Bread Ladder – Vayeitzei
וַיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע וַיֵּלֶךְ חָרָנָה. וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם וַיָּלֶן שָׁם כִּי בָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וַיִּקַּח מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם וַיָּשֶׂם מְרַאֲשֹׁתָיו וַיִּשְׁכַּב בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא. וַיַּחֲלֹם וְהִנֵּה סֻלָּם מֻצָּב אַרְצָה וְרֹאשׁוֹ מַגִּיעַ הַשָּׁמָיְמָה וְהִנֵּה מַלְאֲכֵי אֱ-לֹקִים עֹלִים וְיֹרְדִים בּוֹ. (בראשית כח, י-יב)
The dream of the ladder is the first time that HKB"H appears to Yaakov in a prophecy. What did Yaakov see in this dream?
HKB"H revealed to him everything concerning Am Yisrael, from the beginning of time (the Creation of the world), to the end of time (the Mashiach).
A few examples (from hints in the psukkim). HKB"H showed Yaakov –
· the sin of the עֵץ הַדַּעַת. The gematriya of סֻלָּם מֻצָּב אַרְצָה is נָחָשׁ קַדְמוֹן.
· his future wives. The gematriya of סֻלָּם in milui format (סמך למד מם) is לֵאָה רָחֵל.
· the Exodus. The gematriya of וְהִנֵּה סֻלָּם מֻצָּב אַרְצָה וְרֹאשׁוֹ מַגִּיעַ הַשָּׁמָיְמָה is פַּרְעֹה עֶרֶב רַב עֲמָלֵק בָּלָק בִּלְעָם מִדְיָן סִיחוֹן עוֹג.
· the four exiles. The gematriya of וְהִנֵּה מַלְאֲכֵי אֱ-לֹקִים עֹלִים וְיֹרְדִים בּוֹ is אֵלּוּ גָּלוּת בָּבֶל מָדַי יָוָן אֱדוֹם.
· Purim. The gematriya of סֻלָּם in milui format (סמך למד מם) is מָרְדְּכַי.
In this shiur we will bring some chiddushim regarding Yaakov's Ladder from sefer Meir Panim (2nd edition) to show that from beginning to end, the main focus of this prophecy centered around the Twelve Tribes and the Shulchan Lechem Hapanim.
Let's begin climbing the ladder rung by rung.
The passuk says וַיִּקַּח מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם וַיָּשֶׂם מְרַאֲשֹׁתָיו, that Yaakov took stones (to use as a pillow) under his head, before he fell asleep. The Midrash (Breishit Rabba 68, 11) brings a debate between R' Yehuda, R' Nechemya and the Rabbanan regarding how many stones there were.
According to R' Yehuda there were twelve stones because Yaakov would give birth to Twelve Tribes. Yaakov said to himself "Avraham did not give birth to the Twelve Tribes. Neither did Yitzchak. If these twelves stones coalesce into one single stone, this will be a sign that I (Yaakov) will give birth to the Twelve Tribes". The twelve stones coalesced into one.
According to R' Nechemya there were three stones. Yaakov said to himself "HKB"H designated (יִחֵד) His name on Avraham. He designated His name on Yitzchak. If these three stones coalesce into one, I will know that HKB"H has designated His name on me too". The three stones coalesced into one.
According to the Rabbanan (including R' Meir) there were two stones. There is a principle that when a number is not specifically stated in the passuk (as in this case) - מִעוּט רַבִּים שְׁנַיִם, the minimum for plural is two. Yaakov said "In addition to pure offspring Avraham gave birth to impure offspring, Yishmael and the sons of Keturah. Yitzchak gave birth to Eisav. If these two stones coalesce into one, I will know that none of my offspring will be impure". The two stones coalesced into one.
The above are the same participants in a different debate in the Gemara (Brachot 40a) – the debate regarding what kind of tree the עֵץ הַדַּעַת was. R' Meir (2 stones) says grapes, R' Nechemya (3 stones) says figs and R' Yehuda (12 stones) says wheat! In other words, R' Yehuda's שִׁיטָה that the fruit of the tree was wheat (bread according to Meir Panim) is consistent with his interpretation that there were twelve stones/Tribes and we will soon see why.
After the vision of the ladder, Yaakov makes a vow - אִם יִהְיֶה אֱ-לֹקִים עִמָּדִי וּשְׁמָרַנִי בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ וְנָתַן לִי לֶחֶם לֶאֱכֹל וּבֶגֶד לִלְבֹּשׁ (שם, כ). On a simple pshat level, one might interpret this passuk literally. Eliphaz, the son of Eisav has just robbed Yaakov of all his possessions, including his food and clothing. Yaakov is therefore asking HKB"H to feed and clothe him.
However, the Yalkut Shimoni on that passuk, brings a very interesting interpretation. The Yalkut Shimoni says לֶחֶם is referring to the Lechem Hapanim and בֶגֶד לִלְבֹּשׁ is referring to the bigdei Kehuna.
In other words, according to the Yalkut Shimoni, with the vision of the ladder fresh in his mind and all the many things that HKB"H revealed to him, the one thing that most stands out in Yaakov's mind and over which he makes a vow, is - the Lechem Hapanim (and the Kohanim who switch them on the Shulchan every Shabbat).
Yaakov continues וְשַׁבְתִּי בְשָׁלוֹם אֶל בֵּית אָבִי וְהָיָה ה' לִי לֵא-לֹקִים (שם, כא), "I will return in peace to the 'house of my father' (the Beit Hamikdash) and HKB"H will be my G-d". וְהָאֶבֶן הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתִּי מַצֵּבָה יִהְיֶה בֵּית אֱ-לֹקִים וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר תִּתֶּן לִי עַשֵּׂר אֲעַשְּׂרֶנּוּ לָךְ (שם, כב), "And this stone that I have laid as a monument will be a 'house of G-d' (Beit Mikdash) and everything You give me, I will take ma'asrot from".
The Midrash on Tehillim (mizmor 81) says that the three Avot each called the Beit Hamikdash a different name. Avraham called it הַר, as the passuk says בְּהַר ה' יֵרָאֶה (בראשית כב יד). Yitzchak called it שָׂדֶה, as it says רְאֵה רֵיחַ בְּנִי כְּרֵיחַ שָׂדֶה (בראשית כז, כז). Yaakov called it בַּיִת, as it says אֵין זֶה כִּי אִם בֵּית אֱ-לֹקִים (שם, יז).
From this we see that a central theme of the vision of the ladder was the Lechem Hapanim and the question is why?
Let us progress to the next rung on the ladder.
Rabbeinu Bachyei (ibid. 18), says that HKB"H took the "coalesced" stone that Yaakov was sleeping on and embedded it in the depths of the earth and this became the אֶבֶן שְׁתִיָּה, the central point in the Beit Hamikdash, upon which the Aron Habrit rests.
On the passuk וְהִנֵּה סֻלָּם מֻצָּב אַרְצָה וְרֹאשׁוֹ מַגִּיעַ הַשָּׁמָיְמָה (שם, יב) Rabbeinu Bachyei says that the one end of the ladder was on the ground, i.e where Yaakov was sleeping, and the other end was in Heaven. And indeed, the gematriya of וְהִנֵּה סֻלָּם מֻצָּב אַרְצָה וְרֹאשׁוֹ מַגִּיעַ הַשָּׁמָיְמָה is וַיֹּאמֶר אֱ-לֹקִים יְהִי רָקִיעַ בְּתוֹךְ הַמָּיִם וִיהִי מַבְדִּיל בֵּין מַיִם לָמָיִם (בראשית א, ו), referring to the second day of Creation when HKB"H separated the Heaven and the earth.
David Hamelech in Tehilim (122, 3) says יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִים הַבְּנוּיָה כְּעִיר שֶׁחֻבְּרָה לָּהּ יַחְדָּו and Rashi there says that there are in fact two Batei Mikdash, the מִקְדָּשׁ שֶׁל מָעֲלָה up in Heaven and the מִקְּדָשׁ שֶׁל מַטָּה down here on earth and the two are connected as one. The ladder Yaakov saw, stretched from the earthly Beit Hamikdash to the Heavenly Beit Hamikdash.
If you look at the Lechem Hapanim stacked on the Shulchan, it resembles a ladder with rungs, one loaf of Lechem Hapanim resting on each rung.
The component of the Shulchan that resembles the ladder (with the rungs) is referred to in the Gemara (Menachot 94b) as סְנִיפִּין. For each stack of six loaves there are two סְנִיפִּין, one on either side of the stack, standing on the long end of the Shulchan. Each of these two סְנִיפִּין have protrusions radiating inward (resembling rungs), upon which the loaves rest.
סֻלָם מֻצָב in gematriya is ב' סְנִיפִּין.
סֻלָם מֻצָב in gematriya including the כּוֹלֵל (adding one to the total) is לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים.
סֻלָּם מֻצָּב אַרְצָה in gematriya is וּפְנֵיהֶם אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו. The two stacks (of six loaves in each) are facing each other on the Shulchan, each loaf smiling (the shape of the bread is a smiling mouth) at the other.
Let's ascend to the next rung.
The number 12 is a cornerstone of Creation.
· 12 consists of the digits 1 and 2, 1=HKB"H, 2=שְׁנֵי לוּחוֹת הַבְּרִית.
· 12 = 3 X 4, 3=Avot and 4=Imahot
· 12 = 5 + 7, 5=חֻמְשֵׁי תּוֹרָה, 7=days of Creation
· 12 hours in a day/night (at the equator), 12 months in a year
· 12 pairs of ribs in the human body
The Maharal (סֵפֶר גְּבוּרוֹת ה', פרק יג) says that any 3-D object is made up of 6 directions – front, back, left, right, up and down and consists of 12 boundaries גְּבוּלִין –
This is just a small sample of the many, many fundamental building blocks based on the number 12. Mathematics is rife with myriad more examples, e.g the sum of the sides of the lowest integral Pythagorean triangle – 3,4,5 = 12. Western music is based on a 12-tone scale, etc. etc.
The purpose of בְּרֵאשִׁית, the Creation of the world was for a number of concepts called רֵאשִׁית. The Torah is called רֵאשִׁית, Am Yisrael are called רֵאשִׁית (so too are Hafrashat Challah, Bikkurim, Shtei Halechem, Ma'asrot, Amalek).
When HKB"H created Am Yisrael, He decided to use the building block of 12, in gematriya זֶה, i.e Twelve Tribes. HKB"H originally intended that Adam Harishon would give birth to the Twelve Tribes, as it says זֶה סֵפֶר תּוֹלְדֹת אָדָם (בראשית ה, א). When Adam sinned, the role was passed onto Noach, as it says זֶה יְנַחֲמֵנוּ מִמַּעֲשֵׂנוּ וּמֵעִצְּבוֹן יָדֵינוּ (בראשית ה, כט). When Noach did not meet expectations, the task fell to Avraham and Sarah, but Sarah scoffed לָמָּה זֶּה צָחֲקָה שָׂרָה (בראשית יח, ג).
Next in line were Yitzchak and Rivka, but Rivka complained וַיִּתְרֹצֲצוּ הַבָּנִים בְּקִרְבָּהּ וַתֹּאמֶר אִם כֵּן לָמָּה זֶּה אָנֹכִי (בראשית כה, כב). Finally, along comes Yaakov and after the vision of the ladder he says וַיִּירָא וַיֹּאמַר מַה נּוֹרָא הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה אֵין זֶה כִּי אִם בֵּית אֱ-לֹקִים וְזֶה שַׁעַר הַשָּׁמָיִם (בראשית כח, יז). As a result, HKB"H gave him 12 sons, all tzaddikim and thus the circle was complete.
Two more rungs to go.
(continued Part II)
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