Ufaratzta - Spread Peace in Every Direction

In the midst of Jacob's dream, after he sees angels ascending and descending a ladder that reaches heaven, God tells him that his descendants will be like the dust of the earth, spreading out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south, ופרצת ימה וקדמה וצפנה ונגבה (Genesis 28:14). These words make up a song, Ufaratzta, that I learned as a participant at the Reform movement's youth leadership summer camp, Kutz Camp, from Cantor Ellen Dreskin. The song, apparently, was written by Avi Maslo. I always knew how the words translated, but never really thought about what they meant in my understanding of Judaism. Let's unpack the meaning of the words:

ימה, yamah: towards the Mediterranean sea, to the west;

קדמה, keidmah: towards the early part of the day, to the east;

צפנה, tzafonah: towards the hidden, to the north;

נגבה, negbah: towards the Negev desert, to the south.

These aren't just words that tell us that Jacob's descendants will spread out in all directions, but specifically that they will fill what we come to understand as the Land of Israel, as the Hebrew Bible sees it. It's all well and good if we believe, today, that the people Israel should inhabit all of the land from east to west, from north to south, but I am one who believes that if the State of Israel is to remain democratic and Jewish, we need to find a peaceful, two-state solution with the Palestinians.

So, then, what do we make of God's words spoken to Jacob? Are they meant to be understood literally? Do they have a different message for us today, with our awareness of the reality in Israel and with her neighbors? I hadn't really given much thought to the meaning behind the words of Ufaratzta until yesterday morning when I was reminded of another version of Ufaratzta, one by Noam Katz, that re-interprets the words in a modern context. You can hear the song here:




In his version, Noam Katz uses the Hebrew as the chorus, but re-interprets the meaning of the words in the way he translates them in the verses of the song:

May you... may you always try to inspire.
May you... may you always try to reach higher and higher.
May you bring your goodness and may you bring peace.
May you spread it from the west to the east.
May you spread it from the north to the south.

May you... may you be a light that shines the way.
May you... may you be a blessing each and every day.
May you let the laughter and love increase.
May you spread it from the west to the east.
May you spread it from the north to the south.

Instead of a vision of manifest destiny, Noam Katz teaches us that it isn't spreading ourselves east and west, north and south, that God intends. Instead, God expects us to inspire others and elevate ourselves to a place where we bring laughter and love, goodness and peace into a world in much need of those blessings and more.