ספר בראשית

Genesis 28:13 “and in his dream there was a ladder ‎standing toward the earth;” the vision represented human ‎beings who, though standing on earth, focus on the heavens, i.e. ‎וראשו מגיע השמימה‎. Man’s understanding of the celestial regions ‎and what they stand for is based on his service of the Lord.‎ Genesis 28:12 והנה מלאכי אלוקים עולים ויורדים בו‎, “and here angels of ‎G’d were ascending and descending on it.” The vision reflects ‎the fact that man’s actions propel the movement of these ‎‎“angels,” either heavenwards or earthwards. If man, G’d forbid, ‎instead of serving His Creator, does the opposite, he is also having ‎a negative impact on these angels in the celestial spheres, causing ‎them to descend spiritually. This concept has been spelled out in ‎‎Pessikta Rabbati 21,8 where we are told that ever since the ‎destruction of the Temple, G’d reduced the number of angels ‎constituting His entourage. However, once Yaakov had become ‎firmly established as a servant of G’d, he was granted an additional ‎vision, i.e. ‎והנה ה' נצב עליו‎, “and here the Lord Himself was ‎standing above the ladder.” This vision refers to the ‎‎merkavah of G’d, His chariot.‎