Articles with the tag: vayishlach
How the Plagues Are Signs
The Exodus Decoded Part 3
Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Summit?
“Once upon a time,” the Biblical story reads, Jacob returned home to his parents, only to discover that his brother Eisav, who had years before sworn to kill Jacob in revenge for what he saw as the theft of his blessing, was coming with a force of 400 men. Such a large contingent suggested that the passage of time had not alleviated the resentment. Eisav’s intent must be violence. So Jacob prepared himself for war, while he prayed to G-d and sent gifts. One sentence in particular caught the attention of the Sages. “Jacob was very afraid and distressed.” (32: 8)
“Thousands of years later,” the media headlines read, Jacob’s descendant, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is returning to his…
Continue reading Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Summit?
True to Ourselves
Jacob wrestled, but with whom? The text merely says, “a man.” The Sages identify him as the angel of Eisav. Though the passage resists easy interpretation, it holds the key to understanding Jewish identity. For it was then that Jacob acquired the name that his descendants would bear throughout eternity, “The children of Israel.”
Names in the Torah, especially a name given by G-d, are not mere labels. Jacob becoming Israel signals who we are; the people who struggled with G-d and with man. What does this mean? One way into the text is to reason backward. By studying the result, one might guess at the cause.
The events of the next day are astonishing. We had been prepared for…
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True to Ourselves (33:29)
Jacob wrestled, but with whom? The text merely says, “A man.” The Sages identify him as the angel of Eisav. Though the passage resists easy interpretation, it holds the key to understanding Jewish identity for it was then that Jacob acquired the name that his descendants would bear throughout eternity, “The children of Israel.”
Names in the Torah, especially a name given by G-d, are not mere labels. Jacob becoming Israel signals who we are; the people who struggled with G-d and with man. What does this mean? One way into the text is to reason backward. By studying the result, one might guess at the cause.
The events of the next day are astonishing. We had been prepared for…
Continue reading True to Ourselves (33:29)
The Struggle (33:25)
In a previous essay, “Between Heaven and Earth” (from the Biblical section of Vayetze), we argued that Jacob has inherited both his grandfather and father’s qualities. True, these characteristics are distinct, even contradictory: Abraham believes that G-d allows man the power to change his destiny, while Isaac insists that man must have enough faith to passively accept what G-d has decreed. Indeed, the ladder dream of last week’s portion provides the surreal imagery of the two Patriarchs; are you a man trying to perfect this physical world or are you an angelic creature more concerned with what heavenly heights you yourself can scale? This week’s Parsha with its “wrestling match” continues the tale.
Jacob is returning home. Once again, he…
Continue reading The Struggle (33:25)
The Two Faces of Evil (32:25)
In the still of the night, with his family on the other side of the river, Jacob remained alone on the far banks of the Yabbok. Suddenly he encountered a man who engaged him in a wrestling match. According to our Sages, the man was no ordinary human being, he was an angel. Even more interesting, he was no ordinary angel, he was Samael, the guardian angel of Eisav.
Our Rabbis teach us that Samael represents evil as no other celestial being. Powerful as he was however, the angel could not overcome Jacob and at the break of day pleaded to be let go. The Patriarch realized that he had the upper hand and negotiated a blessing and thus received…
Continue reading The Two Faces of Evil (32:25)
Jacob Remained Alone (33:25)
The narrative seems quite simple. The angel of evil waited until Jacob was alone, defenseless and vulnerable, whereupon he ambushed him. The Sages of the Midrash however, perceive a deeper implication in our Patriarch’s isolation. “Rabbi Berachia said concerning The Holy One, Blessed be He, ‘G-d alone shall be exalted, so too, Jacob remained alone.’”
Man by nature is a gregarious animal. He craves company. Even if he be shy or anti-social, his mind and heart are involved with thoughts and feelings about others. Jacob was different. Place him in a crowd he still rose above the mundane concerns of petty man. Furthermore, the path that he was embarking on was a road that would forever separate him and his…
Continue reading Jacob Remained Alone (33:25)
Alone at Last (33:25)
The highlight of this week’s Torah portion is Jacob’s “wrestling match” with the angel of Esav. The narrative tells us that our patriarch remained alone whereupon the angel of evil attacked him. Superficially, the story is quite straightforward - the spirit waited until Jacob was defenseless and vulnerable, and then ambushed him.
The Sages, however, give us another insight into the strategy of the wily demon. Our forefather’s aloneness represented the enemy to the angel because only then did he resemble G-d Almighty who is also unique and alone. Here we have a new element in Jacob’s isolation. He was as far removed from ordinary men as G-d is detached from the celestial beings.
Man, by nature, is a gregarious…
Continue reading Alone at Last (33:25)
A Kiss With Dots (33:4)
In writing the weekly Timeless Torah, I have at my disposal any number of tools that I frequently utilize to draw your attention to a particular point. Often I will use italics or a bold font to catch your eye. Other methods commonly used to achieve the same goal are words ensconced in “quotation marks”, underlined, or written with all CAPITAL letters. The Divine author of the Torah, on the other hand, refuses such obvious and feeble devices. Still, once in a while, even the most scrutinized best-selling book of all time requires its readers to stop and wonder if there is more to the text than meets the eye. At which point, literary tricks are necessary. What are they?...
Continue reading A Kiss With Dots (33:4)
Eisav Felt the Heat (33:14)
A recurring theme throughout the entire book of Genesis is, “Ma’aseh Avos siman l’banim-Everything that happened to the Patriarchs foreshadows that which will happen to their children.” The Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194-1270) elaborates on this idea in several places including in his introduction to this week’s Biblical reading. Indeed, according to his commentary this parsha is the prime example of this phenomena, in particular, the guidance offered us on how to deal with the many manifestations of Eisav, the classic anti-Semite in every generation.
So whether evil appears as a brother who kisses you, an angel who wrestles with you, or in any other disguise, Jacob presents us with a variety of stratagems on how to mange the enemy. In fact,...
Continue reading Eisav Felt the Heat (33:14)
Prayer (32:10)
Prayer. How do we relate to this most important skill of inter-dimensional communication? Is it something only children do at bedtime? Perhaps formal prayer should be reserved for official services in synagogue? There are others who feel that authentic prayer (in contrast to formal prayer) only occurs in emergencies. But whatever the circumstance, the question that deserves a thoughtful response is: why do we pray? And why is prayer considered one of the fundamental pillars of Judaism? Lucky for us, this week’s Biblical reading provides a powerful answer.
Jacob had just received the news that his wicked and vengeful brother, Eisav, is on the warpath with 400 mercenaries. Rashi, the foremost commentator on the Torah, points out that upon hearing…
Continue reading Prayer (32:10)
Prayer
Prayer. How do we relate to this most important skill of inter-dimensional communication? Is it something only children do at bedtime? Perhaps formal prayer should be reserved for official services in synagogue? There are others who feel that authentic prayer (in contrast to formal prayer) only occurs in emergencies. But whatever the circumstance, the question that deserves a thoughtful response is: why do we pray? And why is prayer considered one of the fundamental pillars of Judaism? Lucky for us, this week’s Biblical reading provides a powerful answer.
Jacob had just received the news that his wicked and vengeful brother, Eisav, is on the warpath with 400 mercenaries. Rashi, the foremost commentator on the Torah, points out that upon hearing…
Continue reading Prayer
Eisav Felt the Heat
A recurring theme throughout the entire book of Genesis is, “Ma’aseh Avos siman l’banim-Everything that happened to the Patriarchs foreshadows that which will happen to their children.” The Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194-1270) elaborates on this idea in several places including in his introduction to this week’s Biblical reading. Indeed, according to his commentary this parsha is the prime example of this phenomena, in particular, the guidance offered us on how to deal with the many manifestations of Eisav, the classic anti-semite in every generation.
So whether evil appears as a brother who kisses you, an angel who wrestles with you, or in any other disguise, Jacob presents us with a variety of stratagems on how to mange the enemy. In fact,...
Continue reading Eisav Felt the Heat
A Kiss With Dots
In writing the weekly Fax of Life, I have at my disposal any number of tools that I frequently utilize to draw your attention to a particular point. Often I will use italics or a bold font to catch your eye. Other methods commonly used to achieve the same goal are words ensconced in “quotation marks”, underlined, or written with all CAPITAL letters. The Divine author of the Torah, on the other hand, refuses such obvious and feeble devices. Still, once in a while, even the most scrutinized best -selling book requires its readers to stop and wonder if there is more to the text than meets the eye. At which point, literary tricks are necessary. What are they?
Occasionally,...
Continue reading A Kiss With Dots
Jacob Remained Alone
The narrative seems quite simple. The angel of evil waited until Jacob was alone, defenseless and vulnerable, whereupon he ambushed him. The Sages of the Midrash however, perceive a deeper implication in our Patriarch’s isolation. “Rabbi Berachia said concerning The Holy One, Blessed be He, ‘G-d alone shall be exalted, so too, Jacob remained alone.’”
Man by nature is a gregarious animal. He craves company. Even if he be shy or anti-social, his mind and heart are involved with thoughts and feelings about others. Jacob was different. Place him in a crowd, he still rose above the mundane concerns of petty man. Furthermore, the path that he was embarking on, was a road that would forever separate him and his…
Continue reading Jacob Remained Alone
The Two Faces of Evil
n the still of the night, with his family on the other side of the river, Jacob remained alone on the far banks of the Yabbok. Suddenly he encountered a man who engaged him in a wrestling match. According to our Sages, the man was no ordinary human being, he was an angel. Even more interesting, he was no ordinary angel, he was Samael, the guardian angel of Eisav.
Our Rabbis teach us that Samael represents evil as no other celestial being. Powerful as he was however, the angel could not overcome Jacob and at the break of day pleaded to be let go. The Patriarch, realizing that he had the upper hand, negotiated a blessing and received the additional…
Continue reading The Two Faces of Evil
The Struggle
As seen in last week’s essay, “Between Heaven and Earth”, Jacob has inherited both his grandfather and father’s qualities. Indeed they are distinct, even contradictory. Abraham believes that G-d allows man the power to change his destiny while Isaac insists that man must have enough faith to passively accept what G-d has decreed.
The ladder dream of last week’s Biblical portion provides the surreal imagery of the two Patriarchs; are you a man trying to perfect this physical world or are you an angelic creature more concerned with what heavenly heights you yourself can scale? This week’s Parsha with its “wrestling match” continues the tale.
Jacob is returning home. Once again, he finds himself alone, just as he did so…
Continue reading The Struggle
Alone at Last
The highlight of this week’s Torah portion is Jacob’s “wrestling match” with the angel of Esav. The narrative tells us that our patriarch remained alone whereupon the angel of evil attacked him. Superficially, the story is quite straightforward - the spirit waited until Jacob was defenseless and vulnerable, and then ambushed him.
The Sages, however, give us another insight into the strategy of the wily demon. Our forefather’s aloneness represented the enemy to the angel because only then did he resemble G-d Almighty who is also unique and alone. Here we have a new element in Jacob’s isolation. He was as far removed from ordinary men as G-d is detached from the celestial beings.
Man, by nature, is a gregarious…
Continue reading Alone at Last