It all starts with a dream. Jacob, fleeing his brother Esau, lays down to sleep, using a stone as a pillow. And he has a vision. A ladder stretching to heaven, angels ascending and descending, and then…God Himself, standing right there. “And, behold, the Lord was standing over him, and said: I am the Lord, God of Abraham your father, and God of Isaac. The land upon which you lie, to you I will give it, and to your descendants” (Genesis 28:13).
But what does it mean, “the Lord was standing over him?" Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, dives deep into this moment. Rabbi Yosei bar Zimra kicks things off by connecting this vision to a verse from Psalms: “My flesh yearns for You, in a parched and thirsty land without water” (Psalms 63:2). It’s a powerful image, isn't it? That feeling of being utterly parched, not just physically, but spiritually.
Rabbi Elazar, quoting Rabbi Yosei bar Zimra, takes it even further. He says, “My soul thirsts for You…yearns [kama] for You” (Psalms 63:2) – like these truffles that long for water. Truffles! Those rare, earthy delicacies that grow underground, constantly seeking moisture. It's a beautiful analogy for the soul's relentless search for connection with the Divine.
Think about that for a moment. A truffle, hidden in the darkness, instinctively reaching for life-giving water. Is that not a perfect metaphor for our own spiritual hunger?
And it doesn’t stop there. The Rabbis in Bereshit Rabbah add that it’s not just our soul that thirsts, but all our two hundred and forty-eight limbs. Every part of us, every fiber of our being, is yearning for God. Where does this yearning take place? “In a parched and thirsty land without water.” A place of emptiness, of longing. A place that sounds a lot like…life sometimes.
The verse in Psalms continues: “Indeed, in the Sanctuary I have seen You” (Psalms 63:3) – in sanctity I have seen You; “beholding Your power” (Psalms 63:3) – this is Your entourage; “and Your glory” (Psalms 63:3) – “and, behold, the Lord was standing over him.” So, the Psalmist's experience of seeing God in the Sanctuary, of beholding His power and glory, is directly linked to Jacob's vision. The "Lord standing over him" isn't just a visual image; it's an experience of divine presence that answers that deep, primal thirst.
What does all this mean for us today? Perhaps it's a reminder that the yearning itself is sacred. That the feeling of being lost, of being parched, is not a sign of failure, but an invitation. An invitation to seek, to thirst, to connect with something bigger than ourselves. And maybe, just maybe, in that moment of deepest longing, we too will glimpse the Divine standing right there, above us, within us, ready to offer the waters of life.