Vayetze

Where are you going and When can you find out?

Inspired by Rabbi Mimi Feigelson

Pirkei Avot, a book of foundational principles of Jewish Ethics teaches, "Know where you come from and to where you are going."  (Avot 3:1)  In order to gain this deep knowledge of self, we sometimes have to pause between the place we come from and the place we are going.

When our ancestor Ya'akov begins his journey, he knows his external plan. He leaving Be'er Sheva and heading towards Charan, leaving his troubled relationship with his brother and looking to meet his future wife. At the end of the journey's first day, he pauses - not to reflect consciously, but to go to sleep.

Consciousness comes, whether he wants it to or not! While asleep, Ya'akov dreams about the space between coming and going. He sees a giant ladder between heaven and earth where angels are coming down and going up - and then he sees God standing over him. God explains that Ya'akov's journey to Charan is part of a long multigenerational family story, and only the first leg of Ya'akov's life journey. Ya'akov wakes filled with awe at discovering, for the first time, a place between external activities. He exclaims, "God is in this place and I, I did not know it!" He promises that if the dream is a true dream, he will dedicate his life to spiritual service.

Where do you come from and to where you are going? What future do you dream about at night? When and where do you pause so that you can find your answers?

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