Yaakov’s Vow | Rabbi Shmuel Goldin | November 26th 2025

made a vow. If God will be with me and he will guard me on this path where I will go and he will give me food to eat and clothing to wear. I will then return to this to this home to this la place of God and God will be my God. Hashem will be my God and then this heaven that I've made and I will give him a from all that I have. So which statement, which phrase is particularly troubling in that vow? I underlined it for you. Hashem, what does it seem to be saying? What does it seem to be saying on the surface is what? >> If God is with me, if you'll do all this, then you'll be my God. And what's the flip side of that? If you don't, then what? Then so that's a a real problem. That's a real problem from from for a patriarch to be issuing a vow like that is problematic for us. All right. Again, I'm going to leave questions at the end unless it's immediate. Okay. All right. Don't forget it. I'll be happy to hear it. All right. Okay. So, so we we we need to explore this. We need to find out to figure out what is Yakov actually saying at this moment and what does mean? So and compounding the problem compounding the problem is if you look at the promises that made to him in the dream they are exactly the things that he seems to be making conditional. What does Hashem say? Look at the second section. I will guard you wherever you go and I will bring you back etc etc. What is Hashem promising? promising the very things that Yakov afterwards seems to be asking about. Who are asking for? What? What are you asking for? Hashem told you what's going on. So, if you take a look at the second page, uh we'll skip for a moment the side issue. Maybe I'll get a chance to talk about that at the end. The difficulty with this vow is underscored by a medo where ao and son are arguing and one says now remember we've spoken about this before I'm looking at page number two section two you Remember, we've asked does does the Torah follow chronological order? And we've answered that it does except when it doesn't. Right? That's been our answer, which is that it definitely follows chronological order. Sometimes it might not depending on here the rabbis and the medish are arguing about that. And what does one say? One of them says, "You can't read the para as it flows. What you have to do is you have to put this ne before the dream." Right? In other words, y can't be asking for things that Hashem already promised and making them conditional. Therefore, what it has to be is Hashem he he had this ne he he had the dream. [clears throat] I'm sorry. He had the ne and in response appeared to him in the dream. So in other words he says with God will be hashem says I will be with you. If god will guard me hashem says I will guard you. That's the only way according to that commentary to that rav in the medish that this text could make sense. He has to be you have to switch it around which shows the great difficulty with understanding this vow. Rashi will actually take and take a look at the bottom of the page. Rashi takes the vow and dissects it phrase by phrase and he shows how each of these phrases make sense in and of themselves. If God is with memory etc. And what he does with the problematic P is very interesting. He says shalom shalom. I if I return complete without sin having resisted the temptation to fall into the traps that love one will make for me then you'll be my god because I will have succeeded I will have succeeded in coming back whole from love on's house. So that's one way to approach the approach that problematic p still doesn't answer all of the other question all of the other issues with the vow. Why is he questioning the very things that Hashem promises but it does offer an approach to that problematic puzzle. Take a look at page number three. Page number three, we find and I'll I'm just giving you among the many commentaries who wrestle with this. We're going to take a look at another two. The Rashbam I have told you is my favorite classical per because he sticks close to the paship shot. He always insists on the shot. It's Rashi's grandson and he takes his grandfather to task periodically for going to Medrish. So what does the Rashbam say? That doesn't mean God will be my God. It means that if God is is gives me success in everything I try to do then I will be returning here in peace etc. So that's the rashbam the swarno the swarno offers a very interesting shot I don't certainly don't think it's b shot but it's fascinating the second paragraph at the bottom of the page three towards the bottom of page three god What does it mean by elohim? Now, what does the word Elohim mean in the Torah? Sometimes it means God. Sometimes it means what? Judge says Zarno. That's what he's saying. If if you do all those things for me, just make make it possible, then you will be my judge as to whether or not I will worship you in the right way. I I'm off you. You can judge me. I promise you that I will and you can be my judge. So it's an interesting interesting approach but it's the Ramban who offers a revolutionary approach and you could read it without recognizing how revolutionary it is and we have to look at it carefully and it's going to serve as the basis of most of the sheer that's going to follow. The Ramban says that is Ray Rashi that is not part of Yakov's requests conditional requests. What is it? It's an edit. If I can return whole to this land, then I will be able to worship God completely. Because you can only worship God completely. I'm putting in the extra words. We'll see why in a moment. when you are in Erit Israel, I will worship God completely upon my return because I am recognizing now that the only place to to worship God completely is in Eric's isra and therefore I will be able to worship you fully upon my return. Now what's fascinating about this is that the Ramban makes this a a halic and philosophical position which is very very revolutionary. The Ramban says what? >> Well, you did right. We'll talk about that a second. Right. So what does the Ramban say? The Ramban says that every mitzvah you perform, no matter what that mitzvah might be, even the mitzvot that are not barrett, even those mitzvot that are not clearly tied into the land, every mitzvah you perform outside the land of Israel is incomplete. It can only be complete in Arit Israel. That's the Ramba. Now let's let's understand and let's take a look at a medish first that's on a paragraph that we say a couple of times a day and then we'll talk about this for a moment. The Ramban has has source for this in an earlier madrish. Take a look at page number four. We say in the second paragraph of the schma what do we say? If we fail to listen to right, if you fail to listen to me, if you fail to observe my laws, then you will be lost. You will be sent destroyed from the land. Go out of the land. What's the next All of a sudden what you shall place these things upon your heart and upon your soul put on fill in the right. So what is the med? Medus asks what's the connection between those two what's the connection between and observing the laws. So, one answer very clearly could be, and it's not the one that the Medish chooses. One answer clearly could be that the only way you're going to remain whole and identified as a Jew who will come back to the land is if you follow the laws wherever you are. And we know that. We know that if we look at Jewish history, it it's those of us who have kept the law that very often are able to perpetuate not just the law but Judaism itself across the ages. But what does the say? The says those two, how do I explain them? Even though I will exile you from the land to outside the land, be excellent in your performance of mitzvot. do the mitzvah so that when you get back to the land of Israel, they will not appear to be alien to you. They'll be familiar to you. Now, if you take that measure at face value on some level, all the mitzvah performed outside the land of Israel are practice. They're practice. They're practice for when we get back to Israel and can do them completely. Now, now I'll step back and because this is easily be misqued. I don't believe the medish are saying they are totally practiced. Obviously, it's a mitzvah to put on fill in in Anglewood, New Jersey where I was, right? It's a mitzvah. However, what the Raman is saying and what the medish is saying is that mitzvah performed perfectly outside the land is imperfect. It's not imperfect. It's not complete. And as you said, the Ramban lived he he didn't he put his money where his mouth was, right? What did the Ramban do towards the end towards the latter half of his life? He made aliyah, right? when when there was no nephesh beneesh and no none of there was very very difficult to do so and he establishes a community where in the old city which is why you have the rambul and the point being that that he he himself felt I was not complete I am not complete outside the land uh important for now ever. >> We'll talk about it. We'll talk about Jacob. She asks, "Would Jacob ever fill his ne?" We're either going to talk about that this today or next week. It depends on our time. All right. Very good question. But very, very good question. Now, I'm going to take the Ramban one step further. What if he he says it is a statement that I realize that God is not my complete God unless I'm in Israel. What if we take the phrase as Yakov's promise, the beginning of Yakov's promise as to what he'll do. If you guard me wherever I go, if you take care of me wherever I am, then I promise you, God, I will not misunderstand. I will not feel that your presence in my life outside the land of Israel means that I can stay outside the land of Israel. Because think about it, these are two potentially conflicting concepts that is saying in the dream. What does he say? He says, "I will be with you wherever you go." What is the logical conclusion of that phrase? Stay where you are. Right? Along comes Yakov and he says, "I recognize that your being with me wherever I am is necessary for my survival, but I won't misunderstand it. I won't mis. It's like we my my wife was speaking to a friend who lives in Burough Park. She says, "What do I need? What do I need Israel for? I've got Burough Park." Right? Uh you you've got all these the idea being what? The idea being God is my God here or what do I have to go back to Israel? I I walk the streets of Bur Park and I I So think about it there. These are potentially two conflicting messages that Yakov is saying, "I understand. Vishvi, I promise God I'll come back. I'll come back." And as proof, by the way, of the fact that these are two conflicting messages and that it's not a foregone conclusion that you accept both of them. If you look at page five, you'll find a quote from the Pittsburgh platform of Reformed Judaism, which was a a platform which issued a whole series of statements about reformed Judaism. And one of them was the following. And let's read it. We consider ourselves no longer a nation but a religious community and therefore expect neither a return to Palestine nor a sacrificial worship under the sons of Aaron nor the restoration of any of the laws concerning the Jewish state. Wow. What does that mean? and and again one could argue it's logical what God is spreading the Jews all around the world when we're all around the world we can affect the world right so what do I have to go back to the Jewish state for now it it happens to be that the next major convention after the shawah uh negated that statement and came out in favor of reestablishing the state of Israel but the fact is that at one point in their deliberations they were basically saying if God is with me wherever I go I don't have to go back and not only that I shouldn't go back I should stay where I am because I can have more impact if I'm spread around the world so that's that is perhaps I'm taking the one step further and saying perhaps vishav vish shalom is what a promise I'll come back I won't misunderstand stand. I will come back. Now, let's take a look at the resolution. Take a look at we're going to answer your question about the nether. Take a look at the resolution. The resolution that I'm quoting is at the end of Yakov's stay at Lavant's house and it describes a second dream in Parasit. Everybody focuses only on the first, which is a dream of the latter ascending heaven. But this is the second dream. Now, what's interesting about this dream, by the way, is that we do not read it in real time. We only read it as Yakov explains it to his wives. So, it's not clear, did he really dream this dream or is this just a way of of convincing them to come back to Israel? But one way or the other, look at the text. Pavan, right? He he sees the face of second line in in page number five, section five. Go back to the land, to your land, and to your birthplace. Go back. And then he gathers his his wives, right? He brings Rael and Leo together and he says to them, and look at the underlined section first. He says to them, "Ro, I see your father's face that it's not the same that that he's looking at me a scance because of all that's happened and all the wealth that I've amassed." And I say, and I look at the underlined section. I I I saw in my dream a bunch of sheep and they were spotted and speckled. Now this is referring to what? This is referring to the agreements he was making with love on which he claims love was going was undoing which is if it at one point he said okay all spotted sheep will belong to you. So they all came out spotted. So he said, "Oh no, I didn't mean that. I will speckled you." Whatever it may be, lift your eyes. Take a look at the spotted and speckled sheep. I am the God of where you anointed a rock, right? Where you made a vow. What's what do we see here? This is this is really a very very upsett unsettling event. Why does not go back of his own valition what is saying to him in the dream is what you're forgetting your nair again if we explain the nether the way we've suggested you're forgetting the nair you promised me what you promised me you'd go back you anointed a mata you made a nair now get up and go back >> I'm sorry say No, that's correct. That's correct. He didn't give him a limited time, but he expected him to determine when it would be time. In other words, and and obvious again when I'm not I'm not accusing Yakov. Maybe there were reasons for it, whatever. But what is the evidence of the text? The evidence of the text is that God has to turn to him even before the dream where he says and say to him go back he doesn't do it of his own valition and [clears throat] and the very fact that is reminding him of the net etc etc means I think that is saying now's the time you should recognize this and gone back there's also something else that's unsettling about this dream anybody want to suggest that take a look at how Yes. >> Um sheep. >> Yeah. >> Right. >> Okay. All right. Come back to you. I'll come back to you. Come back to you in just a moment. Good. That's the answer. What's the question that we would raise is what's the connection between the first half of the dream and the second half of the dream? What's the connection between the spotted and speckled sheep and God's commandment to go home? So, as you're saying, one of the answers might be it was said by beautifully said by Rabbi uh Miller uh Ro in America was very prominent. When you stop dreaming about angels and you start dreaming about sheep, it's time to go home. All right. Isn't that powerful? Right? And therefore, that could be the explanation for the connection. And when he says, "I have seen everything that love on is doing to you." It doesn't just mean that he's fooling you and cheating you. What does it mean? I see that he's having an effect on you. You're you're getting sucked in. And therefore, when you when you're dreaming a sheep, go back. Time time to return. Yes, >> this is a dream subconsciously um you know he he's understanding >> okay very good very good point if that that's a modern interpretation of dreams right in other words you know very sub >> in those days in those days they saw dreams perhaps as as visions of that look let's take the first dream he dreamt where God latter are ascending he ascending heaven. So yeah, you could say it's his subconscious is worried that God's not going to stay with him and that's why he's dreaming the dream. But God is delivering a message. God is saying to him, you I will be with you. Here's So here are two. Yeah, you're right. Maybe subconsciously he knows what he's supposed to do, but he claims now and I want you to remember I he claims this dream we don't read about as it happens. this dream we only read about it as it is repeated to Rael and Leo. So we we don't know what changed in the interpretation and what was different because if you take a look for example later we'll talk about this someday uh parro's dreams when he dreams the dream it says it in real time in the Torah and then the Torah tells you how he repeats it to Yoseph and there are differences between those two renditions. So this is now where this is hearsay and the hearsay maybe that he's feeling uh conflicted correct but one way or the other God has to say to him go home and that is indicated even before the dream says God says to him go home appears to it's within Hashem's power to usum Not it's not a self-determination. >> Right. Correct. >> Maybe through observance of mitzvah as a way to connect. >> Correct. Correct. Look, that's the again that I'll take one more comment and yeah. It's it's interesting because the Ram the Rambam will say that every event that occurs in the Torah where a Malik talks to the man, it's a vision. It's not a real event. And that ties in with what you're saying. In other words, dreams are very important here. Both of you are saying different ends of the same thing, which is dreams are important. They may reflect our own uncertainties and they may also reflect and we believe they do reflect events that are going to occur or what aes wants us to know. So Yakov is is told to go back and he goes back and when he goes back we we see something there's a puk in the Torah which is very familiar to many of us is he goes back and love accosts him and and argues with him and and tells him why did you run away and you stole my daughters and what a whole bunch of things and they make an agreement to part to hard, right? This is our boundary. You're you're not going to go over this to to attack me in any way. Elohim is coming back into the land of Israel. And what does it say? Elohim. So what's the problem with that statement? What do they say? What do they what's their message? Is just simply what? Every time appear in the Torah, they're there for a purpose, right? They're saying something. The the the Malohim who come to Abraham are saying Sora is going to have a child. Da da da da da. The Malohim that come to lo say get out of get out of Saddam. What do the Malohim say here? This is it just says they appear and it doesn't tell you why. So one explanation ties into everything we've said which is what that as he returns to Israel the what the relationship with becomes fuller and it is represented by the appearance of Malohim who appeared to him. All right. And the kazal, you know, we learned something very interesting as children. Remember the first dream, [snorts] it says the angels are ascending and descending, which is backwards, right? You would think the angels descend and then they go up because they come from shayanim. So what do kazal say? Kazal say the angels who accompanied him in Israel are going. And the angels that are going to accompany him are going down. Now that's a beautiful image. But what's what's its muscale? Exactly what we're saying. Your relationship with God is different outside the land of Israel. So there will be different angels accompanying you outside the land of Israel. That's in other words, that's a vision that has very very strong significance underscoring what we said. >> Say again. uses a whole thing. >> Okay. All right. Now, we're going to talk about that in just a moment. What is That's very strange. It's strange language. Paga is a very strong word. It means to encounter in a in a very strong way. Did the think back maybe some of you will know. Did this word appear anywhere else? At the very beginning of the para when settles comes to a place where he's supposed to and it says which is causes an argument what is it means the place what is the place doesn't say a place and it says he encounters the place but there's a encouraged me many years ago there's a a fascinating nuance of difference between the phrase at the first part of the para and the phrase here. Can anybody pick it up [snorts] in what? Say again. >> Uh one is okay. Right. One is plural because he it's talking about the angels approaching him or being and there he was individually. Look at the subject and the object. In the case at the beginning of the para, right? He is encountering the place. The place towers over him here. What does it say? He towers over them. Coming back whole from the house of Lavan. He is now the subject of that phrase. >> Uh what? Say again. >> H certain place. >> Oh, that's just because it's the and it's it's the beginning of a sentence. >> Small. >> Yeah. Yeah. Correct. Correct. Correct. Correct. But if so in so what we're suggesting is that the Torah is indicating that after his return having successfully again managed to remain true and faithful in the house of Lavan which was no easy feat now they're encountering him >> right so the object the object rather than the subject he is the object first >> so you could say that it's not so >> it's the but take compare the two phrases in the case of the place is the object he's the subject so if he's encountering then that's something that is to be encountered right that is higher than him here he is thank you for uh correcting my grammar here he is the object they are the subject Again, it means they encounter him. He He is towering over them. He's >> just there has to be some speech, but it reminds me of and there's no speech, >> right? >> Can you not interpret it as an enhancement? >> That's there there. Thank you. There there are various interpretations but that's also a problem in beginning of paraso where hashem appears to seemingly doesn't say anything. The parad is that he's appearing to him through the angels that he'll just see. That's the pup. All right. Anyway, so what we see is that that he has successfully returned. He's now fulfilling his nether. Except he doesn't. Once again he comes back to Erits. What did he promise? He said I'll come back here. I will anoint a monument here. All right. And I will He does doesn't go back. He basically goes and stays in Sukkot and then near Shrem and the whole event of Shimon and Ley takes place. And then what does God say to him? Look at the sec the next to last paragraph on page six. What's happening here? He God appears to him again and says, "You haven't done what you're supposed to do, right? You you still haven't fulfilled your net. Coming back to the land isn't enough. You have to fulfill the promise that you made to me concerning your worship of me and therefore you have to go back." back and once again we find that has to tell him has to command him to do what he promised to do. So what does this all tell us? Obviously what it all tells us is that we have to understand those individuals who I call failed Zionists. What I mean by that is I used to say it to my I used to say it to my community in Anglewood and I used to put myself among the group because a true Zionist has to make aliyah right failed Zionists but you have to we under the Torah seems to understand that it's not easy seems to understand that Yakov had to be pushed to fulfill what he promised because it's not easy and therefore what we have here is an indication That again two things number one that God's double promise of I'll be with you wherever you go. I'll be with you in Burough Park is not negating come back. The two are the two are real. The two create a balance and if you negate one end of that balance as the reform movement did and had to correct then you're negating what wants to do. We'll end with one last comment which is a little bit off topic but it's such a beautiful interpretation that that it it pay maybe plays a role in what we're saying. What is what does he do? He creates a mat. What's a mata? What's the difference between a mata and a misbak? A mata is one stone. It's a pillar. Um this beak is created out of many stones. Now what what happens as the Torah continues when gives the mitzvot to Israel. One of the mitzvot he says is you shall not make which which hashem dislikes. You should not meet you should worship God through and not through a mat. What's but what what Yakov reacted a mata there was a mata through the patriarchal era wasn't always a misbel what and why is he answering it now what's wrong with it so offers a very very beautiful interpretation he suggests the following he says a mato is simply a statement of god's existence what it's it's totally god I don't do anything to create a mata Right? I'm not involved in its creation. I'm simply taking something that God created and using it as part of my worship of a keshu. A misbehing. the patriarchal era. All what that was appropriate he says was a mata because at that point we were not given the mitzvot we were not yet partners with in creating kadusha in the world once the mitzvot are given to us and we become partners then it then we have to have to worship through it's not enough to have a mat we have to create something and be partners with a keshar all right so we'll end there this is Uh, I'm up to the end of my time. We will take a look next week at Yakov's return to the land of Israel and what happens and the things that that emerge at that point. Okay, I'll take any questions or comments now. >> I I'm sorry. Say hello. That's correct. >> Well, correct. No, they they actually the the the one they use to show that the rabbis use to show the structure of a good nether is the one that's done by Ruven and Katisha which is I it has to be this will happen if and this will happen if not in a sense that's there but not really in the net are there they're saying if we go out and we do this then then we'll get the land so yes something that the word >> right >> why that word it's very >> okay so [snorts] I'll give you one answer given by and then I'll suggest another the she's answering why does it use the verb pag with such strength so number one the rabbis say that and it's it's a medrashic interpretation that to be pokea when he was pa Mome is he stopped to do it right as we often find ourselves doing but I think on a pushup shot level it's a way of indicating the power and the strength and the importance of these meetings and I think drawing drawing our attention to both of them and comparing them poa means I'm using a different verb because these were very very important events and the strength of the vow of the verb. Now that's just a thought but yes >> oh is it a right right he right correct pigua is very strong and usually usually means negative usually means negative >> what was the purpose of >> the purpose of I think was twofold one to say that I'm coming back ter Israel and it's true my relationship with Hashem is different here so the new angels have to come and the other is it's to indicate that Yakov had reached a very important level in his life that he is now the object he's now the one that the angels are bowing down to because there's no message other than that other than those two that seems to emerge from the text okay yes >> I'm Oh, you have to be really loud. >> All right. Very good. She she mentions that that we left out something about about Yako's return and that Yako's return was motivated partly at least by it. But I think that that strengthens our point. Even when he saw things were changing, God still had told him that you you've got to go back. And if we want to see the importance of that, think of what's happening in the states today, right? And and the rationalizations of I can manage the fact that God still has to say kum oh means that he wasn't doing it until he said it even with the change of change of situation. And I think that underscores gives us such a a m much more important message which is even when things look bad we tend not to leave and that's a problem. Right. There's a very famous I'll end with a this very famous story of and you cannot judge the people who who were victims in the Holocaust but uh this the story is that there was an eye doctor in the Germany in the 1930s who made aliyah and he put a sign up in his door which said for all of you who are nearsighted there's a doctor around the corner. for all of you who are farsighted, follow me. And uh let's let's take a look. All right. Thank you everybody.