Among the more famous approaches taken in understanding the meaning behind Yaakov's mysterious dream of the ladder and angels is that of the Midrashic works Pirkei De-Rabbi Eliezer (35) and Midrash Tanchuma (Vayetze 2). According to this approach, the angels ascending and descending the ladder represent the powerful nations of the world that, throughout history, have risen to prominence and then ultimately declined. The significance of this vision, as the Ramban explains (though he himself suggests a different understanding of the dream), lies in God's promise to Y