Summary
Yaakov sends angels ahead of him to Esav, in the land of Seir, the field of Edom. He tells them to tell Esav that he has been with Lavan and acquired wealth and that he is looking to find favor in Esav’s eyes. The angels return to Yaakov to tell him that Esav is on his way with four hundred men.
Yaakov becomes frightened and divides everyone and everything into two camps, in case Esav attacks one, the other will still survive. He then prays that G-d protect him. G-d answers that He will do good with Yaakov and make his offspring as numerous as the sand, which is too numerous to count. Yaakov sends gifts ahead to his brother and then spends the night in the camp. He gets up that night and sends his family and possessions over the ford of the Yavok.
Yaakov is left alone and a man (most commonly explained as Esav’s angel) wrestles him until the break of dawn. The “man” realizes he cannot overcome Yaakov and dislocates Yaakov’s hip. Yaakov does not let the “man” go until he blesses him. The “man” gives Yaakov a new name-Yisroel, “for you have striven with the Divine and with man and have overcome.” The “man” does not, however, tell Yaakov HIS name. Yaakov calls the place Peniel, “For I have seen the Divine face to face, yet my life was spared.” The sun then rises, but Yaakov limps on his hip. Therefore, we are not allowed to eat the displaced sinew on the hip-socket.
Yaakov sees his brother coming and divides the children among his wives. Then he goes ahead of them and bows seven times until he reaches his brother. Esav runs toward him and falls upon Yaakov neck and kisses him. They cry, then Esav notices the family and asks who they are. Yaakov introduces everyone, and then Esav suggests they travel together. Yaakov declines, saying that the children and nursing flocks are young and not able to handle a quick pace. Esav goes ahead and Yaakov follows at a slow pace. Esav started back toward Seir, but Yaakov goes to Succos (which he names) and builds himself a home.
Yaakov arrives intact at Shechem and encamps there. He buys land there and pitches his tent and sets up an altar. Dinah, Leah’s daughter, went out to look over the daughters of the land. Shechem, the prince sees her and rapes her. He loves her and asks his father to marry her. Yaakov hears that Shechem has defiled his daughter, while his sons were with his cattle in the fields, and keeps quiet until they return.
Chamor the Hivvite, Shechem’s father goes to speak with Yaakov, and when his sons return and hear, they are very distressed and angry. Chamor asks for Dinah as his son’s wife then asks them all to give their daughters to intermarry with his people, and dwell in their land. The brothers answer that they cannot do this, because the people are uncircumcised. They make a condition that if every male is circumcised, then they will give their daughters. Shechem obeys right away, because he desired Dinah. He then becomes most respected in his father’s household. He and his father convince the whole city to be circumcised and marry the daughters of Yaakov.
On the third day (the most painful day) of the city-wide circumcision, two of Dinah’s brothers, Shimon and Levi kill every male, including Chamor and Shechem. They also plunder their houses. Yaakov rebukes them. His small household could not withstand an attack if the inhabitants of the land were to take revenge and attack. G-d tells Yaakov to go to Beis-El and make an altar there. All who were with Yaakov were commanded to discard all the alien gods in their midst, which they did, before going to Beis-El.
Yaakov builds the altar, then Devorah, Rivkah’s nurse, dies and is buried below Beis-El, which Yaakov names Allon-Bachus. G-d appears to Yaakov and blesses him, calling him Yisroel. He says that Yaakov should be fruitful and multiply and that kings would descend from him. He promises him the land that Yaakov’s fathers were promised.
On their way to Ephrasa, Rachel goes into labor and has difficulty in her childbirth. She hears she has a son and names him Ben-Oni (“son of my mourning”), as her soul departs and she dies. Yaakov calls him Binyamin (Rashi translates this as either “son of the right” or “son of the south,” referring to the incident of Reuven moving his Yaakov’s bed into his mother’s tent-see Rashi for more details). Rachel is buried on the road to Ephrasa, which is Beis Lechem. Yaakov sets up a monument over her grave.
Yaakov is reunited with his father at Mamrei. Yitzchak dies at the age of one hundred and eighty, and Yaakov and Esav bury him. Esav then separates from his brother, for their wealth was too abundant for them to live together. He settles on Mount Seir. Esav’s descendants are then listed. (He is the father of the nation, Edom.)
Dvar Torah
Before encountering Esav, Yaakov divided all that he had into two camps, saying that if one camp was attacked by Esav, the other would survive. Rashi explains that Yaakov prepared himself for three things: 1) “for the giving of a gift,” as the pasuk (verse) says, “The present passed on ahead of him.” 2) “for prayer,” as the pasuk says, “The G-d of my father, Avraham.” 3) “for war,” as the pasuk says, “The remaining camp will survive.”
The Ramban comments that “Yaakov’s strategy was for the future of Israel. Various countries will decree the extermination or the crippling of the Jewish people, but the nation will always survive, because Jews in other countries will be treated benevolently and thus insure the survival of the nation.” We should learn from Yaakov’s example.
According to Rabbi Yeruchem Levovitz, we see from Rashi’s comments on Yaakov’s behavior, that he did not rely on his righteousness and he made every human effort possible. This is an important principle. Our forefathers kept to the natural laws in dealing with life situations. Ultimately, the laws of nature are G-d’s laws, because this is the way He set up the world. This is a difficult task: to do everything that is in your own power and still to realize that all that occurs is due to the Almighty’s will.
Rav Yeruchem illustrated this point by relating something he personally witnessed about the Chofetz Chaim: A grandson of the Chofetz Chaim passed away and there was great mourning and sorrow in the Chofetz Chaim’s family; everyone sat and cried. The Chofetz Chaim called someone over and said that the food should be served to the entire family. “The funeral will take a long time and the burial will be very late,” he said, “Therefore everyone must be sure to eat right now.”
This, commented Rav Yeruchem, is the behavior of a great person like the Chofetz Chaim. He was careful to observe the natural laws of eating. He viewed them as an obligation and a mitzvah (commandment), like every other mitzvah in the Torah. There is an obligation to mourn and cry over the death of a loved one, but the order of eating and health must still be kept.
The Rambam, in Hilchos Daios compiled a list of rules for guarding one’s health. This is included in his monumental work on Torah law, because taking care of one’s health and welfare is a mitzvah that we observe in all its numerous details.
