Alone, scared, penniless, and on the run, Yaakov had no motel to check into when the sun set as he journeyed from his hometown of Be’er Sheva toward an uncertain future in Haran. The best he could do was to assemble a few rocks to form a makeshift “bedroom” along the roadside and sleep there.
During the night, Gd appeared to him – for the first time in his life – and told him precisely what he needed to hear. He assured Yaakov that he would be cared for during his journey and his time spent away from home, and, no less importantly, that he would return to his homeland. Gd also promised Yaakov that he would inherit the covenant made with Avraham and Yitzhak, and produce a great nation that would inhabit the sacred Land of Israel.
But Yaakov did not simply hear Gd make these promises. He beheld a famous and mysterious vision – a ladder extending from the ground to the heavens, with angels moving up and down it.
Clearly, this ladder carried some deep message. If Gd chose to not simply speak to Yaakov, but also to show him this unusual sight, this clearly must have been a crucial part of the prophecy. What was the sight of the ladder meant to convey?
Rashi famously explains that the angels ascending the ladder were the angels of the Land of Israel, who were now returning to the heavens. As Yaakov was now leaving his homeland, and would be sojourning outside the land, the special angels that accompanied him in the land were no longer needed down here in our world. The angels walking down the ladder were the angels of chutz la’aretz – the rest of the world – who were now arriving to assume the task of escorting and protecting Yaakov throughout his stay abroad.
Creating Advocates
The Tiferet Yisrael (Rabbi Yisrael Lipshitz, 1782-1860), one of the classic commentaries to the Mishnah, offers further insight into this dream.
In Pirkeh Avot (4:11), we learn that each time a person fulfills a mitzvah, he acquires a peraklit – “advocate.” And each time he commits a sin, he acquires a kateigor – “prosecutor.” The Mishnah here is teaching us that our actions have repercussions, mobilizing the angels, so-to-speak, either on our behalf or to our detriment. Each time we do something good, an angel is appointed to defend us before the Heavenly Tribunal, whereas each time we act wrongly, we pave the way for the prosecutor to present a case against us.
On this basis, the Tiferet Yisrael explains the meaning of Yaakov’s dream. Yaakov was shown that his actions can create angels that “ascend” to the heavens, or angels that “descend” to the ground. Each person is given the choice whether to act in a “heavenly” manner, focusing his attention on spirituality and the service of Gd, or in an “earthly” manner, indulging in vanity and overindulgence in the physical and material delights of this world.
The Tiferet Yisrael adds that the Torah describes Gd as “standing over” Yaakov as he dreamt (“Vehineh Hashem nitzav alav” – Beresheet 28:13) – to teach that Gd watches and takes note of our choices. He sees the “angels” that we create, whether we live our lives “heavenward,” directed toward Gd, or “downward,” focused on physical indulgence, and preoccupied with mundane pursuits.
But why was Yaakov shown this image specifically now, at this point in his life? Is this message not relevant and crucial every day, and at every stage? Why did Yaakov need to see this ladder now, as he journeyed to his uncle’s home?
The answer, the Tiferet Yisrael explains, is that Yaakov was now making a drastic transition. Until this point, he lived with his righteous parents – Yitzchak and Rivkah – and devoted himself to Torah learning. He is called a “yoshev ohalim – dweller of tents” (25:27), which is commonly understood as a reference to the study halls. Even after leaving his home to flee from Esav, the Sages teach, Yaakov went to the yeshivah of Ever, spending fourteen years engrossed in intensive Torah study. Now, his life was going to change dramatically. He would be living with his corrupt, idol-worshipping uncle, and he would need to work to support his large family. For the first time – and for an extended period of time – Yaakov would now face significant spiritual challenges. He would be spending many years in an environment that hardly lent itself to religious devotion. His morality and faith would be tested.
Therefore, at this transitional moment, as Yaakov left the world of unbridled spirituality to a world of spiritual challenges, he was shown an image vividly depicting the choices he would have to make. He was told that if he meets the challenge, he will create angels that will ascend to the heavens and advocate on his behalf. But if not, he will create the opposite angels, who will prosecute against him.
The “Angels” of the Yeshiva, the “Angels” of the Workplace
The Tiferet Yisrael concludes his discussion by uncovering for us the deeper meaning of the two groups of angels described by Rashi.
When Rashi speaks of the angels accompanying Yaakov in Eretz Yisrael, he refers to the “mahashavot hakedoshot” – the “sacred thoughts” of the sacred land. He refers to the sanctity of the land and of the environments in which Yaakov had spent his life until that point, the aura that naturally lent itself to spiritual devotion. These “angels” were now departing; Yaakov would no longer have the benefit of the special sanctity of Eretz Yisrael, of his parents’ home, or of the yeshiva in which he studied.
He was now greeted by new “angels” – the “angels” of chutz la’aretz, of Lavan, of negative influences, of spiritual challenges. His life of serenity was now being supplanted by a life of struggle, and the vision of the ladder was preparing Yaakov for this change.
We might say that this dream was a “peptalk” before Yaakov began this new chapter of his life. Gd was telling him: “Until now you’ve had ‘angels’ pulling you up to the heavens, you lived in a holy environment under holy influences. Now your life is changing. You will now be exposed to ‘angels’ who will try to pull you down. Be strong. Keep growing. Keep moving higher. You will face difficult challenges – but you have the strength to overcome them and reach the heavens.”
This understanding of Yaakov’s dream resonates especially among those who have made the difficult transition from the world of yeshiva or kollel to the professional or business world. In yeshiva, the choices, generally, were whether to learn with this havruta or that havruta; to learn this masechet or that masechet; to attend this shiur or that shiur; to focus more on practical halachah or on theoretical Talmudic study. These are of course important decisions that students of Torah need to make. But upon entering the workforce, or the business world, much larger decisions need to be made. The individual must learn to maintain his unique religious identity and his commitment to his religious values while engaging all day with people with a much different identity and much different values. He needs to be able to sacrifice opportunities for profits and advancement for the sake of his principles. And he needs to carve out time from his busy schedule for prayer and Torah learning. In yeshiva, his environment was pulling him up; now, there will be influences pulling him down, and – like Yaakov Avinu – he will need to resist those pressures to continue rising.
Ups & Downs
I also heard a different explanation of the meaning of Yaakov’s dream – one which very closely relates to everything we have seen until now.
A fellow once joined a group that I led on a trip to Israel, and during the trip, I succeeded in convincing him to begin observing Shabbat. I spoke to him at length about the special sanctity of Shabbat, and the wonderful blessings granted to those who properly observe this day despite the sacrifices entailed. While still in Israel, he called the manager of his store and told him to close the business on Shabbat. The manager and the whole staff thought he had lost his mind, but he was adamant.
The reader probably expects the story to continue with some dramatic sequence of events that led to a tripling of his profits after he started observing Shabbat. Well, I’m sorry to disappoint.
The very next week, the store burned down.
This should not surprise us – if we learn the lesson of Yaakov’s dream.
What Yaakov saw is the ladder of life – a constant series of ups and downs. Nothing ever proceeds smoothly like we would want. To the contrary – when we set out to do something great, like this fellow who made the heroic commitment to observe Shabbat, the Satan comes to interfere. When we try to move upward, we are sometimes knocked down. When we try to grow, we will face obstacles, and not always will we succeed right away.
Yaakov was told that life in Lavan’s home will not be easy. He will not be able to climb upward unhindered. He might slip and fall. But the key is to not be discouraged, to believe in one’s ability to recover, to continue upward despite the setbacks, difficult and frequent as they may be.
Incidentally, that fellow whose store burned down didn’t rebuild his business. He started working for his father-in-law and did very well.
This is the “ladder” of life. No matter who a person is, he is going to fall on occasion. The important thing is to start climbing and reach higher than he was before the fall.
May Hashem always help us in our quest to “climb,” to achieve, to grow, to serve Him with devotion – and when we fall, may He help us get back up and start climbing again, to even greater heights.