"He had a dream; a stairway was set on the ground and its tip reached to the sky, and angels of God were going up and down on it." Genesis 28:12, Jacob's dream as he slept on his escape from Esau.
One of the hallmarks of Torah study at Panim Hadashot is to enable people to interact with the text of the Torah. I have two aims when doing this teaching. First, with every passage and verse of Torah that we study, I seek to anchor people in the world of commentary and reflection of Jewish tradition. What did previous generations say about this text? What illuminations or standards of behavior did they see emerging from it? What divided them about how to apply the meaning of the verse?
Second, I seek to give opportunity for people to join in the ongoing conversation about Torah. By giving people a sense of the ongoing conversation on the verse I invite all those who study to join in that conversation, regardless of age or background. This invitation to participate makes the Torah come alive.
The beauty of this approach is that it can bring people closer to the Torah regardless of age. This past Shabbat I led a Shabbat afternoon Torah reading for families. We read the beginning of the new portion, Vayetze (Gen 28:10ff). I asked the parents and the children the meaning of the ladder to heaven. Why were the angels going up and down? Asher, age 7, wanted to offer his view of the ladder amidst the many suggestions. He told us that the ladder was actually the letter alef. Angels were going on one side and down the other.
That big alef of crossing ladders was for me the highlight of the session. I was grateful for hearing a Hiddush-a new insight, and also happy that Asher felt so comfortable to imagine Jacob's ladder. I hope that Asher learned that the Torah is a source for loving creativity and imagination.
Rabbi Dov Gartenberg
December 6. 2005
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