Vayeitzei 28:17 · unit 1

Parashas Vayeitzei · Passuk 28:17

The Complete Passuk

וַיִּירָא֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר מַה־נּוֹרָ֖א הַמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה אֵ֣ין זֶ֗ה כִּ֚י אִם־בֵּ֣ית אֱלֹהִ֔ים וְזֶ֖ה שַׁ֥עַר הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃

And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to classical sources on the identification of the place with the future Beis HaMikdash (Chullin 91b / Bereshis Rabbah parallel).

TT lemma: מה נורא המקום.

Sefaria — Chullin 91b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בֶּן זִמְרָא: סֻלָּם זֶה עוֹמֵד בִּבְאֵר שֶׁבַע וְשִׁפּוּעוֹ מַגִּיעַ כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ.

English: Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra: This ladder stood in Be’er Sheva and its slope reached opposite the Beis HaMikdash.

On the daf / in context: The tradition identifies the site of the dream with the future Temple Mount, the true “house of God” and “gate of heaven.”

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (midrashic / Bavli parallel) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The geographic placement of the ladder links the dream to the Temple site.

What Is Learned

The place Yaakov recognized as the house of God and gate of heaven is the future site of the Beis HaMikdash.