Torah Portion: Vayetze – Meeting God on the Journey

Torah: Genesis 28:10–32:3; Haftarah: Hosea 11:7–12:14; Besorah: Mark 1:14–28

Shalom friends,
Our portion this week is Vayetze, and it invites us to walk with Jacob through a season of change and formation so we can see how God meets us during our own transitions.

When You Are Between Seasons

Vayetze opens with Jacob on the move. He is not leaving home in triumph, he is leaving because his life has unraveled. His brother wants to kill him. His mother is urging him to flee. His father has blessed him and sent him away, but Jacob is still carrying the weight of everything that just happened.

He is in that middle place where the old chapter has clearly closed, but the new one has not yet begun. It is a place many of us know well.

Scripture says:

“Then Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran.” (Genesis 28:10)

He stops for the night, takes a stone for a pillow, and lies down. Nothing about this moment feels spiritual. He is not in prayer. He is not worshiping. He is simply exhausted.

It is here that God chooses to meet him.

Jacob dreams of a sulam, a ladder or stairway touching earth and reaching heaven, with angels moving up and down. It is a picture of connection. Heaven is not distant. God is not far off. The ordinary ground Jacob is lying on becomes a sacred place.

Then God speaks. He repeats the covenant made with Abraham and Isaac, but this time He speaks it directly to Jacob. And He adds a personal promise:

“Behold, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land, for I will not forsake you until I have done what I promised you.” (Genesis 28:15)

Jacob wakes up overwhelmed.

“Jacob woke up from his sleep and said, “Undoubtedly, Adonai is in this place—and I was unaware.”” (Genesis 28:16)

That may be one of the truest statements in the Torah. How often do we realize only after the fact that God was present in places we never expected?

Jacob names the spot Bethel, the House of God. God turned an ordinary stop on the road into a moment of revelation.

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Jacob’s Vow – Small Steps Count

Jacob’s vow after this encounter can sound like a negotiation.

“If God will be with me and watch over me on this way that I am going, and provide me food to eat and clothes to wear, and I return in shalom to my father’s house, then Adonai will be my God.” (Genesis 28:20–21)

But this is the beginning of Jacob’s relationship with the God of his fathers. He has heard the promise. He has experienced God’s presence. He is trying to respond with the faith he has at that moment.

Sometimes our early responses to God feel small or uncertain. That does not mean they are insignificant. God often works with small beginnings and grows them over time.

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Laban’s House – A Long Classroom

Jacob arrives in Haran and meets Rachel at the well. He falls in love with her and works seven years to marry her. Scripture says those years felt like a few days to him because of his love.

But after the wedding, Jacob wakes up to Leah instead of Rachel. Laban has deceived him. The man who deceived his father is now on the other side of deception.

This becomes a long school of character for Jacob. He works another seven years for Rachel. He works additional years for livestock. He deals with constant manipulation, shifting agreements, and family tension.

It is not easy, but God is forming him. The Jacob who arrived in Haran was impulsive, grasping, and willing to scheme. The Jacob who will eventually leave is more patient, more discerning, and more aware of God’s involvement.

Despite all the conflict in Laban’s house, God’s blessing is still present. Jacob’s family grows. His flocks increase. The covenant is continuing even in a very imperfect environment.

Then God speaks again.

“Then Adonai said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.” (Genesis 31:3)

Jacob leaves with his family and his flocks. Laban pursues him, but the Lord intervenes in a dream and warns Laban not to harm Jacob. The two men eventually make a covenant of separation and peace.

The portion ends with Jacob continuing on his way, and once again he encounters angels. First at Bethel. Now at Mahanaim. Both moments serve as markers that God is keeping His promise.

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Haftarah – Learning to Recognize God’s Care

Hosea 11:7–12:14

Hosea reaches back into Jacob’s story and uses it to speak to Israel.

“Adonai also has a dispute with Judah:
He will punish Jacob for his ways,
repaying him for his deeds.” (Hosea 12:3)

Hosea reminds Israel that their identity comes from a man who wrestled with God, sought His favor, and would not let go. Jacob’s story is full of striving and tears and longing. This is part of Israel’s spiritual DNA.

Then God speaks through Hosea about His relationship with Israel:

“Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk.
I took them on My arms.
But they never acknowledged
that I had healed them.
⁴ With human cords I was drawing them,
with bonds of love,
and I became to them as One lifting a yoke from their jaws.
I bent down to them and fed them.” (Hosea 11:3–4)

This is one of the most tender images in the prophets. A parent teaching a toddler to walk, steadying shaky steps, catching falls, and healing bruises. All the while, the child does not realize who is holding them up.

Hosea is calling Israel back to the God who has been caring for them all along. The God who met Jacob alone with a stone pillow is the same God who has been guiding His people with patient love.

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Besorah – The Call to Follow

Mark 1:14–28

In Mark’s Gospel, we see another moment of calling and movement. Yeshua begins His ministry with a simple message:

“Now is the fullness of time,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is near! Turn away from your sins, and believe in the Good News!” (Mark 1:15)

Then He calls Simon, Andrew, James, and John. They leave their nets immediately and follow Him.

Jacob left home with a blessing and a promise he barely understood. The disciples leave with almost no information beyond the authority and presence of Yeshua.

The kingdom of God breaks into their ordinary lives the same way God broke into Jacob’s ordinary night on the road. And then Yeshua teaches in the synagogue, and His authority is unmistakable. He casts out an unclean spirit, and the people say:

“What is this? A new teaching with authority!” (Mark 1:27)

Jacob saw heaven open in a dream. The disciples see heaven’s authority walk into a room and confront the power of darkness.

Both stories show us a God who steps into our real lives and invites us to follow Him into something new.

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The God Who Meets You Where You Are

Vayetze is a portion for anyone who feels in-between. You might be walking out of a painful season. You might be unsure where God is taking you. You might be in a place that feels ordinary or exhausting. Jacob’s story reminds us that these are often the moments when God comes close.

Jacob was not seeking a vision. He was just trying to find a place to sleep. Yet God turned that place into Bethel.

He was not spiritually mature. He was not morally polished. Yet God spoke to him and kept speaking to him through all the twists and turns.

Hosea reminds Israel that they were loved and led even when they did not recognize it. Mark shows us disciples leaving the familiar to follow Yeshua into a new chapter.

Vayetze invites you to slow down and ask:

Where is God meeting me right now, even if the moment does not feel spiritual?

Where might I be calling something “ordinary” when God has already declared it a place of encounter?

What might He be forming in me through this in-between season?

Jacob’s journey began with fear, but God met him there. He will meet you too.

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Hebrew Letter of the Week: ו (Vav)

Sound: “V”
Numeric Value: 6
Meaning: Hook, connection, “and”

Vav is the connecting letter in Hebrew. It often serves as the simple word “and,” linking one thought to the next. In Jewish thought, vav symbolizes connection, continuity, and the way God joins the pieces of our story.

It fits Vayetze so well because Jacob’s story is one long string of “and then.” He goes out, and God appears. He works for Laban, and God blesses him. He returns to Canaan, and God meets him again.

Jacob’s life is a series of connected moments where God is quietly weaving His promise into every step.

How to Write Vav

ו

1. Draw a simple vertical stroke.

2. Add a slight curve or head at the top if writing in a more stylized script.

3. Keep it clean, straight, and minimal.

Vav reminds us that God is the connection between where we have been and where we are going.

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Study and Reflection Questions

Torah – Genesis 28:10–32:3

1. Jacob says, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” Where might that be true in your own life right now?

2. How do you understand Jacob’s vow? What does it show you about beginning a walk with God even when you do not have all the language yet?

3. What part of God’s promise at Bethel speaks most clearly to your current season?

4. How does Jacob’s time in Laban’s house shape him, and what does this show you about how God forms character?

5. Why do you think God blesses Jacob in the middle of such a messy family situation?

6. How does the second angelic encounter at Mahanaim reinforce God’s presence with Jacob from beginning to end?

7. What does Jacob’s life in this portion teach you about trusting God in transitional seasons?

Haftarah – Hosea 11:7–12:14

1. How does Hosea use Jacob’s story to call Israel back to God?

2. What does it mean that Jacob “wept and sought His favor,” and how does that help you understand spiritual wrestling?

3. How do you see God as the one “teaching you to walk” in your own life?

4. What is God inviting Israel to return to, and how might that same call apply to you?

Besorah – Mark 1:14–28

1. What stands out to you in Yeshua’s opening message about the kingdom?

2. How does the disciples’ immediate response challenge or encourage your own willingness to follow?

3. What does Mark emphasize about Yeshua’s authority, and how does this shape your understanding of Him?

4. How does this passage highlight the connection between heaven and earth that Jacob glimpsed in his dream?

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Reflection Questions

1. Where are you in an “in-between” place, and how might God be meeting you there?

2. How does Jacob’s story help you trust God’s presence in places you would not have labeled as spiritual?

3. Is there a situation in your life where you need to pause and name it “Bethel” because God is already there?

4. How is God forming your character in this season, even through difficulty?

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Action Challenges

1. Read Genesis 28 slowly and underline every promise God makes. Pray through each promise personally.

2. Choose one ordinary moment this week and ask God to show you how He is present there.

3. Write down your own simple vow or commitment to God in this season, even if it feels small.

4. Meditate on Hosea 11:3–4 and look for evidence of God “teaching you to walk” in your daily life.

Shabbat Shalom!

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Tree of Life (TLV) – Scripture taken from the Holy Scriptures, Tree of Life Version*. Copyright © 2014,2016 by the Tree of Life Bible Society. Used by permission of the Tree of Life Bible Society.