Parshat Veyeitze - perspectives on Jacob's Dream

(9) “He encountered the place and spent the night there because the sun had set; he took from the stones of the place, which he placed beneath his head, and lay down in that place” (Genesis 28:11).
“He encountered [vayifga] the place” – Rav Huna said in the name of Rabbi Ami: Why do they change the name of the Holy One blessed be He and call Him the Omnipresent [hamakom]? It is because He is the place [mekomo] of the world, and His world is not His place. ... Another matter, what is vayifga? He prayed. “In the place” – he prayed in the Temple.

(10) “He encountered the place” – he sought to pass, but the entire world became a barrier of sorts before him.14So he could not continue on his way.
“Because the sun had set” – the Rabbis say: “Because the sun had set” – it teaches that the Holy One blessed be He caused the orb of the sun to set not at its proper time, in order to speak with Jacob privately. ...

... Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra: The ladder was standing in Beersheba, and its incline reached the Temple. What is the source? “Jacob departed from Beersheba…he dreamed and behold, a ladder…he was frightened, and he said: How awesome is this place.” Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: The ladder was standing at the Temple and its incline reached Beit El. What is the source? “He was frightened, and he said: How awesome is this place…He called the name of that place Beit El” ...

(1) ויפגע במקום AND HE LIGHTED UPON THE PLACE — Scripture does not mention which place, but by writing בַּמָקוֹם the place it refers to the place mentioned already in another passage, viz., Mount Moriah of which it is stated (Genesis 22:4) “And he saw the place (המקום) afar off”.

(1) [AND HE LIGHTED UPON THE PLACE.] The reason the bet of ba-makom (the place)10There is a difference between be-makom and ba-makom. The former means in a place, the latter, in the place. “The place” implies a specific, well known place. When Jacob came to Beth-el there was as yet nothing significant about the place. Why then does Scripture say that Jacob alighted upon the place? is vocalized with a pattach is that Moses in writing the Torah did so in order to indicate the place that was well known in his time.11I.E. suggests that after this incident Beth-el was “the place” and Moses wrote accordingly. Similarly the prophet Hosea said, And there (at Beth-el) he would speak with us (Hos. 12:5).12We thus see that from the days of Moses onward, Beth-el was known as a holy place (Netter). Hosea said this because he prophesied in Beth-el concerning Jeroboam the son of Joash.13Hosea prophesied there because Beth-el was known as a holy place where an angel appeared to Jacob (Weiser). Cf. I.E. on Hos. 12:5. It was for the same reason that King Jeroboam set up a royal shrine there. Cf. Am. 7:13, Beth-el…is the king’s sanctuary and it is a royal house.

According to the plain meaning of the text, va-yifga (and he lighted) is not to be translated as, and he prayed, as in neither make intercession (tifga) to Me (Jer. 7:16),15Our verse reads: va-yifga ba-makom (and he lighted upon the place). The Talmud states that va-yifga means, and he prayed (Berakhot. 26b; Ta’anit 7b; Sotah 14a; Sanhedrin 95b). According to I.E., if va-yifga is interpreted as, and he prayed, ba-makom must be interpreted to mean God. However, this is not necessarily so. Indeed, the Talmud interprets va-yifga ba-makom to mean, he prayed in the place. because we never find in the entire Bible the word makom (place) meaning God.16The Rabbinic sages refer to God as Ha-makom. I.E. points out that this a Rabbinic not a Biblical term for God. Hence va-yifga ba-makom cannot be translated as, and he prayed to God, and va-yifga cannot be rendered, and he prayed. Do not pay any attention to the Midrashic interpretation that explains makom, in makom acher (Es. 4:14), as referring to God,17The Book of Esther does not mention God. In his introduction to Esther I.E. quotes an opinion that God is mentioned in this book in 4:14. I. E. rejects this interpretation as being Midrashic. because it most certainly does not. Proof of this is found in the word acher (another) which follows makom.18For then Es. 4:14 would read: then will relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another God (mi-makom acher), an impossible rendition. (2) OF THE STONES OF THE PLACE. Its meaning is: one of the stones of the place.19“Of the stones” can be taken to mean that Jacob took a number of stones. However, verse 18 indicates that it was one stone (Cherez). (3) UNDER HIS HEAD. Me-ra’ashotav (under his head) is a plural.20It is a plural having a singular meaning. This is so because this form does not appear in the singular (Weiser). It is similar to margelotav (his feet) (Ruth 3:4; 14).21This form does not appear in the singular; the plural is used for singular and plural. It is surprising that Rabbi Samuel Ben Hofni confused the dreams of common men with prophetic dreams.22Cf. I.E.’s introduction to the Pentateuch where he notes that Rabbi Samuel ben Hofni, in commenting on this verse, wrote on dream interpretation. Rabbi Samuel thus treated this dream as non-prophetic and interpreted it along those lines (Cherez).

AND PUT THEM FOR A RESTING PLACE FOR HIS HEAD — He arranged them in the form of a drain-pipe around his head for he was afraid of wild beasts (Genesis Rabbah 68:11). They (the stones) began quarrelling with one another. One said, “Upon me let this righteous man rest his head”, and another said “Upon me let him rest it”. Whereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, straightway made them into one stone! This explains what is written (Genesis 28:18), “And he took the stone that he had put under his head” (Chullin 91b).

(11) “He took from the stones of the place” (Genesis 28:11) – Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Neḥemya, and the Rabbis, Rabbi Yehuda said: He took twelve stones. So, the Holy One blessed be He decreed that he would produce twelve tribes. He [Jacob] said: ‘Abraham did not produce them, Isaac did not produce them, I, if these twelve stones join with one another, I know that I will produce twelve tribes.’ When the twelve stones joined together one to another, he knew that he would produce twelve tribes.
Rabbi Neḥemya said: He took three stones. He said: ‘Abraham, the Holy One blessed be He designated His name upon him; Isaac, the Holy One blessed be He designated His name upon him; I, if these three stones join with one another, I know that He will designate His name upon me.’ When the three stones joined with one another, he knew that the Holy One blessed be He would designate His name upon him.
The Rabbis said: The minimum number of “stones” is two. Abraham, waste emerged from him – Ishmael and all the sons of Ketura. Isaac, Esau and all his chieftains emerged [from him]. I, if these two stones join with one another, I will know that waste will not emerge from me.
Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Yosei bar Zimra: He made them in the shape of a roof gutter and placed it beneath his head because he feared the beasts.

OF THE STONES OF THE PLACE. Its meaning is: one of the stones of the place.19“Of the stones” can be taken to mean that Jacob took a number of stones. However, verse 18 indicates that it was one stone (Cherez).

... Bar Kappara taught: There is no dream that does not have an interpretation. “Behold, a ladder” – this is the ramp; In the Temple the priests ascended to the altar on a 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. The numerical value of sulam (ladder) are samekh – 60 + lamed – 30 + mem – 40 = 130, equals the numerical value of Sinai, samekh – 60 + yod – 10 + nun – 50 + yod – 10 = 130.
“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).

(1) [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 Joshuaexplains 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 point is that the prophets spoke in parables. 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.

... For to be Human is to be a ladder planted in the Earth, whose head reaches the Heavens, and upon whom the Angels of the Divine ascend and descend... [my translation]