6 December, 2024 08:32

Jacob stating that he was not aware that God was in the place that he fell asleep should cause one to raise several questions.

His father was Isaac and his grandfather was Abraham! Abraham left his homeland due to his connection to God, went around the land of Israel preaching, had Angels meet and speak to him. God promised him and Sarah his wife children at ages that seemed too old even for Biblical book of Beresheit standards. Isaac, Jacobs father was spared due to God [or an Angel of God] stopping the Akeda. Isaac and his wife Rebecka could not have children for 20 years and the Torah told us they prayed about the matter.

Jacob himself was running away due to the switched blessings and these blessings were connected to God.

To then have the Torah itself say that Jacob did not know that God was in the place that he went to sleep is beyond shocking.

People who read the Bible get more upset about the so-called miracles that happen then they do when a person in the Torah seems to not know God is present!

Wild.

This to me is an example where the Torah in a subtle way gives insight into how humans truly are [and] the Hidden Face of God. [hester paniim]. Even Saints have moments, perhaps more than we want to admit when – they are not thinking about God. Just going about their lives… breathing, eating, the bathroom, sleeping… just being, and it just seems on cruise control. I mean no one can be 100% all the time aware that God is the One making everything happen. It would be simply put too much.

To me it is these not so little drops of ultimate humanity inside the Torah that points to its Truth. A real human writer or writers who want to promote belief would not include this little nugget.

For proof of my theory, I point to everyday halacha. We are to do everything we can to have God on our minds. Wake up – modeh ani, wash our hands with a blessing, go to the bathroom – say a blessing. Eat food before and after blessings, buy a new suit [or expense clothes, gets a blessing, new fruits, gets a blessing, see a King, gets a blessing, cut our fingernails in a ritualized way, go to the special waterhole [mikve] – has a blessing etc etc etc.. … our sages say 100 blessings a day! Boy how religious do you want people to be????

It is not about the color of the hat, or white shirt. Or beard, or peyos length. Those are not religion – or religious.

Do you have honest weights? Do you covet [desire] what your neighbor has???? Are you stealing? Are you a witch? And hundreds more. God [according to the Prophets] does not want fake service. Does not want animals who are blemished, sick etc to be used as offering. Make your BEST efforts.

But… [or and] also know that even our great forefather, Jacob, well, 1 time he went to sleep and was not aware God was there…. And he was not zapped with lightening. It was on the scale of potential punishments, he got off with a warning.

First and foremost love yourself, and then love your brother as you love yourself.

If you are constantly putting yourself down, hating on yourself, the Torah screams out that murder can follow.