In this classic passage, Rebbe Shimon shows how Jacob's Ladder is an image describing how the sefirot are connected. He thus provides an insight into the construction of the spiritual world.

And, behold, G‑d stood above him, and said, I am the Lord G‑d of Abraham your father, and the G‑d of Isaac; I will give the land that you are lying upon to you and your descendants. (Gen. 28:13)

[G‑d] was standing above Jacob. This was in order to make a Holy Chariot, right and left and Jacob between them. The attributes of all three Patriarchs, once united, become a vehicle for understanding…

G‑d, manifesting the sefira of tiferet, was standing over Jacob in order to infuse tiferet into Jacob, making him a vehicle for those spiritual attributes associated with it. This was in order that he, standing in the middle of the ladder, and grasping its sides, would thereby unite the attributes of Abraham, representing the right side of the ladder and the sefira of chesed, with Isaac, representing the left side of the ladder and the sefira of gevura. The attributes of all three Patriarchs, once united, become a vehicle for bina, allowing an understanding the spiritual and physical worlds.

The Community of Israel [malchut] is then connected between them.

The sefira of malchut then connects to them to make the fourth wheel of the vehicle for bina. This is a description of basic outline of the famous diagram of the ten sefirot.

This is what is meant by the words "I am G‑d the G‑d of Abraham [chesed] your father and the G‑d of Isaac [gevura]."

From where do we learn that Jacob was in the middle? From the way the text is written "G‑d of Abraham your father and G‑d of Isaac". It is not written that Isaac was his father. Since his connection to Abraham is emphasized, this establishes that he was in the middle.

The text states that Abraham is Jacob's father, when it was in fact Isaac. This emphasis on Abraham who was one generation removed makes up for that distance by calling him the father instead of Isaac. This balances the two in relation to Jacob. We thus have a paradigm of spiritual reality which is also reflected in the very atoms of the physical world. Positive/Abraham/chesed is connected with the Negative/Isaac/gevura, and to the neutron/Jacob/tiferet. Now electricity can flow in the physical world and shefa/abundance can flow in the spiritual. Jacob realized that he was the completion of the forefathers…

And afterwards it is written, "I will give you the land [malchut] that you are lying upon". Now we have a vehicle for the Holy [chesed, gevura and tiferet]. Thus it is that Jacob saw that he was the completion of the forefathers.

Jacob realized that he was the completion of the forefathers. He saw in his dream how he united chesed and gevura, Abraham and Isaac, and connected them to the earth, representing the manifestation of G‑d's kingdom - malchut.

Zohar, Parashat Vayetzei, p. 150a; translation & commentary by Simcha-Shmuel Treister

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