Parshas Vayishlach

This week’s Parsha is called, Vayishlach. In this week’s Parsha, Yaakov learns from his messengers (angels) that he and his brother Aisav (Esau) were on a collision course and Aisav was coming with four hundred men all ready for battle. So, Yaakov prepared for this monumental showdown with his brother.

Yaakov prepared for the battle in three steps: First he sent gifts to his brother to try and appease him. Second Yaakov davened (prayed) to Hashem, and third Yaakov prepared for war. (Yaakov was certainly thorough in his preparations.)

We are supposed to use Yaakov as an example of how to prepare for a battle. (1st send gifts to soften your enemy up, 2nd Daven to Hashem, and 3rd if all else fails be prepared for war.

One night before Yaakov and Esau’s encounter, the passuk says that Yaakov was, “left alone,” and while he was alone the angel of Aisav, wrestled with Yaakov. They were both wrestling great, the score was tied as the angel could not get the best of Yaakov, and they wrestled until dawn. Once the angel saw the sun coming up in a seemingly desperate move he dislocated Yaakov’s hip (which was and still is illegal) and Yaakov was awarded the victory (maybe due to disqualification?). After the match, Yaakov went over to the angel and asked him for a bro cha (blessing). The angel blessed Yaakov by changing his name from Yaakov to Yisroel, or Israel, meaning he was successful in his quest against the angel. Even today we find in many different places where the Torah refers to Yaakov as Yisroel. We (the Jewish people) are called the B’nai Yisroel meaning children of Israel (aka the children of Yaakov).

When Yaakov finally encountered his brother, Aisav ran up to him and gave him a big hug, kissed him, and let Yaakov go home peacefully and in one piece.

So you might ask, well how come Aisav didn’t kill his brother after pursuing for so long? I recently heard a beautiful answer to this question that can be explained in a short parable:

There was a wicked Jew once who did and received anything and everything he wanted because he had a certain “pull” with the high authorities. One day the Rav of the town found out about this man and requested a court case be held upon the matter. And after many days of asking, the man still wouldn’t go. So one Shabbos while the man was waiting to get called up to the Torah (because it was a custom to always let him get the third aliyah) the Rav took his aliyah instead. Finally after four more aliyas this wicked man was called up to the Torah but before he made the brocha (blessing) the Rav walked up to him slapped him across the face and yelled at him, “GET OUT OF MY SHUL (Synagogue), WE DON’T ACT LIKE THIS HERE!”

So a few days later the Rav was walking in the street with some of his students and they saw the wicked man who steals, cheats, and does everything wrong coming towards them with the police chief, mayor, etc and the man started rattling off lies about the Rav to these officials, right in front of the Rav. While this was going on the Rav was staring him right in the eyes. All of the sudden he stopped his talking and began to cry and cry and he asked the Rav to forgive him.

After they departed his students asked the Rav what happened? The Rav explained that when he was staring him in the eyes the Rav was saying to himself, “Ya know, maybe this Rasha (wicked man) really is a good person inside, maybe he’s like this because he was bullied when he was younger or something.” And the Rav applied the rule that if you hold your friend high, he will hold you high.

That is exactly what Yaakov did with Aisav! It says in that passuk, that the angels Yaakov sent to Aisav referred to him as Aisav “the wicked” but Yaakov called him his (beloved) brother, which is what changed Aisav’s actions.

May we all learn that Hashem is always with us but he expects us to be thorough in all our preparations and that when we judge our fellow we find a way to give him the benefit of the doubt as we can expect the same in return from our fellow man and from HaKadosh Borchu (The Holy one blessed is he) – Amen!

HAVE A GREAT SHABBOS AND WEEKEND!

Stat tuned for next week’s Parsha called, Parshas Vayeishev (VAH-YAY-SHEV)!