A Moment in Time: At the Bottom of Jacob’s Ladder

Dear all,

Over the weekend Ron and I discovered that water was pouring into our home from the ceiling. So I ascended a ladder to take stock of the damage. In truth, I was more excited about climbing a ladder than I was about fixing the problem!

As I climbed, I thought of our Biblical Patriarch, Jacob, who dreamed of a ladder whose top was in Heaven. Now, according to the story, Jacob never climbed the ladder. Further, the text teaches that God didn’t speak to Jacob from Heaven. Rather, God was standing beside Jacob on the ground. When Jacob woke up, he realized, “Wow! God has been right here (next to me) the whole time” Genesis 28:16)!

Back to the leak. Up I climbed.

Yes, it was a great view from the roof.

And yes, we found the source of the leak.

But more important, when I came back down, I saw Ron’s smiling face. And that face means so much more than anything else.

No, just seeing Ron didn’t fix the leak. There was work to do. But seeing him reminded me that sometimes we look up trying to seek holiness when perhaps all we have to do is take a moment in time to look at those standing right next to us. While the top of Jacob’s ladder may be inspiring, the bottom of Jacob’s ladder is where life begins.

With love and shalom,

Rabbi Zach Shapiro