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"If Hashem will guard me, & give me bread to eat & clothes to wear, & return me to my father’s home safely, in peace, then He will be a G-d to me." (28:20-21)
Fair enough. But hang on a second; Did Hashem not already promise that to Yakov?! Earlier He told him:
"I am Hashem, G-d of Avraham & Yitzchak; I will give the land you are lying upon to you & your offspring; I am with you, I will guard you wherever you go; I will not forsake you until I have done what I have spoken (28:13-15).
Is that not enough? Why does Yakov feel the need to make a more formal arrangement? Doesn’t he trust G-d?!
Some commentators try to explain that Hashem’s first promise was made in a dream, & dreams are not totally reliable (that’s why the Gemara in Brachot says that dreams are only one-sixtieth of prophecy & they always contain some exaggeration or nonsense).
But I want to suggest something else. Yakov may indeed have believed everything he heard in his famous dream, but he understood that covenants are not unilateral; they are BI-lateral, mutually-binding agreements that compel both sides to take responsibility & act. Indeed, in Jewish law, no pact or formal arrangement can be effected without a kinyan, a physical, concrete action. That is why, for example, at a wedding, the Chatan "acquires" the Kallah only when he gives her a ring of gold.
And so, not only does Yakov make his famous proposal, he acts upon it. He takes the stones that protected him & arranges them into a matzeva, a memorial, (a kind of primitive mizbeyach), & he pours oil over it to give it a status of formal holiness. He also pledges to give ma’aser, both from his income & from his produce.
Also implicit in this quid pro quo, give & take, is Yakov’s pledge to make Israel his homeland, & to return there. While, sadly, this will only happen when Yakov is brought back by his sons from Egypt for burial, he will charge his children to make Israel their ultimate & lasting home.
Covenants, if they are to truly last & thrive, must not only be about what we give to others, but also what we gain for ourselves. Yes, Yakov will receive food & shelter, & he will also inherit the Land of Israel, the choicest of all the world’s real estate. But even more importantly, a spiritual relationship will be forged between Hashem & the Jewish People forever. It’s a partnership that we renew every day of our lives: "We’ll be Your people, if You’ll be our G-d."
And that, folks, is the "REAL deal!"
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.
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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.
