Before hastening from Canaan in disgrace, having deceived both his brother and father, without assurance that he would ever be able to return, Jacob intentionally makes his way one more time to the site where the lives of his father and grandfather were altered. Perhaps the place would favor him with a measure of divine grace, long-lasting solace for the journey ahead. But the midrash also universalized Jacob's experience at Bethel. He did much more than wait passively to fall asleep. And this profound insight on the infinite and unfathomable nature of God's grandeur affirms that God is accessible to us wherever we might find ourselves.
Some sites are more sacred than others.
But no corner of the world is devoid of God's presence. No message could have been more comforting for Jacob, about to reenter the fundamental human condition of exile, than the reality that God is near to us wherever we are. It is not the holiness of our setting but the sincerity of our seeking that determines our ability to hear God's voice. Talk Shop Sign Up Search Courses Receive the JTS Torah commentary and Shabbat candlelighting times sent to you weekly by e-mail. Click here to sign up for free membership.