YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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INTRODUCTION TO PARASHAT HASHAVUA
PARASHAT VAYISHLACH
Confrontation and Reconciliation
by Rav David Silverberg
A.
Great Expectations
It is often helpful when studying a given Biblical narrative to
temporarily forego on one's hindsight and try to predict the forthcoming
sequence of events as if he hasn't read ahead.
Formulating our expectations
in advance helps us take note of the peculiarities we encounter, and
recognizing the question is already half the answer.
As we begin our study
of Parashat Vayishlach, we will first briefly review the situation as we
left it in Parashat Vayetze and delineate our expectations for this parasha.
Yaakov spent Parashat Vayetze in Padan Aram, with his uncle, Lavan,
executing the two tasks which his parents assigned him towards the end of
Parashat Toledot: to start a family (28:2) and, perhaps more urgently, to
escape from Esav's vengeance (27:42-45).
His mother had ordered him to
stay with Lavan until such time as she deems his return to Canaan safe,
at which point she will send for him.
telegram arrives.
After twenty-two years, no such
Instead, the Almighty Himself appears to Yaakov and
orders, "Return to the land of your fathers where you were born " (31:3).
What about Esav?
How can Yaakov return before receiving his mother's
"all-clear" signal?
God seems to address this concern by concluding this
brief prophecy with the promise, "and I will be with you."
Yaakov
presumably understood this as a guarantee that a smooth road lies ahead,
whatever dangers that have loomed in Canaan have been competently eliminated
by the Almighty.
In reporting his prophecy to his wives, Yaakov cites a
somewhat more elaborate promise: "I am the God of Bet-El, where you anointed
a pillar and where you made a vow to Me.
Now, arise and leave this land
and return to your native land" (31:13).
Though Rashi explains this
reference to Bet-El as an admonishment to Yaakov to fulfill his vow, the
parallel to the earlier verse may suggest that God here also reminds Yaakov
of His promise in Bet-El, when he first left Canaan: "Behold, I am with
you: I will protect you wherever you go… I will not leave you… " (28:15).
And so, equipped with God's guarantee of protection, Yaakov embarks
on his return trip home.
He arrives in Machanayim, a site viewed by Rashi
as the border of Eretz Canaan, and he suddenly encounters "divine angels"
(32:2).
Yaakov likely relates to these angels as the fulfillment - or at
least symbolic of the fulfillment - of the promise he had received.
Just
as the original promise twenty-two years earlier featured "divine angels
ascending and descending" (28:12), so do the angels here represent the
assistance God has assured him.
The first angels, as Rashi explains, came
to protect Yaakov from his trials and tribulations in the Diaspora; the
current angels come to Yaakov's side to protect him from Esav.
Just as
God had promised - "Return to the land… and I will be with you," sure enough,
no sooner has Yaakov reentered Canaan than did God dispatch His angels to
protect him.
What, then, would we expect to happen as our parasha unfolds?
Seemingly, nothing extraordinary.
Yaakov must simply retrace his steps
from the beginning of Parashat Vayetze: return to Bet El to construct an
altar and then continue southward to Chevron, where his father resided.
There he would live with his parents in peace and harmony and continue
raising his children.
Of course, as we read in our parasha, this is not how things work out.
We can raise many questions concerning Yaakov's conduct, such as why he
first settles in Sukkot (33:17) and then Shekhem (33:18-20) before going
to Bet-El.
We will focus our attention, however, on the first section of
the parasha, the reunion with Esav.
Yaakov himself seems to have initiated
this confrontation: "Yaakov dispatches messengers/angels ahead to his
brother Esav… "
True, the meeting would have occurred anyway, since, as
Yaakov now learns, "he [Esav] himself is coming to meet you " (32:7).
what prompted Yaakov to send messengers to begin with?
continue traveling?
But
Why didn't he simply
Indeed, several Midrashim sharply criticize Yaakov
for initiating this confrontation (Bereishit Rabba, 75:2).
B.
Unanswered Questions
The Malbim, however, explains that Yaakov's concerns may have arisen
from the types of angels he encountered: "When he saw them, Yaakov said,
'This is the machaneh [camp] of God'" (32:3).
denotes a military setting.
citing.
The term "machaneh" generally
The examples are too numerous to even begin
It suffices for us to note the use of this term in our parasha,
when Yaakov, preparing for a possible military confrontation, divides his
family and company into two "machanot" (32:8).
Perhaps we should mention
as well arguably the most overt association between this term and military
combat: "Ki tetze machaneh al oyevekha" - "when you go out as a camp against
your enemies" (Devarim 23:10).
encountered military angels.
Yaakov saw no ordinary angels; he
Given our inexperience in this regard, we
cannot imagine what about these angels reflected this quality, but in any
event, these are the angels Yaakov beheld.
He must now ask himself: what does this mean?
Esav?
Must I wage war against
Will these angels keep Esav away or assist me in battle?
He
therefore dispatches a "fact-finding commission" to find out what Esav is
up to.
These messengers are to report to Esav about the immense wealth
he had amassed (32:6) in the hope of evoking some reaction on Esav's part.
If he responds with a jealous rage, then apparently the hostilities of the
bygone years have withstood the test of time.
If Esav extends a
congratulatory greeting to Yaakov on his success, then the two can open
a new page in their relationship, one of reconciliation and fraternal love.
Unfortunately, Yaakov receives neither reaction from Esav: "The
messengers returned to Yaakov, saying, we came to your brother Esav; he
himself is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him."
What does Esav's arrival with a considerable entourage mean?
The
commentaries debate this very issue.
The more common explanation,
represented most prominently by Rashi and the Ramban, views Esav's response
as an indication of hostility and preparation for warfare.
The Ramban adds
that the lack of any verbal response on Esav's part suggested that he
harbored feelings of enmity towards Yaakov and did not care to even address
his messengers.
By contrast, the Rashbam (Rashi's grandson) contends that
Esav brought along four hundred comrades as a show of respect for his
brother.
Esav had come to extend Yaakov a warm, festive welcome back to
Canaan, only Yaakov could not rest assured that Esav was in fact interested
in love and friendship.
This confusion among the commentators clearly
results from the dearth of information supplied by Yaakov's messengers as
recorded in the text.
They tell us nothing other than the fact that Esav
marches with four hundred men in Yaakov's direction.
This ambiguity
prompted Rabbenu Yosef Bekhor Shor (a student of Rabbenu Tam, another of
Rashi's
grandsons)
to
offer
what
appears
as
the
most
interpretation: the messengers do not know Esav's intentions.
plausible
He and his
four hundred companions planned either battle or reconciliation; Yaakov
has no idea which.
C.
Two-Tiered Preparation
The Midrash classifies Yaakov's various activities in preparation for
his meeting with Esav into three categories: war, prayer and appeasement.
He devises a military strategy (dividing his camp into two), turns to the
Almighty in heartfelt supplication, and sends an elaborate gift to Esav.
However, as Rav Mordechai Sabato (noted author and lecturer at the Herzog
Teachers' Institute) claims, we may arrange these three reactions into two
broader groups: war/prayer and appeasement.
textual
support
for
accompanies battle.
this
grouping.
He brings both conceptual and
Conceptually,
prayer
always
Consider, for example, the sounding of the trumpets
described in Bemidbar 10:9: "When you are at war in your land against an
aggressor who attacks you, you shall sound the trumpets, that you may be
remembered before the Lord your God and be delivered from your enemies."
These trumpets serve as the formal expression of prayer that the troops
must bring with them to battle.
Thus, Yaakov's prayer in anticipation of
Esav's arrival forms, at least in one sense, an integral part of his military
preparation.
This preparation stands in contradistinction to his second
strategy of appeasement.
Textual support may be drawn from the repeated
account of Yaakov sleeping "that night in the camp."
We first read of his
sleep after his prayer and just prior to his dispatching couriers to bring
Esav's gift (32:14).
Then, after he sends these messengers, the Torah
repeats, "he slept that night in the camp" (32:22).
Rav Sabato explains
that clearly, Yaakov did not go to sleep twice that night.
Rather, each
of these two references to his sleep marks the end of one of his two modes
of preparation, which occurred simultaneously.
Before going to sleep that
night, he prepared for both warfare and appeasement.
As mentioned, Yaakov does not know what awaits him, what kind of Esav
he will confront.
He therefore prepares for either eventual outcome.
He
mobilizes his people and prays to God in anticipation of warfare, and he
extends an offer of reconciliation in case Esav seeks friendship.
In the end, however, Yaakov's plans seem to suddenly change.
At the
beginning of chapter 33, he sees Esav coming and prepares to greet him.
Here, too, he divides his family, just as he had done originally (32:8-9),
but in a completely different arrangement.
For one thing, this second
division does not include the military term "machaneh" that characterizes
Yaakov's initial strategy.
Perhaps more importantly, Yaakov here does not
divide his people into two camps; he rather arranges his children according
to their mothers.
Suddenly, Yaakov no longer prepares for war; he plans
instead for a warm, family gathering, and thus ensures that he and his family
present themselves honorably before his brother.
What led to this abrupt
change in strategy?
Undoubtedly, it was the incident that had occurred the previous night.
Though Yaakov had planned to sleep in the camp, he instead wrestles until
dawn with a mysterious angel, engaged in a struggle that brings about a
totally new mindset as Yaakov prepares for his reunion with Esav.
D.
Affirming the Blessing
Rashi, based on the Midrash, identifies Yaakov's assailant as "saro
shel Esav," Esav's representative angel.
Several indications exist that
this explanation accommodates "peshuto shel mikra," the straightforward
reading of the text, and not just Midrashic homiletics.
For one thing,
this incident appears in the Chumash as an integral part of the broader
account of Yaakov and Esav's reunion.
In the Torah scroll, a block of empty
space on a line marks a paragraph break, generally indicating the
introduction of a new subject or plot.
No such empty space appears before
or after the account of Yaakov's wrestle with the angel.
It thus occurs
as part of the unfolding story of his imminent encounter with Esav.
Perhaps
more telling is the fight's conclusion - Yaakov's demand of a blessing
(32:27).
What does Yaakov want?
The man who attacked him finally wishes
to leave; why does Yaakov hold him hostage until he blesses him?
As Rashi
explains, this blessing brings us back two weeks, to the blessing that Yaakov
stole from his brother.
Yaakov understands full well the identity of this
mysterious assailant and realizes his goal: to block Yaakov's reentry into
Canaan so that Esav can claim exclusive rights as heir to the blessing of
Avraham and Yitzchak.
After emerging triumphant, Yaakov demands Esav's
formal concession of the blessings.
The defeated angel responds by changing Yaakov's name to Yisrael
(32:29).
As many commentators explain, "Yaakov" signifies trickery and
deceit, whereas "Yisrael" denotes unchallenged authority and dominion.
Yaakov is thus given his father's blessing cleanly and decisively, with
Esav's full acquiescence.
As Rav Sabato explains, recognizing the role of Yitzchak's blessing
in this encounter sheds an entirely new light on our parasha, particularly
on Yaakov's uncertainty which we have discussed.
We have seen that Yaakov
does not know whether Esav has come for confrontation or reconciliation.
Given that Esav's hostility was initially kindled as a result of Yaakov's
seizure of his blessing, we may assume that this very point lies at the
heart of Yaakov's current concern.
The question around which the first
half of Parashat Vayishlach revolves is: has Esav conceded his rights to
the blessing?
Does he still demand superiority over his brother, as
Yitzchak's blessing had promised (27:29), or does he confess to Yaakov's
right to the blessing he stole?
Yaakov prepares for either eventual
outcome, not expecting to learn the answer to this question before he
reunites with Esav.
blessing.
Esav's angel, however, affirms Yaakov's right to the
Yaakov can therefore cancel his plans for confrontation and
concentrate his efforts on reconciliation.
When the meeting finally occurs, Yaakov implores his brother to accept
his gift: "if you would do me this favor, accept from me this gift, for
I have seen your face as if I had seen the face of God - and you have received
me favorably" (33:10).
This particularly difficult verse has lent itself
to varying interpretations among the commentators.
Rashi, whose thread
we have followed throughout, understands "the face of God" as a reference
to the angel with whom Yaakov had wrestled.
This is supported by Yaakov's
exclamation after the angel leaves: "I have seen a divine being face to
face" (32:31).
Now that Esav's angel has granted Yaakov the blessing, the
two brothers have no more reason to harbor feelings of enmity.
Esav should
therefore accept Yaakov's expression of reconciliation.
Esav accepts Yaakov's offering and, apparently, declares the final
end of the conflict: "Let us go and travel, and I will go with you" (33:12).
Now that their conflict has been fully resolved, Esav suggests, they may
peacefully work together and join forces.
Be it prophecy or insight, Yaakov
foresaw that the Esav-Yaakov contention has not seen its final days.
He
turns down the offer, claiming that he must travel slowly to accommodate
his small children and herds of sheep.
join him in his country of Seir.
fools his brother.
Eventually, he tells Esav, he will
As Rashi explains, Yaakov here once again
He never had any intention of proceeding to Seir; he
will do so only in the end of days, when Esav will once and for all accept
Yaakov as the rightful and deserving heir of Avraham and Yitzchak.
then, "Yisrael" must remain, if only partially, "Yaakov."
Until
He must still
resort to trickery and deceit, realizing that his brother has yet to come
to terms with Yaakov's right to the blessing.
Summary
Parashat Vayishlach opens with the pressing issue of how Esav will
respond to Yaakov's return to Canaan.
Will he withdraw his objection to
Yaakov's having received the blessing and extend a conciliatory hand of
friendship, or will he continue his struggle against Yaakov?
Yaakov's
victory over Esav's angel resolves this question, as the angel formally
acquiesces.
Yaakov understands, however, that the struggle between the
two brothers is far from over; it will reach its ultimate resolution only
in the messianic era, as foreseen by the prophet Ovadya: "Saviors will ascend
to Mount Zion to wreak judgment on Mount Esav; and dominion shall be God's."
For Further Study:
I. In his opening comment on our parasha, Rashi identifies Yaakov's
messengers to Esav as angels.
(Targum Onkelos and others interpret
"malakhim" in this context as human messengers.)
Explain this comment
based on the end of Parashat Vayetze and the first half of this shiur.
II. Many commentators struggle to explain why, at the end of Parashat
Vayetze, Yaakov names his current location, "Machanayim," which means,
"camps," while he declared, "This is the camp of God," implying that he
beheld only a single camp of angels.
The Malbim, who, as cited in the
shiur, identifies these angels as combat angels, explains that this
vision led Yaakov to anticipate a military confrontation between two
camps - his and Esav's - at that location.
plural form when selecting a name.
He therefore invoked the
We may perhaps use the Malbim's
general approach to arrive at a slightly different explanation.
A
careful reading of this parasha reveals that Yaakov's wrestle with the
angel occurred right there in Machanayim.
The verses make no mention
of Yaakov's having moved at all until he crosses his family over the river
and is then "left alone," at which point the angel assaults him (32:25).
Chazal explain that he returned to pick some last minute items.
Thus,
Yaakov confronts the angel at his original location, in Machanayim.
This perhaps yields an astonishing conclusion: Yaakov was attacked by
one of the angels he saw in Machanayim!
Apparently, this "camp of God"
consisted of two groups of angelic warriors: those siding with Yaakov
and those representing Esav.
He therefore named the location after the
two opposing sets of angels he beheld.
This would lend strong support
to the Malbim's claim that the vision of Machanayim triggered Yaakov's
suspicion that Esav seeks military confrontation.
III. In the shiur we did not elaborate on one important issue relevant to this
story dealt with by the commentators: what did Esav have in mind all this
time?
According to the Rashbam's view, as we saw, he had planned
reconciliation all along; according to Rashi and the Ramban, Esav planned
an attack but was apparently softened by Yaakov's gestures.
Rabbenu
Yosef Bekhor Shor advances yet a third theory, that Esav himself was
undecided; he waited to see how Yaakov acts towards him.
However, Rav
Sabato, whose approach we adopt in the shiur, explains differently.
He
accepts the Bekhor Shor's view that Esav had not decided how to respond
to his brother's return, only he claims that Esav's decision hinged on
another factor: the results of the wrestle between Yaakov and his angel.
If Yaakov prevailed, then Esav would have to concede defeat and seek
reconciliation.
IV. If you have it on file, review our shiur on Parashat Toledot.
have we assumed in this shiur?
Whose view
Could our general approach here
accommodate the other positions cited in that shiur?
V. See Masekhet Avoda Zara 11b, where the Gemara describes a ritual observed
by the Romans by which they conduct a parade condemning the Jews who
descend from Yaakov, who illegally seized the blessing rightfully
deserved by the Romans' ancestor, Esav.
to the final section of this shiur.
Read this Gemara and relate it