Parshas Vayishlach 5786
- Torah Tavlin
- Dec 6
- 2 min read
וירא כי לא יכל לו ויגע בכף ירכו ותקע כף ירך יעקב בהאבקו עמו ... (לב-כו)
After surviving his confrontation with the Malach, Yaakov asks the angel to reveal his name. According to Chazal, this Malach was the angel of Esav, also called “Samael”. Yet, Pirkei D’Rebbi Eliezer writes that the angel claimed his name was Yisroel, sharing with Yaakov the very name he himself would soon receive. How can these two statements be reconciled? Furthermore, as a last resort in the struggle, Yaakov was attacked on his hip. Why specifically this part of the body?
R’ Shimon Schwab zt”l offers a penetrating insight that answers both questions. A lie can simply be a false statement, but a far more severe form of falsehood is taking something true and twisting it into a lie. R’ Schwab brings several examples. Christians translate the Torah but replace every reference to Tziyon, Yerushalayim, or Yisroel with their so-called savior. Others dismiss the Torah entirely and distort the ways of Hashem, yet still refer to themselves as “rabbis” and pray in buildings they call a Beis Haknesses, r”l. Many early Zionists were open heretics, yet they named the established state “Yisroel.”
This inversion of truth is the epitome of falsehood. The name “Yisroel” represents a bond with the Ribono Shel Olam, a bond Esav never possessed, yet the Malach of Esav, the embodiment of sheker, dared to call himself “Yisroel.” This is the idea behind the expression “chazer treif.” A pig displays kosher signs, but remains entirely non-kosher. So too, Samael identified as something he entirely was not. With this, the teaching of Pirkei D’Rebbi Eliezer becomes clear. The Malach realized he could not defeat Yaakov himself, but he could wound his hip. The hip supports the body and by striking it Yaakov’s support system was symbolically weakened. Yaakov is the pillar of Emes, but this blow subtly introduced a capacity for dishonesty within his descendants. When Yaakov left Lavan’s home, Lavan kissed everyone except Yaakov. The Chofetz Chaim zt”l said, Lavan could not kiss Yaakov because Yaakov was “shpitz emes” but who knows what effect a kiss has! We must remember that the world stands on Emes, and our mission is to follow our father Yaakov by serving Hashem with integrity and without compromise.