Parashat Vayetzei begins with Jacob leaving home under difficult circumstances. He is alone, vulnerable, uncertain of the future, and carrying the weight of a complicated family narrative. Yet in this moment of displacement, something remarkable happens. Jacob encounters the Divine not in a grand sanctuary, but in a field, under the open sky, with only a stone for a pillow. What appears at first to be a place of fear becomes a place of holiness.
The Talmud in Chullin 91b teaches that the ladder Jacob sees in his dream symbolises the journey between heaven and earth. Angels ascend and descend as if to show that spiritual life is not separated from ordinary life. Rather, it takes place in the spaces between them. This dream becomes the foundation of Jacob’s transformation. He wakes with the realisation that the sacred was present even when he felt most alone. Surely HaShem is in this place, and I did not know it.
Jacob’s journey continues to the house of Laban, where he experiences love, work, disappointment, and perseverance. His years tending flocks are not glamorous, yet they shape him into a person capable of returning home with honesty and responsibility. The Midrash teaches that every day Jacob laboured with integrity, even taking the losses of the flock upon himself. Holiness, in this view, is found not only in visions of ladders, but also in steady commitment to doing what is right.
Vayetzei reminds us that spiritual growth often happens during times of transition. We may find ourselves between roles, between homes, or between chapters of life. Jacob’s story tells us that these moments are not empty. They are fertile ground for discovery. A place that seems ordinary may reveal itself to be a gateway to something higher.
In our world today, many of us are on journeys of our own. Some are searching for stability, others for meaning, community, or purpose. As a community, we offer each other the reassurance that growth does not require perfection. It requires noticing the sacred possibilities present in the everyday. It requires building honest relationships, even when life becomes complicated. And it requires courage to continue the journey, step by step, with intention.
As we read Vayetzei, may Jacob’s dream remind us to keep our eyes open to the holiness that surrounds us. May we find strength in our journeys, and may we transform the places we stand into places of blessing.