Parashat Vayishlach

Dedicated for a Refuah Shelemah for Batya Chaya bat Simcha

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Parashat Vayishlach

An Enemy Disguised as a Brother

Parashat Vayishlach begins with Yaakov leaving Lavan’s house with his wives, children, and livestock. Yaakov sent messengers ahead of him to let Esav know that he lived with Lavan, survived, and prospered. As Yaakov was departing from Lavan’s house, his messengers returned and informed him that Esav was on his way to meet him with a 400-man army. Yaakov became very distressed by his imminent encounter with his brother, even though Hashem had told him that He would protect him. Yaakov sent messengers ahead of him to greet Esav, with the hope of appeasing his brother.

There is a question presented here asking why Yaakov was so afraid of Esav, when Hashem’s protection was so readily available to tzaddikim like Yaakov Avinu. There are two explanations for his fear. The first is that Yaakov thought he used up all of his zachuyot—merits, and he felt that he did not deserve Hashem’s protection, considering he was so blessed with his wives and children. The second is that Esav was proficient in the mitzvah of kibud av va’em—bringing honor to one’s parents. Yaakov had been away, living in Lavan’s home for 20 years at that point. Therefore, he was unable to do this mitzvah, and he was afraid Esav had a leg up on him, being that he was home and honored his parents during this time.

Yaakov prayed to Hashem, “Hatzileni na meyad achi, meyad Esav—Rescue me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esav (32:12).” Yaakov’s prayer seems redundant. Shouldn’t he have just said either “Rescue me from my brother” or “Rescue me from Esav?” Why did he use both references?

Yaakov teaches us a very important lesson. Although we know that Esav was his enemy, Yaakov was worried that Esav would come to him as a friendly brother or as a fierce opponent. From the days of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, “Esav” — the goyim — may have started as our friends, but eventually that changed, and they became our enemy. During the centuries following the destruction of the Bet Hamikdash, wherever the Jewish people settled, they were welcomed by the different host countries, at first. Then anti-Semitism set in, and the people of that country turned on the Jews and evicted them or tried to destroy them.

We must be aware that the Esav of today who lives among us can be very warm and welcoming like a brother, just like the feeling of “acceptance” we have in America today, or how the Jews of Europe lived in the early part of 20th century, or in Spain in the late 1400’s. We must know and be mindful not to get too close to the goyim, as the famous Gemara states, “Esav soneh et Yaakov—Esav hates Yaakov.” We’ve seen this hate emerge so many times throughout our history, especially recently.

Yaakov’s Legacy

The parasha goes on to say, “Yaakov was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn (32:25).” Rashi explains that this man was Esav’s guardian angel. Esav’s angel is different from all the others, for just as Esav epitomizes evil, so too his angel is the prime spiritual force of the evil Satan himself. The Satan’s job is to come down to earth to seduce man to sin, then he goes back to Heaven to incite Hashem to prosecute man for his sinfulness.

“Why did Esav’s angel only pick a fight with Yaakov, and not with Avraham or Yitzchak?” Of our three Avot, we learned that Avraham epitomized chesed, Yitzchak founded the concept of avodah—prayer, and Yaakov represented Torah. He was an “ish tam yoshev ohalim.” So, Hashem sent an angel to wrestle with Yaakov to pave the way for the ultimate salvation of B’nei Yisrael.

In Masechet Baba Batra (16a), it says that Esav’s angel had to attack Yaakov, because as the last and the greatest of our Avot, Yaakov symbolized man’s struggle to raise himself and the rest of the world with him. As the angel of Esav wrestled with Yaakov, he crippled him, though he could not destroy him. The Chafetz Chaim said that the yetzer hara doesn’t mind if a Jew fasts, prays, and gives tzedakah, but he’s angered when he learns Torah!

The pillar of Torah is the most crucial for B’nei Yisrael’s success in carrying out their mission on earth. Yaakov represents Torah and without it, Israel will fail. That’s why the Satan did not confront Avraham or Yitzchak. Many communities that assimilated ultimately disappeared, even if they invested in various charities. Only communities that remained loyal to Yaakov’s legacy, by building yeshivot and Torah institutions, grew and remained strong! Our community is a prime example of that legacy because we had Rabbis and business leaders who understood that a Jewish community cannot thrive or survive without the Torah at its core foundation. They built this community here on the shores of America with true Torah values, and we are the beneficiaries of the fruits of their labor.

Simple Faith

The Ramban (Eikev 7:12) teaches that the name Yisrael stems from the Hebrew word “yashar,” meaning “straight.” “Yisrael” is a compound word that means “one who goes directly to Hashem.” Although Hashem created the illusion that He had abandoned Yaakov to his own resources, Yaakov stayed true to his belief that Hashem was still with him.



The following story illustrate the heights of Bitachon—faith one may ultimately reach. The Alter of Novardok (see Madreigot HaAdam p.197 and Yalkut Lekach Tov vol.1 p.157) relates a famous incident about Rabbi Moshe Alshich - The Alshich HaKadosh.

There was a man living in Tzefat who was a simple, unlearned Jew. He made his living by transporting sand and earth in an old broken-down wagon that was hauled by his donkey. In a Derasha—speech one Shabbat, he heard The Alshich HaKadosh say that at the highest level of Bitachon no hishtadlut—contribution is necessary. “If one truly trusts in the Almighty, then Hashem will provide him with parnassah—sustenance.”

The man said to himself, “If this is true, why must I work so hard? If there is a level of Bitachon like this, then all my drudgery is unnecessary.” Then and there he made a firm decision to trust in Hashem with all his heart, and he proceeded to sit by the stove the whole day and recite Tehillim.

When his wife and family saw that he had stopped working, they demanded that he return to work and earn some money to support them. He, in turn, scolded them, and said, “G-d forbid! I heard The Alshich HaKadosh say explicitly that if a person trusts completely in Hashem, his livelihood will come to him without any effort whatsoever. If so, why should I slave in the cold and heat when everything is going to come to me anyway? Come join me and say Tehillim, and you’ll see that our parnasah will soon be here.”

His wife finally gave up trying to convince him, and their situation worsened. The cupboard quickly became bare, and the household needed food. Soon she had to sell the donkey and wagon to a gentile so their family could survive.

The new owner used the donkey and wagon to travel around the mountains to dig sand and earth. One day, he happened upon a treasure of gold. He immediately filled his bags with the gold and loaded them on the wagon. Then he continued his excavation of the treasure. Suddenly, a loose boulder rolled down the mountain and killed him. When the gentile didn’t come back, the donkey, hungry and not knowing where to go, lifted its feet and out of habit returned to its original owner. When the poor man’s wife saw the animal, and the wagon loaded with the treasure, she excitedly ran to her husband. “Keep saying Tehillim! Your bitachon worked! We’re rich!”

Upon hearing of this remarkable occurrence, the talmidim of The Alshich HaKadosh came to their Rebbe and complained, “Why is that man so much greater than us? We have been studying with you for many years and our bitachon is surely praiseworthy, yet we remain poor. Then along comes this simple Jew, and after hearing about bitachon only once, he sits by the stove and is given a treasure!”

The Alshich HaKadosh answered them, “When you thrust a stick into hard ground it stands up by itself. However, if the ground has been broken up, and is soft and loose, the stick will fall over. You have to push it in deeper in order to steady it. When this Simple Jew heard about Bitachon, he accepted it without any doubts or fears, as if there was no other reality. You, my dear students are different. You are too smart for that. You want to understand everything. So, you analyze and dissect the situation in order to understand it. This causes you to have some slight doubts and apprehensions. Therefore, you have not yet attained perfect bitachon.

The Baalei Mussar say that the best part of the story is how he reacted to his family when his family asked him to go back to work. His Bitachon didn’t work at first, and the family needed to eat, but he said to them “Are you crazy? The Holy Alshich said that Bitachon alone will bring me sustenance, so why should I waste my time and energy working for no reason?!” Look at the way a real Baal Bitachon deals with negative “reality”!

Ben Oni or Binyamin

When Rachel was giving birth to her second son, the Torah says, “As her soul departed, she died; she named him Ben Oni, but his father called him Binyamin (35:18).” Rabbi YY Jacobson presents a question that is asked. Why, when Rachel was in such a critical condition, did Yaakov argue with her over the name to be given to their newborn child? Wouldn’t Yaakov want to say words of comfort?

The answer is simple. These were words of comfort. Rabbi YY Jacobson explains this, saying that when Yaakov was leaving Lavan’s house, Lavan discovered his idols were missing. He accused Yaakov of stealing them, to which Yaakov replied, “The one with whom you find your gods shall not live (Vayetze 31:32).” Yaakov had unknowingly cursed his beloved wife, Rachel, because he didn’t realize she had taken them. When Rachel was dying, she named the baby “Ben Oni” which can be translated to “the son of my deception.” Rachel didn’t want her husband to feel guilty or upset about the curse, she was telling him “It’s my fault for taking the idols, I am to blame, not you.” But Yaakov felt the same emotion for his wife, and he named him Binyamin, which can translate to “the son of the oath,” since one raises their yamin—right hand when making one. Yaakov blamed his own oath to Lavan as the cause of his wife’s tragic death. In these few words, the Torah describes the incredibly special relationship Yaakov and Rachel had. The last words Yaakov said to his wife were to make her feel at ease, and Rachel’s last words to her husband were to make him feel better as well.

Rabbi YY Jacobson discusses another explanation from Ramban, saying the word Oni has many meanings, and can be interpreted as “grief” and also “strength.” When Rachel was dying, she named her son Ben Oni—son of my grief. But Yaakov renamed him, naming him Binyamin—son of the right or strength, as the Ramban says, “for the right side is the seat of strength.” The Ramban explains that just like the other sons who were all named by their mothers, Yaakov wanted this son to be named by his mother, and he accepted the name Ben Oni, only he converted it to the positive meaning of strength.

Rabbi Jacobson expounds on this Ramban. Yaakov was communicating to himself, to his wife, to his newborn baby, and to his children one of the most important messages of Judaism. The same word in Hebrew used for grief and pain is the word used for strength and vigor. How? All sorrow and pain must bring forth a new birth of strength, awareness, and insight. Yaakov ensured that his son would not see himself as a product of sorrow and pain. Yes, he would grieve for the pain and sorrow, but he would never become a victim of it. Instead, he would transform his pain into a source of strength and empowerment.

Divine Intervention on the Front Lines

An amazing story was told by Rabbi Shlomo Landau. It’s common practice in the army for Israeli soldiers to light a match and bring it to a can of tuna in oil when they’re off duty. The oil ignites and the fire smokes the tuna. There was a group of soldiers at a refugee camp in Gaza, and one soldier lit his can of tuna, forgetting that during wartime, the circumstances are different.

A soldier next to him quickly reminded him of the live ammunition next to him. He tossed the tuna can about 200 feet away, and when it landed, it triggered a tremendous explosion! The soldiers on their lunch break all draw their guns and start shooting at that area.

When they stop shooting, they see a white flag rising from underground. A group of Hamas terrorists had been gathered near an opening to their tunnel, waiting to pounce on this battalion of soldiers. Assuming they had been attacked when the tuna set off all their live ammunition, they emerged from the ground, hands raised in the air.

This extraordinary story is a testament to the belief that sometimes, seemingly ordinary moments carry extraordinary significance. Once again, we see the Hand of Hashem is intricately woven into the fabric of this war.

May we all be able to overcome our yetzer hara so that we can keep far away from sin and so we can have the zechut to be able to learn and support Torah institutions in our community and in Israel. May we also learn to live with the understanding and comfort that everything that Hashem does for us is only good which we will ultimately see in the end. May this war end quickly and may Hashem continue to protect His people. Amen!

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Amram Sananes as written by Jack Rahmey

Discussion Point:

Do we get involved with supporting Torah institutions?

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