Overview of the Weekly Reading: VaYishlach
To be read on 18
Kislev 5764 (Dec.
13)
VaYishlach
is the 8th Reading out of 12 in Genesis and
8th overall, and 11th out of 54 in overall
length.
Genesis
32:4-36:43; Haftorah: Book of Obadia (who was an Edomite convert!)
Pirkei
Avot: not till after Passover
Yaacov sent messengers to Eisav, informing him of his return. Eisav
came to meet Yaacov, along with 400 men. Yaacov divided his people
into two camps, so that should Eisav attack, at least one camp would
survive. Yaacov sent gifts for Eisav. He then sent his wives, children
and possessions across the Jabbok River. During the night Yaacov
wrestled with an angel, who could not defeat him, so he touched
Yaacov on the thigh, dislocating his hip. At dawn, the angel blessed
Yaacov, and changed his name to Yisrael. Yaacov met with Eisav in
reconciliation. Eisav went to Seir. Yaacov separated from him and
went to Shechem, where he purchased Kever Yosef.
Yaacov's daughter, Dina, was forcefully taken by Shechem, who wanted
to marry her. Yaacov, and Dina's brothers said they would permit
the union only if Shechem, along with every other male, would circumcise
himself. On the third day after their circumcision, when they were
all suffering, Shimon and Levi killed all the men and returned with
Dina. They left for Beth El, where Yaacov set up an altar to G-d.
Rachel died in childbirth on the road. Yitzchak died at the age
of 180. The parsha ends with the chronicles the family of Eisav,
and the kings of Edom.
FROM THE MASTERS
OF KABBALA (K:08-64/VaYishlach
)
From the holy
Zohar, teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
(Z:08-64/VaYishlach
)
All
the world was afraid of Laban [and his sorcery], so the first words
that Jacob sent to Esau were "I have lived with Laban". [He meant
it to mean] "If you say that it was only for a month or a year, that
is not how it was. Rather I have stayed [with him] up till now. I
stayed twenty years with him, and if you say that I came away empty
handed, [that's the reason for adding] that I had ox and donkey [when
I left]. These are two are representatives of severe judgment. When
they come together they only do so to cause harm to the world.
For the full article, click to the "Weekly Torah" section
on our KabbalaOnline
site.
* * * * *
From the holy
Ari, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria of Safed
(A:08-64/VaYishlach
)
All
the divine beneficence that is granted to him is given as well for
the sake of all [the souls of those other righteous people] who are
dependent upon him. This is why righteous people value their possessions,
since [they are aware that] it is granted them from above.
For the full article, click to the "Weekly Torah" section
on our KabbalaOnline
site.
* * * * *
From the Shelah,
Shney Luchot HaBrit by Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz
(S:08-64/VaYishlach
)
The
words "The land of Seir, a field of Edom" (Ibid.), two names
for Esau's territory, allude to both the physical and the spiritual
domain. The "Land of Seir" is an allusion to Samael, whose
share in the world is the "seir" - literally the "goat",
or scape-goat, which is offered to him "as a bribe" on the
Day of Atonement.
For the full article, click to the "Weekly Torah" section
on our KabbalaOnline
site.
FROM THE CHASSIDIC
REBBES (V:08-64/VaYishlach)
"Then
Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed, and he divided the people
who were with him." (32:8)
What caused Jacob to be distressed? The fact that the people who
were with him were "divided." Jacob recognized that when
the Jewish people are united, the forces of Esau can do them no
harm. It's only when there are internal divisions and strife that
Jews should worry.
(Maayanot HaNetzach)
"Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother,
from the hand of Esau." (32:12)
The repetition of the word "hand" indicates that Jacob
was afraid of two separate dangers: the "hand of Esau,"
Esau's brute physical power, and "the hand of my brother,"
Esau's brotherly love. Esau's sword posed a threat to Jacob's physical
well-being, but socializing with him would be an even greater threat
to his soul.
(Rabbi Yosef Ber Soloveitchik)
"Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him." (33:4)
When a small flame is brought close to a burning torch, the smaller
fire is nullified within the larger one. So too was it with Jacob
and Esau. Jacob was the great light, whereas Esau contained tiny,
hidden sparks of holiness. When Esau spotted Jacob these sparks
were aroused, prompting him to
(from L'Chaim #546)
A
MYSTICAL CHASSIDIC DISCOURSE
from the Chabad
Master series, produced by Rabbi Yosef Marcus for
www.ascentofsafed.com and www.kabbalaonline.org
An
essay from Rabbi Shaul Yosef Leiter, director of Ascent
(for a free weekly email subscription,
click here)
(W:08-64/VaYishlach )
In a short but very beautiful soliloquy before G-d, our forefather
Yaacov admits his fear, "I have become small from all of Your
kindness and truth
" (32/11). Rashi explains that Yaacov
was afraid that all of the kindness he received from G-d had reduced
his spiritual merit and therefore made him vulnerable to Esav's attack.
The Shlah says that if this is how our forefather Yaacov saw the world,
how much more so for all of us. We should be ever vigilant to repay
all of G-d's kindness with our own good deeds many times over. The
main reason people are not sensitive to G-d's kindness is because
they are so selfishly absorbed in their own needs and desires, they
do not see what is going on around them. Rabbi Yuroslovsky, the leader
of the Chabad Rabbinical Court in Israel, told the following related
stories at the Shabbat meal as part of the celebration following my
son's marriage:
The prophet Eliyahu (Elijah) was once sent to test Rabbi Moshe Alsheich
of Safed in his zealousness for the commandment of hospitality. From
the very onset of Shabbat the 'guest' kept crying for more food until
not only all the food in the host's home, but all the food available
from all of the neighbors was eaten. The only way Rabbi Alsheich was
able to calm his guest was by promising that immediately after Shabbat
he would ritually slaughter an ox just for him. That evening one ox
after another was slaughtered, but when they were checked, unbelievably
all were deemed non-kosher. When the 40th ox slaughtered was found
to be kosher, Rabbi Alsheich turned to his guest in joy, only to find
that he had disappeared.
Because of this and other great episodes of self sacrifice for doing
mitzvahs, Rabbi Moshe Alsheich was graced by Heaven with the
privilege of revealing one of the 70 faces of Torah interpretation.
For years, he lectured on the weekly Torah portion to the entire city.
Once, on parshat Chayei Sara, with the holy Ari (Rabbi Yitzchak Luria)
in the audience, he became excited about his topic and found great
personal satisfaction in the attention his listeners gave. Suddenly,
the Ari left the synagogue. Totally distraught, Rabbi Alsheich finished
his talk and raced after him to ask what happened. The Ari explained
that when one gives a talk about the great personalities of the Torah,
they come to listen. The souls of Avraham and Sarah came to hear Rabbi
Alsheich as did the soul of Efron (the owner of the field that Avraham
bought to bury Sarah.) "When you noticed how interested everyone
was, and you felt self-satisfied, this upset Avraham and Sarah, who
cannot bear even a slight hint of haughtiness, so they left. That
left only the soul of Efron in the room, and I did not want to be
alone in the room with Efron. So I left too."
Rabbi Yuroslovsky continued with a story about the 2nd rebbe of Chabad,
Rabbi DovBer, the 'Mitler Rebbe,' who was known to be a demanding
leader. Not everyone was comfortable going to him for a private audience.
Once a chasid entered and asked the Rebbe how to rid himself of 'hargashat
hayaish'-a feeling of oneself-indicative of a person who leans
towards being self-centered. The Rebbe asked the chasid if he knew
what hargashat hayaish is, and then the Rebbe answered the
question himself.
At the very beginning of the creation, the Satan (Accuser)-the embodiment
of all of the evil in the world, but also characterized as G-d's servant
whose purpose is to test our true spiritual resolve-came to G-d and
asked after his purpose. G-d told him to be the Primordial Snake.
The Satan was very happy because he knew he had a lot to do. After
a dozen generations, around the time of Noach, he asked again what
to do. G-d said to be the angel of death. Happy, he set to work, all
through the time of the flood and the generation of the tower of Babel.
But when Avraham came along things became quiet, and so again the
Satan approached G-d. G-d told him to be the Yetzer Hara, the
Evil Inclination. Really happy now, he worked successfully until the
time of Moshe's leadership and the giving of the Torah.. G-d then
told him to be "Yaish"-an exaggerated sense of self
that blinds a person to seeing G-d in the world. He had lots of work
again until the Ba'al Shem Tov taught how to control self- centeredness
and focus on spirituality. When the Satan asked, 'NOW what am I supposed
to do?' G-d said, 'you will be 'hergashat hayaish', a much
more subtle level of pride and haughtiness. Thus, concluded the Mitler
Rebbe: the Accuser, the Primordial Snake, the angel of death, the
evil inclination, haughtiness and self-centeredness, are all the same.
Now that we know the truth, we can get to work!
Shabbat Shalom, Shaul Leiter
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here)
For all our insights for this parsha:
from last
year
from two years ago