was it all just a dream?
the torah impresses upon readers the complexities of morality. in the torah portion vayetze, jacob is trapped in a web of immorality. while god has destined jacob to be part of the abrahamic covenant, he ascent is tainted with moral dilemma and ambiguity. while god tasked jacob’s mother to ensure the succession, the means upon which the blessing of the first born was received was not quite kosher.
to obtain his father’s blessing, jacob lies, dishonors his father, takes advantage of his father’s disability-blindness-, and essentially steals the blessing. further, this blessing evokes god’s name. thus, the blessing is even tainted. thus, the “real life” event was also surrealistic “nightmare.”
after receiving the blessing jacob eventually leaves his family on a journey. he makes a stop and somehow finds a way to sleep using a stone pillow. did his moral exhaustion allow for him to rest in such an awkward manner?
it is reported that “he dreamed, and behold! a ladder set up on the ground and its top reached to heaven; and behold, angels of god were ascending and descending upon it.” genesis 28:11. were the angels symbolic of the directions of morality? the dream includes an appearance from the lord subscribing blessings upon jacob.
was this a mere dream or a divine encounter?
one can take the position that jacob, due to his recent moral entanglements, was not ready to have a divine encounter. in my opinion, the master of the universe appearing at that point would have been premature.
after the dream, jacob makes a vow, genesis 2:28-20-21. “if god 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 the lord will be my god. ”
perhaps jacob understands that he, at that point, had more work to do in his life, and, at the present, was not worthy. he may have understood that he merely had a dream and that his reality would bare out his faith.
in sum, we all can relate to jacob. in our lives, morality, at times, can be grey. like jacob, we are all on a journey to find peace in our life. in this instance, it took a dream to provide some inspiration.
be well!!
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