PARSHA - Vayaitzei (Ladder connecting earth and heaven.)

The dream of the ladder in our Parshah this week, Vayeitzei, is something that has captivated people's imaginations for thousands of years. Jacob, the ancestor of the Jewish people, was on a journey going far away from home. The sun set, he lay down and slept, dreaming of a ladder reaching from earth to heaven.

The Zohar tells us that the ladder in Jacob's dream represents prayer. Like the ladder, prayer reaches from earth to heaven. It is the means for every one of us to connect with G-d.

The prayer service has different sections, different stages, similar to the rungs of a ladder. During the service the person is climbing higher and higher, reaching ever closer to G-d. The highest stage is the Amidah prayer, in which we stand in the immediate presence of G-d, and speak directly to Him.

The angels going up the ladder in Jacob's dream represent the words of prayer. The words coming from our mouths and our hearts rise up to G-d.

The angels coming down the ladder are the messengers from G-d carrying Divine blessing to the person who is praying, to his or her family, to the Jewish people and the entire world.

After having the dream of the ladder Jacob established the bond between his own personal material success, and G-d/holiness.

Jacob said to G-d, "...of whatever You give me, I will give a tenth to You". By giving a proportion of his income to charity, Jacob was ensuring that all his wealth was tinged with holiness. Thus two worlds were joined: the material and the holy - like earth and heaven.

To join earth and heaven has been a vital factor in the preservation of the Jewish ideal.

Candle lighting time for LA is 4:26