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VaYishlach: The Conflict Between Jacob and Esau
The central theme of VaYishlach is Jacobs struggle for his unique path, especially
vis-a-vis his brother Esau. This was not just a family feud. The Sages saw in Esau a
metaphor for Rome, and in general, a non-Jewish worldview, one alien to the
Torahs outlook. The high point of the narrative unfolds as Jacob battles in the dark
with a mysterious stranger, identified by the Sages as Esaus guardian angel.

Jacob remained alone. A stranger wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw
that he could not defeat him, he touched the upper joint of [Jacobs] thigh.
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that he could not defeat him, he touched the upper joint of [Jacobs] thigh.
Jacobs hip joint became dislocated as he wrestled with the stranger. (Gen.
32:25-26)
What is the significance of this unusual wrestling match? Why did Esaus angel
decide to injure Jacobs thigh, and not some other part of his body?

Esaus World of Hedonism

Many years earlier, Esau chose to reject his birthright, selling it for bowl of lentil
stew. I am going to die! he exclaimed. What good is a birthright to me? (Gen.
25:32) Why did Esau sell his birthright?
We must understand the significance of this birthright. It was a legacy from their
father Isaac, a charge to live a life dedicated to serving God. For Esau, holiness
was completely divorced from living a normal life. He saw the birthright as a death
sentence, threatening the very foundations of his hedonistic way of life. It was
because of his birthright that Esau felt that he was going to die.
Esaus viewpoint is expressed a second time during his reunion with Jacob. When
Esau saw Jacobs family, he was amazed. Who are these to you? (Gen. 33:5) You,
Jacob, who chose our fathers birthright and its otherworldly holiness what
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connection can you have to a normal life? How can you have wives and children?
Esau was unable to reconcile his image of a holy life of Divine service with
establishing a family and raising children.
Esaus guardian angel, in his nocturnal struggle with Jacob, embodied this outlook.
Where did the angel attack Jacob? He went for Jacobs thigh, dislocating it. His
message was clear: if you wish to dedicate yourself to holiness and God, you must
divorce yourself from family and all other aspects of a normal life. Your thigh, from
where your children issue, must be detached from you.

Jacobs Elevated Torah

Jacob did not accept Esaus views on living a holy life. Jacob exemplified, in both
outlook and life, the harmony of nature with holiness. And Jacobs Torah was
revealed in the natural world.
The Midrash states that The Holy One looked inside the Torah and created the
universe (Bereishit Rabbah 1:1). In other words, the universe is a direct result of
Gods contemplation of Torah. If we examine the world carefully, we should be able
to uncover the foundations of the Torah. Had Adam not sinned, there would have
been no need for a written Torah. Life itself would be ordered according to the
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Torahs principles.
The Patriarchs sought to repair Adams sin. Their Torah and mitzvot belonged to the
era before the Torah needed to be written down. For them, the Torah was naturally
revealed in the universe. This is also the Torah of the angels, whose sole function
is to fulfill the mission of their Creator in the world. Bless God, His angels, mighty
in strength, who fulfill His word (Psalms 103:20; see Shabbat 88a).
Who were the messengers that Jacob sent to inform Esau of his arrival? The
Midrash teaches that Jacob sent angels (Bereishit Rabbah 72:4). A messenger takes
the place of the sender; it is as if the sender himself accomplished the mission.
Thus, the sender and the messenger must be connected on some basic level (see
Kiddushin 41b).
By utilizing these unusual emissaries, Jacob was sending a powerful message to
Esau.

You,

Esau,

claim

that

holiness

and

physical

life

are fundamentally

contradictory. But my Torah is the Torah of the angels. For me, there is no division
between holiness and the natural world. God Himself is revealed within His
creation.
(Adapted from Shemuot HaReiyah 9, VaYishlach 5630 (1929))
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Copyright 2006 by Chanan Morrison

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Copyright 2006 by Chanan Morrison

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