Rabbi Roodyn

I write these words walking through Auschwitz – Birkenau as the sun is setting on a cold winters day and the following thought comes to mind.

Yaakov runs away from Beer Sheva alone and afraid. Yaakov finds himself at the gateway to Heaven, the future site of the Beis Hamikdash as night is falling.

The Gemara learns from these pesukim that at this point Yaakov established the Maariv prayer. Avraham has already introduced Shacharis at the dawn of a new day, Yizchak has introduced Mincha as the day draws to and end, but it is Yaakov who is associated with Maariv, the prayer we say at night.

Perhaps this is because Yaakov is the one who has to flee into exile like a hunted animal that he feels the need to daven at night.

It is easy to thank Hashem when times are good, when things go out way. However when everything is bleak, shrouded in a veil of darkness, when all feels lost, that is when our emunah is put to the test.  That is why the world emunah which is more accurately translated as faithfulness rather than blind faith is often associated with night.  After having said the shema in the evening we say אמת ואמונה, we hold fast not only to Hashem’s truth but also to our faithfulness to our relationship with Him.

Yaakov lies down to sleep in the stillness of night and dreams of a ladder. Chazal tell us that the angles who ascents and descend the ladder are a direct reference to the four exiles that the Jewish people have been subjected to over the last 2,500 years. The Medrash says that each angel ascended a number of rungs on the ladder corresponding to the number of years of that exile before coming down again. The final angel corresponding to the current exile appeared to be going up and up with no sign of descent. This was a understandably a cause of great concern for Yaakov who asked Hashem what will happen. Hashem responds by saying that even if he doesn’t come down by himself, I Myself will bring him down.

Chazal clearly knew that we were going on a long journey. But the message of Yaakov’s ladder and his dream in the middle of a long and lonely night is one of hope.

The Jewish people are an eternal nation, we have never lost hope despite the odds being so greatly stacked against us.

Yaakov avinu teaches us emunah, to hold on tight during hard times, whether personal or national.

May we merit to see the sun rise on a new era of Jewish destiny in the merit of those who never gave up hope.

Wishing you a Good Shabbos