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So many explanations have been given for this vivid vision that I could not hope to name them all. But, it seems to me, the best idea is the simplest idea: The ladder represents the "ups and downs" in a person’s life.
This is a particularly appropriate metaphor for Yakov, for in his tumultuous life, he will experience the highest highs and the lowest lows that a human being can know. He will fall deeply in love with his beloved Rachel, working 14 years for her hand in marriage, but he will see her die young, in childbirth. He will raise the most magnificent family in our history – the 12 holy tribes of Israel – yet that very same family will be filled with intense jealousy and divisiveness, culminating with the kidnapping and sale of Yosef. Yakov will struggle mightily to return to Eretz Yisrael, where he knows a Jew must live, yet will descend again into exile, spending the last 17 years of his life in depraved Egypt.
Of course, what happens to Yakov is not just his own personal struggle, but is exactly parallel to what will occur to his future descendants, Am Yisrael, the Jewish People. We, too, will undergo the depths of suffering and degradation, as well as the most cosmic of "highs." Our nation will be decimated by countless wanderings, pogroms and Holocausts, yet we will also produce the brightest minds in the universe, embody the timeless treasure of the Torah, and eventually return in glory to the modern, magnificent State of Israel.
In short, we would perfectly represent the blessing that was given by Hashem to the Avot, that we would be "like the dust of the earth, and the stars of the heavens." At times, we find ourselves as low as the dust, trampled upon by others; yet at other times we shine like the brightest star in the sky, everyone "looking up to us" with envy and respect.
What is the secret of Yakov’s ability to survive all these ups and downs? How does he maintain his strength and his faith; how does he manage to keep his equilibrium while on this wild roller-coaster of an existence?
I suggest it is by remembering his dream, and the fact that the angels are always there with him, whether he is in a downward spiral, or buoyantly ascendant. He knows that G-d is there, by his side, accompanying him and watching over him. And that knowledge - that he never goes it alone - helps Yakov - and us! – keep going, step-by-step, towards our dream.
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
Jewish Laws and Thoughts Shul “etiquette:” can we honor Hashem while respecting our fellow congregants?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
Rabbis in Midrash
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.
