The Weekly Dvar Torah
Volume I Issue #29
Yakov and Eisav: Our Split Personality
Vayishlach
Adapted from the wisdom of Rav Meir Simcha HaCohen of Dvinsk from the Meshech Chochmoh and Rav Tzadok HaCohen from Pri Tzadik and other works.
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
This publication, Zichron Yehoshua, is in memory of Yehoshua Yakov ben Moshe-Jeffrey Nussbaum through a generous grant from Dr. Eric Nussbaum and family.
This issue is dedicated to my dear friend Leib Ber Avraham HaLevi Heller his wife and children. May Hashem bless them with peace, happiness, and good health, and great success.
This week's Torah portion opens with one of the greatest dramas in the Torah. The reunion of Yakov and Eisav is considered to be a pivotal event not only in the lives of our forefathers but for the entire future of the Jewish nation. In actuality, the beginning of this saga takes place at the end of last week's portion. As Yakov approaches the border of the land of Israel he sees an encampment of angels. In verse 32:3 Yakov sights the encampment which the Torah refers to as a single encampment of angels. However the Torah goes on to relate that Yakov enigmatically called the site of the angels' camp "the encampments", i.e. using the plural language. So how many camps were there; one or two? Also, how many angels were the camp/s comprised of?
Rav Tzadok HaCohen of Lublin draws our attention to a medrash which cites two opinions regarding the number of angels. One opinion says there were six hundred thousand angels. A second opinion gives an astounding figure of one million two hundred thousand angels. Rav Tzadok explains that in reality both opinions are true. He suggests that in fact there were two camps and each one of them contained six hundred thousand angels. This why Yakov called the site "machanayim" – meaning "encampments"- in the plural form. The number of angels in each camp, i.e. 600,000, is an allusion to the entire Jewish people since at the time of the exodus, the Jews leaving Egypt numbered 600,000. But why were there two camps? Also what message is the Torah conveying to us through this allusion?
In order to understand this Rav Tzadok explains that we must first have a correct perspective on the two inclinations that we all posses. What we call the evil inclination – yeitzer harah, is in reality not inherently evil at all. Rather it is man himself who, by his choices, turns the yeitzer harah into something bad. On the other hand, if we deal with it correctly, the yeitzer harah can become our greatest asset. The medrash supports this idea by pointing out that young children do not usually sin. It is only when they approach adolescence that they begin to do so. The evil inclination is more inclination than evil. If we indiscriminately indulge in the raw desires of the yeitzer harah it becomes evil. However, we can train this inclination to serve the more noble side of our being the yeitzer hatov – the good inclination. If we succeed, the yeitzer harah is not evil. It has become a facilitator of good.
Rav Tzadok goes on to explain that we have three basic drives: jealousy, desire, and honor. All manifestations of evil stem from one, or a combination of, these three rudimentary attributes. However all these traits can also be utilized for the good. Jealousy can be employed to motivate us to emulate others who have excelled in the service of Hashem. Our capacity for pleasure is rooted in the attribute of desire. Without it we would not experience joy and enthusiasm in our study of Torah. Honor gives us an appreciation for the importance that is fittingly attributed to the service of our Creator and helps us embrace the monumental task of serving Hashem. It is only when these drives are channeled in the direction of self centeredness and physicality that they go sour. The yeitzer harah was intended to be our servant not our master. If we control it- instead of allowing it to control us- the yeitzer harah can become a valuable aid in our pursuit of spiritual growth.
The two camps of angels represent the two inclinations that are embedded within us, the yeitzer hatov and the yeitzer harah. The two camps of angels, each numbering 600,000, teach us that every Jew has two powerful spiritual forces within him. They are akin to two camps awaiting our decision as to which one will lead. Yakov was uncertain about which camp Eisav belonged to, i.e. which inclination was in control of Eisav. Although Yakov was well aware of Eisav's evil actions, he also recognized Eisav's extraordinary potential for good. The medrash tells us that every day when Yakov would come back from learning Torah in yeshiva, Eisav would be there to greet him. Eisav would ask Yakov what halachic questions he had toiled on that day. Yakov would relate the difficulties that had occupied him, but before he could finish speaking Eisav would launch into an intricate discourse on the topic correctly resolving Yakov's halachic queries on his own. A fascinating but little known fact revealed by the Ari tz"l is that the soul of the great Torah sage Rebbe Meir, who was the pillar of most of the Oral Law, was a spark of the soul of none other than….Eisav! Thus it was no wonder why Yitzchak loved Eisav. In light of this, it is clear why Yakov would have wanted to help his extraordinary brother do teshuva. But Yakov would first need to determine which inclination was the dominant force within Eisav: his yeitzer hatov or his yeitzer harah.
Yakov devised a scheme to ascertain where his brother stood. He sent Eisav two types of angels: the type that can be used only for good, as well as others that could lead him to evil. In order for Eisav to pass the test he would need to recognize his true purpose in life. Eisav would need to submit his remarkable talents and strengths to assist his holy brother Yakov. Indeed this is the deeper meaning of Yitzchak's message to his son Eisav in verse 27:40, when after realizing that Yakov received the blessings, Yitzchak informs Eisav that he will have to serve his brother.
Eisav's innate goodness could only come to fruition if he would subordinate himself to Yakov. Yakov sent the messengers who demonstrated to Eisav Yakov's great wealth and spiritual strength thereby intimating to Eisav that if he wanted to achieve spiritual redemption he would have to work under his brother Yakov. But Eisav failed the test. Instead of joining with his holy brother he separated from him. His jealousy and drive for pleasure and honor did not allow him to remain with his brother in the position of second fiddle. And so in verse 33:16 Eisav goes on "his way" and leaves his holy brother behind. From that day on Eisav was transformed into the most scathing enemy that the Jewish people has ever known. His biological descendants, whom include Amalek – as well as his ideological heirs, still abound. It is by their hands that our people have suffered horrific torture and oppression for over three millennia.
The lesson that we need to learn from Eisav is simple. We all have an "Eisav" inside of us. None of us are perfect. Lurking in our soul are drives that if not mastered can lead us in directions that eventually we will come to deeply regret. We should recognize that these drives can hijack the journey that is our life to destinations that are far from what we truly desire for ourselves. However even when we stop the denial and recognize the facts we must not despair or feel that we are inherently flawed or bad. Rather we should appreciate that the yeitzer harah is more yeitzer – inclination than evil. It is a powerful force, as were Eisav's astounding talents, that we can harness to rise to the greatest levels of purity and devotion in the service of Hashem. All we need to do is pick the leader. This is what Torah study and mitzvah observance are all about.
By Rav Yitzchak Schwartz Rosh Yeshiva Orchos Chaim Jerusalem
yschwartz@orchos.org.
This publication, Zichron Yehoshua, is in memory of Yehoshua Yakov ben Moshe-Jeffrey Nussbaum through a generous grant from Dr. Eric Nussbaum and family.
This issue is dedicated to my dear friend Leib Ber Avraham HaLevi Heller his wife and children. May Hashem bless them with peace, happiness, and good health, and great success.
This week's Torah portion opens with one of the greatest dramas in the Torah. The reunion of Yakov and Eisav is considered to be a pivotal event not only in the lives of our forefathers but for the entire future of the Jewish nation. In actuality, the beginning of this saga takes place at the end of last week's portion. As Yakov approaches the border of the land of Israel he sees an encampment of angels. In verse 32:3 Yakov sights the encampment which the Torah refers to as a single encampment of angels. However the Torah goes on to relate that Yakov enigmatically called the site of the angels' camp "the encampments", i.e. using the plural language. So how many camps were there; one or two? Also, how many angels were the camp/s comprised of?
Rav Tzadok HaCohen of Lublin draws our attention to a medrash which cites two opinions regarding the number of angels. One opinion says there were six hundred thousand angels. A second opinion gives an astounding figure of one million two hundred thousand angels. Rav Tzadok explains that in reality both opinions are true. He suggests that in fact there were two camps and each one of them contained six hundred thousand angels. This why Yakov called the site "machanayim" – meaning "encampments"- in the plural form. The number of angels in each camp, i.e. 600,000, is an allusion to the entire Jewish people since at the time of the exodus, the Jews leaving Egypt numbered 600,000. But why were there two camps? Also what message is the Torah conveying to us through this allusion?
In order to understand this Rav Tzadok explains that we must first have a correct perspective on the two inclinations that we all posses. What we call the evil inclination – yeitzer harah, is in reality not inherently evil at all. Rather it is man himself who, by his choices, turns the yeitzer harah into something bad. On the other hand, if we deal with it correctly, the yeitzer harah can become our greatest asset. The medrash supports this idea by pointing out that young children do not usually sin. It is only when they approach adolescence that they begin to do so. The evil inclination is more inclination than evil. If we indiscriminately indulge in the raw desires of the yeitzer harah it becomes evil. However, we can train this inclination to serve the more noble side of our being the yeitzer hatov – the good inclination. If we succeed, the yeitzer harah is not evil. It has become a facilitator of good.
Rav Tzadok goes on to explain that we have three basic drives: jealousy, desire, and honor. All manifestations of evil stem from one, or a combination of, these three rudimentary attributes. However all these traits can also be utilized for the good. Jealousy can be employed to motivate us to emulate others who have excelled in the service of Hashem. Our capacity for pleasure is rooted in the attribute of desire. Without it we would not experience joy and enthusiasm in our study of Torah. Honor gives us an appreciation for the importance that is fittingly attributed to the service of our Creator and helps us embrace the monumental task of serving Hashem. It is only when these drives are channeled in the direction of self centeredness and physicality that they go sour. The yeitzer harah was intended to be our servant not our master. If we control it- instead of allowing it to control us- the yeitzer harah can become a valuable aid in our pursuit of spiritual growth.
The two camps of angels represent the two inclinations that are embedded within us, the yeitzer hatov and the yeitzer harah. The two camps of angels, each numbering 600,000, teach us that every Jew has two powerful spiritual forces within him. They are akin to two camps awaiting our decision as to which one will lead. Yakov was uncertain about which camp Eisav belonged to, i.e. which inclination was in control of Eisav. Although Yakov was well aware of Eisav's evil actions, he also recognized Eisav's extraordinary potential for good. The medrash tells us that every day when Yakov would come back from learning Torah in yeshiva, Eisav would be there to greet him. Eisav would ask Yakov what halachic questions he had toiled on that day. Yakov would relate the difficulties that had occupied him, but before he could finish speaking Eisav would launch into an intricate discourse on the topic correctly resolving Yakov's halachic queries on his own. A fascinating but little known fact revealed by the Ari tz"l is that the soul of the great Torah sage Rebbe Meir, who was the pillar of most of the Oral Law, was a spark of the soul of none other than….Eisav! Thus it was no wonder why Yitzchak loved Eisav. In light of this, it is clear why Yakov would have wanted to help his extraordinary brother do teshuva. But Yakov would first need to determine which inclination was the dominant force within Eisav: his yeitzer hatov or his yeitzer harah.
Yakov devised a scheme to ascertain where his brother stood. He sent Eisav two types of angels: the type that can be used only for good, as well as others that could lead him to evil. In order for Eisav to pass the test he would need to recognize his true purpose in life. Eisav would need to submit his remarkable talents and strengths to assist his holy brother Yakov. Indeed this is the deeper meaning of Yitzchak's message to his son Eisav in verse 27:40, when after realizing that Yakov received the blessings, Yitzchak informs Eisav that he will have to serve his brother.
Eisav's innate goodness could only come to fruition if he would subordinate himself to Yakov. Yakov sent the messengers who demonstrated to Eisav Yakov's great wealth and spiritual strength thereby intimating to Eisav that if he wanted to achieve spiritual redemption he would have to work under his brother Yakov. But Eisav failed the test. Instead of joining with his holy brother he separated from him. His jealousy and drive for pleasure and honor did not allow him to remain with his brother in the position of second fiddle. And so in verse 33:16 Eisav goes on "his way" and leaves his holy brother behind. From that day on Eisav was transformed into the most scathing enemy that the Jewish people has ever known. His biological descendants, whom include Amalek – as well as his ideological heirs, still abound. It is by their hands that our people have suffered horrific torture and oppression for over three millennia.
The lesson that we need to learn from Eisav is simple. We all have an "Eisav" inside of us. None of us are perfect. Lurking in our soul are drives that if not mastered can lead us in directions that eventually we will come to deeply regret. We should recognize that these drives can hijack the journey that is our life to destinations that are far from what we truly desire for ourselves. However even when we stop the denial and recognize the facts we must not despair or feel that we are inherently flawed or bad. Rather we should appreciate that the yeitzer harah is more yeitzer – inclination than evil. It is a powerful force, as were Eisav's astounding talents, that we can harness to rise to the greatest levels of purity and devotion in the service of Hashem. All we need to do is pick the leader. This is what Torah study and mitzvah observance are all about.