Edited by Nina Litvak & Salvador Litvak, the Accidental Talmudist
And God said to Israel in visions of the night, and He said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Gen. 46:2
Rabbi Abraham Lieberman, Judaic Studies, Shalhevet H.S.
This verse is revealing while also difficult, as it posits “visions of the night” and a Divine call, with the subject, Yaakov, responding “here I am”. The initial statement tells us that Hashem directed this call to Israel but addressed him as Yaakov. The doubling of his name also seems to speak to the urgency of the matter. Commentators have argued in all other similar cases, where Hashem repeats the name of whom He is calling (Abraham, Moshe, Shmuel etc.) and they all respond “Hineini- here I am”. They view it either as a term of endearment therefore the name gets repeated or as a term of immediacy. Commentaries also point out that “visions of the night” are not like the dream Yaakov had regarding the ladder (Genesis 28:12) but a different sort of prophetic message. I believe that this verse has a profound message behind it, one of significance for future generations. All Divine messages carry an eternal communication. The initial calling is to Israel, then it turns to be specific, to Yaakov. As the Nation of Israel (Bnei Israel) we are a community of faith, the descendants of Yaakov, individuals. Yet our history will be replete with exile, persecutions, antisemitism (visions of the night) and at points with redemptions. In those dark moments it is the individual (Yaakov) who needs to respond. Only then, does Hashem respond as He does here in the next verse: “Don’t be afraid I am with you,” even in those dark moments.
Rebbetzin Miriam Yerushalmi, CEO S.A.N.E; author, Reaching New Heights series
Night is the time of darkness, which represents evil, the absence of light and goodness. It represents concealment, the opposite of revelation, a time when we cannot easily see what is around us and aren’t sure what is or isn’t there. With this verse, Hashem comforts Yaakov that even though it is nighttime, He will give him a vision, clarity, the settled mind to understand that Hashem is always there with him. It is a message for us that even in the dark, we can say, “I see You, Gd.” There is a famous saying, “All is in the hands of heaven except yirat shamayim.” “Yirat [shamayim]” can mean fear [of heaven], but it can also mean sight. Gd is calling us to see Him even in the night. The more we see Him, the more we are seen by Him, the more we can say, “Here You are, and here I am.” With the light of emunah (faith), and bitachon (trust), we can “see” Gd in whatever is happening. The word emunah comes from the root l’amen, to train. We have to train ourselves to have emunah and bitachon. They are like night-vision goggles that allow us to see in the darkest darkness, to see through all the falsehood and recognize Hashem in everything. That is our ultimate free choice, and the way to bring miracles—because when you see G-d even in your challenges, Hashem reciprocates and sees you in them, and will bring about the miracles you need.
Dini Coopersmith, Torah Educator, Trip Director, www.reconnectiontrips.com
Netivot Shalom speaks about the 2 names Yaakov and Yisrael, as being 2 necessary approaches in serving God. Both were perfected in our third and most balanced Patriarch. Initially, the name Yaakov denotes a reactive state; fighting against evil, “holding on to the heel” of Esav, surviving each confrontation with the yetzer hara, making sure to stay afloat and not drown in the sea of distractions and meaninglessness. Yisrael is the letters “li rosh”: leading with my head, being proactive, serving God with understanding, mind over matter, in an ideal state, taking initiative, overpowering evil, as the angel said after the struggle at dawn: “You have wrestled with powers and men and you have prevailed”. Now, Yisrael is heading to Egypt, where he knows his children will be enslaved for many years. Instead of being in the Land of Israel, where “the eyes of Hashem supervise His people from the beginning of the year to the end of the year,” where miracles happen, where Hashem’s love is palpable, they will be in a place of impurity and defilement. He is understandably anxious. Hashem calls Yisrael to encourage him “in the visions of the night”: when things are dark and difficult, you are Yisrael, and have the potential to overpower and overcome all these challenges, but in Egypt you must use your “Yaakov” trait, to struggle and fight the forces of impurity and survive. And I will be with you throughout and will eventually bring you out, to realize your full potential as the nation of Yisrael.
Rabbi Avraham Greenstein, AJRCA Professor of Hebrew
Rashi comments on this verse that the repetition of Jacob’s name here is an expression of divine affection. God knows that Jacob is uncertain about leaving the Holy Land and “descending” into the impurity of Egypt, so He seeks to reassure Jacob of His love and providence. Jacob’s trepidation is not without basis. Egypt is a place that has heretofore occasioned frightening encounters for Abraham and his descendants, and it is the country that will keep them enslaved for centuries. Jacob is made to know that God will not leave him just because he is going to a place that is ungodly. It is striking that whereas the verse itself refers to Jacob as Israel, God in the verse calls him Jacob. The Ramban comments that this is to indicate that the victory and power expressed by the name Israel (meaning: one who “has contended with beings both divine and mortal and succeeded” Gen 32:29) is not what his descendants will experience in Egypt. Jacob is correct to fear Egypt. His descendants will suffer degradation there. Nevertheless, God reassures Jacob that He will descend to Egypt with Jacob, and He will take him, i.e. Israel and his children, out of it. This passage affords us a profound lesson. We are not promised that our good and reasonable decisions will turn out well, and we have no guarantee that we are not headed for suffering. However, we do have God’s promise that even in our despair God will be with us.
Gavriel Sanders, Jewish Year Abroad Contentpreneur
In our text, Yaacov declares the phrase “hineni” – “I am here, I am present.” Appearing seven times in the Bible, it is first said by Avraham, then Esau, Yaacov, Moshe, the prophet Shmuel, the prophet Isaiah, and finally King Solomon. Six of these occurrences are in response to a divine encounter, while one, the opening dialogue between Isaac and Esau, is person-to-person. The meaning behind these three monosyllables is profound. Being “here” signifies being present and available. For our day, we can connect this notion to being fully in the moment, free from concerns about the past or future – open and willing to engage with what is before us. I once heard (possibly from Rabbi David Aaron of Isralight) that we are always in one of two states: We are either “now here” or “nowhere.” If you examine these words, you’ll see they are composed of the same letters, but the difference lies in the space. That’s where the hineni comes in! Hineni creates that space, allowing us to be truly present. It enables us to be available for what can only happen in the now. Too often, we are consumed by digital distractions, missing the spiritual encounters that arise when we are centered in the present. We lose the quiet power of simply being here. However, we can choose to stop, right now, and reconnect with a fresh hineni. By doing so, we reclaim the opportunity to experience the moment fully, with clarity and openness. Chag Chanukah Sameach!
Image: night sky
With thanks to Rabbi Abraham Lieberman, Rebbetzin Miriam Yerushalmi, Dini Coopersmith, Rabbi Avraham Greenstein, and Gavriel Sanders
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