weekly Torah reading: parasha Vayeitze – Prayer Ladder
“And he dreamed, 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.” – Genesis 28:12, JPS 1917 Tanach
Prayer is a means of communication, between man and G-d – a connection between earth and heaven. The gateway to G-d’s abode in Heaven was revealed to Jacob in a dream. Upon waking from the dream, Jacob said, “this is none other than the house of G-d, and this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:17, JPS 1917 Tanach).
Rashi comments, based upon Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, on the verse, and this is the gate of heaven, a place where prayers would ascend to heaven (sefaria.org). Jacob saw angels of G-d ascending and descending upon the ladder in his dream. The angels ascending towards Heaven represent prayers, and the angels descending from heaven represent the answers to those prayers (Sforno).
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