Return to the House of God – Parshat Vayishlakh

(1) God said to Jacob, “Arise and go up to Beit-El and remain there; and build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” (2) So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Rid yourselves of the foreign gods in your midst, purify yourselves, and change your clothes. (3) Let us arise and go up to Beit-El, and I will build an altar there to the God who answered me on the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” (4) They gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak tree that was near Shekhem. (5) As they set out, a terror from God fell on the cities round about, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. (6) Thus Jacob came to Luz—that is, Beit-El—in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. (7) There he built an altar and named the site El-Beit-El for it was there that God had been revealed to him when he was fleeing from his brother. (8) Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and was buried under the oak below Beit-El ; so it was named Alon-bakhut

(9) God appeared again to Jacob on his arrival from Paddan-aram. God blessed him, (10) saying to him, “You whose name is Jacob, you shall be called Jacob no more, but Israel shall be your name.” Thus he was named Israel. (11) And God said to him, “I am El Shaddai, be fruitful and multiply; a nation, and then an assembly of nations, shall descend from you. Kings shall issue from your loins. (12) The land that I assigned to Abraham and Isaac I assign to you; And to your offspring to come will I assign the land.” (13) God parted from him at the spot where [God] had spoken to him; (14) and Jacob set up a monument at the place where [God] had spoken to him, a monument of stone, and he offered a libation on it and poured oil upon it. (15) Jacob called the place where God had spoken to him, the name of Beit-El.

(10) Jacob left Beer-sheva, and set out for Haran. (11) He came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. (12) He had a dream; a ladder was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky, and messengers of God were going up and down on it. (13) And standing beside him was ה', who said, “I am ה', the God of your father Abraham’s [house] and the God of Isaac’s [house]: the ground on which you are lying I will assign to you and to your offspring. (14) Your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you and your descendants. (15) Remember, I am with you: I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (16) Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely ה' is present in this place, and I did not know it!” (17) Shaken, he said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the House of God, and that is the gateway to heaven.” (18) Early in the morning, Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a monument and poured oil on the top of it. (19) He named that site Beit-El, but previously the name of the city had been Luz. (20) Jacob then made a vow, saying, “If God remains with me, protecting me on this journey that I am making, and giving me bread to eat and clothing to wear, (21) and I return safe to my father’s house— ה' will be God to me. (22) And this stone, which I have set up as a monument, shall be The House of God. And of all that You give me, I will set aside a tithe for You.”

(6) Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shekhem, at the terebinth of Moreh. The Canaanites were then in the land. (7) ה' appeared to Abram and said, “I will assign this land to your offspring.” And he built an altar there to ה' who had appeared to him. (8) From there he moved on to the hill country east of Beit-El and pitched his tent, with Beit-El on the west and Ai on the east; and he built there an altar to ה' and invoked ה' by name.

(1) You shall not make idols for yourselves, or set up for yourselves carved images or pillars, or place figured stones in your land to worship upon, for I ה' am your God.