(RNS) — You have, of course, heard many times the story of Jacob’s dream from this week’s Torah portion in the book of Genesis — the famous story of Jacob’s ladder. Jacob has fled from ...

Jacob’s “ladder” has long been an artistic inspiration, but it points to something far deeper. Just as Isaac on the sacrificial altar on Mount Moriah prefigures the future Christ, so, too ...

Jacob’s Ladder does not have a single known writer or original performer. As a traditional spiritual, it likely developed through oral tradition among enslaved African Americans.