This short, practical Lelamed Dvar is also available in your local App Store (iTunes and Android). I hope you enjoy this Dvar... Parshat Vayetzei did ribes Yakov's first encounter with what will end up being a Shul (Synagogue). After having the dream involving the angels ascending and descending the ladder, Yakov wakes up realizing that he was lying in a holy place, exclaiming "G-d is here, and I did not know." (28:16) However the statement includes an extra "anochi", so the literal translation is "G-d is here, and I, I did not know." Why the extra "I"? Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz in Panim Yafot offers an explanation. He says that one Yakov was only able to know G-d once he let go of himself, such that the Passuk reads "...and I did not know myself." When we stop thinking about ourselves do we become truly open to the world and its Creator. Synagogues help us realize there's more than just ourselves, that there's a community of people that need our support, that we could use for support, and help us think less of ourselves. Community leads to unity, which leads to a better understanding of ourselves and our purpose in this world. _______________________________________________ Quotation of the week (thanks to David): “Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”