The twins born to Rebecca would have very different characteristics. The firstborn was ruddy, hairy and became a huntsman. The second twin was happier at home than in the field and had got used to succeeding on his wits. The firstborn was destined from birth to form the nation of Edom. The second son will be a forefather of the Jewish nation.

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But can an Israelite nation survive by wiliness alone and without warlike characteristics? The answer is probably no. It will need the help of God to assure its survival. It will also need to know that God regards this nation as a prince among the nations and that their survival is destined forever.

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As in previous stories, awareness of the names of God used in the text and their implications provides us guidance as to the interpretation of passages in which these names are used.

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Before fleeing home from the threat of Esau, Jacob will receive one further blessing from Isaac. Rebecca’s scheming has worked out exactly as she intended. Isaac has appreciated the inevitability of two nations in conflict. Esau will form his own nation, the Edomites, and Jacob will become one of the forefathers of the Israelite nation. An important task yet remaining is for Jacob to find a wife for himself and to begin building the nation that had been promised to his father and grandfather. The words in capitals in the following quotation are words previously mentioned in God’s promises to Abraham, and which will be discussed shortly:

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​Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and instructed him, and said to him: "You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the home of Betuel, your mother's father, and take yourself a wife from there, from the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. May KEL SHAKAI bless you MAKE YOU FRUITFUL AND MAKE YOU NUMEROUS, AND MAY YOU BE A CONGREGATION OF PEOPLES. AND MAY HE GIVE YOU the blessing of Abraham to you and to your descendants with you, that you may possess THE LAND OF YOUR SOJOURNINGS, which Elohim gave to Abraham" (Genesis 28:1-4).

In this prayer, Isaac invokes the name of God Kel Shakai (the letter k has been placed in front of the first word, and in the second word the letter d has been replaced by k in order that God’s true name not be pronounced). Rashi suggests that this name of God has the meaning of “sheyesh diy”, translated as “there is enough.” In other words, there is within God’s Divinity sufficient for every individual. No one in this world will be left out of God’s providence.1 Maimonides in his Guide to the Perplexed adopts a more philosophical approach — God is self-sufficient and needs nothing from anything else in existence.2 

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Another explanation proposed by Umberto Cassuto, an academic Biblical scholar writing in the early 1900s, is that this name encompasses the aspect of God related to fertility.3 At first glance this sounds very pagan, since the ancient pagan religions also had gods governing fertility. However, there is no reason that an aspect of God most related to the fertility of the Jewish people should not also have a name, since fertility is not specifically a feature of the names of God YHWH and Elohim. Admittedly, to us moderns it sounds strange. Yet to the Jewish people at the time of the Bible, a fertility aspect of the One God would have been quite logical. Thus, as Jacob is being sent away to find a wife, it is very appropriate for Isaac to invoke this aspect of God.

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It is noteworthy, that this is not the first mention of this name of God in the Torah. We first meet the name Kel Shakai in the Circumcision Covenant given to Abraham. Abraham has already fathered a son named Ishmael through Sarah’s servant Hagar. God now assures Abraham that he and Sarah will sire their own son and his name will be Isaac. Isaac will now repeat many of the phrases told to Abraham by God. This prior speech is quoted below, with similar phrases again shown in capitals.

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Avram was ninety-nine years old, and YHWH appeared to Avram and said to him, "I am KEL SHAKAI; walk before Me and be wholehearted. I shall give My covenant between Me and you, AND I SHALL MULTIPLY YOU EXCEEDINGLY MUCH." And Avram fell upon his face, and Elohim spoke to him, saying: "Behold, this is My covenant with you: You shall be the father of many nations. And your name shall no longer be called 'Avram'; your name shall be 'Avraham,' for I have made you the father of many nations. And I SHALL MAKE YOU MOST EXCEEDINGLY FRUITFUL, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall emerge from you. And I shall establish My covenant between Me and you, and your descendants after you, in their generations, as an eternal covenant, to be Elohim for you, and for your descendants after you. AND I SHALL GIVE YOU – and your descendants after you – the LAND OF YOUR SOJOURNINGS; all of the land of Canaan, as an eternal possession (la’achuzat) (לַאֲחֻזַּ֖ת) and I shall be their Elohim" (Genesis 17:1-8).

It is at this time that Abraham is commanded by God to circumcise his household. In the Jewish tradition, circumcision is not usually associated with the concept of fertility. Yet this idea has logic. Circumcision is carried out on the organ of procreation. The passage above is a passage about multiplying and being fruitful. Abraham’s name is also changed to one related to fruitfulness – “father of a multitude of people.” Hence, circumcision could be considered a ritual for a people that will carry this sign of the covenant with them throughout their lives, and who will also be fruitful with this organ. 

That the name Kel Shakai was recognized in the Biblical period as being associated with fertility is evident in the following passage from the Book of Ruth:

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Do not call me Naomi (pleasant one), call me Mara (embittered one), for Shakai has dealt very bitterly with me. I was full when I went away, but YHWH has brought me back empty. Why should you call me Naomi; YHWH has testified against me, and Shakai has brought misfortune upon me (Ruth 1:20-21).

In this passage, Naomi recognizes that the name Shakai relates not only to God dispensing fertility, but also taking it away.

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Not only does Isaac invoke the name Kel Shadai, but, as for the Covenant of Circumcision given to Abraham, Isaac’s blessing is given under the name Elohim. This is probably because his blessing also relates to the underlying theme of the Covenant of Circumcision, namely the place of the Jewish people in the community of nations. The role of Elohim, as distinct from the name YHWH, will also become apparent in subsequent visions experienced by Jacob, although the distinctiveness of their implications is much less pronounced than it was for Abraham. For Jacob, the YHWH and Elohim aspects of God work very closely together.

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A ladder reaching up to heaven

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Jacobs is on his way to Haran, penniless, and fleeing from the anger of his brother Esau who has threatened to kill him. He sleeps out in the open in a “place,” which he later names Beth-El, and there experiences a vision of a ladder reaching towards the heavens, upon which angels of Elohim are ascending and descending:

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​Jacob departed from Beersheba and went to Haran. He encountered the place and spent the night there because the sun had set. He took from the stones of the place, which he arranged around his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamt, and behold! A ladder was set was set earthward and its top reached heavenward; and behold! Angels of Elohim were ascending and descending on it. And behold! YHWH was standing upon it/him. . .  (Genesis 28:10-13).

The Torah offers no explanation for the meaning of this vision, and many interpretations have been offered. A presumption has to be that the vision is linked in some way to the speech of God that follows.

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The explanation I favor is that of Nachmanides, who writes that this vision is revealing to Jacob the existence of individual Divine providence in this world:

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[God] showed [Jacob] in a prophetic dream that everything done on earth is done through the hand of the angels and everything they do is by the Supreme One’s decree upon them. For the angels of God, whom YHWH sends to travel throughout the earth, do not do anything minor or major before returning to present themselves before the Lord of all the land . . . 4

Jacob’s vision of angels is the clearest exposition in the Torah of the concept of individual providence, which at the time of the Torah would have been a radical idea. The ancients envisaged a clear separation between the activities of the gods and the lives of humans. The gods were confined to the heavens and were territorial in their influence. They inhered within nature, and could influence the affairs of man by producing storms, floods, sickness and fertility. However, they had no interest in the lives of individuals. The God of Abraham, on the other hand, has concern over the affairs of individuals, even to the extent of ensuring they are sufficiently fed and clothed. 

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The demonstration of God’s individual providence is a necessary preliminary for the concept of national providence.  Having awareness that God cared for their forefathers, the Jewish people can fully trust He will do the same for them.  

But why would angels first ascend to heaven? Should they not first receive their directives from heaven and then descend to do their missions, which means that the angels should be first descending and then ascending? This leads to a radical idea — that the main abode of angels is not in heaven but on earth! 

Events in this world are not random but directed by God, and angels are a means by which He directs His will on earth. Hence, angels go up the ladder to receive their instructions from Elohim and then return to earth to carry out His instructions. It is this world where angels of Elohim are functioning.

Rashi, on the other hand, based on a midrash, suggests that this is a vision of Jacob’s protective angels. He proposes that the angels going up were those who had completed their task of protecting Jacob in Canaan, while those descending were angels assigned to accompany him outside the land.5

Jacob will again encounter angels as he is about reenter Israel at Machanayim after spending 20 years i

in Padam Aram in Mesopotamia (Genesis 32:2-3). In this instance, these angels come to escort him back into the Land of Israel.6

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One can argue, though, with this explanation. Machanayim was close to the border of the land of Canaan, but Beth-El is only 12 miles from Jerusalem and still within the heartland of the country. It also sounds as if there are many angels on this ladder, while all that Jacob will require are two. Moreover, these angels are called “angels of Elohim.” Jacob will also call this place “beit Elohim,” or house or abode of Elohim. If they were protective angels, it is more likely that they would be called angels of YHWH. Moreover, there is no prior mention of protective angels in the Torah, although there is mention of angels performing a mission. As Abraham mentions to his servant Eliezer when he is sent to Padam Aram to find a wife for his son, Issac: “He [YHWH] will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there” (Genesis 24:7). All this supports Nachmanides’ interpretation of this being a general vision of Divine individual providence for many people.

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The phrase “And behold! YHWH was standing upon it/him. . .”   is ambiguous., as the Hebrew can be interpreted in two ways — either YHWH was standing above him i.e., above Jacob’s head or He was standing above the ladder. Rashi is of the opinion that God was standing directly over Jacob.

Nachmanides suggests that YHWH was standing on top of the ladder. I would like to suggest that the opinion of Rashi fits more into the significance of this ladder, although as explained by Nachmanides and not by Rashi! YHWHI is the God of close relationships and it is appropriate that He stand above Jacob and not far in the heavens on top of a ladder.

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YHWH now ratifies the prayer that Isaac made before sending Jacob on his way to Haran. Specifically, He assures him that he will inherit the mantle of Abraham. God’s speech contains words previously conveyed to Abraham by YHWH.7 These common words are indicated in capital letters in the following three quotations. First the speech that YHWH gave by the ladder:

And behold, YHWH stood over him and He said: "I am YHWH, the God of your father Abraham, and the God of Isaac. THE LAND UPON WHICH YOU ARE LYING – TO YOU I WILL GIVE IT, AND TO YOUR DESCENDANTS. YOUR OFFSPRING SHALL BE AS THE DUST OF THE EARTH, and you shall spread out WESTWARD, EASTWARD, NORTHWARD AND SOUTHWARD; and THROUGH YOU SHALL ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED" (Genesis 28:13-14).

Abraham received two communications from YHWH at the beginning of his mission. The first when he was living in Haran, when he is told to leave his homeland to become a great nation and a source of blessing to humanity. It reads as follows:

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YHWH said to Avram, "Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; AND THROUGH YOU SHALL ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED" (Genesis 12:1-3)

The second is when Abraham returns from Egypt, after relocating there during a famine, and arrives at the area between Beth-El and Ai. His nephew Lot, who until that time would have been considered his heir, separates from him in Beth-El and leaves for the city of Sodom. He thereby separates himself from both the material and spiritual inheritance of Abraham:

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YHWH said to Avram, after Lot had parted from him. "Lift up your eyes and see, from the place where you are – NORTHWARD, SOUTHWARD, EASTWARD AND WESTWARD. FOR ALL THE LAND WHICH YOU SEE — TO YOU I WILL GIVE IT, AND TO YOUR DESCENDANTS, FOREVER. I SHALL MAKE YOUR OFFSPRING AS THE DUST OF THE EARTH, that if one can count the dust of the earth — then your offspring too shall be counted. Arise, walk about in the land, throughout its length and breadth, for to you I will give it.” So Abram packed his tent and moved and dwelled in the plains of Mamrei, which are in Hebron, and he built there an altar to YHWH (Genesis 13:14-18).

YHWH has now bestowed upon Jacob all the blessings He had given previously to Abraham. He now also promises to protect him, and eventually to bring him back to the Land of Israel.

Behold I AM WITH YOU, and I will guard you wherever you go. And I will return you to this soil, for I will not forsake you until I have done what I have spoken to you (Genesis 28:15).

It is at this point that Jacob made a vow:

Jacob awoke from his sleep and said: “Surely YHWH is in this place and I did not know!” And he became frightened and said: “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of Elohim and this is the gate of heaven. Jacob arose early in the morning and took the stone that he had put at his head and set it as a pillar; and he poured oil on its top. He named that place Beit-El, though Luz had been the city's name originally (Genesis 28:16-19)

He said: 

If (im) (אִם) Elohim WILL BE WITH ME, and He will guard me on this way that I am going, and He will give me bread to eat and clothes to wear, and I will return in peace to my father’s house, then YHWH will be a God to me — and this stone which I have set up as a pillar shall become a house of Elohim, and whatever You shall give me I shall tithe to you (Genesis 28:20-21).  

Jacob’s vows are directly related to God’s promises. Nachmanides explains that the word im (אִם) does not express doubt, but has the meaning of when, and he provides other example from the Torah where it has this meaning.8 The words “And He will guard me on this way that I am going” are related to God’s promise “And I will guard you wherever you go.” The words “And He will give me bread to eat and clothes to wear” correspond to God’s promise “For I will not forsake you.”9 Jacob asked only for life’s barest necessities, and not for luxuries.

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What does Jacob mean that he will set up a “house of Elohim”? Rashi and Onkelos suggest not so much a house, but that the pillar he erects will become a center for worshipping God, as becomes evident when he returns to Beth-El to fulfill his vows.10 Nevertheless, this could be complicated in the future by the biblical prohibition against the use of matzevot or pillars (Deuteronomy 16:22).

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It is of interest that in the vow Jacob makes, he uses mainly the name of God Elohim. This is also the case for the blessing that Isaac bestowed upon him before he left for Padam Aram, and is the same name used in Abraham’s Covenant of Circumcision. It is also noteworthy that it was angels of Elohim that Jacob saw in his dream and it is a House of Elohim that Jacob wishes to set up when he returns to Canaan. Finally, when he returns to Beth-El from Mesopotamia. the Torah uses the name Elohim in his nighttime struggle with an angel, and also when he finally goes to Beth El to fulfill his vows. It is my suggestion that all these verses relate to the overall theme of the place of the Israelite nation in the community of nations, rather than about God’s individual relationship with Jacob.

Where was the “place”?

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The Torah writes that “He [Jacob] encountered “the place” (bamakom) (בַּמָּקוֹם)" (Genesis 18:10). It would seem as if the Bible assumes that we already know where this “place” is located. In fact, Rashi reminds us that the word “place” has been mentioned previously in the Torah, specifically in the Akeida story where the word “place” is mentioned several times. It is identified in this story as being in the land of Moriah:

Go to the land of Moriah and bring him up there as an offering upon one of the mountains which I shall tell you (Genesis 22:2).

The location of Mount Moriah is never identified in the Torah, although there is a strong Jewish tradition that its location is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Hence, we are told the following in the book of Chronicles:  

And Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where He had appeared to his father David, in the place which David had prepared in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite (Chronicles 2:3:1).  

Nevertheless, the opinion that the Temple was built on Mount Moriah has not been accepted by all authorities. The Greek Septuagint translates the land of Moriah described in the Akeida as “the highland,” and the Mount of Moriah in Chronicles as “the Mount of Moriah.” 

Nevertheless, “the place” is identified very specifically in our chapter. Following Jacob’s nighttime vision, the Bible tells us:

​Jacob arose early in the morning and took the stone that he had placed around his head and set it as a pillar; and he poured oil on its top. And he called the name of that place Beth-El; however, Luz was the city’s name originally (Genesis 28:18-19). 

Rashi tries hard to maintain the Rabbinic tradition by envisaging a slanting ladder with gate of heaven over Jerusalem and “the place” being in Beth-El:

​The Amora R’ Elazar said in the name of R’ Yose ben Zimra. This ladder was standing with its feet in Beer-sheba, and the middle of its incline reached opposite [i.e. over] the Temple (Beis HaMikdash). For Beer-sheba stands in the southern part of the territory of the Tribe of Judah and Jerusalem is in its northern part on the boundary between Judah and Benjamin.  And Beth-el was in the northern part of Benjamin’s territory on the border between Benjamin and the sons of Joseph.  It is thus found a ladder whose feet are in Beer-sheba and whose upper end in is Beth El, the middle of its incline (length) reaches opposite [i.e., over] Jerusalem.”11

The selection of Jerusalem by King David as the site for the Temple occurred relatively late in biblical Jewish history. The Ark of the Covenant was initially placed by Joshua in the Tabernacle at Shiloh “And the entire community of the Children of Israel assembled at Shilo and erected the Sanctuary there” (Joshua18:1). Shilo is within about 10 miles from Beth-El. It was also in Beth-El during the time of the Judges, although for how long is unclear:

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Bnei Yisrael and all the nation went up and came to Beth-El, and they wept [about the casualties fighting the tribe of Benjamin] and sat there before God and fasted on that day until the evening, and they offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. And Bnei Yisrael asked of God, for there the Ark of God’s Covenant was in those days. And Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron, stood before Him in those days (Judges 20:26-28).

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The Ark was eventually captured by the Philistines from Shilo at the time of Eli the High Priest. When returned it was kept at Kiryat Yearim, and from there, King David brought it to Jerusalem.

After the division of the united monarchy, King Jeroboam I of the Northern Kingdom of Israel established Beth-El as one of two primary centers of worship, alongside Dan. To consolidate his rule and prevent northern Israelites from traveling to the Jerusalem Temple in Judah, he set up a golden calf at Beth-El, so that Beth El now became associated with idolatry.

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It would appear, therefore, that Beth-El did have the reputation of being a holy site, although it was never consistently the site of the Tabernacle. Moreover, it seems unlikely that the site of “the place” of Jacob’s dream and “the place” of the Akeida were at the Temple Mount. This would have meant that these events occurred adjacent to a Jebusite city, as well as being on Jebusite farmland. More likely, it was, as the Torah tells us — in Beth-El.

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To continue the story. Jacob’s vision of the ladder sets the scene for Jacob’s awareness of angels and their role in his life. He will subsequently see angels in Machanayim on his way to Canaan, and he will wrestle with an angel of God before meeting his brother Esau as he is about to enter the land.

In Padan Aram, he will find two wives and build up a family. During this time, he was very aware that God was caring for him, especially in situations that had the potential to be unfavorable to him. Hence, when he remonstrates with Laban when caught trying to flee from him he says: “Were it not that the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac WERE WITH ME, you would surely have sent me away empty handed” (Genesis 31:42).