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B"H

Monday, Kislev 7, 5781 / November 23, 2020

 

One of the highlights of this week's Parsha, Vayeitzei, is the story of the ladder which Yaakov saw in his dream. On the way to his uncle Lavan, Yaakov stopped at Mount Moriah, where his father, Yitzchak was brought on the altar and where the Holy Temple was built many years later. Yaakov stopped there to pray and rest for the night.

 

Yaakov had a dream in which he saw a ladder standing firmly on the ground and its top reached to the heaven. Yaakov saw angels going up and down the ladder. In his dream, he saw G-d standing beside him and G-d said, "I am the L-rd, the G-d of Abraham and the G-d of Yitzchak. The land on which you are lying, to you I will give it and to your descendants. And your seed shall be like the dust of the earth and you shall spread abroad to the west, to the east, to the north and to the south.  And in you and your children shall all the families of the earth be blessed."

 

When Yaakov awoke he exclaimed, "How full of awe is this place.  This must be the House of G-d and this is the gate of heaven." Yaakov felt assured that G-d was watching over him and would bring him back safely to the land of his parents.  Yaakov made a vow, "Of all that You will give to me, a tenth I will give back unto You!"

 

The three prayers we recite each day are attributed to each of the three patriarchs; The morning prayer (Shacharit) to Abraham, the afternoon prayer (Mincha) to Yitzchak and the evening prayer (Maariv) to Yaakov. It is from here that we know that Yaakov established the evening prayer. 

 

The ladder reaching from earth to heaven, which Yaakov saw in his dream, represents the ladder of prayer, through which a person, standing down below, can reach all the way to heaven.

 

There is an expression in the Talmud which says that, “One who grabs too much at once, will not be able to hold on to it.” The ladder teaches us that spiritual elevation is like climbing a ladder. Going up one step at a time, as long as we are heading upwards, we eventually will reach great heights.

 

Yaakov made a vow, "Of all that You will give to me, a tenth I will give back unto You!" The Talmud tells that once during a famine year, King Munbaz distributed his own treasures and all the treasures accumulated by his forefathers to feed the poor.  His family and friends complained, "Your forefathers have stored these valuables for many generations, how can you give them away?"

 

"I too am storing these valuables," replied King Munbaz. "But while my forefathers stored their treasures in this world, I am storing them in the World-to-Come.  My ancestors stored their treasures in a place where hands can steal them; I am storing the treasures where no hand can take them away. My parents stored valuables which didn't produce fruits; I am storing them in a way that they will produce fruits [saving peoples lives]. My parents saved money and I'm saving souls. My parents stored for others while they had no benefit from the valuables they saved, but I, by distributing them to the poor, am saving them for myself by fulfilling a mitzvah."

 

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY