Most people think of ladders as serving only one function: to climb up and down. But there are lots of different types of ladders that have many different functions and purposes.
Some ladders provide more height for those hard-to-reach places, while others provide more stability for the more shaky tasks. Others provide the convenience of ease of storage so they are more easily accessible. Knowing the different types of ladders and their functions allows you to complete your task more effectively and safely.
One explanation of the significance of the ladder in Yaakov’s dream is that just as the ladder connected the Earth to Heaven, allowing the angels to ascend and descend on it, so too our voice is the vehicle which connects us to G-d, allowing our tefillot to be heard in Heaven.
Just as there is not one ladder for every job, there isn’t one way to connect with and pray to G-d. Sometimes you feel more distanced and like you can’t reach G-d; maybe you feel like he’s not listening anymore. Other times you may feel shaky in your connection with prayer and spirituality and you need to feel more securely held in place – and often because of the hectic nature of our busy lives it needs to be more easily accessible.
You might need to start connecting with just one specific prayer, one phrase or word. You might need to think about having an informal conservation with G-d without a siddur. Or, you might need the shiur on strengthening your relationship with G-d. All different ladders. All effective. All correct. Find the right one for you.
