Genesis 32:4-36:43 – Hosea 11:7-12:12 (Ashkenazim)  - Obadiah 1:1-21 (Sephardim) – John 2:13-25

This week's edition of The Set Table contains:

Questions and Commentary on Vayyishlach
Chayyei Yeshua - A Devotional Commentary on the Besora Reading
In Summary
Looking Ahead

Questions & Commentary on Parashat Vayyishlach

1. In our parasha, Jacob was scared to meet his estranged brother Esau. What two potential outcomes did he fear?   Which one did Jacob fear most? What preparations did he make to deal with this fear? Which was the most important?

Rabbi Jason Sobel

Jacob was terrified to meet his estranged brother Esau for he knew that his life and family were in deep jeopardy. In order to overcome his fears, Jacob cried out to God saying, "Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau" (Genesis 32:12). Why does this verse mention Esau twice? It should have read either "from Esau" or "from my brother."  Mentioning both seems redundant. What does this repetition teach us? 

According to the Beit Halevi, this double reference to Esau alludes to two undesirable outcomes that Jacob feared might result from his encounter with Esau. One the hand, Jacob feared the potential bloodshed and loss of life that would result if war broke out between them. On the other hand, if Esau pursued reconciliation, there was reason to fear the potential spiritual harm that might occur to Jacob and his family, due to the sinful influence of the ways of Esau and his men. Close bonds and an invitation to dwell peacefully together could spell spiritual disaster for Jacob and his household.  Thus, the Beit Halevi explains,

Therefore, Jacob prayed to God to save him from two eventualities: "Deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau: i.e. from becoming too intimate with my evil brother, and from the hand of Esau; i.e. from the wickedness symbolized by the spirit of Esau."

The Lord answered his prayer. For God saved Jacob not only from the wrath of Esau but also from overly intimate involvement with him ("So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir;" Genesis 34:16).

Based upon the above exposition of this verse, it is important to note that the threat of Esau's friendship, signified by the hand of Esau, takes precedence over the threat of physical harm - signified by the words, my brother Esau. From this we learn, that we should be more fearful and cautious of spiritual dangers then physical ones.  Yeshua himself underscores this point when he says, "Do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna" (Matthew 10:28).

Prayer was not the only action Jacob took in preparation to meet his brother.  He also sought to appease his brother with lavish gifts and made preparations for war. Of these three, the most important power was prayer. This is seen by the fact that Jacob not only overcame his brother Esau through prayer but also the Mal'akh Hashem (the divine emissary). The prophet Hosea underscores this point, when he writes concerning Jacob,

In the womb, he took his brother by the heel, and in his maturity he contended with God. Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; He wept and sought favor. He found him at Bethel, and there he spoke to us, even the Lord of Hosts; The Lord is his name.

Hosea 12:4-5

From this passage, we learn two things. First, there is no weapon more powerful then prayer. Second, we must realize that no one but ourselves can rob us of or delay God's blessings or promises being fulfilled in our life. Jacob struggled long and hard with others in order to receive God's blessing. In the end, he learned that the only one he needed to contend with was the Lord. May we have the tenacity of Jacob and not let go of God until he blesses us.

2. In this week's Torah portion, Jacob begins his journey home by preparing to meet his brother Esau. On the eve of encountering Esau, Jacob meets a man whom he wrestles until morning. During the encounter, the man maims him, but Jacob holds on to receive the man's blessing. Who is the man? What lessons can we learn from the identity of Jacob's wrestling partner?

Rabbi Jonathan Kaplan

At the end of Jacob's wrestling match, Jacob interprets this encounter as an encounter with God or a divine being. He names the place of the encounter Peni'el, meaning, "I have seen a divine being (or God) face to face, yet my life has been preserved" (Genesis 32:31; NJPS). 

The NJPS' rendering of 'elohim as divine being instead of God in this verse is based on the Jewish interpretive tradition. This interpretive move is possible because 'elohim can mean either God or gods/divine beings. The late medieval grammarian David Qimchi states that the man was a divine messenger based on the association of "man" with angels in the Tanakh (see Joshua 5:13 and Daniel 9:21) and the pattern of angels appearing before people "in the form of a man."

Rashi records a tradition from Genesis Rabba 70:3 that the identity of the man was Esau's guardian angel. This tradition associates the divine being who Jacob encounters specifically with Esau. Chizquni (and Rashbam) also follows this tradition but draws an interesting point from it. He writes,

A divine messenger assumed the form of a man in order to pursue [a pun on the name Jacob] him [Jacob] so that he would not be able to flee.  And he perceived the assurance of the blessed Holy One that Esau would not harm him.

Thus for Chizquni and Rashbam the reason this man comes to Jacob at night is to disclose to him that his encounter with Esau the following day would not be one of fear and trepidation but of assurance. The man pursues (la‘aqbo) the pursuer (Ya‘aqov) in order to force him to confront himself. This suggests that the wrestling match is not only about the divine struggling with Jacob but also about Jacob struggling with himself in order to face his fears about his relationship with his estranged brother. This wrestling match engenders faith in Jacob about the future and the assurance of God "that Esau would not harm him."

This association leaves us with the important observation that oftentimes when we think we are wrestling with God over an issue, God is wrestling with us, challenging us to confront our own fears and insecurities about the future so that we too might perceive "the assurance of the blessed Holy One." If we hold on to daybreak, we may, like Jacob, even achieve a blessing. That blessing includes the assurance that the future is one of promise and reconciliation not fear and potential harm.