Here are two opposing thoughts about Jacob’s Ladder. Many know the biblical story of Jacob stopping to rest (at what would later be Mount Moriah) and dreaming of a ladder ascending to heaven with angels going up and down.
(1) On one hand, here’s a tidbit from an excellent sermon written by Rabbi Yossy Goldman of South Africa (on chabad.org): Let me ask you what they might call in Yiddish, a klotz kashe (simplistic question). Do angels need a ladder? Everyone knows angels have wings, not feet. So, if you have wings, why would you need a ladder? There is a beautiful message here. In climbing heavenward one does not necessarily need wings. Dispense with the dramatic. Forget about fancy leaps and bounds. There is a ladder, a spiritual route clearly mapped out for us; a route that needs to be traversed step-by-step, one rung at a time. The pathway to Heaven is gradual, methodical and eminently manageable.
(2) On the other hand, there’s the verse turned song that G-d tells Jacob in that vision: “Ufaratzta (you shall break through; spread out) to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. . .” (Genesis 28:14) This verse/song became a motto for Chabad, to spread out to all corners of the globe in search of Jews and in an effort to build Jewish communities. The word Ufartzta means more than spread out. It means break-forth, burst-out – overcoming all challenges, breaking down barriers and limitations.
So which is it? Are we to progress in an orderly step-by-step fashion, or burst forth above and beyond? How to reconcile the two? How to incorporate both in our spiritual journeys? I leave that up to you to figure out in your own life. But indeed both messages are true and both are necessary.