Ya'acob's Ladder

A ladder involves effort. Messiah is not an escalator.
We must make the effort to move forward with him - through tehillim/prayer.
Through Tehillim/prayer, we become one with YHVH's thoughts.

This past Shabbat, we enjoyed reading in Bereshith (Genesis), chapter 28.

The hidden, deeper meanings of Scripture 

never cease to amaze us when they are revealed...

nor should they ever. 

"And he came upon a place and stopped over for the night, for the sun had set. 

And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head,

and he lay down in that place to sleep." - verse 11

Did you know that the Hebrew word for 'stone' in this passage is "eben"?

Interestingly, 'ben' is the Hebrew word for son.

A stone... This stone Ya'acob laid his head to rest on

was a picture of Mashiach (Messiah)...

and Ya'acob (Jacob) rested in him.

"And he dreamed and saw a ladder set up on the earth,

and its top reached to the heavens, and saw messengers of Elohim

going up and coming down on it." - verse 12

A ladder... rolled out like a vertical scroll (like a Torah scroll)... 

from the earth to the heavens,

connecting man and his Creator.

Yet another picture of Mashiach (Messiah).

"And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place!

This is none other than the house of Elohim,

and this is the gate of the heavens!" - verse 17

The gate... This gate, opening, door of the heavens...

Another picture of Mashiach (Messiah).

He is the door of the sheep... the way unto the Father.

"And Ya'acob (Jacob) rose early in the morning,

and took the stone that he had put at his head,

set it up as a standing column, 

and poured oil on top of it." - verse 18

The anointed... The stone, a picture of Mashiach (Messiah),

is anointed with oil... a prophetic picture.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Mashiach (Messiah) in the Torah? 

You betcha!

Ya'acob (Jacob) rested in Mashiach...

had a vision of Mashiach...

and anointed Mashiach. 

May we do likewise.

Shalom!

The ladder - We're either going up or down.

The Power of Words

   
 " In Parasha B'reisheet (Genesis 1:1-6:8), we learn many important lessons, but none more powerful and enduring than the significance and holiness of words and speech. The Torah teaches us that YHVH created the world through ten utterances: through Divine speech. With each holy command, our universe was formed. YHVH implanted this gift of speech within man. Of all earth's creatures, only humans are endowed with the ability to verbally communicate intelligently. We must be ever mindful that, even as Elohim created through "words", on our own level, we too create through words.

    Time and again, the Torah cautions us to be very careful with that which escapes our lips, for, as King Solomon tells us, "Death and life are in the tongue." Before speaking, stop for a moment and consider how your words impact on others. What sort of environment and relationships do you create with your speech? Do you speak to your family and friends with love and respect? Do you think about what you're saying before you say it and the effect that it will have on those with whom you communicate? How careful are you with that which escapes from your lips?

    There are more commandments in the Torah in regard to speech than to any other mitzvah: seventeen negative and fourteen positive mitzvos. It is through speech that we signaled our committment to our Covenant at Sinai when we proclaimed, "Na'aseh V'nishma - We shall do it and we shall study it." It is through speech - prayer - that we speak to Elohim on a daily basis, bringing a positive spiritual influence into the mundane. Yet speech can have terribly negative effects as well: It was through speech that Hitler committed the most unspeakable evil ever to be perpetrated upon mankind. He himself never lifted a weapon; he used his lethal tongue to incite the world to hatred and slaughter. Indeed, "Death and live are in the tongue."

    Think before you speak and ask yourself, "Will my words generate light or darkness, love or hatred, blessing or curse?" The choice is your to make. Use your Divine gift of speech carefully and wisely, in the service of the Almighty. "

- Torah for Your Table - Rabbi Yisroel and Osher Anshel Jungreis

Essential Tools for Learning Torah

 

 Parashas Bamidbar (Portion Numbers 1:1-4:20) is always read (according to tradition) prior to the great festival of Shavuot, which commemorates (traditionally) the day that YHVH gave us the Torah. And that in itself is instructive. Midbar can be defined as wilderness or desert; the word bamidbar means "in the Wilderness", teaching us that if we wish the Torah to impact on us and elevate us, we have to make ourselves like a desert. Even as a desert is barren, so too must we divest ourselves of all preconceived notions and allow the Torah to re-shape us. Even as in a desert there are no diversions, so we cannot allow anyone or anything to distract us from our Torah study. Even as in the Wilderness of Sinai everything was free, so we must make Torah study available to one and all.

The backdrop for the giving of the Torah is equally significant. The Torah was given at Mount Sinai, a lowly mountain, and while logic would dictate that it would have been more impressive had God proclaimed His words on a tall, majestic mountain, He nevertheless chose Sinai for His revelation, teaching us that a prerequisite for Torah study is humility. At Sinai, the people saw flames and clouds dripping water; flames symbolize fiery passion, while clouds dripping water are symbolic of clarity. The verses teach us that if we wish Torah to enter our hearts, we must study it and transmit it with fiery passion; we must tackle our studies with discipline and stay with them until we have full clarity. All this is a reminder that Torah study cannot be undertaken casually. It is our very life and the length of our days, and must be accorded the seriousness and respect it deserves.

 - Torah for Your Table, Rabbi Yisroel Jungreis