Now, all that is very good. Strategies, knowing what it means to fight, how to fight, dividing, escaping, tricking the enemy, that’s all very important. But Yaakov didn't rely merely on preparing for battle. Because we see that when he went to meet Eisav what did he do? Did he show that he wanted to fight? Did he show that he has strong children, fighters? After all, he had children who were good fighters – Shimon and Levi, others – so he could have made a show of strength.
But we find just the opposite. Because when Yaakov was about to confront his brother Eisav, he didn’t put up any front of defiance, of bravery. Instead he prepared gifts: חיו‡ יו ̆לע מנחה – He prepared gifts for his brother Eisav (ibid. 14).
Gifts? Eisav is coming with four hundred armed men and Yaakov is thinking about gifts? Absolutely. Because Yaakov wasn’t interested in being the kind of hero that ends up in a cemetery. He wouldn’t approve of having 2,000 Jewish soldiers buried on Har Hertzl or some other military cemetery just so that once a year they’ll be able to come and put little blue and white flags on the graves and say, “They gave their lives for the country.”
The Door to Peace
It doesn’t mean that the rifles don’t have to be readied but you need wisdom, Torah eitzos, to know how and when and where. And so what did Yaakov Avinu do? He prepared gifts for Eisav in order to appease him. “I’m not so easily going to get rid of him and I can’t turn back either so I’ll give him a gift to soften him up.”
It's good advice you're hearing now. ם„‡ ן ̇מ לו ירחיב – A man’s gifts open the doors for him (Mishlei 18:16). A gift helps; you can make shalom with gifts. Let's say there’s a boy on the corner, a bum, a little Eisav, making trouble for you. So are you going to make a battle with him? Yaakov Avinu says that’s not the way; at least as a first strategy it’s not the way.
So tomorrow as you're walking by this little goy so you drop a $10 bill and say, “Look kid. I think you lost a $10 bill.” He looks down. “Yes,” he says, “I lost it. It fell out of my pocket.”
“Happy to help,” you say.
He won't bother you anymore. He’ll appreciate that and he won’t be your enemy anymore. I once did that by the way. Only it was a $1 bill, not a ten. But it worked. It worked like a charm.
All In The Delivery
And that’s what Yaakov is teaching us, that it works. That’s why he went all out in preparing and sending gifts.
And so as Eisav was approaching, a group of people were coming toward him bringing gifts, cattle and other things. “What’s this?” he asked and they told him, “It’s a gift to my master Eisav, my lord Eisav, from your brother Yaakov.”
Then he went on further and another camp was coming towards him with some more gifts. Because Yaakov put thought into it. He didn't bring the gifts in one lump – instead he spread it out in such an effective manner, so that it looked much bigger than it actually was. And each time Yaakov’s servants are giving over the message: ב ̃ליע ך„לעב – We are messengers of Yaakov your servant, ו ̆לע ני„‡ל לוחה ̆ ‡הי מנחה – and he said we should tell you that ‘These are gifts being sent to my lord, Eisav’ (ibid. 19). “My lord, Eisav.” That’s something we shouldn’t overlook. That’s the way, Yaakov says, to speak to your enemy.
It was a softening up process, these gifts, a remarkable plan. And when Yaakov finally saw Eisav he bowed down and he bowed down and he bowed down and he bowed down. Seven times he bowed down. And by the time Eisav actually met Yaakov, instead of drawing his sword and attacking him, he was so softened up that he fell upon him and he kissed him! Whether he kissed him with pintelach or without pintelach, that’s not important. He kissed him, though!
The Gift of Humility
And that’s because Yaakov didn’t climb a high horse and say “No. I’m in the right and my brother is a wild man.” Instead he lowered himself and was able to placate him. And he made Eisav love him so much that Eisav, when he parted from Yaakov, he had forgiven him entirely and he considered himself as a loyal brother. It's a remarkable thing. The whole war plan of Eisav dissipated into thin air.
That’s the Torah eitzah! That’s how to deal with umos haolam. Yaakov's strategy has to be followed. And it's not enough to offer the bribe. Eisav said, “I don’t need it, my brother,” but Yaakov applied pressure. בו רˆויפ – He pressed him, ח ̃וי – and finally Eisav took it. Make sure you get it into their pockets finally.
The Good Hearted Jew
I recall a story about Lord Montefiore, who was that famous English Jew renowned in the world for his wealth and for his influence in his home country, in England. One time when he was Lord Mayor of England and he heard of the persecution of the Jews in Russia he decided to make the trip across Europe into Russia to visit the Czar and to intercede on behalf of his people. His heart was full of compassion for all Jews all over the world so he decided to travel to Russia.
Now in those days you had to travel by coach and Lord Montefiore traveled in his own coach with his own footmen and as he went across Europe, everywhere he was received with great honor. And as he arrived in Russia, with the influence of the mighty England behind him, he came to speak with the Czar.
Now, Montefiore, although he had a golden heart and his intentions were the best, but he wasn’t prepared with the counsels of the Torah. He didn’t know any of the stratagems, the cunning of the Torah. He was a straightforward English Jew and his way of dealing with the Czar was to come directly to the Czar and present his petition to request that the Jews of Russia should no longer be persecuted.
The Gullible Jew
So this honest, sterling-hearted man came and he was admitted to the Czar’s presence and he gave his petition to the Czar and the Czar looked him in the face and said, “We don’t persecute Jews in Russia. We don’t believe in persecution here in Russia. It won’t be allowed.”
Montefiore was so overjoyed when he heard that declaration. He came out beaming!
And on his way home as he was traveling home, he had to pass through Vilna. And in Vilna, the nechbadim of the city, the dignitaries, made a party in his honor to greet him. And when he was there and the people were inquiring about the results of his intercession on behalf of the Jews, so Montefiore told them the great good news, that there’s no persecution of the Jews in Russia.
Now one of the Jews who was present, when he heard that, his heart almost burst with distress and he broke out in tears. He was weeping aloud. Montefiore didn’t understand. What’s this man weeping for all of a sudden? He had succeeded after all.
The Underhanded Russians
So one of the people said to him, “Lord Montefiore, how much did your journey from England to Russia cost you?”
And so Montefiore told him so-many and so-many thousands of sterling pounds.
So this Jew said, “If you would have remained in London and you would have given us the money, we would have handed it out the Czar’s people and all the decrees would have been revoked.”
So Montefiore became angry. He said, “That’s the trouble with you Russian Jews,” he says. “You do underhanded things. That’s why you won’t succeed.”
And that’s the end of the story. Montefiore’s journey to Russia accomplished zero. Because he didn’t learn what we learn from the Chumash, that number one is חיו‡ יו ̆לע מנחה! Money has to be transferred!
Money Talks
And so, when Jews don’t listen to the ̇וˆע ורה ̇ היינו, to the Torah advice, so they’re lost; they’re a המה ̇וˆע „ב‡ וי‚. So when somebody from an American Jewish organization wants to accomplish something on behalf of the Jewish people, what does he do? He issues a broadside in the press, a press release loudly condemning some course of action, or some gentile politician. He makes a demonstration instead of greasing the wheels quietly and having the purpose accomplished without any fanfare.
Now to American people, it may seem ‘unethical’. “You mean bribery?!” The answer is, yes! Because that’s the way that good things can be expedited. It doesn’t mean that’s the only factor, but there’s no question it’s an important factor.
And don’t tell me it’s only Jews who do this. People shouldn’t be that naïve. Money is being exchanged on behalf of every cause. Everything in the government is being greased by money exchanging hands. So what if they find ways of covering it up with campaign donations, with other methods? It’s all bribery. Even the ones who seem to be big idealists, liberals and Marxists espousing certain causes, so people don’t dream that big real estate operators have been slipping funds into their hands! It goes on all the time!
Negotiating With Hitler
It’s a remarkable thing that even the Nazis, Hitler’s lieutenants, the ones who were idealists, dedicated to slaughtering Jews, they were capable of being bought off. And the roshei yeshivah, the Torah leaders who studied the parsha of יו ̆לע מנחה – give a gift to Eisav, they began negotiations with Hitler’s men; even with Himmler, with Eichmann. And the negotiations were succeeding! But the secular organizations were ‘lost of Torah counsel’ and they stymied the negotiations. They didn’t want to give money to save Jewish lives because they knew only war and demonstrations and high-handedness.
Now I cannot tell you what is being done today by Torah leaders. These things are better untold! They’re more successful when they’re secret! And they have been going on all the time under the leadership of the Torah teachers because they follow the ways of the Torah.
