of Edom (Rome) ascending, and he was not descending, but was saying (in the words of ), "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High." Jacob replied to him (in the words of ): "Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the uttermost parts of the pit." God affirmed that this would be so, even (in the words of ), "though you should make your nest as high as the eagle." Rabbi Joshua ben Levi (according to the Jerusalem Talmud and Genesis Rabbah) or a Baraita in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yose the son of Rabbi Haninah (according to the Babylonian Talmud) said that the three daily prayers derived from the Patriarchs, and cited for the proposition that Jews derived the evening prayer from Jacob, arguing that within the meaning of , 'came upon' (, ) meant 'pray', just as a similar word (, ) did in (according to the Jerusalem Talmud) or another similar word (, ) did in (according to the Babylonian Talmud and Genesis Rabbah). Bar Kappara taught that every dream has its interpretation. The "ladder" in symbolizes the stairway leading up to the altar in the Temple in Jerusalem. "Set upon the earth" implies the altar, as (20:21 in NJPS) says, "An altar of earth you shall make for Me." "And the top of it reached to heaven" implies the sacrifices, the odor of which ascended to heaven. "The angels of God" symbolize the High Priests. "Ascending and descending on it" describes the priests ascending and descending the stairway of the altar. And the words "and, behold, the Lord stood beside him" in once again invoke the altar, as in , the prophet reports, "I saw the Lord standing beside the altar." The Rabbis related Jacob's dream in to Sinai. The "ladder" symbolizes Mount Sinai. That the ladder is "set upon (, ) the earth" recalls , which says, "And they stood (, ) at the nether part of the mount." The words of , "and the top of it reached to heaven," echo those of , "And the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven." "And behold the angels of God" alludes to Moses and Aaron. "Ascending" parallels "And Moses went up to God." "And descending" parallels "And Moses went down from the mount." And the words "and, behold, the Lord