

From the Chassidic Masters

The Temple Mount As Sacred Space
At the threshold of reality
"HaVaYeH is in this space!" proclaimed Jacob upon waking from niught's sleep on the Temple Mount. And then he said, "This is the house of Elokim." Jacob found himself in a place that expresses the essence of Torah -- Space and non-space meet, but neither cancels out the other. He found himself between two expressions of the one G-d: HaVaYeH and Elokim.
Home of Stone
Why are we here? The answers fall under two general categories: for ourselves (to enjoy life, realize our potential, achieve transcendence . . .); or in service of something greater than ourselves (society, history, G‑d . . .)
The Torah reading of Vayeitzei is veritably glutted with sheep: white sheep, dark sheep, spotted sheep, speckled sheep, sheep with rings around their ankles; Jacob cares for sheep, receives his wages in sheep, breeds sheep, dreams of sheep, amasses a fortune in sheep . . . and marries a woman whose name in Hebrew means “sheep.” What are we to learn from the fact that the nation of Israel was founded in such sheepish surroundings?
The Chase
How Could Jacob Marry Two Sisters?
A Day in the Life of a Jew