His journey to Haran was no ordinary trip – it was, according to tradition, a day absolutely packed with divine intervention, a veritable whirlwind of the wondrous!
Ginzberg, in his Legends of the Jews, paints a picture of Jacob's journey as a series of five miracles, one right after the other. Can you imagine?
The first miracle? The sun sets...at noon. Picture this: Jacob is walking, following the miraculous spring that, according to legend, appeared wherever the Patriarchs went, when suddenly, as he passes Mount Moriah, the sun starts to dip below the horizon – even though it's the middle of the day! Now, Jacob isn't thrilled at first. He thinks it's too early to stop. But, as the Legends of the Jews tell us, it was all part of God's plan. God wanted Jacob to spend the night at the site of the future Temple, and, perhaps more importantly, God only reveals Himself to the faithful at night. It was also a neat way to save Jacob from his brother Esau, who was in hot pursuit!
But there's more! Jacob gathers twelve stones from the altar where his father Isaac was bound – remember that story? – and he has a thought: if these stones merge into one, he'll know for sure that he’s destined to father the twelve tribes of Israel. And guess what? Miracle number two: they do! The twelve stones become one, then soften into a comfortable pillow.
Now, this might seem like a small thing, but remember, Jacob was exhausted. According to the Legends of the Jews, this was the first night in fourteen years that he hadn't stayed up all night studying at Eber's house of learning. And he wouldn't sleep much for the next twenty years either, spending his nights reciting Psalms while working for Laban. So, a comfortable pillow was definitely a welcome miracle!
That night, Jacob has a dream, a prophetic vision of epic proportions. He sees a ladder stretching to heaven, angels ascending and descending, and a glimpse into the entire future of the world! He sees the angels who had been banished from Heaven for betraying their secret mission to Lot, as well as the angels representing the four kingdoms: Babylon, Media, Greece, and Edom. The angel of Edom boasts, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High!" but is reminded that he will ultimately be brought down. In this dream, God shows Jacob the revelation at Mount Sinai, Elijah's ascent to heaven, the glory and destruction of the Temple, and even glimpses of Daniel's encounters. It's a whirlwind tour of Jewish history and destiny, all packed into one incredible dream! And God promises Jacob that the land he's lying on will belong to him and his descendants. As Ginzberg notes, the land he lay upon was the whole of Palestine, folded together by God and placed beneath him.
When Jacob wakes up, he's understandably shaken. "How dreadful is this place!" he cries out, "This is none other but the house of God, wherein is the gate of heaven!" (Genesis 28:17). He takes the single stone, the one formed from the twelve, and sets it up as a pillar, pouring oil on it. The Legends of the Jews tells us that the oil flowed down from heaven, and God sank the stone into the abyss to serve as the center of the earth, the Eben Shetiyah (Foundation Stone), the very same stone that lies at the heart of the Temple.
Jacob makes a vow to give a tenth of all he owns to God. According to the text, he was the first to ever make such a vow. Then, miracle number three happens: in the blink of an eye, Jacob is transported to Haran! The earth, quite literally, jumped from Mount Moriah to Haran. The text tells us that God has only performed this kind of miracle four times in history.
In Haran, Jacob finds a well, but it's a struggle for the locals to get water. But, because of Jacob's righteousness, the city’s water springs were blessed. He sees shepherds waiting to water their flocks, and here comes Rachel, his cousin, to water her father’s sheep. And here it is, miracle number four: Jacob, with superhuman strength, rolls the massive stone covering the well's mouth away as easily as removing a cork from a bottle! According to the Legends of the Jews, God had endowed him with this strength when he left the Holy Land, having caused the dew of resurrection to drop upon him.
And finally, miracle number five: the water in the well rises to the top and stays there for the entire twenty years that Jacob lives in Haran!
So, what does all of this mean? It's a story of divine favor, of destiny unfolding, and of the incredible power of faith. It's a reminder that even in the most ordinary moments, miracles can happen. And, perhaps, it's an invitation to look for the miracles in our own lives, big and small. After all, as Jacob's journey shows us, sometimes the most extraordinary things happen when we least expect them.