{"id":81225,"date":"2020-10-11T15:14:10","date_gmt":"2020-10-11T12:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=81225"},"modified":"2020-10-11T15:14:10","modified_gmt":"2020-10-11T12:14:10","slug":"jacobs-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/jacobs-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacob\u2019s God"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"81225","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":62571,"related_cahpter":"587","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Because he had the most stress, anxiety - and children\r\n\r\n","content":"

The biblical commentator Radak (Rabbi David Kimchi, 1160-1235) wonders why in Psalms 20:2, it is written: \u201cMay the LORD answer you in time of trouble, the name of Jacob\u2019s God keep you safe.\u201d That is, why not mention the venerable trilogy of those who established the Jewish people, i.e., Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and instead, only the latter is invoked. The three possible explanations that Radak suggests, reflect three different approaches to questions of Jewish identity and continuity.<\/span><\/p>\n

1)\u00a0 Jacob is the individual who experienced more stress and anxiety than the others, making him the paradigm for reaching out to God when one is beset by difficulties in life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Resh Lakish said: This is comparable to a woman travailing in labor. They say to her: We don\u2019t know what to say to you, other than \u201cMay the One who answered your mother\u2019s supplications when she was giving birth, do the same for you.\u201d This is what is written concerning Jacob: (Genesis 35:3) \u201cCome, let us go up to Bethel, and I will build an altar there to the God who answered me when I was in distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone\u201d (Midrash Socher Tov 20:4 and Devarim Rabbah 2:11).<\/span><\/p>\n

2)\u00a0 We appeal to Jacob\u2019s example and entertain hopes that our own children continue in their people\u2019s spiritual path, realizing that this can only be achieved by a partnership between parents and God, as well as considerable good fortune.<\/span><\/p>\n

And Rabbi Avin HaLevi said: \u2026 \u201cOne who owns a beam should approach carrying the thick portion of the beam. A builder, carrying a beam in order to affix it in a building, must measure carefully so that the thick part of the beam fits in its place; so too must Jacob, who fathered and raised the children who would become the people of Israel (<\/span>as opposed to Abraham and Isaac who fathered at least one child who broke from his parent\u2019s tradition<\/span><\/i>,) continue to pray for them and complete the task of nation-building\u201d (Berachot 64a).<\/span><\/p>\n

3) Only to the extent that we feel and act as members of the Jewish people – \u201cJacob\u201d referring to all of Israel – is there a possibility that the traditions of our people will continue down through the generations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For it is also possible to explain the phrase, \u201cJacob\u2019s God\u201d as a reference to \u201cthe God of the Jewish people,\u201d as in Jeremiah 30:10 \u201cBut you, Have no fear, My servant Jacob \u2014declares the LORD\u2014 Be not dismayed, O Israel! …. And Jacob shall again have calm and quiet with none to trouble him.\u201d Jacob and Israel here are synonyms.<\/span><\/p>\n

Usually, one compares several commentators to discover the myriad implications of a biblical text. When a number of interpretations is proposed by a single commentator, not only can we appreciate the flexibility of his mind, but also his perceptions of the richness of his subject matter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Image: Adam van Noort: Jacob Blessing his Sons, c. 1600 \/ wikipedia (<\/span>Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":81226,"id":81226,"title":"ps20-Jacob_Blessing_his_Sons","filename":"ps20-Jacob_Blessing_his_Sons.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps20-Jacob_Blessing_his_Sons.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/jacobs-god\/ps20-jacob_blessing_his_sons\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"ps20-jacob_blessing_his_sons","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":81225,"date":"2020-10-11 12:13:58","modified":"2020-10-11 12:14:06","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":719,"height":600,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps20-Jacob_Blessing_his_Sons-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps20-Jacob_Blessing_his_Sons-300x250.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":250,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps20-Jacob_Blessing_his_Sons.jpg","medium_large-width":719,"medium_large-height":600,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps20-Jacob_Blessing_his_Sons.jpg","large-width":719,"large-height":600,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps20-Jacob_Blessing_his_Sons.jpg","1536x1536-width":719,"1536x1536-height":600,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps20-Jacob_Blessing_his_Sons.jpg","2048x2048-width":719,"2048x2048-height":600,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps20-Jacob_Blessing_his_Sons.jpg","post_full_size-width":719,"post_full_size-height":600,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps20-Jacob_Blessing_his_Sons-503x420.jpg","home_baner-width":503,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Jacob\u2019s God","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"Because he had the most stress, anxiety - 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