This past week I had to have a medical procedure.
The miracle of modern medicine means that with diagnostic tools we can save lives. So even though it is unpleasant it’s worth the effort.
Prior to the procedure I was all prepped and ready to go, lying on a gurney with an iv in my arm waiting my turn.
It’s a very vulnerable time.
Somehow your life flashes before you as you pray for a good outcome and good results.
As I was lying there I overheard the interchange in the cubicle next to mine.
Apparently the occupant had finished her procedure and the nurse was trying to wake her up.
I listened as the nurse cajoled and did whatever she could to waken the patient. It was tough going. The patient did not want to relinquish the sweet bonds of sleep.
It actually reminded me of the many times I had to wake up my teens for school.
Same words of encouragement, same attempts to rouse the sleeping beauty.
Finally she was successful.
The patient mumbled “why did you wake me, I just want to sleep “?
This weeks Torah portion is called Vayetze and it chronicles the journey of our patriarch Jacob as he runs away from home to escape the murderous intentions of his brother Esau.
Exhausted from his wanderings, Jacob stops along the way and falls into a deep sleep.
During this sleep Jacob experiences a vivid dream.
He sees a ladder connecting heaven to earth and he sees mystical, spiritual beings ascending and descending the ladder.
When Jacob wakes up from his dream he realizes that the spot he chose to take his rest was a holy place, apparently the place where heaven touches earth.
Then Jacob says that he was in such a holy place and he missed the opportunity to make the most of it by sleeping through the experience.
If he would have realized the sublime nature of this spot, Jacob would’ve capitalized on the opportunity to pray and connect with Gd. Instead he chose to sleep to escape reality and missed the chance of a lifetime.
Regret is an emotion with which we can all relate. How often do we realize just a moment too late that we could have taken the opportunity to compliment, to notice, to connect.

It is interesting that it is in this very moment of a missed opportunity that Jacob experiences this seminal dream.
This connects us to the reality that often we drift through life as if in a dream. We worry about many things, often things that are out of our control and we miss seeing the great things that are in our lives, right in front of our eyes, in real time.
Rabbi Paysach Krohn, master of the story and inspirer of the multitudes, often shares his beloved Mother’s words.
She used to say that “should’ve, would’ve and could’ve” are dangerous words. They sap us of the opportunity to take responsibility for the situations in our lives where we should’ve could’ve would’ve taken a step towards greatness. Looking back and saying those words with a sigh are just a capitulation to lost chances.
Jacob teaches us to take the opportunities which are presented to us on a daily basis. His experience is like an alarm clock, wakening us to be present and relate to the meaningful moments in our lives.
That is in fact the allegory that Maimonides uses to awaken people to reconnect with Gd. Maimonides says “awaken from your slumber”.
As the doctor walked in to the room, the anesthesiologist said to me “ you are going to sleep”. As someone who struggles with sleep it was a blessed experience.
But my last thought before drifting off was hoping that waking up would be as uplifting.
Thanksgiving is a time to pay attention to those beloved people in our orbit. It is a day that we as Jews can relate to very well. Because the word Jew or Yehudi stems from the word thanks. We are constantly attempting to live in a state of gratitude-every single day.
And of course it is in this weeks Torah portion that our matriarch Leah names her son Judah, Yehuda, as an expression of her thanks.
I am so grateful for your presence in my life!
Shabbat Shalom and so much love!