga has another, more ominous, connotation - that of being injured, vulnerable, in danger; as in pigua, a terrorist attack.
What is Yaakov so scared of?
The answer may be gleaned from the promise G-d gives Yaakov during the dream:
"I am HaShem; I will give this land to your descendants; I will increase your family and they will be blessed by others; I will be with you and guard you; I will bring you back to Israel and not forsake you."
Yaakov is a strong man, but he has many fears and concerns, which HaShem addresses:
Does G-d really exist? - "I am HaShem."
Will the Jewish people have their own place in the sun? - "I will give this land to your family."
Will his children find suitable mates? - "I will increase your offspring."
Will we have respect from our neighbors? - "You will be blessed by others."
Will we be safe? - "I will guard you."
Is there a plan, a logic, to history? - "I will return you to Eretz Yisrael."
If we sin, will You still be with us? - "I will never forsake you."
All the many things that every person worries about - family, security, the existence of G-d, a purpose to life, a livelihood - also concern Yaakov. While he was certainly a giant of a man, he also had fears and anxieties and traumas just like us. He was, after all, made of flesh and blood.
The all-too-common attempt to portray Biblical figures as super-human is understandable, but misplaced. It is precisely because these men and women were real and vulnerable and challenged by life that they remain the great role models they are to this day. We can relate to their struggles and aspire to their courage, because they faced the same adversity that we face, their dreams were filled with the same issues as ours. So, too, their successes can be ours, as well, as long as we, too, struggle to be men and women - only more so.
The same description might be used to describe Yaakov, the greatest of the Avot, in my opinion.
Our parsha opens with perhaps the most famous "dream sequence" in all the Torah. Yaakov lays down to sleep and sees a vision of a ladder going up to Heaven, with angels ascending and descending upon it.
This episode is introduced by the unusual phrase, "vayifga bamakom." Some translate this as "he encountered the place"; others as "he prayed at the place" (by tradition, this was Mt. Moriah, the future site of the Temples). But we, alas, know that the word vayifga has another, more ominous, connotation - that of being injured, vulnerable, in danger; as in pigua, a terrorist attack.
What is Yaakov so scared of?
The answer may be gleaned from the promise G-d gives Yaakov during the dream:
"I am HaShem; I will give this land to your descendants; I will increase your family and they will be blessed by others; I will be with you and guard you; I will bring you back to Israel and not forsake you."
Yaakov is a strong man, but he has many fears and concerns, which HaShem addresses:
Does G-d really exist? - "I am HaShem."
Will the Jewish people have their own place in the sun? - "I will give this land to your family."
Will his children find suitable mates? - "I will increase your offspring."
Will we have respect from our neighbors? - "You will be blessed by others."
Will we be safe? - "I will guard you."
Is there a plan, a logic, to history? - "I will return you to Eretz Yisrael."
If we sin, will You still be with us? - "I will never forsake you."
All the many things that every person worries about - family, security, the existence of G-d, a purpose to life, a livelihood - also concern Yaakov. While he was certainly a giant of a man, he also had fears and anxieties and traumas just like us. He was, after all, made of flesh and blood.
The all-too-common attempt to portray Biblical figures as super-human is understandable, but misplaced. It is precisely because these men and women were real and vulnerable and challenged by life that they remain the great role models they are to this day. We can relate to their struggles and aspire to their courage, because they faced the same adversity that we face, their dreams were filled with the same issues as ours. So, too, their successes can be ours, as well, as long as we, too, struggle to be men and women - only more so.