1.What gave Jacob the courage to stand up to Laban and make this demand to be released from his power?

Let’s look at Genesis 31:13 to see what happened that gave Jacob the courage to stand up to Laban and make this demand to be released from his power. In Genesis 31:3 we read these words from G-d to Jacob, “Return to the Land of your fathers where you were born, and I will be with you.” In this verse G-d told Jacob to return home and He would be with him. 

Next we read of another encounter with G-d, but this time between G-d and Laban. 

In Genesis 31:24 we read, “G-d appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night, and said to him, Take heed that you speak not to Jacob either good or bad.” G-d was telling Laban not to interfere in any way with Jacob. 

It took divine intervention to release Jacob from Laban’s clutches and control. G-d’s intervention enabled Jacob to get up and start home and compelled Laban to allow his release.

Now, I want to relate what happened here to Jacob to our own personal experiences as children of G-d. Let’s look at a few examples from the Messianic scripture that will show us how our Torah portion this week is used in the words of Yeshua and also Saul. 

In John 8:32 it says, “You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.” They replied that they were sons of Avraham and had never been slaves, why would they need to be set free: Yeshua replied, “you have missed the point here, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” (v 34) Saul explained  how easy it was to be enslaved to sin, Titus 3:3 says, “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray. Slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy hated by others and hating one another.”

Saul is saying background or pedigree has nothing to do with being set free from slavery to sin. Philippians 3:5-6 sets this out beautifully. What had really set him free? Two things, a word and promise to Saul. “Arise and enter the city and you will be told what you are to do” Next a vision is given to Ananias, a believer who lived in Damascus, telling him where to go and what to do. Acts 11:12.

Here we see, like Jacob, it took divine intervention to release Saul from his slavery to sin. Each of us could add our own experience to what is shown in our portion and in the Messianic scriptures. We cannot work our way out of the power of evil. Only G-d can free us from sin. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of G-d, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

2.In Genesis 30:30. “For what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a great amount; the L-rd has blessed you since my coming.” But in Hebrew instead of “since my coming”, a better translation would be because of my feet. In this verse Jacob is speaking to his father-in-law. What do you think that verse is saying? And what is the message to us as believers today? To give you a hint similar thoughts are found in the Messianic Scriptures in   I Corinthians 7:14, II Corinthians 2:14 and Galatians 2:20.  

We need to consider the background of this verse before we can appreciate this conversation. 

a. Jacob had been working for Laban for at least 14 years without pay in exchange for marrying Laban’s two daughters. 

b. Rachel had just given birth to Joseph and Jacob was wanting to return to Israel. 

c. In Genesis 31:3 G-d told Jacob to go home.

Of course Laban did not want to lose Jacob’s services. In Genesis 30:27 Laban concedes he has been blessed by G-d on Jacob’s account. So he offered to pay Jacob whatever it took to keep him in Haran. 

In Genesis 30:30 Jacob told Laban he knew the blessings had come from G-d. Jacob used a Hebrew word to express this outpouring of blessing. This word was peretz.  

We have heard this word, peretz, before. Does anyone remember this word being used in scripture? This was the name of one of Tamar’s sons. The story is found in Genesis 38:27-30. He burst forth. Jacob used the same word to describe how G-d had blessed Laban while he was working for him.  This is a strong word meaning something like a flood.

So the next phrase in Genesis 30:30 is “the L-rd has blessed you since my coming.” A direct translation of “since my coming” would be, because of my feet.” 

Jacob was telling Laban that his presence brought these blessings. Who Jacob was, was why G-d blessed Laban. Jacob was saying G-d blessed you because I am here. (My feet are here.)

We see a principle here that should speak to all of us. Our presence in any situation should be a source of blessing. If there is strife we, by being available, can be a voice of calm. Where there is despair we can bring hope. Where there is need, we by being available, can bring help. Where there are lies we can bring truth. Where there is darkness we can bring light.

We see this promise from the beginning.

Genesis 12:3 G-d tells Avraham, “in you all nations will be blessed.” We see this over and over in scripture. In Daniel 6:3 where we read, “Daniel became distinguished above all the other presidents and satraps because an excellent spirit was in him.”

When we come to the Messianic scriptures we see the same principle at work. Shaul said in Gal. 2:20 we carry the Messiah who lives in us. Each of us have that same quality, that same spirit living in us and G-d uses this truth in our lives. A good example might be a man or woman who puts on a fragrance when they bath. Where they go that fragrance goes with them and people notice it. Our very presence should bring the aroma of the Messiah into our conversations and actions. Simply by being, we carry Him with us in our conversation, our actions. This shows who we are.

Remember this important truth as you interact with the world. Everywhere we go should be changed. For like Jacob, just by our feet (our presence) we can change the situation around us.

3.What is your definition of Prayer?

Prayer for some people is just a list of wants. After putting those before the Father their prayer time is finished. Is that all there is to prayer?

“Prayer is above all else, an intimate encounter between a person and G-d. The prayer’s content includes requests and supplications from G-d, but the essence of prayer is embodied first and foremost, by the act of turning to the L-rd. Content comes second.”

The first important thing we should all do when we pray is to sit before the Father and clear up any sin that stands between us.  The very word for prayer or to pray in Hebrew is lehitpalel. This literally means to judge oneself. It means to escape our personal view of a problem and allow G-d to reveal His view to us.  The “I” falls silent for a bit and we grasp that we are not all knowing but G-d is. The more we can be still and seek Him out the more effectively we will be able to pray. Our questions often is, “What do I need from life?” The more important question should be, “What does life need from me?” What did G-d create me for in this world? We all have a purpose in life. We are here because the Father wanted us to be here. He created us for a purpose. G-d is always ready to show us that purpose if we are open to being still before Him. Prayer allows us, as Ya’akov says here, to know G-d is in this place waiting for us to slow down and meet Him in our prayers.

 Building on that thought, let us turn our attention to Ya’akov in this portion by reading B’resheet/Genesis 28:10-16. These verses describe Ya’akov’s encounter with G-d as he began his trek to Haran. Remember, Ya’akov is at the beginning of a long and arduous journey over 1000 miles. It is his first adventure away from the tents of his mother and father. I would call your attention to verse 16 especially. In English this verse reads, “Surely the L-rd is in this place and I did not know.” In Hebrew, the last few words of this verse are somewhat different. In Hebrew it reads, “And I, I knew it not.” So, the question arises why is the word I expressed twice? Something I read helped me to understand and also deepen my thoughts on prayer. I think Ya’akov, by emphasizing the “I”, was saying he had been so centered on himself he almost missed G-d. By the Hebrew construction, Ya’akov is saying he came to recognize G-d was there by forgetting about himself and his problems. We sense the presence of G-d when we put ourselves aside and seek out G-d’s view of what is in our heart. Less than prayer changing the world, it changes us.  

A bit of Hebrew trivia: There are two words for “I” here in this verse, ani and anohe. The last word is an older form of I and it means, “I alone, no one else”  You can find it in Exodus 20:2 when G-d said, “I am the L-rd your G-d. Here he used the term anohe – I alone am the L-rd.

So Jacob was taking the responsibility on himself, he alone, almost missed G-d.

4.Of all the people we have met and will meet, Jews trace their history as a people back to Jacob, not Avraham, not Isaac and not Moses. Why would this be the case? 

I believe, as we have seen in his life and will continue to see, he never gave up. He passed through many trials but continued on. In Genesis 29:1 we read this about him as he set out on his journey to Haran, “he went on his journey.” However, in Hebrew it would be translated as, “he lifted his feet and went on his way.” He never stopped moving ahead. For sure he passed some difficult tests but he kept going. If we look back at the history of the Jewish people we see the same trait. After every persecution they kept going, often reaching new heights. I pray this will speak to us all today. As believers G-d is with us. That doesn’t mean we will not experience difficult tests. It does mean G-d is with us and has a way for us.  So as we look at this man’s life let this sink in, G-d has a purpose for whatever we encounter. He is with us.

Also Jews trace their history back to Jacob, also known as Israel in the Bible, because he is considered the direct ancestor of the twelve tribes of Israel, which is where the name “Israelites” and ultimately “Jewish people” is derived from; while Abraham and Isaac are also considered important patriarchs, the lineage is most directly connected through Jacob’s children who formed the tribes of Israel. 

Below is an article written by Yehuda Bachana from the Netivyah congregation on dreams.  

When we think about the first dream in the Bible, we usually think of Jacob’s ladder, but that’s not the first dream, as the first dream in the Bible is that of King Abimelech of Gerar. Abraham went to Gerar and presented Sarah as his sister rather than as his wife, which is why Sarah was taken to the King’s palace. By means of a nightly dream, God warned King Abimelech not to touch Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

Throughout the Scriptures, God uses dreams to convey messages. Sometimes He speaks directly in dreams, like He did with Laban (Genesis 31:24); while God also uses dreams to present an image, like we see with ‘Jacob’s Ladder,’ where heavenly angels ascend and descend. We can sense these angels were present in order to protect Jacob on his difficult and even dangerous journey. Another example of dreams that present an image are those of Joseph and the Pharaoh.

In the New Testament, Peter’s vision on the roof in Jaffa (Acts 10) is one of the most famous dreams. Simon Peter was hungry, and while food was being prepared for him, he fell asleep and dreamt about food. In this dream, a sheet descended with all kinds of unclean animals that are prohibited by the Torah, and a voice from heaven commanded: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” (verse 13) Peter’s initial response was, “No way! I’ve never eaten anything unclean!” The dream appeared three times.

Naturally, this dream could be interpreted as the permission to eat unclean foods, but is that the correct interpretation? When we examine these verses, we quickly realize that the foods are only an image—a metaphor—that represents different kinds of people: Jews and Gentiles, in this case. Somewhat similarly, the houses in the parable of the house on the sand and the house on the rock in Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7) represent different types of believers, and Yeshua didn’t intend to give homebuilding advice (just like the dream of Jacob’s ladder isn’t about angels and their physical need for a ladder to descend from heaven. Truly, would the lack of a ladder prevent angels from descending to earth?)

The foods in Peter’s dream are only a metaphor. Then what’s the lesson we can derive from the image in this parable? In these verses, God teaches us to accept every person equally. The community is open to non-Jewish believers from the nations, too.

Peter woke up a little confused from this dream and tried to make sense of what he had seen and what God was trying to tell him. It wasn’t immediately clear to him. Then God sent messengers to him through Cornelius. At that point, Peter understood the message and the meaning of the picture God presented to him in his dream, and therefore Peter declared: “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.” (Acts 10:28)

We are meant to understand the parable in Peter’s vision as a command to accept every person as they are. We must not think of someone else as ‘unclean.’ God created all human beings in His own image, and therefore, every person carries and reflects the image of God.

We tend to separate ourselves from others and build walls and partitions, thinking in terms of ‘them’ and ‘we.’ However, in Ephesians 2:14, Yeshua destroyed the walls that separate us. Our Creator is the God of every being, and Yeshua the Messiah is the King of the entire world. In this week’s Torah Portion, Jacob dreams of a ladder with angels ascending and descending. A similar image appears at the beginning of the Gospel of John: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:51-52)

Yeshua is the ladder that connects us to the heavens. Through Yeshua, we have a connection to the living God of all mankind.