By Rabbi Dovid Markel
When Yaakov left the Land of Israel to travel to Charan, he first stopped on Mt. Moriya. As he slept there, the verse (Bereishis, 28:12) states, “And he dreamed, and behold! a ladder set up on the ground and its top reached to heaven.”
The Zohar (1:226b) exclaims that “a ladder refers to prayer.” Prayer is the ladder through which we ascend to attain a spiritual connection with G-d.
The previous Lubavitcher Rebbe explained (see HaYom Yom, 5 Kislev) that although the ladder of prayer begins from the ground, with a mere acknowledgment of the Almighty, the top of the ladder reaches the highest heights of total inclusiveness in G-dliness.
Often, we mumble our prayers, not tuning in to the power of prayers. Yet, in truth, it is specifically through prayer where we can transform our entire perception of life.
When we pray properly, we can leave the corporeality of our mundane lives and live a G-dly life.
