11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:11-12 (NIV)
###This afternoon I enjoyed reading a portion of (Rabbi) Toba Spitzer's book, God Is Here discussing the story of Jacob's Dream --highlighter added by me--
When Jacob awakens from his dream, he exclaims, “Mah norah haMakom hazeh— How awesome is this Place!” *[3] This nondescript rocky spot in the desert has suddenly become, in Jacob’s mind, a “gateway to heaven.” The emphasis in Jacob’s exclamation isn’t just on “haMakom/ Place” but also on the word hazeh—“ this.” If Makom is a name for an experience of godliness that we can access in any place, then by saying “how awesome is this Makom,” we acknowledge the potential for having this kind of expanded awareness in any moment, in any situation. It is this place, this spot that I am inhabiting in this moment, that holds the potential for direct experience of something sacred.
Spitzer, Toba. God Is Here (p. 82). St. Martin's Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
*[3] Genesis 28:17
Photo: taken by me. Southland, New Zealand
I have looked at this one several times and I still find the highlighted words challenging! Thanks
ReplyDeleteI find this stunning to think about! A similar feeling to when I learned the term "contingent being", and also when I first came across an article that I could actually understand about Heidegger's work on 'Being'. Thanks for your comment Moya, it's the first I've received and now I know the alert for comments is working!
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