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their trials were often sublime (especially, the Akeidah), while his life £Torah and Prophecy£Torah and ProphecyTorah and Prophecy
and its challenges superficially seem far more mundane and run-of- £
the-mill. Yet it is Jacob who gives birth to the twelve tribes and thus
firmly establishes the new Jewish nation. It is Jacob’s new name,
Israel, which graces the nation to this very day. Perhaps, Jacob’s The theme of prophecy occurs throughout the Torah. In addition
very greatness derives from how he handled these seemingly mundane to the words of the prophets and prophetic dreams or visions, the
trials (dealing with his brother, his father-in-law, and more), for these Torah explicitly predicts some future events and subtly alludes to
are trials and tribulations that every individual has to overcome. others. Beginning, with the portion of Lech Lecha, the stories of the
These are precisely the grey areas of life in which Judaism wishes us patriarchs and matriarchs allude to the future dynamics of Jewish
to forge a path to Godliness. And Jacob paved the way for all future history through a mechanism we have often mentioned above:
generations. “the actions of the fathers are a sign to the children” (Sotah 34a).
The Torah concludes with a message repeated again and again in
Whereas Abraham and Sarah received new names because they the book of Deuteronomy: if the Jewish people is true to its calling,
had undergone personal transformations in their service of God, adhering to God’s Torah, observing the commandments and acting
Jacob’s new name conveys a far greater change: he has revealed the justly, God will grant the nation peace and prosperity in the Land
ability to “contend with God and man and prevail” (Genesis 32:29). of Israel. However, if the Jews fail to observe the commandments
Furthermore, the name Israel is not only conferred on him but on all and obey God’s word, they will experience the horrors of military
his progeny in perpetuity, so its integration is far more complex. It conquest and be subjected to a long and cruel exile. The Torah, in
is no wonder then that Jacob fails to fully integrate such a massive fact, describes the horrors of exile in graphic detail. Anyone possessing
revelation into his personality at all times. Rather he moves back even a superficial knowledge of Jewish history will recognize how the
and forth as he continues his existential struggle to achieve his new Torah’s predictions have come to fruition.
identity and fulfill his purpose.
The idea that there are hidden messages, mathematical symmetry,
However, Jacob’s struggles are our gain, for he paved the way for and infinite layers of meaning in the Torah, lies at the basis of sod, the
each Jew to access this exalted level. No matter how many times we secret Kabbalistic tradition. Although the jury is still out regarding
may fall short of the mark, no matter how many times we revert to a what are commonly called the Bible Codes, computer searches of the
lesser spiritual level, the name Israel awaits us, for it is our birthright biblical text have revealed truly amazing mathematical patterns 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 5 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:04 | SR:-- | Magenta
and destiny. Once this name was unveiled, it forevermore became and a systematic order to the biblical text previously hidden from #24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 5 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:04 | SR:-- | Yellow 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 5 - B | 18-01-28 | 12:12:04 | SR:-- | Black 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 5 - B | 1
a reflection of the Jewish people’s collective identity and of each the human eye. Modern technology is ambitiously expanding the
individual Jew’s personal potential. horizons of the sod tradition by discovering additional wonders
concealed in the text. Such technology may yet reveal an even deeper
stratum of prophetic information.
The portion of Vayeishev is rich in prophetic material. It begins
with Joseph’s dreams, which Joseph and Jacob clearly understood to
be prophetic. Confirming this fact, twenty-two years later, Joseph’s
brothers bowed down to him when they went to Egypt to buy food.
They did not recognize him, but he certainly recognized them and
must have realized that finally his prophetic dreams were coming true.
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