Three Steps For Mankind
Family Edition

The Summary

This is an abridged version of the essay Three Steps for Mankind, written by Rabbi Sacks in 2011.

Before beginning the Amidah, we take three steps forward. These steps symbolise a formal approach to Hashem. Rabbi Eleazar ben Yehudah said these three steps match to the three times in the Torah where the word vayigash, “and he drew close,” is used in connection with prayer.

When Avraham heard of God’s intention to destroy Sodom and Gemorah, he “approached (vayigash) God to ask Him to spare the people.” 

This week, Yosef’s goblet has been found in Binyamin’s sack and he is being detained. Yehuda could abandon him, but instead he pleads for his release. “Then Yehuda drew close (vayigash) to him and said: Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord”.

The third time vayigash appears is in the great showdown between Eliyahu HaNavi and the 450 false prophets of Baal. The 450 prophets prepare their sacrifice and ask Baal to send fire. Nothing happens. They cry all day, but no fire comes. Then Eliyahu steps forward (vayigash) and prays. Fire descends, and the people fall to the ground, saying: “The Lord, He is God. The Lord, He is God”.

Three approaches, three prayers, but very different from one another. Avraham prays for justice. Yehuda prays for mercy. Eliyahu prays for God to reveal Himself.

Avraham prays on behalf of strangers. Yehuda pleads with Yosef for the sake of his brother Binyamin and his father Yaakov who, he knows, will not be able to bear the loss of yet another beloved son. Eliyahu speaks to God, as it were, for the sake of God. He wants the people to renounce idolatry and return to their ancestral faith – to the one true God who rescued them from Egypt and took them to Himself in love. Their respective stances, too, are different. Avraham, in the course of his prayer, calls himself “nothing but dust and ashes.” Yehuda describes himself as a “servant” in the presence of a ruler. Eliyahu describes himself as a prophet, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left.” Avraham represents our sense of awe in the presence of infinity, Yehuda our humility in the face of majesty, Eliyahu the grandeur and dignity of nevi’im.

There are echoes of these encounters in the first three paragraphs of the Amidah. The first is about the avot. God “remembers the good deeds of the fathers.” This reminds us of Avraham’s prayer. The second is about gevurah, God “supporting the fallen, healing the sick, setting free the bound and keeping faith with those who lie in the dust.” When we recite it, we are like Yehuda standing before Joseph, a servant in the presence of sovereignty and power.

The third is about Kedushat Hashem. When an act makes people conscious of God’s existence, we call it a Kiddush Hashem. That is precisely what Eliyahu sought to do and succeeded in doing on Mount Carmel.

These three prayers – each a historic moment in the unfolding of the human spirit towards God – together represent the full spectrum of emotions and concerns we bring to prayer. Each is introduced by the word vayigash. As we take three steps forward at the start of each prayer, we are thereby retracing the footsteps of three giants of the spirit, Avraham, Yehuda and Eliyahu, re-enacting their great encounters with God.

In 1969, Neil Armstrong, the first human being to set foot on the moon, uttered the famous words: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Behind our three small steps towards heaven lie three no less historic leaps for humankind.

Around the Shabbat Table

Questions to Ponder

1. Can you think of other times in Tanach where someone “approached” God (not necessarily with the word vayigash)? 
2. What steps might you take in your own life to “draw close” to God, and what could that look like in your daily routine?
3. How have you drawn close to God during times where you called to Him in your tefillot?

On the Parsha

Written by Sara Lamm

Inspired by the Teachings of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

The Parsha in a Nutshell

Yehuda steps forward to plead with Yosef for Binyamin’s release, offering himself as a slave in his brother’s place. Seeing the brothers have truly changed and now displaying such unity and loyalty, Yosef reveals his identity: “I am Yosef. Is my father still alive?”

Overwhelmed with shame for their past, the brothers are reassured by Yosef, who tells them it was God’s plan to save lives during the famine. The brothers bring the good news to Yaakov, who then travels to Egypt with 70 family members. God promises Yaakov that He will make his descendants a great nation. Paroh grants Yaakov and his family the land of Goshen, and the Israelites settle there and begin to thrive, while Yosef manages Egypt’s wealth during the famine.

Philosophy of Rabbi Sacks

Delving Deeper

This essay is quite literally a deep dive into the first word of the Parsha and the name of the Parsha itself: Vayigash. The word vayigash means “and he approached,”—which appears three times in the Torah during powerful encounters with God. Each instance reflects a different kind of prayer: Avraham praying for justice, Yehuda pleading for mercy, and Eliyahu calling for God’s revelation.

These stories don’t just teach us about prayer; they show the range of emotions and intentions we bring to our connection with God—compassion for others, loyalty to family, and a yearning for God’s presence. 

Rabbi Sacks links these three encounters to the three steps we take before the Amidah prayer. This is a practical way to understand and embody the act of vayigash in our daily Amidah tefillot. Each if the three steps we take retraces the spiritual journey of Avraham, Yehuda, and Eliyahu, reminding us that even small gestures in prayer carry the weight of history and faith.

Parsha Activity

Steps Forward

All players stand side-by-side, and the leader calls out prompts with the theme of “stepping forward” in life. For example, “Take a step forward if you’ve ever done something kind without being asked,” or “Take a step back if you’ve ever avoided doing the right thing because it was hard.” How many steps do you think it will take to reach the finish line?

What common theme do you see in how “forward steps" can help you reach different personal goals you’ve set for yourself?

A Story for the Ages

Reaching for the Stars

Ilan Ramon was Israel’s first astronaut and a real-life hero who reached for the stars. Born in 1954 in Be’er Sheva to parents who had recently survived the Holocaust, Ilan was a boy with big dreams. As a young boy he loved planes and adventures and as he grew up, he worked hard to become a pilot in the Israeli Air Force. Known for his calm focus, Ilan flew on brave missions to protect his country and always carried a deep sense of responsibility.

But Ilan’s most extraordinary journey came in 2003 when he entered the unknown, joining NASA’s space shuttle Columbia. As part of the team, Ilan knew this mission was bigger than himself. He carried symbols that told powerful stories: an Israeli flag, a tiny Torah scroll saved from the Holocaust, and a drawing by a boy named Petr, who had dreamed of freedom during World War II. The drawing was titled “Moon Landscape”, and like all the items, it represented resilience, hope, and the dreams of a small nation reaching for the stars.

Although Ramon described himself as a secular Jew, special kosher meals were made for his journey and he consulted with rabbis before take-off about the proper way to observe Shabbat from space.

On February 1, 2003, as Columbia returned home, something went tragically wrong, and the shuttle broke apart. Ilan and his crew never made it back home, but their courage and teamwork inspired millions. Ilan’s story is a reminder that stepping forward with heart and purpose can leave a legacy that shines brighter than any star. 

• What other ways can we find of “stepping forward” in the world of today?

On the Haftara

Written by Rabbi Barry Kleinberg

Inspired by the Teachings of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

A summary

The Haftara in a Nutshell

Ezekiel 37:15-28

The prophet Yechezkel (Ezekiel) receives a vision from God that foretells of the unity of all of Israel. God instructs Ezekiel to take two sticks, one representing Judah (the southern kingdom) and the other representing Joseph, or Ephraim (the northern kingdom of Israel), and to join them into a single stick in his hand. This action symbolises the reunification of the divided kingdoms into one nation under God’s rule. 

God promises that He will bring the Israelites back from exile, gather them from among the nations where they have been scattered, and once again make them one nation with one king. his king will be a descendant of David, leading them with justice and peace. 

God then promises to establish an everlasting covenant of peace, and His Sanctuary will be among Bnei Yisrael, symbolising His enduring relationship with His people. 

• Can you think of other other symbols of peace in the Torah? 

Points to Ponder

1. Why do you think that God’s message of peace is presented in this way? 
2. Why is it important for God to have a physical ‘house’ on earth?

Tanach Connections

Parsha and Haftara Links

Parshat Vayigash opens with Yehuda’s offer to take the place of Binyamin, who had been accused of stealing Yosef’s cup. This is so that Binyamin can go home to his father in Canaan (Bereishit 44:33). This act leads to the reunification of the twelve brothers. Yosef sees that his brothers have changed in the time since they sold him so many years ago. 

On a national level, the Haftara also deals with reunification, but this time beyond the family level, on a national level. The prophet speaks of the final union of the twelve tribes under the leadership of one king in the land of Israel. 

It is worth pointing out a major difference between the narrative of the Parsha and the prophetic vision of the Haftara. Whereas Yaakov’s household is reunited in Egypt – a place of exile - the prophet describes unity as an advanced stage in the process of redemption, all of which will take place in Israel – “one nation in the land.” In this way the Haftara serves as a counterpoint to the Parasha of Vayigash.

• Can all Haftarot be understood as a counterpoint to their Parsha counterpart?

Putting the Prophets into Context

The Book of Ezekiel

The Book of Ezekiel, one of the major prophetic works in Tanach, records the visions and messages of the prophet Ezekiel, who lived during the Babylonian exile. The book opens with Ezekiel’s dramatic vision of God’s glory, symbolised by a chariot of heavenly beings. Ezekiel is called to warn Israel of impending judgment due to their idolatry, corruption, and unfaithfulness. He uses vivid symbolism and dramatic actions to convey his prophecies, foretelling the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple as a consequence of the people’s sins. 

However, the tone shifts in the second half of the book, where messages of hope and restoration emerge. God promises to gather the exiled Israelites, renew them spiritually, and restore them to their land. Notably, in chapters 37-48, Ezekiel envisions a future resurrection of the nation (depicted by the valley of dry bones) and the rebuilding of the Temple, symbolising God’s enduring presence and a renewed covenant with His people. 

Rabbi Sacks noted that Jeremiah and Ezekiel were the two great prophets of exile in the sixth century BCE, and that they both often worked to counsel “against despair.”

• What's the difference between dreams and prophecies?

Quote of the Week

“Optimism and hope are not the same. Optimism is the belief that the world is changing for the better. Hope is the belief that, together, we can make the world better.”

To Heal a Fractured World, Chapter 12, p. 166

Further Ponderings

How do you lift yourself up when things seem to be going badly? Maybe you started out pessimistic. How can you move from pessimism to optimism to hope?