A Thought on Parshas VaYishlach
A Thought on Parshas VaYishlach
"...va'yar ki lo yachol lo..."
"...and the angel saw that he was unable to overpower Yakov..." (32:26)
The Torah describes the struggle between the angel and Yakov. They struggled throughout the night until daybreak. It then dawned on the angel that he could not defeat this mortal adversary.
All of this saga of an angel wrestling with solitary Yakov! An all night fight, a stalemate, an injury inflicted followed by the angel pleading to be released, and Yakov insisting on a parting blessing from him! What does it mean that a heavenly angel could not defeat a human being? What runs beneath this passage? What is it about and what does it foretell?
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel suggests that we need some midrashic background to build a context here. What happened before the face off? Yakov had to shuttle his children across a river. He had to prepare for a confrontation with Esav. He had a lot on his mind. How did he handle it?
Yakov raised his eyes to the heavens and cried. He begged for Divine mercy. HaShem heard his prayers and promised him that in Yakov's merit, his descendants, the Jewish people, would be rescued from their plight and suffering. When we follow the path of prayer and the way of tears in turning to HaShem, we can depend on the promise (Tehillim 20:2) of "yan'cha HaShem b'yom tzara yisagev'cha Shem Elokae Yakov" - HaShem the G-d of Yakov will answer you in times of strife.
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel teaches that what the angel saw was the tenacity of the Jewish people. It was Yakov's refusal to let go, to give in, to give up or to forsake his trust in the Divine, his persistence in clinging tightly to the promise of salvation, which the angel could not overcome or defeat. He saw that this faithful fortitude would carry Yakov through his skirmish, and would carry the Jewish people through exiles and persecutions.
My great rebbe HaGaon Rav Simcha Wasserman ztvk'l used to soothe the broken in spirit with a verse in the navi Yirmiahu (30:7) v'es tzara hi l'Yakov u'mimena yivashea'ah - it will be a time of trouble for Yakov yet he shall be saved from it. The angel recognized that when the Jew keeps consciousness of HaShem in the process, our opponents cannot break our faith.
The angel saw this in Yakov's persistence. Can it still be seen among us? Can others recognize it? Are our moments of courage linked to that higher awareness? Do we wrestle with faith, or do we wrestle because we have faith? Good Shabbos. D Fox
"...va'yar ki lo yachol lo..."
"...and the angel saw that he was unable to overpower Yakov..." (32:26)
The Torah describes the struggle between the angel and Yakov. They struggled throughout the night until daybreak. It then dawned on the angel that he could not defeat this mortal adversary.
All of this saga of an angel wrestling with solitary Yakov! An all night fight, a stalemate, an injury inflicted followed by the angel pleading to be released, and Yakov insisting on a parting blessing from him! What does it mean that a heavenly angel could not defeat a human being? What runs beneath this passage? What is it about and what does it foretell?
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel suggests that we need some midrashic background to build a context here. What happened before the face off? Yakov had to shuttle his children across a river. He had to prepare for a confrontation with Esav. He had a lot on his mind. How did he handle it?
Yakov raised his eyes to the heavens and cried. He begged for Divine mercy. HaShem heard his prayers and promised him that in Yakov's merit, his descendants, the Jewish people, would be rescued from their plight and suffering. When we follow the path of prayer and the way of tears in turning to HaShem, we can depend on the promise (Tehillim 20:2) of "yan'cha HaShem b'yom tzara yisagev'cha Shem Elokae Yakov" - HaShem the G-d of Yakov will answer you in times of strife.
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel teaches that what the angel saw was the tenacity of the Jewish people. It was Yakov's refusal to let go, to give in, to give up or to forsake his trust in the Divine, his persistence in clinging tightly to the promise of salvation, which the angel could not overcome or defeat. He saw that this faithful fortitude would carry Yakov through his skirmish, and would carry the Jewish people through exiles and persecutions.
My great rebbe HaGaon Rav Simcha Wasserman ztvk'l used to soothe the broken in spirit with a verse in the navi Yirmiahu (30:7) v'es tzara hi l'Yakov u'mimena yivashea'ah - it will be a time of trouble for Yakov yet he shall be saved from it. The angel recognized that when the Jew keeps consciousness of HaShem in the process, our opponents cannot break our faith.
The angel saw this in Yakov's persistence. Can it still be seen among us? Can others recognize it? Are our moments of courage linked to that higher awareness? Do we wrestle with faith, or do we wrestle because we have faith? Good Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 6:52 PM
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