Parashat Vayishlach

December 13, 2024
12 Kislev 5785
PARASHAT VAYISHLACH
Genesis 32:4-36:43

Dear Friends,

Finding a path through a particular Torah portion is always a blend of the lived moment of today and the light that our story can shed upon that moment. The Torah portion is a familiar one: Parashat Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4 - 36:43), "and he sent." The sending being referred to are the gifts that Jacob sent as he prepares to see his brother again for the first time in 20 years. The gifts are his way of trying to ensure the future, one where his brother will not kill him.

One thing we have learned in so many ways over the past year is that we cannot ensure the future. All we can do at any given moment is to do our best, whatever that may look like . Yet, we try to look into the future and predict what is coming our way and we do our best to try and figure out how we will respond. But the truth is, we do not know. Just as Jacob does not know.

If we look to Jacob as an exemplar, his life is a long road toward self-acceptance, even as he does not always behave in the best way possible. He has always tended to want to know how things will turn out, even going so far as trying to make a deal with the Divine after his incredible dream of journeying angels.

It is appropriate then that his name was changed to Yisrael, God wrestler, as the dawn breaks and he prepares to see his brother for the first time in twenty years. After his dark night wrestling, whether with an otherworldly figure or with his own soul, Jacob emerged prepared to meet his brother. It takes another nocturnal spiritual experience for Jacob to accept the Divine plan and this time not try to control it.

Let us note that Jacob returns the blessing to his brother. Jacob no longer needs it. He has gained clarity into himself. The blessing that Isaac gave Jacob was “Let peoples serve you, And nations bow to you; Be master over your brothers, And let your mother’s sons bow to you (Genesis 27:29). When Jacob sees his brother, he is the one who bows down to Esau seven times, calls him my lord and at the end of the conversation and exchange of gifts says “Please accept my blessing which has been brought to you…”(Genesis 33:11). If we look closely, we see that Jacob has returned the blessing to his brother; he is in the moment.

We are living in a moment when predictions are running rampant as to what the world will be like. Yet things happen that we cannot predict. Our choice though difficult seems clear -- to be in the moment and to bring our best selves forward. Ultimately, Jacob did just that.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn