Parsha Pearls
He spent the night there, then he took, from that which had come in his hand, a tribute to Eisav his brother. (Bereishis 32:14)
Why does the Torah inform us that Yaakov Avinu spent the night “there” - i.e., in the place where he prayed to Hashem to save him from Eisav? If the Torah wants to tell us that Yaakov sent gifts to Eisav on the following day, the Torah could have simply stated, “And on the following day he took...” By writing “וַיָּלֶן שָּם בַלַיְלָּה הַהוּא” the Torah is telling us that it’s important for us to know that Yaakov spent the night there. Quoting the opinion of the Ra’aya, the Malbim writes that Yaakov Avinu stayed overnight there and slept there in hope of seeing a prophecy in his dream - the answer from Hashem to his last tefilla.
But how could Yaakov Avinu fall asleep on that night?! On that day, he was informed that Eisav was coming towards him with 400 men (Targum Yonasan ben Uziel explains that those were 400 soldiers), he prepared for a military attack by splitting his family into two camps, and he prayed to Hashem to save his life and the lives of his wives and children. It was a day of great turmoil. Yet, right after the last verse of Yaakov’s tefilla, the Torah tells us that “he spent the night there” (and fell asleep). Yaakov Avinu was able to sleep on that night because after doing what he could to address the imminent danger, he put his trust in HaKadosh Boruch and regained his calm.
We learn from Yaakov Avinu’s fear, preparation for the battle, tefilla and bitachon an important lesson of how to deal with life’s challenges. Step one: Acknowledge the challenge itself and the feelings and emotions that it awakens (The Torah does not hide the fact that Yaakov was scared). Step two: Do something proactive to address the challenge — i.e., the hishtadlus that you feel is needed in this situation. And don’t forget to include tefilla as part of that hishtadlus! Step three: Regain your calm by putting your trust and hope in Hashem’s great kindness.
