Chasidut su Genesi 28:19
וַיִּקְרָ֛א אֶת־שֵֽׁם־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַה֖וּא בֵּֽית־אֵ֑ל וְאוּלָ֛ם ל֥וּז שֵׁם־הָעִ֖יר לָרִאשֹׁנָֽה׃
Impose a quel luogo il nome di Bet-El, però la città chiamavasi per lo innanzi Luz.
Kedushat Levi
Genesis 28,19. “he now added to the name of this place the name Bet El”. We need to remember that all creatures G’d has created have been identified by means of one or more of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Some of these “letters” are incomplete without certain further “sub-titles” written in the form of dots, lines, etc. Some of these appear above the actual letter, others below it. These nuances reflect the fact that some creatures, though all mobile, move in certain ways, whereas others move in different ways. Yet other letters have a dot in the middle, neither above nor below. These “dots or lines” alert us to the how, i.e. by which motive the creature’s movements were prompted. When a creature’s motion is prompted by considerations resident in the celestial spheres, the “dot” accompanying the letters is found above the letter. When it originates from earthly considerations, the dot is found under the letter. When it is found in the middle of the letter, it reflects the fact that both lofty and less lofty considerations prompted the motion of the individual described by the respective letter. Seeing that Yaakov’s movements were prompted by lofty considerations, the word ויחלום has the dot on top of the letter ו. These lofty thoughts enabled him to sire a son combining so many fine attributes as did Joseph. The combinations of letters, i.e. attributes, are also reflected in the spelling of the word ביתאל as a single word, instead of, as we find it elsewhere בית אל.
Yaakov wished to express the thought that in the house of G’d to be built on that site in the future, the combination of the basic attributes required for successful service of the Lord by His creatures on earth be present at all times.
Yaakov wished to express the thought that in the house of G’d to be built on that site in the future, the combination of the basic attributes required for successful service of the Lord by His creatures on earth be present at all times.
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Kedushat Levi
An alternate approach to the paragraph commencing with: וירא והנה באר בשדה, “he looked, and here there was a well in the field, etc.;” The Talmud Pessachim 88 draws attention to Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov each using a different simile when trying to condense their concept of G’d. Avraham saw G’d in terms of a הר, “mountain,” i.e. something far above our level towering above man. Yitzchok perceived him as שדה, a field, covering huge expanses of earth, but sharing earth with man. Yaakov perceived Him as בית, i.e. an intimate term, viewing G’d as if He were at home with human beings. A major difference between Yaakov’s concept of G’d and that of his forefathers, is that the former did not view G’d as being “at home” permanently on earth, whereas Yaakov did perceive Him as constantly accompanying man, much as a house is the symbol of a permanent presence. [The scriptural verses this is based on are: Genesis 22,14 בהר ה' יראה, “on the Mountain of Hashem, He may be seen.” Genesis 24,63 ויצא יצחק לשוח בשדה, “Yitzchok went out into the field to meditate.” In Genesis 28,19 the Torah quotes Yaakov as naming the site ביתאל, “house of the Lord”. Yaakov felt that the time had come when G’d could have a permanent home on earth. However, this had been a vision brought about by his dream/prophetic insight. After awakening he realized that down on earth, where greed, envy and jealousy were still prevalent, to wit the huge rock making the water of the well inaccessible accept when all the interested parties were assembled simultaneously, that the time was not yet ripe for G’d to feel at home in such an environment. By removing the rock, Yaakov wanted to demonstrate to the shepherds that a better future could be in store for mankind. I have reworded the thought expressed by the author somewhat, and have omitted the comparison to the portion of קן צפור in Deut. 22,6. Ed.]
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