Yaakov's Dream

Exegetical Approaches

Overview

In attempting to decipher the meaning of Yaakov's dream, commentators are guided by both their perception of the intended audience of the message and by textual clues that hint to the vision's interpretation. While many exegetes endeavor to find in the dream a message that would be meaningful to Yaakov himself, others attempt to make it significant to the contemporary reader as well. On a textual level, some commentators focus on the symbols of the vision itself, while others look either to Hashem's accompanying speech or to Yaakov's own reaction, "this is a house of God."

Rashi and others, thus, note Hashem's words "and I will guard you" and highlight the message of God's salvation and protection. These commentators subdivide regarding at whom the dream's message was aimed, Yaakov himself, in the present, or the Nation of Israel, in the future. A second position, taken by Shadal, sees in the ladder's bridging between heaven and earth a symbol of prayer, and various Midrashim arrive at a similar conclusion by focusing on Yaakov's identification of the site as a "house of God". Finally, R. D"Z Hoffmann proposes a third reading of the dream, viewing the rung by rung climbing of the ladder as a metaphor for man's constant striving to realize his potential.

Providence and Protection

The dream was meant to impart a message to Yaakov regarding Hashem's providence in the world. It signified that Hashem would protect Yaakov and watch over him, despite potential dangers that he might encounter. The position subdivides over whether this message relates to Yaakov personally, in his present circumstances, or to Yaakov's descendants (the Nation of Israel) in the future:

Message for the Present

The message of providence and protection is aimed at Yaakov himself.

Sources: Bemidbar Rabbah4:1About Bemidbar Rabbah, RashiBereshit 28:11Bereshit 28:12-13Bereshit 28:17About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, Ibn EzraBereshit 28:12Bereshit 28:16-17About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, RambanBereshit 28:12About R. Moshe Nachmanides, NetzivBereshit 28:12-13About R. Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin

Meaning of dream components

• Ladder – Ibn Ezra asserts that the ladder represents a connection between heaven and earth, signifying that what happens below is dependent on what happens above.
• Angels – According to Bemidbar Rabbah and Rashi, the angels are heavenly creatures sent to accompany Yaakov. Ibn Ezra and Ramban, in contrast, maintain that they are Hashem's messengers sent to carry out God's bidding in the world.
• Ascending and descending – Rashi maintains that the group of angels who have accompanied Yaakov in his journeys in the Land of Israel are ascending to heaven to be replaced by other angels who will accompany him as he leaves the land.¹ Ibn Ezra and Ramban suggest that the angels ascend to report to Hashem on the happenings on earth and descend to fulfill any commands given to them by God.
• Hashem at the top – For Ibn Ezra, Hashem's position at the top emphasizes how all that happens in the world is under Hashem's direct control. Ramban adds that Hashem is telling Yaakov that he will be protected not by angels, but by Hashem Himself.²

Significance for Yaakov – The message is very apt for Yaakov who is fearfully fleeing from his brother and venturing into the unknown.

Relationship between verbal and visual messages – According to this position, Hashem's statement echoes the main point of the visual message, and His words, "וְהִנֵּה אָנֹכִי עִמָּךְ וּשְׁמַרְתִּיךָ בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵךְ" effectively interpret the dream.

Why Beit El? There seems to be no reason that this message needed to be given to Yaakov specifically in Beit El.³ Nonetheless, both Rashi and Ramban connect Beit El with Yerushalayim and the site of the Mikdash, making it an appropriate place to receive a prophecy.⁴

"אֵין זֶה כִּי אִם בֵּית אֱ-לֹהִים וְזֶה שַׁעַר הַשָּׁמָיִם" – Yaakov's conclusion that the site is a holy one seems less related to the content of the message than to the revelation itself.⁵

"אִם יִהְיֶה אֱ-לֹהִים עִמָּדִי" – Ramban explains that despite the assurances in the dream, Yaakov might have feared that sin would cause him to be unworthy of God's protection.⁶

Message For the Future

The dream contained a message about the future nation of Israel which will be subdued by various enemy kingdoms, but in the end will prevail over them, as each empire falls in turn.

Sources: Pesikta DeRav KahanaRosh Hashanah 23:2About Pesikta DeRav Kahana, TanchumaVayetze 2About the Tanchuma, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer35About Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, SfornoBereshit 28:12Bereshit 28:14-15Bereshit 28:16-17About R. Ovadyah Sforno

Meaning of dream components – According to this position, the ladder is a ladder of history,⁷ with its various rungs representing spans of time. The angels are the guardian angels of the four kingdoms which will later subdue Israel, and their ascent and descent represent each kingdom's initial rise to power and ultimate fall from power. Sforno points out that God's presence at the top signifies that, despite periods of persecution, Hashem will never abandon his chosen nation.

Motivation – These Midrashim may be motivated by the fact that despite God's promises of land, progeny and protection, Yaakov reacts to the dream with fear.⁸

Significance for Yaakov – According to this read, the dream holds no immediate message for Yaakov.

Relationship between verbal and visual messages – According to Sforno, Hashem's words echoed and elaborated upon the meaning hidden in the vision.⁹ Alternatively, one could suggest that, while the dream related to Yaakov's descendants, Hashem's words held a parallel message for Yaakov himself.

Why Beit El? The choice of site is not significant and has no special connection to the vision.¹⁰

"אֵין זֶה כִּי אִם בֵּית אֱ-לֹהִים וְזֶה שַׁעַר הַשָּׁמָיִם" – Sforno asserts that after having the dream, Yaakov realized that the site must be a holy place, predisposed to prophetic visions.

"אִם יִהְיֶה אֱ-לֹהִים עִמָּדִי" – If one suggests that Hashem's words regarding protection were referring just to Yaakov's descendants, then this request for Hashem's protection is understandable, as God has not yet promised Yaakov anything on a personal level.

A Site of Prayer

Yaakov's dream was a visual representation of man's communion with Hashem, and it highlighted the special status of Beit El as a place of prayer.

Sources: Talmud BavliSanhedrin 95a-bChulin 91aAbout the Bavli, Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan)Bereshit 28:11About Targum Yerushalmi (Yonatan), Bereshit Rabbah68:1269:7About Bereshit Rabbah, Yeshuah cited by Ibn EzraBereshit 28:12About Yeshuah, SfornoBereshit 28:16-17About R. Ovadyah Sforno, ShadalBereshit 28:12-13Bereshit 28:16-17About R. S.D. Luzzatto

Meaning of dream components – The word "סֻלָּם" is commonly translated as a ladder (due to its contemporary usage) but it is, in fact, a hapax legomenon, whose meaning is unclear. It might stem from the Hebrew root סלל which relates to a path or ramp. Others relate "סֻלָּם" to the Akkadian "simmiltu" which means a stairway.¹¹  The different possibilities lead to varying understandings of the vision:

• According to Bereshit Rabbah, the "סֻלָּם" represents the ramp of the altar. Its head, which reaches heavenwards, symbolizes the smoke of the sacrifices which ascends upwards, while the angels symbolize the priests who serve Hashem, ascending and descending the altar's ramp as they bring sacrifices.¹²
• Shadal suggests, more simply, that the dream is merely a visual representation of prayer. The angels bring man's prayers up to Hashem and then descend to fulfill the requests. The ladder, thus, is a channel which connects humans to Hashem.
• The possibility that "סֻלָּם" might be related to the Akkadian "simmiltu, " a stairway, has led many scholars to suggest that what Yaakov saw was actually a ziqqurat, a stepped Mesopotamian temple which was believed to connect heaven and earth.¹³ If so, it is possible that the image of Hashem at the top of the "סֻלָּם" held no symbolic value, but was simply a representation of Hashem in His glory, sitting in His temple, similar to Yeshayahu's vision of Hashem on His throne.  Yaakov views Hashem in a temple rather than on a throne due to the association with prayer.¹⁴

Significance for Yaakov – According to Shadal, through the dream, Yaakov's unspoken prayers are answered by Hashem. On the other hand, according to the Talmud Bavli, Yaakov felt that he could not leave Israel without stopping first to pray at the holy site.

Relationship between verbal and visual messages – Hashem's response to Yaakov is the auditory parallel of the descending angels in Yaakov's vision. Hashem heard Yaakov's prayers and actively replied with messages of comfort.

Why Beit El? Most of those who take this approach identify (or at least connect) Beit El with Har HaMoriyah and the site of the future Beit HaMikdash.¹⁵ The concept is motivated both by the definitive "ה" in the word "וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם" (suggesting a known place) and by Yaakov's words, "אֵין זֶה כִּי אִם בֵּית אֱ-לֹהִים וְזֶה שַׁעַר הַשָּׁמָיִם".‎¹⁶ Relating the locale of the dream to the site of the Mikdash is logical if one sees the dream as a message of communion with Hashem. The obvious difficulty, of course, is that Beit El is not in Yerushalayim and is not identical to Har HaMoriyah.¹⁷

"אֵין זֶה כִּי אִם בֵּית אֱ-לֹהִים וְזֶה שַׁעַר הַשָּׁמָיִם" – According to Shadal, Yaakov originally thought of his resting place in a negative way, but after his dream and seeing that Hashem saw his suffering, Yaakov considered it a place of worship. Others who take this approach read these words to refer literally to the future house of Hashem, the Beit HaMikdash.

"אִם יִהְיֶה אֱ-לֹהִים עִמָּדִי" – Sforno understands Yaakov's request that Hashem be with him to mean not that Hashem should physically protect him (as God had already promised as much) but that Hashem should help him never waver in his faith.

Striving to Achieve Man's Potential

The vision contains an important message about man's constant climb towards perfection and attempts to get closer to God.

Sources: RambamMoreh Nevukhim 1:15About R. Moshe Maimonides, R. D"Z HoffmannBereshit 28:12About R. D"Z Hoffmann

Meaning of dream components – This approach views the ladder as man's climb heavenwards. Rambam reads the angels as prophets who move up the ladder towards God, but then bring His message and teachings back down to earth. R. D"Z Hoffmann, in contrast, reads them as referring to any individual, who in his strive for perfection and to fulfill God's commands, climbs up the ladder rung by rung to get closer to Hashem.¹⁸

Significance for Yaakov – According to R. D"Z Hoffmann, this is a message for Yaakov to strive to reach his potential, despite his present unpromising circumstances.¹⁹

Relationship between verbal and visual messages – Hashem's words provide encouragement that He will help Yaakov achieve his destiny and reach his goals.²⁰

Why Beit El? There is no special significance to Beit El.²¹

"אֵין זֶה כִּי אִם בֵּית אֱ-לֹהִים וְזֶה שַׁעַר הַשָּׁמָיִם" – R. D"Z Hoffmann asserts that upon awakening Yaakov realized that Hashem's presence could be felt in a place even if it had no altar or physical cultic structure. The site was, nonetheless, a house of God and gateway to heaven.²²

¹ Rashi, thus, adds another component to the dream's message, the uniqueness of the Land of Israel.

² The Netziv, in contrast, understands the words "נִצָּב עָלָיו" to mean that God was on top of Yaakov rather than the ladder, but similarly points out how this emphasizes God's personal providence.

³ It would seem that the dream only occurred in Beit El since that is where Yaakov happened to be when night fell.

⁴ See below for a larger discussion of the connection between the sites.

⁵ Ibn Ezra says that Yaakov noted the miraculous nature of the site and concluded that it must be a chosen place. See above, though, that according to Rashi and Ramban, the site is directly related to the future Beit HaMikdash.

⁶ Alternatively, Ramban suggests that "אם" here implies "when" and Yaakov is simply saying that after Hashem's promises are fulfilled, he will tithe his belongings and make a house of worship for Hashem

⁷ See N. Leibowitz, עיונים בספר בראשית, (Jerusalem, 1992): 208-210, who points this out and analyzes the various Midrashim who take this approach.

⁸ See James Kugel, The Bible as it Was, (Cambridge, 1997): 211.

⁹ Sforno maintains that when Hashem says that Yaakov's descendants will be like the dust of the earth, this refers to their lowly status while in exile. Hashem, though, promises that He will not leave them during their times of distress and after their return to the land, the nation will spread and grow even stronger than before.

¹⁰ Sforno, though, also connects the site to the Beit HaMikdash and suggests that the ladder might also represent a conduit by which man's prayers reach Hashem. See below for elaboration of this interpretation of the dream.

¹¹ See CAD 15:275, entry simmiltu.

¹² Cf. the second opinion brought in Bereshit Rabbah 68:12, which reads the ladder as symbolic of Mount Sinai and the angels as representing Moshe and Aharon. According to this read, too, the dream is about Hashem's revelation to man. See also Bereshit Rabbah 69:7 which suggests that Yaakov saw the Beit HaMikdash being built, destroyed and then rebuilt. This Midrash combines the themes of both this and the above approach. The vision revolves around sites of prayer and communication with Hashem but also contains a message of salvation, or restoration from destruction.

¹³ For a survey of the extant literature, see Yitzchak Peleg, "מהו ה'סלם' שראה יעקב בחלומו",‎ שנתון לחקר המקרא והמזרח הקדום י"ד‎ (2004): 7-26.

¹⁴ One might question why Hashem would have Yaakov dream of an idolatrous temple, but it is possible this is simply the image that Yaakov would have associated with temples, being the common house of worship of his time. However, Prof. Yehuda Elitzur in his article "מגדל בבל וסולם יעקב", reprinted in ישראל והמקרא (Jerusalem, 2000): 44-50, suggests that our story is actually an example of the Torah's dismissal of such Babylonian temples and practices. He posits that this story, like the story of the tower of Bavel, is a polemic against paganism (for elaboration, see Deconstructing Midgal Bavel). Here, too, the Torah is mocking the Akkadian name Babilu which means "gate of god", pointing out that the true gate to God is not in Mesopotamia, but in the Land of Israel. To connect to Hashem, one need not build a fancy temple, as even in a lowly open field, Yaakov is able to see "ה' נִצָּב עָלָיו".

¹⁵ Shadal is the exception.

¹⁶ In addition, commentators might be bothered by Beit El's later infamy in being the idolatrous site of Yarovam's golden calves.

¹⁷ R. Elazar in the name of R. Yose b. Zimra suggests that the ladder's ends were in Beer Sheva and Beit El but its middle was in Har HaMoriyah. See Rashi and Ramban who attempt to explain these words and the identification as a whole. See also the discussion in R. Yaacov Medan's article, "בית אל", and R. Zeev Weitman's article, "המקום אשר יבחר ה".

¹⁸ Cf. Dr. Yisrael Eldad, הגיונות המקרא, (Jerusalem, 1959): 47-51, who also reads into the dream a message regarding man's attempts to attain perfection. He sees in the ladder the idea that one needs to connect between the heavenly and earthly. As one aspires to rise spiritually, one must, nonetheless, always remain rooted to the ground.

¹⁹ One might suggest a more critical view, that Hashem is telling him to improve despite his morally questionable tricking of his brother.

²⁰ R. D"Z Hoffmann relates to the Midrash that describes how the angels were looking at the sleeping Yaakov down below and comparing him to the portrait of Yaakov up above. R. D"Z Hoffmann suggests that they found the earthly Yaakov lacking. How could he sleep rather than act to fulfill his potential? Hashem, in his kindness, protects Yaakov from their wrath and encourages him to act and achieve.

²¹ See note below.

²² This approach could also adopt R. Yosef KaraBereshit 28:17About R. Yosef Kara's position that the words "אֵין זֶה כִּי אִם בֵּית אֱ-לֹהִים" refer to Yaakov's vision in his dream, rather than to anything in Beit El. For more on this gloss of R. Yosef Kara, see hereR. Yosef Kara Bereshit 28:17About R. Yosef Kara.