Hashem showed Yaakov a ladder whose bottom was resting on the ground, and its “head” reached until Shamayim. This is a message to Yaakov that his ladder in trying to achieve greatness starts with the lowly ground (מֻצָב אַרְ צָה) but he should always realize that even in his lowest "אַרְ צָה" (ground) moments, his head is still in Shamayim, since he has Bitachon that Hashem will help him improve and hit the Shamayim.
We have three messages of a “nothing” really being super high:
- סֻלָם מֻצָב אַרְ צָה וְרֹאשוֹ מַגִיעַ הַשָמָיְמָה A ladder that is on the ground but whose “head” reaches the sky
- עֲפַר הָאָרֶץ dirt becoming: וּפָרַצְתָ (succeeding) all over the world
- A low zero stone, standing and having oil.
This is a major Aderaba message for us, to value, and not be M'vazeh ourselves and our Avoda. This is the opposite of Eisav, about whom it says: וַיִּבֶז עֵּשָו אֶת הַבְּכֹרָה (he despised the Bechora). He looks down and doesn’t appreciate.
And this is exactly Yaakov, which means: עֵּ קֶ ב a heel, i.e., the lowest, who will become “Yisroel” which means the highest, like a: שַר (prince) or: כִי שָרִ יתָ (to triumph). All this was the perfect Chizuk for Yaakov, as he was running away from Eisav and heading for Lavan; from the “frying pan into the fire”, like it says in the Haggadah: וְלָבָן בִּקֵּש לַעֲקוֹר אֶת הַכֹל (Lavan tried to uproot us entirely).
The Ohr HaChaim says that Yaakov means a mode of failing or sadness. Just like every tiny goodness he does goes super high, so he will be Zoche to see goodness in all his difficulties in life. RSRH Zatzal says that the Avos have Geshmak in passing their many tests; not in being the best or being the winner, or in having this and having that.
