וַֽיַּחֲלֹ֗ם וְהִנֵּ֤ה סֻלָּם֙ מֻצָּ֣ב אַ֔רְצָה וְרֹאשׁ֖וֹ מַגִּ֣יעַ הַשָּׁמָ֑יְמָה וְהִנֵּה֙ מַלְאֲכֵ֣י אֱלֹהִ֔ים עֹלִ֥ים וְיֹרְדִ֖ים בּֽוֹ׃
He had a dream; a stairway was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky, and messengers of God were going up and down on it.
Genesis 28:12 (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)
There is a fascinating rabbinical thought about this passage in Genesis 28. It notes that the angels are described as going UP, and then going DOWN, and not the other way around.
These angels live on earth. They go up “to heaven” and then return to their assigned abode.
The imagery tells us that the angels get their assignments from God and carry them out on earth. They go up the ladder to report what they have seen, and then come back down to execute God’s commands.
It is a dream. It is meant to be seen like a parable.
Remember: “angels” is “malakim,” or “messengers.” A messenger is a deliverer of God’s message. Sometimes the message is through words; sometimes it is through action. The message is God’s will and purpose.
“Jacob’s Ladder” is a visual representation of “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”