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Orchard of Delights 4 Vayeitzei
The ladder’s symbolic power is accentuated by the Torah’s stress
on its two opposite ends: one end firmly embedded in the earth and
the other reaching the heavens. As we have noted, the ladder itself
symbolizes connection; the angels ascending and descending affirm
this meaning as well. The ladder becomes a paradigm for uniting
opposites and serves as a concrete example of the nature of reality
and life. Furthermore, it provides Jacob with a model for how to
constructively pursue his spiritual quests.
One of the reasons Jacob was shown the ladder – a paradigm for
uniting opposites – is because its message was particularly relevant
to him. As we have seen, Jacob and Esau as twins represent the
tension and rivalry between two worldviews and two attitudes to
life: “The youths grew up and Esau became one who knows hunting,
a man of the field, while Jacob was wholesome, a dweller in tents”
(Genesis 25:27). Rashi comments that the tents were the tents of
learning while the hunting Esau practiced was not just for game, but
for methods to outwit and trick his own father. Esau was attached
to the material world so he sold his birthright (and by implication
his blessing as well) because he was blind to the spiritual side of life.
Jacob lived in the world of spirituality, cloistered from the harsher
realities of life.
Rebecca realized that ultimately these two worlds must be united,
for in essence physicality is not evil; it needs to be uplifted, refined,
and properly channeled. Isaac thought that Esau and Jacob could
perform this task adequately together. They would find a point of
convergence where each one would contribute his unique perspective.
Rebecca knew that the physical and the spiritual; the body and the
soul; the heart and the mind must be united in a far more essential
manner, in one person. Affirming this insight, Jacob’s dream spoke
directly to him about his personal mission and the destiny of the
Jewish people.
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The Torah depicts the angels on the ladder as ascending and
descending. It would have been more logical to depict them as
descending and ascending since we envision them residing in the
upper worlds and they would be more likely to descend first. Rashi,
citing the Midrash, explains that Jacob was accompanied by a
band of angels. The angels who had accompanied him in the Land
of Israel were now ascending because angels of their spiritual level
do not leave Israel, while a new band of angels was descending to
greet him as he continued his journey outside the Land of Israel.
When Jacob returned to the Land of Israel twenty years later, the
inverse process occurred: “Jacob went on his way [towards the Land
of Israel] and angels of God encountered him. And Jacob said when
he saw them – ‘this is a Godly camp.’ And he called the name of
the place Mahanaim” (Genesis 32:3). The word “Mahanaim” is the
plural of the word “camp.” Rashi explains that Jacob observed the
two sets of angels trading places again.
The idea that distinct bands of angels are associated with different
geographical areas, due to their distinct spiritual levels, can also be
related to time, specifically Shabbat, an “island in time.” On Shabbat
eve, as Jews gather around the table for the first meal of Shabbat,
an intensely spiritual atmosphere pervades the home. According to
most traditions the song “Shalom Aleichem” is sung. This song is 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 4 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:04 | SR:-- | Magenta
comprised of four stanzas, each of which contains three lines. The #24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 4 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:04 | SR:-- | Yellow 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 4 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:04 | SR:-- | Black 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 4 - A | 1
first stanza welcomes the “angels of peace” who hover around the
Shabbat table at this uniquely holy time. The second stanza asks
them to come closer; the third requests their blessing; and the fourth
sends them away in peace. Many question why we dispatch the angels
so soon after greeting them. Given the notion that there are distinct
bands of angels on different spiritual levels, we can reason that
conceptually speaking the Shabbat angels are holier than weekday
angels. Accordingly, in the first stanza of “Shalom Aleichem,” we
greet the Shabbat angels and in the last stanza we bid farewell to the
weekday ones. Just as Jacob’s angels traded places at the border of
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