Vayishlach in a Nutshell

Vayishlach - “And he sent”

• Jacob returns (after 20 years in Charan)
• Angel-emissaries
• Esau with 400 men
• Jacob prepares for war
• Prays
• Sends Esau a large gift
• Jacob sends family across Jabbuk River
• Remains behind
• Wrestles with the man-angel
• Dislocated hip
• Angels bestows name Israel on him - “he who struggles with man and G-d and overcomes”
• Jacob and Esau meet
• Dina & Shechem
• Rachel dies, giving birth to Benjamin, near Bethlehem.
• Rueben loses his birthright because he lies with Bilhah
• Jacob arrives in Hebron, where Isaac dies at 180.
• Genealogy
  • of Esau;
  • the 8 kings of Edom (the land of Esau’s & Seir’s descendents)
  • the people of Seir (where Esau settled),

Chapter 32

Jacob is going to man up, and take responsibility for deceiving Esau, and finally face him. Though, to be clear, he did not do that on his own bat, but was obeying G-d’s instructions to “return to his home, the land of his fathers”. Ignoring the question of where that was, we assume that it was in the region where of his father Isaac was residing. For, no doubt, he was terribly afraid of his brother’s vengeance, and possibly would not have gathered enough courage to face him without G-d’s protection.

v32:4-13 - Angels

#angel
v32:4] Sends Malachim - angels/messengers.

It is said that Jacob sent the actuality of the angels to Esau, but kept their spiritual essence with himself.
—(Dov Baer).

Note:

• He (Jacob) can control angels?
• He (Esau) can communicate with angels as well?
  Note: Why angels? Why not simply messengers?
• Righteous are able to summon angels to do his bidding.
• Angels have a particular degree of holiness.
  • Human striving for holiness
• Angels are forever static.
  • Humans grow constantly

Note “Find favour in your eyes”. He does this with material (not spiritual) gifts. It is for us to work in the mundane realm, and for the angels to work the spiritual realm, except for our very own inner, spiritual space — that is ours to cultivate.

v32:7] The messengers return with the message: “He is heading towards you with 400 men”.

Note Can only mean trouble. His intention is not peaceful, else why the 400? However, 400 is ת, the last letter of the alphabet. Which is an end in itself, and is also indicative of the future. However, the real question here is what caused his sudden change of heart, in that he embraces Jacob and weeps when they do meet? Perhaps Jacob’s fear stemmed from his own guilt?

Note This is why it is a human story. For it is told from a human point of view. G-d tells Jacob to return to his home. Jacob sets out, but as he get close to Esau, he is scared. He had not planned his approach. He just “obeyed” G-d, knowing that He would protect him. But, now that he is facing the challenge, he realises that he is in a bit of a situation. So he prays to G-d.

This shows that though G-d is in charge of the destiny of each of us, the details of how the event is handled is almost completely up to us. So Jacob has to strategise to deal with the human interaction.

32:11] קטנתי - become smaller, diminished

Preparation

He first splits his camp — at least one will survive.

It is night. Jacob sends a tribute, explicitly accounted for, to Esau. He sends it bit by bit — one drove, one man and a specific message — hoping to placate Esau. It seems he continued this all night.

n32:11] I am unworthy.

Be humble before the kindness of G-d when His “right hand embraces me”. Actually bringing me closer to Him should only increase humility, for I that stands before Him am but nothing. This is the opposite of the behaviour of the [כליפה], kelipah, who only becomes more arrogant the more G-d’s kindness descends upon him.
—(Shneur Zalman).

n32:21] יִשָׂא פָנָי - carry/bear my face; forgive me

v32:23] He is alone.

Then he separates from his wives and his possessions.

Note Is this on the same night. So, he split the camp, organised the tributes, and then afterwards separated from his family? Was it a long night, or did he start early? Or is this another example of time being fluid in this narrative?]

He wrestles “all night” with a man.

n23] Locks up Dinah.

To keep her away from Esau, for which he was punished.

v32:25-32] Struggle with man/angel

#angel v25] Here אישׁ, before מלאכים. Here man/angel, before angel/human messenger.

The man could not overcome him, so he struck/dislocated his hip socket.
Dawn was breaking,
“Let me go”, pleads the man.
“Not until you bless me (בּירכתיני)”, responds Jacob.
“What is your name,” the man enquires.
“Jacob” is the response.
He then says that his name will no longer be Jacob alone, but his name will be Israel because “you have contended with gods and men, and endured"
כּי שַׁרִִתה עִם־אלוהִים ועם אנשׁים ותוּכל
“Tell me your name”, Jacob demands.
“You must not ask ”, and the man then blessed him there.

Why could the angel not prevail. Because Jacob cleaved so strongly to G-d. He was injured during momentary lapse of concentration.

שְׁררה - prevail; ישׁראל - from יִשׁרָה - to prevail

• עקב - deceit, heel
  Note The “official” naming occurs later. Is there a time lapse?

v32:30] Name of Angel
#angel

Jacob ask for the name of the Angel, but because Its name is a reflection of Its mission, It cannot reveal it. Each angel has a single mission, but no set name. It’s name changes according to each mission. This man obviously had a mission, thus he would have a name too (midrash).

Note The power of the name is that it defines the mission, or purpose of the angel. It also is used to fashion his or her image/form that will appear to us.

v32:31] Penniel

כּי־ראיתִי אלוהים פנים־אל־פנים ותִנָצֶל נפשׁי

Calls the place Penniel—meaning “face of G-d”—because “I have seen G-d face-to-face, and survived.”

v32:33] Sinew

To this day, we do not eat the displaced sinew of the kosher animal.

Chapter 33 - Encounter

v33:1] Esau arrives

Jacob prepares to meet him with his family. Note the order, Rachel and Joseph are last using the others members of his family to protect them.

v33:3] Bows to Esau.

Then the rest of the family bow to Esau.
Esau run up to him and embraces him.

Note This is the strange change of heart. However, if it was Jacob’s fear, then perhaps the lesson is that it is better to approach someone whom you have wronged humbly, than arrogantly as if you had done nothing wrong.

Question It is unclear what Esav did that caused him to receive such a bad rap. Here he behaves like a good man, and nowhere is there any transgression recorded. Is it just because Jacob is the so-called “victor” in the narrative. As the one who carries the torch of our ancestry? And we have to deny any other ancestry?

v33:13-18] Jacob avoids Esau.

Note Esav goes ahead to Seir where Jacob promises to meet him. Yet Jacob continues to Succoth, builds a house there, and then continues on to Shechem. So either their meeting in Seir, where Jacob did not settle, was inconclusive and unimportant to the narrative, or they did not meet at all, and, Jacob essentially blew Esau off.

v33:14] Jacob says he will meet Esau in Seir. QIs he lying again?

v33:16] Esau returns to Seir, but Jacob continues to Succoth (which he names), and builds a house there and shelter for his livestock. So, he was settling there for a bit.

v33:18] Then he continues from there to Shechem—from Paddan-aran—where he camps. And purchases the land for 100 kesitas, not the Holy Shekel - which only is mentioned later.

Question Again we have a time displacement. If he built a home and shelters in Succoth, why did he continue to Shechem at this point? And there he did not build a home, he just pitched his tent.
Yet, he purchases the parcel of land on which he sets up his tent, which says he intends to stay there? Or was it just going to be his vacation home?

v33:20] And made an altar: אל אלוהִם ישׂראל

Question In addition, he builds an altar here at Shechem showing his intention to stay. Why did he build one here and not at Succoth, where he built his house and set up shelter for his livestock? Perhaps Succoth was not in Canaan?

Chapter 34 - Shechem

v34:6] Lying with daughter of Israel

ויבחר להם מאוד כי נולה עשׂה בישׂראל לשׁכב את בת־יעקוב וכן לא יעשׂה
Require from them to circumcise, then kill men, take the women and children and possessions. Even though they wanted to join with the Bnei Israel, heir beliefs were different and would not have accepted their religion - which was at that stage, monotheistic - something which they probably had not heard of.
כּזֹנה יעשׂה את־אחותנוּ

Note This is a very harsh story, and deserves to be discussed. If this is G-d’s way, what is it saying to us? What is the lesson to be learnt here and how can we take this into our lives today?

Chapter 35 - G-d says

v35:1] Go to בת־אל. Build Me an altar there.

After this event, they would have to flee. So G-d tells Jacob to go to Beit-El, and build an altar there to the G-d you saw when fleeing from Esau."

Question What is the difference in the altar they had built at Shechem… Obviously they have to flee after this outrage. He does not censure Simeon and Levi, as they are princes, and so the only alternative is to flee and not because of what the princes did, but because G-d says we need to build Him an altar in Beit-El!

v35:2] Discard your alien gods, cleanse yourselves, put on clean clothes.

Question What? Jacobs household is riddled with alien gods? Our Rabbis say that these were all the idols that they took from Shechem.

Question And why cleanse and put on clean clothes in order to go to Beit-El to build an altar?

v35:3] He built an altar to G-d who answered him in his time of need.

v35:4] Terebinth?¹ Deborah dies.

This is where he receives his name Israel - from G-d.

v35:9-13] G-d appears. Blesses Him with land and children - not really spiritual blessings, though we could look at children as being the spiritual blessing and land as the material.

v35:14] He builds a stone pillar at בת־אל QIs this another Beit-El or is it the same one?

v35:16] Rachel dies on the road

Question Why leave Beth-El, especially when Rachel was about to give birth? Surely he knew the risks. It is not written that G-d told him to leave Beth-El. On the contrary, he was told to go to Beth-El…

v35:21] Journey on. Reuben lies with Bilhah.

v35:23] 12 sons of Jacob

v35:27] Isaac dies, 180 years old at Kiryat-Abba,

Chapter 36

v36:1-5] Wives & Children of Esau (beautiful names).

Name	שׁם
Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite	עָדָ֗ה בַּת־אֵילוֹן֙ הַֽחִתִּ֔י
Oholibamah daughter of Anah daughter of Zibeon the Hivite (“Horite Cf. v. 20”)	אׇהֳלִֽיבָמָה֙ בַּת־עֲנָ֔ה בַּת־צִבְע֖וֹן הַֽחִוִּֽי
Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth	בָּשְׂמַ֥ת בַּת־יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל אֲח֥וֹת נְבָיֽוֹת
Adah bore (to Esau) Eliphaz	עָדָ֛ה אֶת־אֱלִיפָ֑ז
Basemath bore Reuel	בָ֣שְׂמַ֔ת יָלְדָ֖ה אֶת־רְעוּאֵֽל
Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah	וְאׇהֳלִֽיבָמָה֙ יָֽלְדָ֔ה אֶת־[יְע֥וּשׁ] (יעיש) וְאֶת־יַעְלָ֖ם וְאֶת־קֹ֑רַח

v36:31] Names of the kings of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites.

Kings of Edom
Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah	וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ בֶּאֱד֔וֹם בֶּ֖לַע בֶּן־בְּע֑וֹר וְשֵׁ֥ם עִיר֖וֹ דִּנְהָֽבָה
Jobab son of Zerah, from Bozrah, succeeded him as king	וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ תַּחְתָּ֔יו יוֹבָ֥ב בֶּן־זֶ֖רַח מִבׇּצְרָֽה
Husham of the land of the Temanites succeeded him as king	וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ תַּחְתָּ֔יו חֻשָׁ֖ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ הַתֵּימָנִֽי
Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated the Midianites in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king; the name of his city was Avith	וַיִּמְלֹ֨ךְ תַּחְתָּ֜יו הֲדַ֣ד בֶּן־בְּדַ֗ד הַמַּכֶּ֤ה אֶת־מִדְיָן֙ בִּשְׂדֵ֣ה מוֹאָ֔ב וְשֵׁ֥ם עִיר֖וֹ עֲוִֽית
Samlah of Masrekah succeeded him as king	וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ תַּחְתָּ֔יו שַׂמְלָ֖ה מִמַּשְׂרֵקָֽה
Shaul of Rehoboth-on-the-river succeeded him as king	וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ תַּחְתָּ֔יו שָׁא֖וּל מֵרְחֹב֥וֹת הַנָּהָֽר
Baal-hanan son of Achbor succeeded him as king	וַיִּמְלֹ֣ךְ תַּחְתָּ֔יו בַּ֥עַל חָנָ֖ן בֶּן־עַכְבּֽוֹר
Hadar succeeded him as king; the name of his city was Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred daughter of Mei-zahav	חָנָ֣ן בֶּן־עַכְבּוֹר֒ וַיִּמְלֹ֤ךְ תַּחְתָּיו֙ הֲדַ֔ר וְשֵׁ֥ם עִיר֖וֹ פָּ֑עוּ וְשֵׁ֨ם אִשְׁתּ֤וֹ מְהֵֽיטַבְאֵל֙ בַּת־מַטְרֵ֔ד בַּ֖ת מֵ֥י זָהָֽב

v36:40] Names of the chiefs of Esau, father of the Edomites עֵשָׂ֖ו אֲבִ֥י אֱדֽוֹם

Chiefs of Esau	אַלּוּפֵ֤י עֵשָׂו
Timna, Alvah, Jetheth	אַלּ֥וּף תִּמְנָ֛ע אַלּ֥וּף עַֽלְוָ֖ה אַלּ֥וּף יְתֵֽת
Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon	אַלּ֧וּף אׇהֳלִיבָמָ֛ה אַלּ֥וּף אֵלָ֖ה אַלּ֥וּף פִּינֹֽן
Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar	אַלּ֥וּף קְנַ֛ז אַלּ֥וּף תֵּימָ֖ן אַלּ֥וּף מִבְצָֽר
Magdiel, and Iram	אלּ֥וּף מַגְדִּיאֵ֖ל אַלּ֣וּף עִירָ֑ם

Footnotes

1. Facts about Terebinth

   The terebinth — Pistacia terebinthus (Natural Order, Anacardiaceae), Arabic Butm—is a tree allied to the P. vera, which produces the pistachio nut, and to the familiar “pepper tree” (Schinus molle) so extensively cultivated in modern Palestine. Like the latter the terebinth has red berries, like small immature grapes. The leaves are pinnate, four to six pairs, and they change color and fall in autumn, leaving the trunk bare (compare Isaiah 1:30). The terebinth is liable to be infected by many showy galls, some varieties looking like pieces of red coral. In Palestine, this tree assumes noble proportions, especially in situations when, from its association with some sacred tomb, it is allowed to flourish undisturbed. It is in such situations not infrequently as much as 40 ft. high and spreads its branches, with their thick, dark-green foliage, over a wide area (compare 2 Samuel 18:9,14; Ecclesiasticus 24:16). Dwarfed trees occur among the brushwood all over the land.
   From this tree a kind of turpentine is obtained, hence, the alternative name “turpentine tree” (Ecclesiasticus 24:16 the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) “terebinth”)—E. W. G. Masterman. ↩︎