Indeed, as explained, the overall crisis that encompasses everything is the crisis of da’at—the center of the nervous system, which may suffer from a breakdown at varying levels. On the side of in holiness, we associate this crisis with Jacob, the father of the six sons, whose entire life was filled with worries and crises. In fact, we can find all six crises that appear in his sons in Jacob:
- He experiences a crisis of lack of love, to the point of alienation, because his father loves Esau.
- He suffers harm from Esau, his twin (who harms him and all those around him).
- He cannot connect at all with this world, the world of Esau (while Esau seems to get along well with everyone...), and he isolates himself as one who “dwells in tents.”
- He is naïve and unsuccessful in business (which he has no interest in, but he feels that in the eyes of others, this is a serious problem for him).
- He is not married and remains an old bachelor until the age of 84, with no peace in his home. On top of that his matchmaking process is complex and difficult, and in many ways, so too is his married life. As a result, he finds no meaning until he begins to engage in establishing the House of Israel.
As was explained in the previous article in this series (Wisdom, issue 143), the crisis of da’at is a conflict whose origin is unclear, and its rectification comes about as a result of: “Know where you came from, where you are going, and before whom you are destined to give an accounting”; by recognizing that the crisis is a point of transformation, a decay from which will emerge growth. The crisis of da’at is a point on the path from the past to the future. The past will turn into a bright future when one fulfills the call of the verse, ”I will lift my eyes to the mountains, from where will my help come,” with confidence that God will bring the help from within the crisis.
Indeed, the value of “Jacob” (בֹקֲעַי) is the same as “from where to where” (ןִיַאֵמ ןָאְל), as well as the 7 times 26, God’s essential Name Havayah—before whom all will give an accounting—the Name designating creation of being from non-being (creation ex nihilo), the ultimate power of growth, and a new reality that is fast approaching.
(based on a shiur given on 16 Shevat 5785)
