The ancient rabbis pondered such a moment, centered on our patriarch, Jacob, and a vision of a ladder reaching to the heavens.
The scene is set in Genesis, where Jacob dreams of a ladder with angels ascending and descending. But Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Leviticus, sees something more profound in this dream. Rabbi Naḥman begins by quoting Jeremiah: "You, have no fear, My servant Jacob" (Jeremiah 30:10), connecting it directly to Jacob's ladder. According to Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, these weren't just any angels; they were the guardian angels of different nations.
Imagine Jacob watching these angels. The Holy One, blessed be He, showed him the guardian angel of Babylon ascending seventy rungs, Media ascending fifty-two, Greece ascending one hundred and eighty. But then he saw the guardian angel of Edom, traditionally understood as the forebear of Rome, ascending… and ascending… seemingly without end.
This terrified Jacob. "Is it possible that this one has no descent?" he wondered. The Holy One reassured him: "You, have no fear, My servant Jacob, even if it ascends and sits near Me, I will bring it down from there." This echoes the verse in Obadiah: "If you raise yourself like the eagle, or place your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, the utterance of the Lord" (Obadiah 1:4). No matter how high Edom might rise, God would ultimately bring it low.
Now, here's where it gets really interesting. Rabbi Berekhya, Rabbi Ḥelbo, and Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai, in the name of Rabbi Meir, offer a different, even more poignant interpretation. They say that God showed Jacob the angels of Babylon, Media, Greece, and Edom both ascending and descending. Then, God said to Jacob, "You, too, will ascend."
But Jacob hesitated. He feared that just as those angels had a descent after their ascent, so too would he. The Holy One reassured him: “You, have no fear, if you ascend, there will be no descent for you forever.” But Jacob, tragically, didn't believe it.
Rabbi Meir expounds on this, linking it to (Psalms 78:32): "Nonetheless, they continued to sin and did not believe in His wonders." This, he says, is Jacob our patriarch, who did not believe and did not ascend. Because of this lack of faith, God declared that Jacob's descendants would be subjugated by the four kingdoms, burdened with taxes of all kinds.
Jacob, understandably distraught, asked if this subjugation would be forever. God reassured him with the words of Jeremiah: "Do not be afraid, Israel, as, behold, I will save you from afar" (Jeremiah 30:10). This salvation would come from distant lands like Babylon, Gaul (France), and Spain. Jacob would return, finding calm, tranquility, and freedom from trembling. God would bring annihilation upon the nations who oppressed them, but not upon Israel.
The midrash (rabbinic interpretation) concludes with a fascinating connection to the laws of the harvest. God says, "I will chastise you with justice" (Jeremiah 30:11), afflicting them with suffering to cleanse them of iniquities. But, the text implies, this suffering can be lessened during the time of justice, namely on Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), in the seventh month. How? By supporting the poor, echoing the law of leaving a corner of one's field unharvested for the needy (Leviticus 23:22).
So, what are we to make of this? It seems to be a story about missed opportunities, about the consequences of fear and doubt, and about the enduring promise of redemption. But it's also about something more personal. What ladders are we being offered? What ascents are we shying away from because we fear the inevitable descent? And perhaps most importantly, how can we cultivate the faith to believe that, with God's help, our ascent might be without descent?
Rabbi Naḥman began: “You, have no fear, My servant Jacob” (Jeremiah 30:10) – it is speaking of Jacob, as it is written: “He dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set on the ground…[God’s angels were ascending and descending on it]” (Genesis 28:12). Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: These are the guardian angels of the nations of the world, as Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: It teaches that the Holy One blessed be He showed him the guardian angel of Babylon ascending seventy rungs, [the guardian angel] of Media [ascending] fifty–two, [the guardian angel] of Greece [ascending] one hundred and eighty, and [the guardian angel] of Edom ascending, but [Jacob] did not know how many.4The guardian angel of Edom, a nation traditionally understood to be the forebear of Rome, seemed to be ascending continuously and not descending. At that moment, Jacob our patriarch grew fearful. He said: ‘Is it possible that this one has no descent?’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘“You, have no fear, My servant Jacob,” even if it ascends and sits near Me, I will bring it down from there.’ That is what is written: “If you raise yourself like the eagle, or place your nest among the stars, [from there I will bring you down, the utterance of the Lord]” (Obadiah 1:4). Rabbi Berekhya, Rabbi Ḥelbo, and Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said in the name of Rabbi Meir: It teaches that the Holy One blessed be He showed Jacob the guardian angel of Babylon ascending and descending, of Media ascending and descending, of Greece ascending and descending, and of Edom ascending and descending. The Holy One blessed be He said to Jacob: ‘You, too, will ascend.’ At that moment, Jacob our patriarch grew fearful and said: ‘Perhaps, God forbid, just as there was descent for these, so it will be for me.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘“You, have no fear,” if you ascend, there will be no descent for you forever.’ He did not believe, and he did not ascend. Rabbi Berekhya, Rabbi Ḥelbo, and Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said: Rabbi Meir would expound: “Nonetheless, they continued to sin and did not believe in His wonders” (Psalms 78:32), this is Jacob our patriarch, who did not believe and did not ascend. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Had you believed and ascended, you would never have descended. Now that you did not believe and did not ascend, your descendants will be subjugated by the four kingdoms in this world with land taxes, produce taxes, animal taxes, and head taxes.’ At that moment, Jacob grew fearful. He said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, is it, perhaps, forever?’ He said to him: “Do not be afraid, Israel, as, behold, I will save you from afar” (Jeremiah 30:10). Just as it says: “They came to me from a distant land, from Babylon” (Isaiah 39:3). “And your descendants from the land of their captivity” (Jeremiah 30:10), that is from Gaul, from Spain, and from its allies. “And Jacob will return” (Jeremiah 30:10) from Babylon, “and be calm” (Jeremiah 30:10), from Media, “and tranquil” (Jeremiah 30:10), from Greece, “and there is none to cause trembling” (Jeremiah 30:10), from Edom. “For I will bring annihilation upon all the nations to which I dispersed you” (Jeremiah 30:11), upon the nations of the world who reap their entire fields, I will bring annihilation. “But I will not bring annihilation upon you” (Jeremiah 30:11); but upon Israel, who do not reap their entire fields, as it says: “You shall not reap the corner of your field” (Leviticus 23:22), I will not bring annihilation. “I will chastise you with justice” (Jeremiah 30:11), I will afflict you with suffering in this world in order to cleanse you of your iniquities in the future. When? It is in the seventh month.5Some suggest that there are missing words in the midrash, and the text is to be understood as saying that during the time of justice, namely on Rosh HaShana, in the seventh month, the suffering needed in order to cleanse one of iniquities can be foregone for those who have supported the poor. This is derived from the juxtaposition of the law requiring leaving a corner of one’s field for the poor and the verses regarding Rosh HaShana (Leviticus 23:22–24; Rabbi David Luria).
