So Avraham, went up the mountain to find the light-and became our mountain man, a rugged, lonesome spiritual search resulting in a crusade to save everyone. Yitzchak went out to the field for a grounding experience but still not a candidate for becoming the long term model. Ya'akov Aveinu is the patriarch who builds a house. The torah tells of his own search for his soul mate, of his years of toil to "earn" her hand and support his family as well as of his struggle to raise his family. The Torah's description of Ya'akov reminds us of Noach, both are tam (pure and simple), and Noach's teiva (ark) is akin to Ya'akov's house - vessels with which to carry Hashem's plan safely through a world of floodwaters and wild energies.
The theme in the Torah that the world is to be settled and civilized - "He did not create it for chaos" - is seen in the comfort of Noach (his name means rest, ease) and again in Ya'akov's desire to settle down as the correct context for a life devoted to Avodah. As opposed to the mountain and the field models, which are not family based- we are the children of Israel for our namesakes struggle with the counter-energy of the dialectic- the Esauvian version of Yitzchak's field. From kabbala and such sources-we know that Esau comes from the world of Tohu- the original unbridled energy in the world that is closest to our Creator. Yitzchak perhaps loved Esau because the field is also closer to the chaos and total openness that a house of our construction restricts. Yet when his eyes were closed and open to the Divine will, beyond his perception- his beracha came to Ya'akov.
This deep struggle within ourselves as spiritual growers- is beautifully embodied in the pasuk 'va'yitrotzetzu habanim b'kirba," (and they ran [in opposite directions] within her). This tension is manifest in all spheres of life- between being a learner or a doer, staying at home vs. going out, liberal vs. conservative etc. We ride the waves throughout our discourses. I see this in myself: when talking to someone who is speaking openly, I slip into a conservative mode; yet when right-wingers speak, all of a sudden I preach the left-leaning line. Some I must break open, others I must settle down. The world consistently evades having this conflict resolved - and when one ends up not paying heed to the inherent tensions and stepping off the balance beam, life is sure to fix up some deeper ways for us to learn the lesson. Whatever historical/ social context we find ourselves, and whichever circle of existence we focus on- it might be a time of the pendulum swing to one side or the other- Charedi or Renewal… we must strive to be open to receiving from beyond our current embedded space.
The building of House of the Holy (beit hamikdash) in this world - the dream of our people for the whole world - is a Ya'akov focus. How to make ready this piece of land for that process is inwardly focused…for those involved in it we must be aware of the inward focus this project presents. The key to Noah's ark and Ya'akov's house is the windows. The veil that our houses cast over us need be opened- opened to real questioning of our design plans, open to receiving the divine light we are seeking to hold. And the spiritual paths before us are also crucial - it's no coincidence that Rebbe Nachman stresses going to a field on a DAILY basis. And I would think that the mountain is necessary at least three times a year, if not on a monthly basis… Whatever the rhythms- our building of the house must strive to reflect the inherent conflict behind putting boundaries in the creation of einsof… So as not to feign resolving the issues, I'll end with a question to me and to all of us: how do we remain open to the people that live differently than us, for in the field, since there is no delineation between us, we fall into competition and over-stressed individuality, while in the house I risk not seeing the lives of others…
Shaul David Judelman
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Shaul David Judelman currently resides in Jerusalem. After growing up amongst the Douglas Firs of Seattle, Washington, he came to Israel on a quest for Judaism alive in its land. He spent six years in the Bat Ayin Yeshiva Rabbinical program and now teaches at Yeshivat Simchat Shlomo while working on several different environmental initiatives in Jerusalem. He is the founder and coordinator of Simchat Shlomo’s Eco-Activist Beit Midrash, a program offering holistic in-depth Torah study around issues of ecology. |