Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z’l teaches that there is a basic shape to our prayers. Prayer consists first of ascent, then finding that one is standing in the Presence of G-d, and then descent. The inspiration for this structure of prayer is none other than Yaakov’s great vision.
Rabbi Sacks writes that, “Prayer is a ladder stretching from earth to heaven. On this ladder of words, thoughts and emotions, we gradually leave earth’s gravitational field. We move from the world around us, perceived by the senses, to an awareness of that which lies beyond the world - the earth’s Creator.
“At the end of this ascent, we stand, as it were, directly in the conscious presence of G-d... We then slowly make our way back to earth again - to our mundane concerns, the arena of actions and interactions within which we live. But if prayer has worked, we are not the same afterward as we were before. For we have seen, as Jacob saw, ‘G-d is truly in this place, and I knew it not.’
“If the first stage is the climb, and the second standing in heaven, then the third is bringing a fragment of heaven down to earth. For what Jacob realized when he woke from his vision is that G-d is in this place. Heaven is not somewhere else, but is here - even if we are alone and afraid - if only we realized it. And we can become angels, G-d’s agents and emissaries; we can ultimately even struggle ‘with G-d and with men’ (32:28), if, like Jacob, we have the ability to pray and the strength to dream, and the openness to see the transformations that can happen in the difficult spaces between” (Covenant & Conversation, Genesis, p.188-189).
With every prayer we offer, we must strive to reach this spiritual level. A feeling of ascent as we reach upwards to Heaven; the reality of standing in the Presence of G-d; and the descent from that peak, where we bring some of heaven back to earth, allowing it to inspire us in our daily lives.
The day of this writing, Monday, December 2, the State of Israel declared that Cpt. Omer Maxim Neutra, an IDF soldier who was kidnapped to Gaza on October 7, 2023, has been declared a fallen IDF soldier, whose body is still being held captive by Hamas.
Neutra, 21, was born in New York in 2001, and immigrated to Israel, serving as a lone soldier. Omar loved sports, playing soccer, basketball, and volleyball, and served as the captain of his school’s sports teams. Family and friends described him as a warm, optimistic, and caring individual who "lights up the room the moment he enters."
One of the most difficult photos from the October 7 massacre was that of IDF soldiers being pulled cruelly from their tank by Hamas terrorists, after the tank was set aflame. Omer was the commander of that tank, and his body was kidnapped to Gaza along with his tank crew: Nimrod Cohen, Shaked Dahan and Oz Daniel.
Omer is survived by his parents, Ronen and Orna, and his brother, Daniel (https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/400085). May his memory be for a blessing and may G-d avenge his blood.
