On the Weekly Torah Portion of Vayetze
This week’s Torah portion, vayetze, (Genesis 28:10 – 32:3), contains one of the most powerful images in Genesis: the image of Jacob’s famous dream. Much—very much—has been written about the dream itself. But the verses just before and just after the dream contain an important message.
Jacob escapes his parents’ dwelling place in Beer-Sheba in order to avoid the wrath of his brother, whom he had deceived. His journey is long: we are told that he is headed to Haran, a town believed to be in Turkey just off the Syrian border. A long journey, no doubt, yet we only hear about one episode on the way. The text tells us: