Yaakov Avinu said יָדָעְתִּי לֹא וְא ָנֹכִי, I didn't know the great benefits of the poor in this world before Hashem. I didn't realize how close they are to Hashem. They don't need malachim to elevate their tefillah. Their tefillos go straight from their mouths to Hashem's ear.
This lesson isn't only about those who are poor, in its literal sense. It is also for those who are going through hard times in their lives, and they feel broken. About them, it states (Tehillim 34:19) ַרוּח דַּכְּאֵי וְאֶת לֵב לְנִשְׁבְּרֵי 'ה קָרוֹב יוֹשִׁיעַ, "Hashem is close to the brokenhearted, and those crushed in spirit, He saves."
The meforshim ask why the Torah tells us the detail of the dream regarding the ladder, with the malachim going up and down? It seems that the primary part of the dream is the pesukim (28:13-15) which tells the brachos and promises Hashem gave to Yaakov, as it states, ָלְך עָל ֶיהָ שֹׁכֵב אַת ָּה ֶׁראֲש הָאָרֶץ עִמ ָּ ךְ א ָנֹכִי וְה ִנֵּה ... הָאָר ֶץ כַּעֲפַר ָזַרְעֲך וְה ָיָה ,ָוּלְזַרְעֶך אֶת ְּנֶנָּה לֹא כִּי הַזֹּאת הָאֲדָמָה אֶל וַהֲש ִׁבֹת ִיךָ תֵּלֵ ךְ ֶׁראֲש בְּכֹל וּשְׁמ ַרְת ִּיךָ לָ ךְ ִי דִּבַּרְתּ ֶׁראֲש אֵת עָשִׂיתִי אִם ֶׁראֲש עַד ָאֶע ֱזָבְך, "The ground upon which you are lying, to you will I give it and to your descendants. Your offspring shall be as the dust of the earth... Behold, I am with you; I will guard you wherever you go..."
The holy sefarim explain that the story of the ladder teaches an essential lesson, which Yaakov had to learn before he went to galus. Rashi explains that the malachim came to protect him. First, the malachim of Eretz Yisrael went up to heaven, and then the malachim of chutz l'aretz came down to go with him to Charan. Until the malachim of chutz l'aretz came down, Yaakov had a moment when he was alone, and he needed protection. Therefore, it states עָלָיו נִצָּב 'ה וְה ִנֵּה, "Behold Hashem is standing over him." Hashem was protecting him at this moment when he was alone.
This was an important lesson for Yaakov Avinu at this time. Until now, Yaakov was living in Eretz Yisrael, in his father's Yitzchak Avinu's home, and studying in the yeshivos of Shem and Ever. Now he had to run away because his brother Eisav wanted to kill him. And where was he going? To חרן, and the translation of חרן is anger, hinting at Hashem's anger. The Midrash (Bereishis Rabba 68:13, and Rashi above, 11:32) says that this represents של חרונו עולם, the anger of the world. Furthermore, the Midrash (Bereishis Rabba 68:10) states, Yaakov wanted to travel on, but כותל כמין כולו העולם נעשה לפניו, the entire world became like a wall for him, preventing him from traveling on. The "wall" was the sensation of the tzaros that were surrounding him. To encourage him, Hashem showed Yaakov that whenever he is alone or in danger, עָלָיו נִצָּב 'ה וְה ִנֵּה, Hashem will come and protect him.
