And He Lay Down in that Place

"...and he lay down in that place." (Genesis 28:11) Kislev 8, 5770/November 24, 2009 "If you only set your mind to it..." Yaakov avinu - our forefather Jacob - left town (Be'er Sheva) in a hurry, and apparently with some unfinished business. It was clear that his mother Rivka possessed a greater insight into Yaakov than did his father Yitzchak. But it would seem that Yaakov himself longed to gain greater understanding of his father. And so, as he fled from his brother Esau, Yaakov paused along the way at "that place." (ibid) And what place was "that place?" It was, as Yaakov knew, the place upon which his father Yitzchak had been bound upon the altar by his father Avraham. It was clear to Yaakov that this was the transforming moment in his father's life, and now he wanted to achieve a greater understanding of his father. So Yaakov gathered beneath his head the very stones that had made up the altar on that fateful day in his father's life, and laid his head upon them. The dream that Yaakov dreamed, of a ladder planted firmly on the earth and extending to heaven, with angels ascending and descending upon it, and G-d standing over him, was Yaakov's reliving of his father's experience on the altar at Mount Moriah. Yaakov had transformed the one-time, visceral, life and death experience of Yitzchak into a vision that could, (and would), transcend the generations. The significance of his dream wasn't lost on Yaakov, who arose and declared, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of G-d, and this is the gate of heaven." (ibid 28:17) Nor was the significance of his dream lost on the very stones upon which he had slept, for they too, according to Midrash, united themselves from twelve stones into one single stone, which Yaakov then "set it up as a monument, and he poured oil on top of it." (ibid 28:18) The twelve stones were symbolic of the twelve as-yet unborn sons of Yaakov, the twelve progenitors of the twelve tribes of Israel. Only when the twelve tribes are united as one will the "house of G-d" be built, and will mankind reach "the gate of heaven." "'Behold, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field, which the Lord has blessed!'" (ibid 27:27) With these words Yitzchak blessed Yaakov. The "fragrance of a field" our sages teach us, is, in fact the "fragrance" of Eden, which Yitzchak had experienced during his binding on Mount Moriah. This fragrance would later be embodied by the ketoret incense of the Divine service, just as the altar upon which Yitzchak was bound, and upon whose stones Yaakov slept, would become the great stone altar of the Temple courtyard, and whose purpose would be to bring man closer to G-d, the ladder, as it were "set up on the ground and its top reaching the heavens." (ibid 28:12) Only after experiencing this vision and establishing the foundation stone of the future Holy Temple, did Yaakov allow himself to think again of his own safety, and continue on his journey. Today, there are still those who insist we must have "rocks in our head" when we talk openly about the existential need (of all mankind) to rebuild the Holy Temple. Perhaps we should take it as a compliment, for it certainly recalls the night when Yaakov laid his head upon the rocks and upon waking, articulated for all time the desire of man and G-d to meet, to confront, and to be as one on this sacred place - the place of the Holy Temple.

Tune in to this week's Temple Talk as Rabbi Chaim Richman, exhausted but overjoyed to be back home in the Land of Israel, along with special guest host Yosef Adest, (filling in for Yitzchak Reuven who is currently in the USA), shares his experiences and impressions. The Rabbi and his wife traveled extensively throughout America teaching Torah, and were inspired by the many Righteous Gentiles he met during his trip, who study Torah and take a bold stand for Hashem, Torah and Israel. Having been traveling through America during, and immediately following the massacre perpetrated by an American-born Muslim US solider against his fellow soliders, Rabbi Richman shares his impressions and concerns over America’s future.

This week features the Bat Melech video teaching with Rabbanit Rena Richman, entitled, "Rachel and Leah: Part I & II: Two sisters, Rachel and Leah, need to come to grips with the roles G-d has given them, while giving birth to and shaping the Jewish nation." This teaching was originally aired in April, 2008. Click here to view.

Today also features the new Light to the Nations teaching by Rabbi Chaim Richman, entitled, "The Holy Temple: To Build or to Wait? : The Rambam, in his “Letter on Persecution” specifically says that we are not to wait for mashiach for the performance of any mitzvah. Does the building of the Holy Temple constitute an exception?" Click here to view.

Yaakov our patriarch laid his head down on the site of the altar upon which Yitzchak his father had been bound, and rose up with the knowledge that this was the very place from which Avraham had declared, “G-d will be seen.” This is the Temple Mount of today, and it is incumbent upon the children of Yaakov/Yisrael that the One True G-d is seen from this place. Click here to view Rabbi Richman's short teaching on parashat Vayeitzei (Genesis 28:10-32:3).

The Temple Institute, long recognized in Israel as a tax-deductible non-profit organization, is pleased to announce that it has now been granted tax-exempt status by the IRS as a 501 (C) 3 non-profit organization for income tax purposes in the USA. All donations made by U.S. citizens are now tax deductible. To learn more about how to make a US tax-deductible donation directly to the Temple Institute, click here.

Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem, Yitzchak Reuven THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE PO Box 31876 Jerusalem, Israel 97500 http://www.templeinstitute.org/