"The house of the G-d of Yaakov"(Isaiah 2:3) Kislev 11, 5784/November 24, 2023 "Lech lecha - Go forth," G-d said to Avraham, initiating a life long relationship. HaShem would visit Avraham numerous times after that, and in each case, it was HaShem, and not Avraham, who initiated the meeting. True to his reputation, Avraham was the ideal host, always receiving his Guest graciously. Yitzchak, likewise, was the passive recipient of HaShem's occasional visits. G-d was quick to reassure the two patriarchs, promising their safety and the glorious future of their offspring. Not so with Yaakov. Yaakov, as a youth, very cleverly was able to wrest the status of the firstborn from his ravenous brother Esau, who gladly traded his exalted status for a bowl of porridge. And some years later Yaakov successfully hoodwinked his father Yitzchak into giving him the blessing of the firstborn, once again outmaneuvering Esau. But, when as a result of his ruse, Esau swore to kill him, Yaakov found himself on the run, alone, having never received any heavenly assurance that his path would prove secure. First born blessings aside, Yaakov, far from home, was truly on his own. Fleeing for his life, the setting sun and dark night that followed, was more than a metaphor for Yaakov's situation as his arrived at a place called Luz. It was a stark and dark reflection of Yaakov's reality. No way back home and an unknown and ominous future before him. Yaakov, carrying with him only the most minimal of provisions, gathered some rocks to place around his head to provide himself with some sense of security, and laid himself down to go to sleep. Notwithstanding the border of stones, which, perhaps he thought could guard him from the encroachment of wild animals, Yaakov, asleep on the ground, far from home and far from his destination, was at his most vulnerable. "And he dreamed, and behold! a ladder set up on the ground and its top reached to heaven; and behold, angels of G-d were ascending and descending upon it." (Genesis 28:12) Yaakov had a dream. It was born out of his heart, out of his hopes and his fears. Yaakov's dream was his, and his alone, and in his dream he built a ladder, teeming with angels, that led him to HaShem. Having never been visited by HaShem as his fathers were, yet in desperate need of haShem's reassurances of safety and blessing, Yaakov made the first move, initiating a meeting with HaShem. Yaakov's ladder, placed firmly on the ground and ascending to the heavens, knocking on G-d's door, was Yaakov's bold, and perhaps even brazen, first direct visitation with G-d. You haven't come to me as you did to my fathers, so I am coming to You. And, of course, G-d was waiting at the top of the ladder, neither offended nor taken aback by Yaakov's daring display, but welcoming and reassuring: "And behold, HaShem was standing over him, and He said, "I am HaShem, the G-d of Avraham your father, and the G-d of Yitzchak; the land upon which you are lying to you I will give it and to your seed. And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall gain strength westward and eastward and northward and southward; and through you shall be blessed all the families of the earth and through your seed. And behold, I am with you, and I will guard you wherever you go, and I will restore you to this land, for I will not forsake you until I have done what I have spoken concerning you." (ibid 28:13-15) Yaakov received from HaShem the exact same promise of safety and of future blessing that his forefathers had received. Why did G-d compel Yaakov to make the first move, to initiate their first heart-to-heart, rather than appear unexpectedly before Yaakov, as He has done for his fathers? The answer lies in what occurred next: "And Yaakov awakened from his sleep, and he said, 'Indeed, HaShem is in this place, and I did not know it.' And he was frightened, and he said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of G-d, and this is the gate of heaven.' And Yaakov arose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had placed at his head, and he set it up as a monument, and he poured oil on top of it. And he named the place Beit El, but Luz was originally the name of the city. And Yaakov uttered a vow, saying, 'If G-d will be with me, and He will guard me on this way, upon which I am going, and He will give me bread to eat and a garment to wear; And if I return in peace to my father's house, and HaShem will be my G-d; Then this stone, which I have placed as a monument, shall be a house of G-d, and everything that You give me, I will surely tithe to You.'" (ibid 28:16-22) Yaakov, who until now had been only at the receiving end of blessings, realized that he could advance no further without first hammering out his relationship with HaShem. His father's blessings notwithstanding, Yaakov needed to hear from HaShem. And more importantly HaShem needed to hear from Yaakov. A young man who had made it this far based on purchasing the firstborn status of others and deceiving his blind father into blessing him, was long due for a face to face meeting with HaShem. Was Yaakov worthy of the blessings he had received? This must have been a question that plagued him, and one that he needed to answer, not only to himself, but also to G-d. And so, unlike his fathers, Yaakov, having received G-d's promise for his well being, awoke from his dream, and made haShem a promise in return, a promise that He could not refuse: "this stone, which I have placed as a monument, shall be a house of G-d." And with that simple commitment, Yaakov created the future of his children forever. Yaakov understood that to receive, one must be willing to give, and the greatest gift he could conceive of to give to G-d was a house of G-d, a Holy Temple. Yaakov's promise to G-d was forever, and its unbreakable and unshakeable status is reconfirmed by the prophet Isaiah: "And it shall be at the end of the days, that the mountain of HaShem's house shall be firmly established at the top of the mountains, and it shall be raised above the hills, and all the nations shall stream to it. And many peoples shall go, and they shall say, 'Come, let us go up to the HaShem's mount, to the house of the G-d of Yaakov, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His paths,' for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of HaShem from Jerusalem." (Isaiah 2:2-3) In his darkest hour, Yaakov reached for the heavens and from darkness created a promise of light. May we also have the courage to make Yaakov's dream and promise to HaShem a reality in our day. . |
Tune in to this week's Temple Talk, as Yitzchak Reuven muses on dreaming of a House of G-d, insists that Israel will defeat evil, but asks, "will the west succumb?" and tells how an Israel united can build the Holy Temple! Fleeing from his murderous brother Esau, Yaakov had, perhaps, reached the low point in his life. But it was precisely at this moment that he had the courage and the vision to dream of a House of G-d. Responding to Yaakov's vision, HaShem promised him that his children would spread to the west and the east, the north and the south, and that through his seed, "the families of the earth" shall be blessed. |
Help To Build The Holy Temple In Our Time! Donate Generously To Help The Sacred Work Of The Temple Institute! Every contribution helps to rebuild the Holy Temple in our Time! |
Silver Trumpets for our Heroic Soldiers! Play A Part In Israel's War Against Evil! "If you go to war in your land against an adversary that oppresses you, you shall blow a teruah with the trumpets and be remembered before HaShem your G-d, and thus be saved from your enemies." (Numbers 10:9) Israel is at war with an enemy that sorely oppresses us with terror but our soldiers are filled with purpose and faith in HaShem, and firm in the knowledge that "it is Hashem, your God, Who goes with you to battle your enemies for you to deliver you!" (Deut. 20:4) It is a Torah commandment to prepare for battle by sounding silver trumpets, the same silver trumpets sounded by the kohanim in the Holy Temple, so that we should "be remembered before HaShem your G-d, and thus be saved from your enemies." |
Liars gonna lie, cheaters gonna cheat. Deception is as old as man himself. It's a bad trait, but is it sometimes necessary? When dealing with an inveterate deceiver we may be required to outplay them at their own game. Vayeitzei (Genesis 28:10 - 32:3)
Parashat Vayeitzei is read on Shabbat:
Kislev 12, 5784/November 25, 2023 |
Haftara For Shabbat Parashat Vayeitzei Hosea 11:7 - 12:14: "And My people waver whether to return to Me, and to the matter concerning which they call them, together they do not uphold it.
How shall I give you, Ephraim? How deliver you, O Israel? How shall I make you as Admah, make you as Tzevoyim? My heart is turned within Me, together My remorse has been kindled. I will not execute the kindling of My anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim, for I am G-d and not a man. In your midst is the Holy One, and I will not enter a city..." |
Temple Mount: The Temple Mount Wall The wall surrounded the Temple Mount on four sides. Its height was about forty cubits, except for the eastern wall, which was shorter. The wall delineated the area of the holy Temple Mount. The wall had five gates: the Kiponos Gate in the west, the Shushan Gate in the east, the Tadi Gate in the north and the two Chulda Gates in the south... |
This Week Parashat Vayeitzei: Yaakov's Dream For Our Generation The prophet Isaiah speaks of the future realization of Yaakov's prophetic dream of a house of G-d. Our generation has the means to make this happen. Do we have the will?
"And it shall be at the end of the days, that the mountain of HaShem's house shall be firmly established at the top of the mountains, and it shall be raised above the hills, and all the nations shall stream to it..." |
Temple Mount: The Cheil The area between the Soreg and the wall of the Courtyard is called the Cheil. In the Cheil, there were 12 stairs leading to the courtyards of the Holy Temple. The width of the Cheil was ten cubits (approximately 50 centimeters, or 20 inches) around the entire Courtyard. According to Torah law, its holiness was only that of the "Levite Camp." |
Temple Mount: The Temple Mount Plaza
The Temple Mount Plaza is located on Mount Moriah and is also called the "Outer Courtyard." The festival pilgrims would gather here before entering the Holy Temple. The Temple Mount featured five gates: the two Chuldah Gates in the south, the Kiponos Gate in the west, the Tadi Gate in the north and the Shushan Gate in the east. |
Temple Mount: The Shushan Gate The Shushan Gate was the name of the eastern gate, one of the five gates of the Temple Mount. The source of the name Shushan: The Jews that returned from the Babylonian/Persian exile etched the image of the city of Shushan (the Persian capitol) on the gate - to signify their appreciation to the Persian kingdom that was instrumental in building the Second Temple. |
Mikdash Monday - Menorah (Part 5) "Speak to Aharon, and say to him, When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light towards the body of the candlestick." (Bamidbar 8:9) |
This Week Parashat Vayeitzei: Yaakov's Dream Of The Holy Temple! This week we read parashat Vayeitzei, (Genesis 28:10 - 32:3), which opens with Yaakov's journey to Haran, where he will meet his future wife, Rachel. But on the way, Yaakov stops at night to take lodging in an empty field, fashioning some rocks into a makeshift pillow. There he has a history changing dream: "And Yaakov left Beersheva, and he went to Haran. And he arrived at the place and lodged there because the sun had set, and he took some of the stones of the place and placed them at his head, and he lay down in that place..." |
Temple Mount: The Tadi Gate The Tadi Gate was the northern gate, one of the five gates of the Temple Mount. It was located next to the Antonia Fortress, built by Herod for protecting the Holy Temple. This gate did not serve as an entrance or exit for pilgrims, but was used exclusively by Temple kohanim who had become impure and therefore was situated in the north, closest to the Place of the Hearth and the Priests' Immersion Chamber. From there the kohanim would exit through a special tunnel directly to this gate. |
Shavua Tov From The Temple Mount! Israel continues its war to destroy Hamas and to free the 240 hostages who have been held in Gaza for over one month. And Jewish worshipers, including IDF soldiers on shore leave, continue to ascend the Temple Mount in record numbers to pray for our soldiers safety and success, and for the rescue of our hostages, may it be G-d's will!
praying for a week of besorot tovot - good tidings! |
Build a House for HaShem! "Be strong and have courage! Build a House for HaShem!" In this scene from a film soon to become an integral part of the Temple Institute's Jerusalem based Visitors Center experience, the prophet Samuel charges King David with the task of building the Holy Temple! |
The Glory of this Last House Shall be Greater than the First! "The Glory of this Last House Shall be Greater than the First!" In this scene from a film soon to become an integral part of the Temple Institute's Jerusalem based Visitors Center experience, Zerubavel from the house of David and Kohen Gadol (High Priest) Yehoshua consult with the prophet Haggai who instructs them to waste no time in rebuilding the Holy Temple! |
Red Heifers Arrive In Israel! On Thursday, September 15, 2022, 5 PM, 5 perfect, unblemished red heifers arrived in Israel from the USA. A modest ceremony was held at the unloading bay of the cargo terminal at Ben Gurion airport, where the new arrivals were greeted and speeches were made by the incredible people who have put their hearts and souls and means into making this historic/prophetic day become a reality. |
Biblical Red Heifer Could Bring Million Visitors To Samaria The Ancient Shiloh heritage site will soon host a Red Heifer research center. Hundreds of visitors flocked to Shiloh in Samaria’s Binyamin region on Thursday to welcome a biblically pure red heifer. The 22-month-old cow, which was brought to Israel from the United States, found a new home at the Ancient Shiloh heritage site, where the biblical Tabernacle once stood. |
Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem!
Yitzchak Reuven
The Temple Institute |
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