The portion this week shows us Jacob’s iconic dream of the angels ascending and descending a ladder. The rabbis liken the ladder to the human being, whose feet are firmly planted on the ground, whose head rises to the sky and who connect heaven and earth, by simply existing.
The stretch between heaven and earth can be painful. The reality of our bodies, of the dynamics between people and countries drag us down and our desire for transcendence, peace, and tranquility drive us in another direction. We often feel pulled between sinking into this moment, and the desire for more ups than downs.
The ironic part of life is that with acceptance of our physical reality, our spiritual needs suddenly have more space and freedom. Instead of avoiding the physical, we must sit in the space of both. This is the beauty of Jacob’s ladder. The angels go in all directions and are constantly moving. Once a present moment stands, it has already also passed at the same time. And so we do the best to be here and now, to be present, rather than avoid our lives and also realize that this too shall pass.
May you feel gratitude, internal freedom and the strength of celebrating your own resilience.
Rabbi Bernstein
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