It was the night before Yaakov had to leave Eretz Yisroel. Most of us have had this experience. There is a certain emptiness that one feels. One looks around everywhere to try to take Eretz Yisroel home. We go to the Kosel, the same place that Yaakov went before leaving Israel , and we pray.

We ask ourselves if the spirituality we felt while in Israel was real, or was it something artificially created by the ambiance of Yerushalayim. We are confused about the direction of our lives and where we should really be –spiritually as well as physically.  We finally go to sleep, just as Yaakov Avinu did, and we dream about our souls.

Yaakov Avinu dreamt of a ladder that was based on earth, with its top reaching up to Heaven. Angels of G-d were ascending and descending the ladder. The Talmud [Chulin 91] asks why the angels were going up and down this infinite ladder? Chazal answer: They would ascend to examine the image of Yaakov, which was present beneath the Divine Throne, and then they would descend to examine the image of the real-life Yaakov below. 

I heard Rabbi Yissachar Frand quote a beautiful insight from Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. The angels were amazed at the similarity of the two images. Yaakov's earthly image was precisely the same as his heavenly image.

When G-d created each of us, he gave us certain gifts and talents, and had something in mind for us in terms of how we should use these gifts and talents. He stores that completed soul under His holy throne. Each of us has our very own heavenly image. Each of us also has an earthly image; the one you see when you look in the mirror. Our task is to try to ensure that the two images match up as precisely as possible. We strive, in this world, to become everything we can be and to reach the potential which has already been programmed into our Neshama. With a lifetime of work, the neshama we carry and know so well could look the same as our neshama which is stored beneath the Kisei Hakavod.

Yaakov Avinu had reached this point. The ladder he dreamt of started on Earth and reached all the way to G-d’s throne. It drew a line between what Yaakov was and what Yaakov could be – and behold they were the same! Yaakov achieved on this earth exactly what had been expected of him in Heaven. This was such a noteworthy accomplishment that it stirred the interest of legions of angels who came to inspect this amazing phenomenon for themselves. 

There is a vital lesson to be learned from this story of Yaakov Avinu. Most of us do not think of ourselves as having potential for greatness. We don’t see ourselves as making history or changing the world. It takes all our efforts just to get through the day! Yet our potential neshama is much greater than we could ever imagine it to be. We have Imax but dream in small screen a black and white. Most of us will be in disbelief when we encounter our heavenly image. Greatness is programmed within us.

Before Yaakov left Israel he caught a glimpse of himself. He would soon have to deal with shepherds, tricksters and enemies -- all components of real life. It was crucial that he could envision his goal and not get caught up in the “small” stuff. What he saw, and what we see, before leaving Yerushalayim, is real. That image challenged Yaakov, as well as it should challenge us, to keep greatness as our goal and never lose sight of what we can become.

In our day-to-day life we are always being challenged to say what we know we shouldn’t, agree to what we know we can’t and lose control over our midos tovos and the spirituality we have worked so hard to attain. Where can we find the strength to remain big in a world that wants us to be small?  Think about Yaakov’s ladder, and draw a line between the neshama we are and the neshama we can become, and continue to climb.

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