Then this stone, which I have placed as a monument, shall be a house of G-d

(Genesis 28:21)

Kislev 9, 5777/December 9, 2016

So much happening in this week's Torah reading, Vayeitzei! Time itself seems compressed, as Yaakov flees his brother Esav, weds first Leah, then Rachel, fathers twelve children by his two wives and their maidservants, works twenty years for Lavan, and raises his own herd before returning to the land of Canaan, all this reported by Torah in staccato fashion, adding a sense of urgency and breathlessness. Yaakov himself, is profoundly effected by this enigmatic time warp: "So Yaakov worked for Rachel seven years, but they appeared to him like a few days because of his love for her." (Genesis: 29:20)

Even space seems to be under the influence of a greater force. Yaakov's unplanned encounter at Beit El, where, we are told, the sun set early, compelling him to lie down and sleep even as he was fleeing for his life, forestalls his flight for a full night. And yet it seems that the following day he is already standing at the well on the outskirts of Haran, far to the east. His later escape from the clutches of Lavan is almost described in slow motion as Lavan eventually catches up to Yaakov and his family, traveling for seven days, we are told, to overcome Yaakov's three day head start.

And matter itself is no longer what it seems to be. The twelve stones that Yaakov placed under his head at Beit El, are suddenly one single stone when he awakens from his dream. And most remarkably, the massive boulder that sealed the well when Yaakov first encountered Rachel, he manages to roll off effortlessly, when, we have just been informed, it normally required a dozen shepherds to budge.

What is happening here? What strange force is effecting the very constants and fundamentals of existence?

That strange force is embodied in the twelve stones upon which Yaakov laid his head. The twelve stones, which later are described as one stone, Midrash tells us, are driven by G-d deep into the heart of the earth after Yaakov wakes up, where they will remain until, centuries later, they reemerge in the Holy of Holies, the innermost sanctuary of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, as the resting place for the Ark of the Covenant. Yaakov's former pillow will now forever be known as the even hashtiyah - the foundation stone of creation, marking the place from which all creation emerged.

How can this possibly be? We all know about the big bang theory of the origin of the universe, the modern scientific description of the first moments of creation, which neatly echoes the Torah narrative. We know all about the force of gravity, the speed of light, the mass of matter and the ever expanding borders of the universe. But what do any of these monumental concepts and vast physical forces have to do with a small rock sitting on an elevated plateau in the center of Jerusalem?

Matter and energy, light and mass, these are the fundamental building blocks with which G-d created and regulates His universe. But the force which put all these vastly lesser forces into motion is G-d's will. And it is G-d's will that the foundation stone which rests in the Holy of Holies should be the portal through which His will enters His creation. It is G-d's will that His will should be most manifest near His dearest creation, man, in the very place where Avraham first allowed G-d's will, unmitigated and uncompromised, into this world, at the binding of his son Yitzchak.

And now, in the presence of Yaakov, G-d has established the foundation stone as the spiritual/moral lodestone of all creation, the Will toward which all other wills must bend, the insurmountable force to which all other forces, even the 'almighty' time and space, must submit. G-d has placed His will within close proximity of our lives for our benefit and betterment, if we but submit our wills to His. The steel bars of time can be bent if only we see reality in the light of G-d's will and live our lives accordingly. Unattainable distances can be readily traversed and immovable objects can be rolled away if we accept that there is only one true power in this world, and that power is G-d's will.

Today there are powerful telescopes which allow us to see so far into the vast recesses of the universe that we can actually gaze, we are told, on the first moments of creation. But even better than that, today we can fulfill Yaakov's promise to G-d: "If G-d will be with me, and He will guard me on this way, upon which I am going, and He will give me bread to eat and a garment to wear; And if I return in peace to my father's house, and HaShem will be my G-d; Then this stone, which I have placed as a monument, shall be a house of G-d, and everything that You give me, I will surely tithe to You." (ibid 28:20) We can honor and welcome G-d's will into His world every day in His Holy Temple, the portal and seat of His Will in our world!

-The Temple Institute