פרשת ויצא חלום יעקב אבינו

(12) He had a dream; a stairway*stairway Or “ramp”; others “ladder.” Heb. sullam. was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky, and messengers of God were going up and down on it.

“He dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth, its top was reaching the heavens, and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it” (Genesis 28:12).
“He dreamed, and behold, a ladder” – Rabbi Abbahu said: The content of dreams has no effect. There was a certain person who came before Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta. He said to him: ‘I saw in my dream that they were saying to me: Go and inherit your father’s business in Cappadocia.’ He said to him: ‘Has your father ever gone to Cappadocia?’ He said to him: ‘No.’ He said to him: ‘Go and count twenty beams in the roof of your house and you will find it.’ He said to him: ‘There are not twenty of them.’ He said to him: ‘If there are not twenty of them, count from their beginning to their end, and from their end to their beginning, and you will find it.’ He went, counted, and found it there. From where did Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta derive it? It is from Cappadocia [Kappodekiya].
Bar Kappara taught: There is no dream that does not have an interpretation. “Behold, a ladder” – this is the ramp; “was set on the earth” – this is the altar; “you shall make for Me an altar of earth” (Exodus 20:21). “Its top was reaching the heavens” – these are the offerings whose fragrance reaches the heavens. “Behold, the angels of God” – these are the High Priests; “were ascending and descending on it” – as they ascend and descend on the ramp. “And, behold, the Lord was standing over him” (Genesis 28:13) – “I saw the Lord standing upon the altar” (Amos 9:1).
The Rabbis interpret it regarding Sinai. “He dreamed, and behold, a ladder” – this is Sinai. “Was set [mutzav] on the earth” – “they stood [veyityatzvu] at the foot of the mountain” (Exodus 19:17). “Its top was reaching the heavens” – “the mountain was burning with fire to the heart of the heavens” (Deuteronomy 4:11).
Another matter, “behold, a ladder” – this is Sinai. The letters of this equals the letters of that.
“And behold, the angels of God,” after: “The chariots of God are myriad, thousands upon thousands of companies. [My Lord is among them, at Sinai]” (Psalms 68:18). We learned that prophets are called angels [malakhim], as it is written: “Haggai, the messenger [malakh] of the Lord, on a mission from the Lord, spoke to the people” (Haggai 1:13). “And behold, the angels of God” – this is Moses and Aaron. “Ascending” – “Moses ascended to God” (Exodus 19:3). “And descending” – this is Moses “Moses descended” (Exodus 19:14). “Behold, the Lord was standing over him” (Genesis 28:13) – “the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai to the top of the mountain” (Exodus 19:20).
Rabbi Salmoni said in the name of Reish Lakish: He [God] showed him [Jacob] a three-legged Throne of Glory. Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: [God told Jacob] ‘You are the third leg.’ This is his opinion, as Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: “For the portion of the Lord is His people; Jacob, the allotment of His inheritance” (Deuteronomy 32:9) – just as a rope is not woven with fewer than three, so, the patriarchs are no fewer than three.
Rabbi Berekhya said: He showed him the world and one-third of the world. “Ascending [olim]” – are no fewer than two; “and descending” – two. From where is it derived that an angel is one-third of the world? It is as it is stated: “His body was like beryl [tarshish], his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and his legs like burnished bronze” (Daniel 10:6).
Rabbi Ḥiyya and Rabbi Yanai, one said: “Ascending and descending” on the ladder, and one said: “Ascending and descending” regarding Jacob. The one who said: “Ascending and descending” on the ladder, it works out well. The one who said: “Ascending and descending” regarding Jacob, they were [both] exalting his honor and denigrating his honor. They were dancing and leaping before him, and denigrating him, as it is stated: “Israel, in whom I glory” (Isaiah 49:3); It is you, whose likeness is etched on High. “Ascending” on High and seeing his likeness, descending below, and finding him asleep. This is analogous to a king who was sitting in judgment. They ascend to the basilica and find him in judgment, and go out to the courtyard and find him asleep.
Another matter, on High, anyone who speaks to his credit, ascends; to his discredit, descends. Below, anyone who speaks to his credit, descends, to his discredit, ascends.
Another matter, “ascending and descending on it” – those who accompanied him in the Land of Israel were ascending; “descending” – those who would accompany him outside the Land of Israel.
Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: The ministering angels, because they revealed the secrets of the Holy One blessed be He, they were banished from their place for one hundred and thirty years. Rabbi Tanḥuma would derive it from the demeaning expression. Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina said: It is because they were boastful and said: “For we are destroying this place” (Genesis 19:13). Where did they return? It was here. “Ascending and descending” – ascending and then descending.

AND BEHOLD A LADDER SET UP ON THE EARTH AND THE TOP OF IT REACHED TO HEAVEN; AND BEHOLD THE ANGELS OF G-D ASCENDING AND DESCENDING ON IT. In a prophetic dream, He showed Jacob that whatever is done on earth is effected by means of the angels, and everything is by decree given to them by the Supreme One. The angels of G-d, whom the Eternal hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth, would not do anything minor or major until they return to present themselves before the Master of the whole earth, saying before Him, “We have traversed the earth, and behold it dwells in peace, or is steeped in war and blood,” and He commands them to return, to descend to the earth and fulfill His charge. And He further showed him [Jacob] that He, blessed be He, stands above the ladder, and promises Jacob with supreme assurance to inform him that he will not be under the power of the angels, but he will be G-d’s portion, and that He will be with him always, as He said, And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee wherever thou goest for his [Jacob’s] excellence is superior to that of the other righteous ones of whom it is said, For He will give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
And in the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer the Great this vision was akin to the one seen by Abram at the time of the covenant “between the parts” for He also showed Jacob the dominion of the Four Kingdoms, their ascent and descent. This is the meaning of angels of G-d (mentioned here), just as it is said in the visions of Daniel: the prince of the kingdom of Greece, and the prince of the kingdom of Persia. And He promised him that He, exalted be He, will be with him wherever he will go among the nations, and He will guard him and rescue him from them. Thus the Rabbis have said: “The Holy One, blessed be He, showed him the Four Kingdoms, their dominion and their destruction. He showed him the prince of the kingdom of Babylon ascending seventy rungs and then descending the ladder. Then He showed him the prince of the kingdom of Media ascending one hundred and eighty rungs and then descending. And then He showed him the prince of the kingdom of Edom ascending and not coming down. Jacob then said to the prince of Edom, Yet thou shalt be brought down to the nether-world. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to [the prince of Edom], Though thou make thy nest as high as the eagle, etc.”

[AND HE DREAMED, AND BEHOLD A LADDER SET UP ON THE EARTH.] Those who say that the ladder seen by Jacob refers to a statue, or that it refers to Sinai because it is numerically equivalent to it, are indulging in Midrash. Rabbi Solomon ibn Gabirol, the Spaniard, says that Jacob’s “ladder” alludes to man’s heavenly soul, and that “the angels of God” signify thoughts of wisdom. Rabbi Joshua explains the dream of the ladder to mean that Jacob’s prayers ascended the Heavens via the ladder and in response to his supplications salvation was sent down to him. These commentators have apparently not studied the prophecies of Zechariah, Amos and Jeremiah. The way to interpret Jacob’s dream is to view it as a parable. It teaches that nothing is hidden from God and that what happens below is contingent on the decree from above. There is thus, as it were, a ladder linking heaven and earth by which angels ascend to inform God what they have seen on earth after going over it. Scripture also states that other angels come down to fulfill God’s commands. The imagery presented is that of a king and his servants.