Vayetze
Late in 1971, the band Led Zeppelin released one of the most successful rock songs of all time: Stairway to Heaven. 20 years after its release, Stairway to Heaven had played on U.S. radio just under 3 million times. Of all the songs that Led Zeppelin has created, Stairway to Heaven is the one that will cause me to stop whatever I am doing and spend those 8 minutes wrapped in the chords, lyrics, and rhythm. In fact, when I was the educator of my synagogue, I once hired a songleader simply based on the fact that he could play that song on his guitar. Clearly the Stairway to Heaven has the power of transforming my life, and I would venture to say, in a broader sense, it can also transform all of our lives.
In this week’s Torah portion, Vayetze, our patriarch Jacob comes upon a place, unnamed in the text. The sun has set and he stops for the night. Taking a rock as a pillow, he sleeps and has a dream. A stairway is set on the ground with its top reaching to the sky, and angels of God are ascending and descending on it. God stands beside him and says, “I am Adonai, the God of your ancestors. The ground on which you are lying I will assign to you and your offspring.” God reminds Jacob that God is with him, protecting him wherever he goes.
Jacob awakens and says: “Achen yesh adonai bamakom hazeh, v’anochi lo yadati” – Surely Adonai is in this place, and I did not know it!” He is awestruck by the place and recognizes it as the abode of God, the gateway to heaven.
So what are these angels doing on their ascent and descent from the ladder? And how does this relate to us, centuries later?
Studies show that one of the secrets to a good night’s sleep is to have a comfortable bed – a comfy mattress and a good pillow. These two ingredients allow our bodies to release their control on the muscles which hold our bones in place. Dreams happen during the REM (or rapid eye movement) portion of our sleep. Pulse and breathing quicken, and our dreams allow us to unpack the events of our lives. Here in our parasha, Jacob sleeps on the hard ground with a rock for his pillow. As he is traveling from Beer Sheva to Haran, how possible is it that his past is attempting to meet his future, symbolized by these upward and downward movement of the angels? Stability, security, and comfort come not from his physical situation, but assured of God’s presence, he can rest assured that all will be well for him and his descendants.
Last week I attended the funeral of the sister of a dear friend. She fought valiantly for more than two years against the ravage of the cancer that invaded her body. Knowing that she could not prevail, she took to the pen and wrote what she titled, “My Song and Dance.” The 70-page document led the reader through her ascent and descent of life. As a doctor herself, she lived the logic of medicine and surgery, treating the physical part of her illness. But she refused to be defined by her disease. I read through her pages of unfolding emotion, sharing her love of music and art, living in a rural area that enabled her to enjoy nature, describing her life as a mother and wife. During her lifetime, she wasn’t sure about God’s existence. But as she neared the end of her days on earth, she wrote that she saw evidence of holiness all around her. Surely God was in that place, even though she did not know it.
Our lives are filled with ups and downs, with times of happiness and times of grief. Recognizing the presence of holiness, of that which is greater than ourselves, can lead us to the heights of life, if we but open our eyes. While we search the wide expanse of the heavens for God’s presence, we need not look any farther than the one who stands next to us. Connecting with our fellow humans through their life’s journey can bring God to our side. “Achen yesh adonai bamakom hazeh, v’anochi lo yadati” – Surely Adonai is in this place, and every place, even if I do not know it!”
