Parashat Vavetze (And he went out…)
9 Kislev, 5786 / November 29th, 2025
By Arnold Fishman
This Week’s Readings:
Torah: Genesis 28:10 – 32:3
Haftarah: Hosea 12:13 – 14:10
Brit Chadashah: John 1:43-51
This Torah portion looks at a 20-year slice of Jacob’s life where the foremost takeaway is that two marriages creates tsuris. This passage is full of drama and multitudes of “Oy vey” moments throughout that could easily be turned into a mesmerizing HBO mini-series— drama, sexuality, anger, rage, deception and conspiracy. This 20-year adventure of Jacob sets the foundation for the Jewish tribes down through the last 4,000 years. A few days into Jacob’s journey, G-d intervenes in a powerful way to reveal His faithfulness and to remind Abraham’s grandson of the covenant that He has with his family. This powerful Ruach HaKodesh inspired dream reveals a startling stairway extending from the base of the ground into the heavens with the angels of G-d ascending and descending and the glory of Adonai on the top stair. This event so stirred Jacob that he took a large stone that he used as a pillow and poured oil upon it as a sign and reminder of G-d’s provision and promises. We see G-d using memorial stones as a testimony throughout the Scriptures. This stone of remembrance will also come into play with Jacob during next week’s Torah reading. This revelation from the L-RD came 12 miles north of present day Jerusalem—Jacob renamed the location Beth-el (meaning the House of Adonai), or “This is indeed the gate of heaven!” as one can imagine Jacob bursting out loud. Here we see G-d’s plans unfolding in reminding Jacob, of the unconditional covenant He gave to his grandfather Abraham which now rested upon him. Jacob is struck by the L-RD speaking to him personally and knowing that He is with him on this journey. Perhaps it could be inferred that Jacob might have questioned the previous whole scheming of the birthright deception between his mother and father Isaac: questions like: “Was wearing the silly furry skin the right thing to do?” Or “Should I have trusted G-d more fully and not used a rash deception to manipulate father?” Questions and perhaps doubts. With this dream, G-d puts those questions behind him as Adonai calls him to move forward into the fullness of His plans as the chosen son of promise. This dream stays with him to sustain him in the long days ahead and many sleepless nights tending Laban’s flocks for 14 long years. G-d reveals that He will bring him safely back home—a word of promise that immediately affects him to make a vow of devotion and a personal commitment of faith towards the G-d of His fathers. The TLV translates G-d’s covenantal promise to Jacob in a wonderful way. He says Jacob will “burst forth” (most versions say “spread forth”). Bursting implies newness, fertility, abundance and unstoppable blessing—a prophetic reality of Jacob’s, and in a larger sense, Israel’s future. In some ways, this dream parallels the testimony of Balak concerning Israel hundreds of years later. The term “bursting” is also used for events from the power of floods, with the breaking of iron chains of deliverance (and even new wine to burst out as Proverbs says that G-d promises abundance because you are to honor G-d with your first fruits). We see this “bursting forth” in Jacob as he finds love and his quiver becomes full of children. We also see G-d transforming Jacob from a quiet tent dweller to a man of the field who also was full of zeal in dealing cleverly with the wiles of his father-in-law and learning to prosper economically. We see G-d providing him a spirit of wisdom, and insight with the God-breathed words of another dream showing him how to manipulate the breeding of the goats through unusual physical means in order to settle accounts with Laban.
There are four take aways for us from this Torah portion: (1.) The memorial stone is a reminder for us to look to G-d to provide for us waypoints where He makes His presence known. We see this oiled stone being symbolic of the Holy Spirit working in us as a living testimony. G-d wants us to take action by setting up these “stones” throughout our lives that remind us and others of His faithfulness and sovereign work. For each person a memorial stone of testimony will look different, but the same Spirit inspires us all. (2.) The Spirit of the L-RD wants to burst forth in our lives as He wants to move us forward and multiply our gifts and impact for the kingdom of G-d. We are called to boldly ask him for big things just as Jacob did after the dream. (3.) G-d does and can still speak to us in dreams if we are listening for Him. (4.) G-d sometimes allows consequences into our lives as a result of sinful choices and wrong behavior. We see this as Jacob gets a taste of his own deception as Labin turns the tables on Jacob regarding his marriages and his negotiated salaries.
In the Haftarah portion, we see G-d through Hosea declaring an indictment of both Houses of Israel: “But when they grazed, they became full, their heart was lifted up, therefore they forgot me.” This is the exact same charge that Yeshua had to the believers at Laodicea in Revelation that “you are neither cold nor hot and I will spew you out of my mouth.” G-d’s words of wooing to Israel and Judah to “return to me” echo the call of G-d to Hosea to marry the prostitute as a sign to Israel to return by the mercies of G-d. We are called to remain hot for the L-RD and humble, not forgetting Him.
In the Brit Chadashah, we looked at an opening event in the ministry of Yeshua and His interaction with Philip of Bethsaida, the “House of Fishing” a small and off the beaten path village on the north side of the Sea of Galilee. Andrew fishes for men immediately after being called to follow Yeshua. Here Yeshua selects another of his Galilee disciples, Nathanuel which means “God has given”. The interaction of Yeshua with Nathanuel yields a parallel prophetic revelation like what occurred with Jacob. Yeshua reveals a sign to Nathaniel so that his proclamation is “you are the Son of G-d, Ben-Elohim! We see faith come into being as he realizes who Yeshua is. Yeshua also commends him for being without guile or deception which harkens back to Jacob. Yeshua also reveals to him that he will see Yeshua as Ben-Elohim on the same heavenly stairs that Jacob saw. This is the first of many times when Yeshua reveals to his disciples who he is. The takeaway from this event for us is that G-d knows us and wants again to give each of us a testimony within our spirits of coming face to face with the living Messiah Yeshua, Ben-Elohim.