Vayetze: On Sacred Spaces

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The word makom (place) appears repeatedly at the start of Parshat Vayetze as Jacob sets out on his journey: “He came upon the place (ba-makom)…” What is this place? Its very ambiguity becomes a key to understanding Judaism’s vision of sacred space, from Jacob’s world to our own.

Rashi identifies the makom with the site of the Binding of Isaac—“Abraham looked up and saw the place (ha-makom) from afar”—later known as Mount Moriah, where the Temple would later be built. In Devarim, the Mishkan is likewise called the makom. The midrash therefore associates Jacob’s encounter with Jerusalem. 

Yet there is a tension: Jacob renames the site Beit-El, formerly Luz—seemingly far from Jerusalem. Commentators struggle to reconcile this. A striking midrash offers a creative resolution: The ladder connecting heaven and earth in Jacob’s dream was actually the mechanism that allowed Jacob to be physically in one location while spiritually linked to the Temple Mount: “The ladder stood in Beersheba, and the middle of its slope reached opposite the Temple.” 

This preserves the centrality of the holiness of Jerusalem while teaching one may direct heart and prayer toward it from afar. Moreover, Ha-makom becomes one of the rabbinic names for God. When we study Torah, do justice, live by Jewish values and pray facing Jerusalem, says the midrash, any space can draw sanctity from Ha-makom. This is also the meaning of makom today. Synagogues in New York and London that hosted events which support and celebrate Israel—and faced protest for doing so—were embracing Jacob’s legacy. What the critics fail to grasp is that Jewish sacred spaces, wherever they stand, are inseparable from the pull of Jerusalem. The heart of Israel beats within every synagogue and community that turns toward Ha-makom. That is Jacob’s legacy, and it remains our mission today. Shabbat Shalom – Karen Miller Jackson

Parshat Vayetze: Prayer over Despair

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“Every place I go, I am going to Eretz Yisrael” – Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

Parshat Vayetze begins with Yaacov’s journey away from his home to Haran. This seems at first to be the reverse of Avraham’s “Lech Lecha,” as Yacov leaves Israel. However, the commentaries see significance in his journey, in tracing his footsteps. His journey, beyond the physical, is also about his transformation from a place of uncertainty and fear to a place of faith, spiritual growth and return to Israel. 

Yacov finds himself literally and figuratively in darkness and exile. He “encounters” a place, “vayifga ba-makom.” Rashi, citing Talmud Brachot, teaches that “vayifga” means tefilla. Here, in this place, Yacov instituted the evening prayer, aravit. This is reinforced by the idea that the place – makom – is understood by the midrash as a reference to the Temple, and Yacov turned around in order to go back and pray where his forefathers had prayed, to draw on their strength and faith. 

The Netivot Shalom teaches that it was especially appropriate that Yaacov instituted evening prayer. At home he had strong faith. Once he left, he found himself immersed in spiritual darkness and had to find a new path to God. He bestows this gift to the Jewish people, the ability to have faith even in the darkest of times. Dr. Aviva Zornberg writes that he created a “new genre of prayer.” A similar thing can be said about King David, as Talmud Berakhot teaches that he composed his songs and praise from midnight till morning. David too, is a model for finding faith in the darkness. 

Later, God commands Yaacov to return to the land of his birth and he retraces his experience. He once again has an “encounter” with Divine messengers (vayifga’u) and he again acknowledges God’s presence in that “place” (makom). Yacov, through his ordeals in exile, is a model for future generations: of prayer over despair, enduring faith in God and of unwavering commitment to return to Eretz Yisrael. Shabbat Shalom -Karen Miller Jackson