Genesis 32,4. “I have remained a stranger at ‎Lavan’s” (all the time); my late father of blessed memory, ‎commented on Rashi’s interpretation of Yaakov having ‎chosen the word ‎גרתי‎, that he referred to the numerical value of ‎the letters in this word being 613, a symbol of the 613 ‎commandments of the Torah that Yaakov observed even while in ‎Padan Aram. He supposedly emphasized to Esau that in spite of ‎his having acquired considerable wealth, none of it had been at ‎the expense of Esau, as his father’s blessing which was: “may the ‎Lord give you from the dew of heaven and the fat parts of the ‎earth” (Genesis 27,28) had not been fulfilled. Should Esau counter ‎that the reason Yitzchok’s blessing had not been fulfilled was that ‎he, Yaakov, had not observed the commandments, this was not ‎so. Esau knew that his father’s blessings were conditional on a ‎certain mode of conduct by Yaakov, and that is why he had told ‎him (Genesis 27,40) ‎והיה כאשר תריד ופרקת עול מעל צוארך‎, (according ‎to Rashi) “if the Israelites will fail to observe the ‎commandment, you will be able to shake off his yoke from your ‎neck.” Yaakov hints to his brother that in spite of having ‎observed the commandments he does not own any land, so that ‎his father’s blessings could not have been fulfilled. Yaakov ‎reassures Esau that he has no reason to revenge himself for ‎Yaakov having obtained this blessing.‎

Genesis 32,11. “please save me from my brother, i.e. ‎from Esau;” Esau represents the negative side of the ‎emanations, Satan, the angel of death, the evil urge within us. ‎Yaakov prays that his brother should not turn out to be a Satan ‎in disguise, just as the evil urge sometimes portrays something ‎sinful as if it were a good deed, a ‎מצוה‎, so as to enable us to ‎salvage our conscience when following his advice.‎

Genesis 32,12. “seeing that You have said to me that ‘I ‎will keep doing good for you.’” The meaning of the ‎repetition ‎היטב איטיב‎ is that the “goodness” that G’d will perform ‎for Yaakov is of the kind that everyone around him can recognize ‎as such. There are acts of loving kindness performed by G’d for ‎individuals who recognize them as such, as for instance, when G’d ‎answered a prayer of theirs; on the other hand, prayers in which ‎the petitioner asked for something that no one else was aware of ‎as being an object of that person’s longing, even when fulfilled, ‎will not be seen by outsiders as benevolent acts of G’d. Something ‎that appears to be a curse when viewed by one person, is viewed ‎as a blessing by another person. Yaakov reminds G’d that He had ‎promised him the kind of help that would be recognized by one ‎and all as a special blessing.‎

Another way of understanding the line ‎ואתה אמרת היטב איטיב ‏עמך‎, is that even when G’d shares out His largesse to both the ‎Jewish people and the gentiles, there is always a difference. When ‎this “largesse” is bestowed on the Jewish people the intent is ‎invariably for their benefit. When it is dispensed to the gentiles, ‎the gentiles may see in it something positive, whereas in the long ‎run it is something that works to the detriment of the recipients.‎ Let us explain this apparent paradox by referring to ‎Deuteronomy 7,10, where Moses speaks of G’d “paying” the ‎sinner to his “face.” Moses touches on the subject known to us ‎under the heading of ‎צדיק ורע לו, רשע וטוב לו‎, “why does it appear ‎often that the person we perceive as a just person suffers a great ‎deal in this world, whereas the patently wicked person appears to ‎enjoy every day of his life on earth.” Moses describes the reward ‎in store for the wicked, for they too have performed some good ‎deeds for which G’d owes them a reward,- as “payment,” ‎משלם‎. He ‎has to do it while the wicked person is alive as he has no afterlife ‎to look forward to. The righteous who has an eternity of life on a ‎different plane to look forward to, need not lose some of this by ‎being ‘paid” by G’d for his good deeds while here on earth. ‎Yaakov, when referring to ‎היטב איטיב‎, refers to G’d bestowing ‎such “good” on him for the sake of the good itself, not as ‎‎“payment” for good deeds performed. Gentiles, i.e. pagans, have ‎no claim to that kind of “good.”‎

Genesis 32,17. “when my brother Esau will meet you ‎and ask you to whom these herds belong, etc;” it is a rule ‎that when a person approaches G’d with a request, that the evil ‎urge within him tries to convince him that he is entitled to make ‎whatever request from G’d that he has in mind, and that certain ‎privileges on this earth are part of this entitlement as part of his ‎serving the Lord. The evil urge, in its wisdom, acts as if it had ‎been defeated by not immediately protesting that individual’s ‎request by pointing out to G’d that person’s shortcomings. At a ‎later stage, when such a person has already established a more ‎intimate relationship vis a vis his Creator so that he realizes that ‎his service of the Lord is not meant to secure him rewards on ‎earth, but is meant to provide a sense of satisfaction for his ‎Creator that one of His creatures fulfils his purpose in life, he has ‎reached the stage where the evil urge, also known as Esau, ‎encounters such a G’d-serving person head on. The “angels” of ‎Yaakov, are a euphemism for this person’s thoughts. At that ‎point, attempting to interfere with progress of such a personality ‎towards spiritual perfection, Esau, i.e. the evil urge, asks these ‎‎“angels” who are the creations of the person’s performance of ‎G’d’s commandments, where they are headed, i.e. ‎אנה תלך‎. The ‎person is advised (the point of the Torah relating this encounter) ‎to blunt such questions by saying that they have been created by ‎‎“your servant Yaakov;” he is told to assuage the evil urge by ‎saying that his good deeds are a “gift” to him (the evil urge), ‎seeing that the evil urge is also one of G’d’s creatures and as such ‎entitled to some recognition.‎

Genesis 32,25. “when he realized that he could not ‎overcome him he injured his hip joint.” The subjects ‎alluded to here are the three parts of the universe, 1) the world of ‎the disembodied spirits, angels, collectively known as ‎שרפים‎ 2) the ‎inert “stars,” planets and galaxies in outer space, and 3) the living ‎creatures in our own “lower” part of the universe. In our part of ‎the universe, i.e. in man, the head represents the domain of the ‎angels in the “upper” part of the universe, the part of man that ‎enables him to recognize his Creator. The heart (within man) symbolizes the region we call outer ‎space, home to galaxies in the domain known as ‎עולם הגלגלים‎, the ‎world of the orbiting planets and galaxies. According to the ‎‎Sefer Yetzirah, heart, soul, enable man to recognise the ‎recurring seasons, and what makes up a year by observing them ‎in motion and realizing that a Creator must have directed their ‎orbits. Finally, the thighs of man ‎ירכים‎, represent the “lower ‎universe,” a domain in which G’d must be served by means of His ‎creatures having faith in their Creator. ‎ירכים‎, thighs, are viewed as ‎tools by means of which man is able to recognize the presence ‎and power of a Creator. ‎ירכים‎ is another word for ‎רגלים‎, which ‎does not only mean “legs,” but is related to ‎הרגל‎, habit, the ‎danger that man serves G’d only from rote, lip service. When ‎Yaakov is described as “the sun was shining for him”, ‎ויזרח לו ‏השמש‎, this is a hint that from that point on Yaakov worshipped ‎G’d also by means of his intellect. His faith henceforth was more ‎or less secure against arguments by the evil urge that could have ‎confused him in his faith. The word ‎י-עקב‎, was an allusion to his ‎serving G’d as an ‎עקב‎, an appendix, similar to the heel; once he ‎had the name ‎ישראל‎ added to his name, he had acquired the ‎letters ‎ראש‎, (head) as part of his name, signifying the far loftier ‎spiritual plateau that formed the basis of his faith.‎‎

Genesis 32,26. “He said: ‘’let me go for dawn is ‎breaking’”. A look at Rashi on this line reveals that he ‎considers this a request by the spiritual alter-ego of Esau to take ‎his turn in the heavenly choir praising the Lord in the world of ‎the ‎שרפים‎, disembodied creatures, every morning. The Midrash, ‎‎(Bereshit Rabbah 78,2 and Chulin 91) commented that this ‎‎“angel’s” turn to recite these praises of the Lord had not ‎previously occurred so that he was most disturbed not to miss ‎this opportunity of doing so. We need to understand why this ‎angel’s turn to recite these praises of the Lord had come just ‎then.‎ It seems that the spiritual representatives in heaven of all the ‎nations sing the praises of the Lord. The timing of their doing so, ‎usually coincides with whenever one of the nations on earth ‎whom they represent in the celestial spheres, had performed an ‎act of kindness for the Jewish people. This enables their ‎respective representative at the heavenly court to act as a ‎powerful advocate on behalf of their charges down on earth. Esau ‎at that time had done a kindness for Yaakov, which enabled his ‎celestial representative to stake his claim to take his turn in the ‎lineup waiting to sing these praises in the heavenly choir. As this ‎had been the first time Esau had done something kind for Yaakov, ‎his spiritual representative had never yet had an opportunity to ‎be part of that choir.‎

Genesis 32,28. “He said: ‘your name will no longer be ‎Yaakov, but Israel, for you have contended both with celestial ‎forces and with human forces and you have prevailed.’” ‎There are people who constantly remain attached to G’d even ‎while they are engaged in conversation with human beings. There ‎are other people, who while engaged in a conscious effort to serve ‎the Lord, concentrate on this to the exclusion of everything else; ‎these people while engaged in mundane activities, such as ‎business conversations with their peers, cannot at the same time ‎remain conscious of their duties towards their Creator. The first ‎type of person deserves the title: “Israel;” as the letters ‎ישר‎, ‎‎“upright,” as well as the letters ‎ראש‎, “head,” are part of that title. ‎The second category of person, (observant Jew) is called ‎יעקב‎, i.e. ‎י-עקב‎, meaning that his attachment to G’d is ‎עקב‎, “secondary,” ‎just as a heel is a secondary and not a primary organ. Esau’s ‎celestial representative acknowledged that Yaakov was a person ‎for the first category, since in his dealings with man he never lost ‎sight of his primary duties to his G’d.‎

Genesis 32,30. “Yaakov named the site of this ‎encounter ‘Peniel’, for I have seen the Divine face to face and I ‎have remained alive.” There are people who serve the Lord ‎in order that He in turn will shower them with all His goodness. ‎There are other persons, on a higher level than the first category, ‎who serve the Lord because of their awareness that G’d, by reason ‎of His greatness, deserves to be served, and that it is a privilege to ‎be allowed to serve Him. They do not even think in terms of what ‎they may stand to gain by doing so. As a result of their ‎wholehearted devotion to G’d, G’d in turn “faces” them in ‎acknowledgment of their selfless service, i.e. He relates to them ‎פנים אל פנים‎. Surviving such an experience is something ‎extraordinary, and that is why Yaakov, realising this, exclaims: ‎ותנצל נפשי‎, “my life was saved.”‎

‎ The Torah writes in 33,20: ‎ויקרא לו א-ל אלוקי ישראל‎, “He ‎‎(G’d) called him ‘a G’d Who is the G’d of Yisrael.’” (Compare ‎‎Megillah 18) How do we know that G’d bestowed such a ‎‎“title” on Yaakov? Does it not almost sound blasphemous? ‎‎[Rabbeinu Bachya, see my translation page 519 ‎already deals with this problem. Ed.]‎ In order to explain this puzzling verse, we must state ‎categorically that the word ‎א-ל‎ is most certainly not meant to ‎convey that the bearer of that title should be regarded as ‎someone to be worshipped. We need to answer why the Torah ‎chose this occasion for bestowing such a strange sounding title ‎on Yaakov/Yisrael, and if so why only on this occasion? The word ‎אל‎ generally refers to someone powerful and aggressive.‎ We have mentioned on several occasions that the ‎‎tzaddik is powerful enough to bring about cancellation of ‎decrees issued by G’d. (Compare also Moed Katan 16 on the ‎subject where G’d Himself is quoted as saying: ‎מי מושל בי? צדיק‎ ‎‎“Who has the power to rule over me? the righteous.”) This ‎‎“ruling” over G’d, is restricted to the ability of the righteous to ‎cancel evil decrees directed at the people of Israel by G’d. ‎Accordingly, our verse answers the question: “who is it who called ‎Yaakov “el,” i.e. someone righteous enough to be able to overturn ‎harmful decrees against the Jewish people?” Answer; ‎אלוקי ‏ישראל‎, “the G’d of Israel.”‎

Another way of understanding this line is: “who was it that ‎called Yaakov “El”, i.e. someone equipped with the power to ‎overturn Divine decrees,?” Answer: None other than the G’d of ‎Israel Himself. The emphasis is on the limitation of the ‎‎tzaddik’s power to nullify Divine decrees. If such a decree ‎emanated directly from Hashem, a tzaddik may be able ‎to overturn it. If the decree in question originated in the mind of ‎a tzaddik or even an accredited prophet without the person ‎having been commanded by G’d to relate this decree to the ‎people, another tzaddik is not empowered to cancel it. ‎‎[When Elijah decreed famine for the population of the ‎land of Israel, seeing that G’d had not authorized him to do this, ‎no other prophet could have cancelled this decree. (Kings I 17,1) ‎Ed.]‎

Genesis 34,1. “Dinah, Leah’s daughter left her house ‎unaccompanied;” Bereshit Rabbah 79,1comments on ‎this: “like mother like daughter;” this is a reference to the ‎forwardness of Leah when she informed her husband Yaakov that ‎it was her turn to host him, on account of the mandrakes of her ‎son Reuven, etc. (Genesis 30,16). According to Rashi ‎quoting B’rachot 60, the fetus from which Dinah was born ‎was originally meant to produce a male child. Leah’s prayer was ‎intended to prevent her sister from being put to shame, as if the ‎fetus in Leah’s womb would be born as a male, Rachel would wind ‎up with fewer sons than even Yaakov’s hand maids. As a result of ‎her prayer Dinah, i.e. a female, was born‎ ‎ ‎בת לאה‎, these words, that on the face of it do not tell us ‎anything we did not know, allude to this hidden aspect of Leah’s ‎pregnancy on this occasion. It was her prayer that resulted in ‎Dinah being born as a female. When the Torah continues with: ‎וירא אותה שכם וגו'‏‎, ”Shechem ,son of Chamor saw her, etc;” ‎this is an allusion to the fact that if Leah had not prayed for this ‎child to be a daughter, the whole incident of the rape would have ‎been prevented as Shechem would not have had an opportunity ‎to set eyes on a daughter of Yaakov.‎

Genesis 35,13. “G’d rose from over him from the site at ‎which He had spoken with him.” Rashi comments that he ‎does not know what the words “from the site He had spoken with ‎him” are to teach us. [We would have known that G’d rose ‎from that site without these words. Ed.]‎ It would appear that we can gain an insight from the words of ‎‎Bereshit Rabbah 47,6 on Genesis 17,22 when a similar term is ‎used for G’d returning to the celestial spheres after speaking with ‎Avraham. The Midrash there understands the word ‎ויעל ‏‎, as ‎a hint that the patriarchs were the carriers, support of the Divine ‎chariot, Avraham having been the first one. If so, our verse would ‎indicate that Yaakov had by now also qualified to be another such ‎support of G’d’s chariot. Our sages stated that in order to ‎function as such “supports,” the patriarchs had to be on holy ‎soil, in the Land of Israel. When G’d had told Yaakov to return to ‎the land of his fathers, He had implied that once he did so, he too ‎would qualify as one of the supports of the ‎מרכבה‎, “the Divine ‎chariot.” (Compare Rashi on 31,3)‎