VaYeitzei: Ascending Angels (Among) Us
In this week’s Torah portion, VaYeitzei, we encounter Jacob in a moment of profound vulnerability. Running from his brother Esau, Jacob lies down to sleep under the stars, using a stone as a pillow. And in that moment of exhaustion, he dreams. He sees a ladder rooted in the earth, its top reaching toward the heavens, with angels ascending and descending. When Jacob awakes, he declares: “Surely God is in this place, and I did not know it. (Gen. 28:16)”
This verse is a portal to reflection, not just on Jacob’s journey but on our own. Angels — malachei Elohim — are central to this dream. Rashi, the 11th-century French commentator, teaches that the angels ascending were those accompanying Jacob in the land of Israel, completing their mission as he prepared to leave. The descending angels were those assigned to guide him in the diaspora, stepping into their sacred responsibility. Angels, it seems, are not static; they are dynamic, moving between realms, bound to places and people.
We are those angels. Every one of us has been assigned to this moment, this place, to uplift, to protect, and to carry. When we think of the Jewish community in Melbourne, Australia, who woke this morning to find their synagogue devastated by arson, we are reminded of our role as those angels. Though the Torah scrolls — some of which survived the Holocaust — were spared, the building suffered significant damage. The Prime Minister of Australia rightly condemned the act as Antisemitic, but condemnation alone is not enough. Solidarity must be matched with action. To our siblings in Melbourne: we see you, we stand with you, and we are ready to help rebuild what was broken.
And yet, angels ascend and descend. There are moments when we are the ones carrying others, and there are moments when we are carried. This rhythm defines us as a People, as Am Yisrael. It is the strength of the Jewish community to rise after devastation, to turn dreams into reality, and to hold one another through the pain. On October 7, 2023, the world witnessed a moment of profound, unfathomable loss for our family. Yet here we stand, still climbing, still dreaming.
Jacob’s ladder reminds us of our sacred responsibility. Like Jacob, we are on a journey. The work we do — whether visiting and supporting Israel, learning and preserving Torah, or responding to crises — is a rung on the ladder, connecting heaven and earth. Every act of justice, every gesture of kindness, is an ascent. And when we stumble, when the weight of history and responsibility feels too heavy, we descend, only to rise again.
Jacob’s awakening is our invitation. “God is in this place, and I did not know it.” How often do we forget that holiness surrounds us? How often do we fail to see the angels walking beside us — or the angel within ourselves? To be an angel is not to be perfect. It is to show up, to carry, to uplift, to descend and rise again.
In this moment, let us be the angels Jacob saw in his dream. Let us hold the ladder steady for those in Melbourne, for the people of Israel, for anyone whose dreams feel too distant. And when we climb, may we have the courage to say, “God is here, even if I didn’t know it before.”
This is our calling: to be angels on earth, messengers of goodness, strength, and hope. May we rise to it.
Amen.