And behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven (Gen. 28:12)
If a person thinks that he has already perfected himself and "reached heaven," it is a sure sign that in fact, he has a long way to go. For it is only when an individual considers himself lowly and "on the earth" that he is able to ascend to greater spiritual heights. (Toldot Yaakov Yosef)
And, behold, the L-rd was standing over him ("Vehinei Hashem nitzav alav") (Gen. 28:13)
Rearranging the first letters of the above Hebrew verse results in the word "anav," meaning one who is humble. For it is precisely through humility, self-abnegation and acceptance of the yoke of Heaven that a person attains a sense of G-d's closeness. (Ohr HaTorah)
Reprinted from the Parshat Vayeitzei 5761/2000 edition of L’Chaim.
