VAYEYTZEY 5783

Why the Ladder in Jacob’s Dream?

Our Torah portion opens with Father Jacob fleeing—fleeing from his brother Esav who vowed to kill him because he stole Esav’s blessing from their father, fleeing to his mother’s family in Haran. When he lied down to rest at night, he had this amazing dream (Gen. 28:12-13) with a ladder planted firmly in the earth with its top reaching to Heaven, and with angels ascending and descending. Gd then appears to him and tells him that He will give him and his descendants the land of Canaan, the implication is that Jacob’s descendants will be a great people. That’s the dream.

The Midrash (Raba 68:12) tells us that the angels who were with Jacob in the land of Canaan—later to become Israel— ascended as he was leaving home, and the descending angels were to escort him away from home. It’s a comforting thought that Gd has His angels protecting us. But guardian angels are a subject for another time.

My question today is: What’s the significance of Jacob’s ladder in the dream? You might say from the text, it was so the angels could come up and down. Really? Rabbi David Forman, in his Parsha Podcast, asks the obvious question I never thought of: Do angels really need ladders to go from Heaven to earth and back? Obviously, the ladder is a symbol, a message. So, what’s the message of the ladder?

The answer has to do with the dreamer—Father Jacob. Jacob is truly the father of the Jewish people. We are called “the Children of Israel,” or “the People of Israel” after his holy name. What is the purpose of the People of Israel, what is its mission, its reason for being? It is to become a ladder that connects Heaven and earth, a vehicle that brings Gd into the world. How and when could it do that?

To appreciate this special mission, we have to look to a parallel story at the end of the parsha where Jacob again encounters 2 sets of angels—the angels that accompanied him away from home and the angels coming to welcome him home. Our Torah portion began with Jacob fleeing the land of Canaan, fleeing the wrath of his brother Esav—followed by the dream of the ladder. But now the circumstances of his return to Canaan are quite the opposite.

Jacob is not all alone in his return as he was when he left home. He has a family of children who would become the tribes of Israel. Jacob’s dream that he will become a great nation in the land of Canaan is happening now. The nation of Israel is being born. And when this happens, Jacob begins to become the ladder!

How? Not just because he’s becoming a nation, but because he’s actualizing in his life and in the life of his family something this nation actually needs to stand for. He’s beginning to bring Gdly values from Heaven down into this world and make them a reality.

A brave and noble Gdly thing is happening. Jacob, who once fled from his brother’s wrath, is coming now proactively to meet his brother in person. He doesn’t evade him as before. He seeks him out. He comes to meet him. As we see in next week’s parsha, Jacob embraces him. He kisses him. He does everything he can to reconcile with him.

Isn’t it interesting that at this very moment, Jacob just happens to meet up with angels—angels that are not just oblivious to him going up and down a ladder, but angels coming to meet him; angels that are not just in a dream, but in real life?

What changed? The angels haven’t changed. They probably were the same angels that were on that ladder in the dream. It was Jacob that has changed. His perspective has shifted. No longer is he asleep on the floor with angels ascending and descending in a dream. No, the dream is becoming real. The ladder isn’t imagined anymore. Jacob is becoming the ladder in real life! And so, the angels whose goal before was to climb the ladder, are meeting him now—face to face, eye to eye.

What does it mean to say Jacob has become a ladder in real life? The ladder is a conduit—the way Gd connects to earth. How does Gd connect to earth? The answer is…through human action. When we act Gdly, that is, courageously, kindly, compassionately, we bring Divine values into the world through our actions. Then we become a ladder to and from Gd. By embodying Gd’s will in our actions, we build a sheym, a Name for Gd in the world. We make a lasting mark for Gd here in our very tangible physical reality.

As the story continues in next week’s Torah reading, Jacob takes a fateful step. Laden with the children that will become the leaders of the people of Israel, he approaches his brother and seeks to make things right with him. That overture may seem small, but it’s the beginning of the journey for becoming the nation of Israel—the journey of bringing Gdly values into the real world.

Bringing Gdliness into this world sounds great. But what does it mean in practical terms? You may ask, “Could little old me really do that?” Yes, little old you can bring Gdliness into the world. It wasn’t that Jacob used miraculous powers or fasted for 40 days and nights. What he did, all of us can do. He tried to make peace with his brother. That’s something practical. Peace, kindness, compassion, honesty…these are Gdly values we can all uphold.

The challenge is that such opportunities don't always come knocking at our doors. So, Jacob doesn’t sit around waiting for opportunities to present themselves. He goes out of his way to send messages and gifts to his brother before he meets up with him. He tries to heal the damage.

This reminds me of something that happened once in a former synagogue on the High Holy Days. Someone noticed that the security guard that was hired had been standing on his feet all day long. So, he offered the guard a chair and was shocked by how grateful he was. He said, “In 5 years of doing this, no one ever thought to offer me a chair.” When he was offered some water, it really made his day.

This story is striking because it’s such an easy thing to do. Who wouldn’t do this simple act of kindness if asked? But sometimes these Gdly moments require us to follow the lead of Father Jacob and really keep our eyes open to where we are needed.

My friends, as we read of Father Jacob’s Gdly actions in reconciling with his brother, let’s ask ourselves, is there anyone in our lives we need to reconcile with? Jacob teaches us that life is too short. Light Jacob, let us not wait for opportunities to come knocking at our doors. Make the 1^st call and begin the process—even if you were the one that was wronged. And in the process, you will become a ladder bringing Gd into our world. Amen!