Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/260

Rh 242

TJic

Book of Genesis

So he wandered on throughout last darkness came upon him in

At

He

spot.

Rocks on

and no sign of

More than ever he

day.

l)itter

a wild, desolate, forsaken

looked anxiously about him.

as far as eye could see, direction.

long and

tliat

realized

sides,

all

living being in his

loneliness



any and

fear, too, began to lay hold upon him of what might befall him in this awful place, with not even God to protect him. So the sinner always fears, when the consciousness of his sin dawns upon him, and he feels that even God has for-

saken him.

But

at

last

weariness overcame fear, and he

with his head pillowed upon a great stone. easy, restful sleep.

The consciousness

But

fell it

asleep,

was no

of his sin, the realiza-

had lost, and the longing for his loved ones were still upon him, and his fears still troubled him. But suddenly a glorious vision came to him in a dream. He saw a ladder reaching up to heaven from the very spot upon which he was lying, with angels ascending and descending, and God Himself standing above him. And he heard God's words addressed to him, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and tion of all that he

bring thee back into this land

will



for

I

will not leave thee,

have done that which I have spoken to thee of". And with these words there came to Jacob peace and rest, and he slept (juietly until morning. until

I

He felt he awoke the dream was still with him. must have been sent by God, to make him realize God had not forsaken him, even despite his sin that was still with him. and would be with him throughout

When that tliat

He

it


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