Genesis 28:10-29:30

[alon]

This Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Genesis 28:10-29:30
Haftara- Hosea 12:1-14

D’rash: So we’ve seen Ya’aqov given the blessing of Avraham and sent to Haran to get a wife from his own clan. This also serves to “honorably” remove him from his brother’s wrath, and it foreshadows the purity laws that will later be given (cf. Gen 28:1-4; Deu 7:3). En route Ya’aqov has a very clear and divinely prophetic dream:
Genesis 28:12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a סֻלָּם tsulam ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!

Ya’aqov here is asleep, fully passive; so he cannot influence the narrative. Deities appearing to their servants was common in the ancient near-east. However Ya’aqov’s God, unlike pagan gods made self-binding promises. This dream for him attests and affirms that, unlike the first (taken by trickery), Yitzchaq’s second blessing to him could be trusted. This God who spoke to Avraham and Yitz’chaq now clearly speaks to him.

The term סֻלָּם, tsulam is a word that only appears once in the 66 book Bible. If a word is used several times we can better define it. Here there is no other context by which we can clarify its use. It could, as the common translations go be a ladder, or It could be a stairway or ramp, or a hill or structure with a ramp or staircase. Most likely it was a ziggurat; a structure of stone or tamped earth with a series of ramps and/or staircases reaching up towards the heavens. A deity was thought to reside at the top to better communicate with priests concerning its will. Regardless, the important thing here is the connection and constant interaction between heaven and earth:
* Genesis 28:13 And behold, the Lord stood above it [Or beside him] and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your    father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring.

The (so called) ‘ladder’ and God’s position with respect to it is somewhat puzzling. עָלָיו alav can either ‘upon him’ (beside him) or ‘upon it.’ Upon it would mean above him (Ya’aqov). Every noun in Hebrew is either masculine or feminine, there is no ‘it.’ So here God could have been standing on top of or at the bottom beside the tsulam; two very different suppositions of where the Lord is in the life of Ya’aqov. I think as often is the case the text is purposefully enigmatic, and God is both at the top and the bottom, at once in control of the entire ladder! God is in control, and what He says, he’ll do (Num 23:19): Ya’aqov and his descendants are to be given the land; the promises to the Patriarchs should not be doubted.

The God of Ya’aqov’s fathers is fully involved in his life and the affairs of men in general. The malachim, ,heavenly messengers (usually called angels) work to do His will in our lives, and we like Ya’aqov have our part to play. This is a huge comfort to us when times get hard, as they were for Ya’akov living now as a refugee.

According to Rashi these malachim going up and down represent a changing of the guard. Angels that were with him in ha’aretz, who will also be with him when he returns, are not the same as those that will be with him in Haran. There will be angels with him, however malachim, heavenly messengers like almost all angels were thought to be assigned to specific regions.

Genesis 28:15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
The promise of course also included protection.

Genesis 28:18-22  So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel [the house of God], but the name of the city was Luz at the first. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.

When he awoke Ya’aqov, realizing the importance of the place erects an altar and consecrates it as a sanctuary. This was a common near-eastern practice. 

However again we have a problem: in vs. 11b it says “Taking one of the stones.” Here it says “the stone that he had put under his head.” Jewish midrashic tradition chooses to leave the disparity. Using an isogesetic approach, they bring in external, homiletic understanding (and not meant to be taken literally) to explain what is going on:
Rashi explains- the stones started quarreling with one another. One said “let the righteous man lay his head on me,” and another said “Let him lay his head on me.” Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, made them into one stone.
The stones embody human traits, fighting over which will be used by this man of God. They view it as desirable to serve the righteous of HaShem. God, not wanting discord amongst His servants causes the rocks serve Him as one. This tradition, reading treasured lessons into the text uses prodigious poetic license, and the lesson only tangentially relates to what the text is teaching. However the ancient rabbis saw in any apparent discrepancy of biblical text a good teachable moment.

Often talking to Jewish friends I’ve heard there’s a lot of information like this in scripture, but you have to have “the code” in order to understand. Mostly I think they mean Talmudic teaching. And yes, these midrashim can add a lot to our understanding. They are great commentary; but still to we as Meshiachim they are only commentary. However I never dismiss out of hand the writings of the ancient rabbonim.

We have another problem in vs. 18 “So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.” Ya’aqov has just made an altar. Later we’ll read: “And you shall not set up a pillar, which the Lord your God hates.” Deuteronomy 16:22. Many times we see Jacob’s behavior is later legislated against:
* Genesis 29:27-28 (ESV) Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me   another seven years.  Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife.
 * Leviticus 18:18 (ESV) And you shall not take a woman as a rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her    sister is still alive.

Erecting altars just anywhere  would later be proscribed as God chose to be with His people in first the Mishkan, and later in the Temple in Yerushalayim alone. (Of course, He was with Ya'aqov as He is with us always.) According to Ibn Ezra the practice in early times was only prohibited if done to worship other gods (Sifre Deut 146).

This brings up questions: was there an Oral Torah in place? If so, how much of the later instructions were there? I personally think the principle of progressive instruction holds true here. However if not, how much are these godly men (and women) supposed to be role models? Are we to see them as flawed humans, taking the lessons, both the good and the bad, and applying them differently in our lives? My answer to all this is, of course “Yes.”

Genesis 28:20-22 (ESV) Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

So Ya’aqov wakes up, realizes he is in a very holy place, and sets the stone he slept on as part of an altar, and he makes a vow; “If God will be with me ... , and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, ... . And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.” So “if God will just bless the daylights out of me, then I’ll do a little bit for Him.” How many times have we said this ourselves? But again, this is one of those places I think the Hebrew language is intentionally ambiguous:

כ. וַיִּדַּר יַעֲקֹב נֶדֶר לֵאמֹר אִם-יִהְיֶה אֱלֹהִים עִמָּדִי וּשְׁמָרַנִי בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ וְנָתַן-לִי לֶחֶם לֶאֱכֹל וּבֶגֶד לִלְבֹּשׁ 

כא. וְשַׁבְתִּי בְשָׁלוֹם אֶל-בֵּית אָבִי וְהָיָה יְהוָֹה לִי לֵאלֹהִים 

כב. וְהָאֶבֶן הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר-שַׂמְתִּי מַצֵּבָה יִהְיֶה בֵּית אֱלֹהִים וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר תִּתֶּן-לִי עַשֵּׂר אֲעַשְּׂרֶנּוּ לָך 

Note all the vav’s. וַ vav, when used as a prefix can have different meanings; here mostly ‘and,’ or ‘then.’ Change the translation accordingly we get a very different meaning. Instead of “if God does this, then I’ll do this” we get “God is going to do this and I am going to do this,” which sounds far more likely.

There is far more to this short parashah, but for the sake of brevity I think I’ll stop here. This one however especially you should study for yourselves with good references.

Mekorot: All scripture from the ESV unless otherwise specified; JPS Study TNK; W Wiersbe; Dr Eli of the IBC; my father and others

Next Week’s Readings: Parashah- Gen 29:31-30:21 Haftara- Is 60:15-18
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot