A Thought on Parshas Vayishlach

"...va'yomer nisa v'neilecha..." "...and Esav said, let's start traveling and I will accompany you..." (33:12) Once Yakov and Esav agree to part ways on better terms, a striking discussion ensues. Esav suggests that the two of them proceed together on their journey. Yakov politely counters that Esav should travel onward alone. He explains that his children are tender and his flocks and cattle are a burden. He expresses concern that if they are pushed to move too quickly that they will die in one day! He suggests that Esav move ahead, and allow Yakov to move at a slower pace according to the needs of his flock and his family. He says that they will meet again eventually in Seir, which was Esav's territory. Esav offers to leave behind a vanguard but even this is gently refused by Yakov, who asks only that he find favor in his brother's eyes. So, they parted ways and Yakov never did make it to Seir. The passage and all of its details beg for interpretation. Are there deeper meanings or deeper messages beyond the literal text of the dialogue between our patriarch and Esav? The Gan writes that he heard there is a midrash about this that explains the actual meaning of the dialogue. Esav made Yakov a proposal that, despite the separate brachos that each brother had been granted by father Yitzchak, they could make an agreement now to divide their respective inheritances in a different manner. Esav proposed that he and Yakov share equal parts of the material world and of the ultimate world to come. That way, Yakov could have a portion in the global bounty of olam ha'zeh. In turn, Esav could look forward to a share in the spiritual world to come. Yakov's response was that he had to deal with his children and with his flock. The deeper meaning here is that "children" refers to the 12 sons of Yakov. "Flock" refers to their descendants who would become the Nation of Israel (see Yechezkel 34:31). Said Yakov: if my people are given free reign in the acquisition of "this world", they are likely to forfeit their interest and future in the world to come in a single day! Yakov felt that his people would still need much time and spiritual preparation in order to tolerate the wiles and challenges of trying to deal with this-worldly realities. Premature exposure to such nisyonos would distract them from their ultimate mission and they would end up loosing both a fulfilled life in olam ha'zeh and a fulfilled existence in olam ha'baah. So, in verse 14, in saying to Esav that he should "travel alone ahead", he was really telling him that he should go ahead and select his intended portion, which was to inherit this world and take dominion over it. When Yakov adds that "I will proceed slowly", this means that the Jewish nation will endure the stresses and burdens of exile until they are in fact fit and ready to "meet in Seir." Although Seir emerges later on as a reference to Esav's territory, Yakov's message is an allusion to his far-reaching vision of the promise found in Ovadia (1:21) that with the coming of Moshiach, we will ascend to our mountain in Jerusalem and the land of Esav will be judged. At that time, the dominion of the world will be, clearly, solely that of the Divine Kingdom. Good Shabbos. D Fox