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Monday, Kislev 11, 5780 / December 9, 2019

 

This week's Parsha, Vayishlach, covers a period of two years in the life of Yaakov.  From the time Yaakov left his father-in-law, Lavan, until the time he returned to his parents, Yitzchak and Rivkah. 

 

On his way home, after working twenty years for Lavan, Yaakov hears that his brother Esau wants to kill him for taking the blessings from their father Yitzchak. He sends messengers to tell Esau that he is looking for peace. 

 

The messengers return and tell Yaakov that Esau is coming with 400 men to fight him. Upon hearing this, Yaakov became frightened. He then made plans to counter Esau's threat. Yaakov sent gifts to Esau, while at the same time he prepared for war.  Yaakov prayed to G-d to save his family; "G-d of my father Abraham, and G-d of my father Yitzchak, L-rd You said to me 'Return to your country and to your kindred and I will do you good.  I am humbled by all the kindness and the truth which you have done with your servant... Rescue me from the hand of my brother from the hand of Esau; for I fear him that he may come and smite me, along with  the mothers and the children." G-d then sent angels disguised as Jacob's servants.  They put fear into Esau and his men so that they wouldn't harm Yaakov.

 

Our sages ask; G-d promised Yaakov (twenty years earlier), "I will bring you back to this land." G-d also told Yaakov , "Return to the land of your father and I will be with you."  So why was Yaakov afraid of Esau?

 

The Midrash explains this with the following statement, "There is no guarantee for the righteous that they will have it good in this world."  G-d may at times fulfill His promise to the righteous in the World-to-Come, rather than in this world. Thus, Yaakov wasn't sure if the fulfillment would come in this world, in a physical form, or in the World-to-Come, spiritually. 

 

In addition, Yaakov knew that his brother Esau performed the mitzvah of honoring his father all these years, while Yaakov, who was away from his parents over twenty years, couldn't observe this mitzvah.    

 

In the Talmud, Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel said, "All my life I tried to honor my father to the fullest, yet I have not reached one hundredth of the honor which Esau gave to his father."  Rabbi Shimon explained that, although Yitzchak was blind, Esau would dress in his most expensive garments, whenever he served his father, even for the most ordinary chores.

 

Yaakov was afraid that G-d would reward Esau for this great mitzvah of honoring his parents in this world, while keeping His promises to Yaakov in the World-to-Come. This story teaches us how great is the mitzvah of honoring parents.

 

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY