November 28, 2011

Parshat: Vayetze

Dear friends,

I hope that you have had a happy thanksgiving. I hope to see you next weekend, Friday, December 2, at 6:00 for “Soup and Service,” [kabbalat shabbat service followed by soup and other goodies to keep us warm] and for First Shabbat morning service (9 am) and Torah study (9:30 am) on Saturday morning, December 3. The morning service will be prayerful and the Torah study will be followed with lively and interesting discussion, not to mention the bagels, coffee, and more.  Please also note the children’s service and dairy pot luck on the following Friday, December 9, at 5:30.

Also, a new two week adult education opportunity is coming soon: The Music of Leonard Cohen on Wednesdays, December 7 & 14 at 6:00 p.m. Leonard Cohen is a Jew and a Buddhist, whose music often pulls on Jewish ideas and liturgy.  In this class, we’ll look at just one of his songs, “Halleluyah” (which we sing on Yom Kippur). In the first session, we’ll explore the deeper meaning of the many biblical and talmudic references, and in the second session we will watch a movie (at my home) which uses the song in a way which exposes its deeper levels of meaning.

Please mark your calendars for three important upcoming events, all of which concern our passing on of our traditions: our Chanukah party on Tuesday, December 20, at 5:30 pm; our Christmas eve Chinese dinner (December 24 at 6:00 pm) and a movie, RSVP here, and our 10/20/30 celebration on Tuesday, January 31 where we will celebrate 30 years as Bozeman’s Jewish community, 20 years of affiliation with the URJ and 10 years in our building.  RSVP here for the celebration at Starky’s with music by Jeni & Jake Fleming.

In our Torah portion, Vayetze, Jacob runs for his life, fleeing the fury of the brother from whom he has stolen the patriarchal blessing and the father he has deceived. He stops for the night and dreams of the well-known ladder to heaven with angels ascending and descending. He envisions G!d at his side, renewing the covenant made with his father Isaac, and grandfather, Abraham. When Jacob awakens from his sleep, he says: “Surely there is G!d in this place and I did not know.”

What did Jacob mean by this? What is it that he did not know? Parsing the Hebrew, two Chasidic masters offer contrary insights for us. One explains the place where G!d was found was in the “I”–the self of Jacob. Consumed with anger, fear, deceit, and perhaps self-loathing, Jacob suddenly becomes aware of the potential divinity within himself, the place where G!d can reside. The second opinion is the opposite. At the very moment that Jacob becomes aware of G!d’s presence, he exclaims: It is “I” (the self) that I do not know.” Only when I am not filled with myself, when I empty myself of the ego and self-serving explanations that encrust me, can I truly experience G!d’s presence.

Whether you experience G!d’s presence within or without — or even not at all — there is always a sense of “But I did not know.” The connection is a bit like the ladder in Jacob’s dream, an ascending pathway where we are invited to imagine the possibilities of connection with the divine. Our angels might be found in prayer, study, acts of justice and loving-kindness, or sincere and deep human interaction. Our job is to wake from our sleep, and to notice them and the ladder they help us ascend.

Have a great week,
Rabbi Ed