It is in this week's Torah portion where we read a verse which so clearly overstates a single word that one cannot miss it's suggestive message in the greater context of what the Torah may be trying to tell us. We learn very early on in our Judaic Studies classes that there are no coincidences in the words of the Torah; and we learn very early on in our Language Arts classes that when trying to communicate a specific idea that one should state things in similar ways but consciously not use the same word again and again; so why this obvious attempt in the Torah to go against everything we know about written communication?
"And he arrived upon a certain place, and he spent the night there because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put in under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep." (Genesis 28:11)
It certainly does not require an extensive degree, or years of experience in biblical exegesis to realize that the "place" being referenced in this verse from Parashah Vayetzei is clearly important. So what happened in this "place" that G-d wants us to make sure that we don't forget? Maybe it's not even the exact place G-d is drawing our attention to, but rather, it is what happens in this place that G-d wants to make sure we remember?
For me it is clearly the latter. It is the what happened here which I will elaborate upon on this Thanksgiving Day; although it should also be noted that only a few verses later we do in fact find out this place's name "And he called the name of that place Beth-El" (28:19).
This "place" which we read about this week is where Jacob dreamed the dream which led him to believe that this place was the "Gate of Heaven." It was here where he dreamed of a ladder reaching the heavens with angels ascending and descending from the heavens to the earth; and it was in this place where G-d spoke to Jacob and promised him the same promise given to his grandfather Abraham, and his father Isaac; that the land upon which he lies will be given to his descendants, and that "thy seed will be as dust of the earth, and they will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south." (28:14).
But what of the message of this "place", and why it's connection to Thanksgiving? Because it is in this place where Jacob becomes a "believer". It is on this spot, in this location, at this "place" where Jacob thanks "G-d for opening his eyes".
All of us have memories of specific places, some of them are ingrained in us because of their physical beauty, for some because of the emotional ties, and for some others because of the history of what might have happened years before. Whatever the reason we possess a "connection" to the place.
This week, during this Thanksgiving/VIP shortened school week, as I was walking around campus, it dawned on me that this place (JSJCDS) was for many of our students their "Beth-El". It was here in our school, at our "place" where many of our children find their connection to Hashem. It is the development of their relationships with their schoolmates, it is their continued studies in the classroom, it is in their daily T'fillah services, and it is in their ownership of our campus, where many of them have made this place their gateway to heaven.
I can only hope that each one of them makes a similar vow as Jacob to be committed to living a life of divine awe, with a responsibility to future generations, and with a sense of obligation and duty to their community...it is for this blessing of possibility for which I am personally incredibly thankful on this day.
Happy Thanksgiving, and may we all be similarly blessed with finding our own Beth-El.
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