Yaacov prepared for his encounter with Eisav in three ways: gifts, prayer, and war. After sending messengers with the gifts, we’re told of Yaacov’s famous wrestling match with an angel. This is oft understood to be שָׂרוֹ שֶׁל עֵשָׂו – the guardian of Eisav. The Yalkut Shimoni (Bereshit 132:2) explains differently, saying the adversary was none other than the angel Michael, who was then scolded by Hakadosh Baruch Hu for injuring His priest in the lower world. The angel Rafael was then quickly summoned by Michael, to heal Yaacov Avinu.
Following this confrontation, Yaacov proceeded to meet up with Eisav and they shared a warm embrace (along with some cold teeth). Once their meeting was over, Eisav had an interesting proposition:
And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.
Eisav wanted to stick with Yaacov and travel with him into Eretz Yisrael, even willing to slow down and match his brother’s pace. Yaacov was uninterested, however:
And he said to him, My lord knows that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds giving suck are a care for me: and if they should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on slowly, according to the pace of the cattle that goes before me and the children, until I come to my lord to Se'ir.
Yaacov, quick on his feet, provided a few excuses as to why it wouldn’t work out, and then assured his brother they’d meet up soon in Se’ir. Chazal explain Se’ir to mean not a place they’d reach in a few weeks or months, but rather in the days of Mashiach. As a result, we read in the Haftarah this week:
And liberators shall ascend upon mount Zion to judge the mountain of Eisav; and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.
Before we move on in the Parsha, I saw an incredible and moving story in the sefer Doresh Tov, in the name of Rav Reuven Elbaz shlit"a, rosh yeshiva of Ohr HaChaim. There was a difficult and challenging atmosphere in the country following the Yom Kippur War. Rav Elbaz, approximately 30-years old at the time, was invited to address a group of IDF officers and spoke to them about confidence, understanding that everything comes from above, and having faith in Heaven that all will be good. You know, the type of drashot we should all be engaging in presently, too. Nothing is happenstance. Everything is from above. There are times Hakadosh Baruch Hu chooses to close His eyes and times He chooses to open them. All is under Divine providence. In the midst of his talk, one of the officers stood up and asked, “Tell me, where was G-d on Yom Kippur?” The rav answered, “If I can prove to you unequivocally that one hundred years ago the Yom Kippur War was predicted to occur on this day, how would you respond?” The officer replied, “If you can prove this to me without any doubt, I will return through Teshuva.” The rest of the officers in the crowd eagerly looked on, and Rav Elbaz pulled out a copy of Ben Ish Chai and began reading. I will relay what he read to the officer after a brief introduction.
The words יוֹם אֶחָד appear in the Torah several times. The first in on the first day of Creation, and another instance is in our Parsha, in the aforementioned pasuk: וּדְפָקוּם יוֹם אֶחָד – if they should overdrive them one day. Chazal say יוֹם אֶחָד refers to Yom Kippur. It says in Tehillim: יָמִים יֻצָרוּ וְלוֹ אֶחָד בָּהֶם – there are 365 days in the year, but only one – אֶחָד – is special to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, and that is the day of Yom Kippur.
We can now return to the words of Rav Elbaz, as told in Doresh Tov. He turned to the inquisitive officer and read the teachings of the Ben Ish Chai (albeit without indicating their source).
וּדְפָקוּם יוֹם אֶחָד – the nations of the world will one day gather and stand up in an attempt to destroy Am Yisrael, and that one day will be Yom Kippur – the one day of the year that is special to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. וָמֵתוּ כׇּל־הַצֹאן – and they will almost be successful in wiping out Am Yisrael. Only the merit of that special day will protect the nation.
These are the words of the Ben Ish Chai from over one hundred years earlier, as per Rav Reuven Elbaz. The officer did as he pledged and performed Teshuva.
I had a resultant thought after reading this story. We’re currently in a spiraling situation that all began on the day of Simchat Torah. When we think about what occurred on that day – with thousands of terrorists entering on vehicles, fully armed, and with the intent to reach central Israel and have their brothers in Judea and Samaria join in their efforts – וּדְפָקוּם יוֹם אֶחָד is what they sought! Yet, despite the horrific loss of life and taking of hostages that we witnessed, there were also miracles to acknowledge on that day. They didn’t make it to where they planned and didn’t come close to their objectives. Had it played out as we now know they planned, it could have been much worse, however hard that is to fathom given how painful it actually was and is. Similar to the idea shared by Rav Elbaz, that it happened on the one day, the day of Simchat Torah, might be what saved us. It is the one day where Hakadosh Baruch Hu tells His children to stick around and stay close to Him after the nations of the world have all departed following their holiday of Succot. The merits of that one day may have been in play.
Our Parsha continues with Yaacov Avinu returning to Eretz Yisrael, where the story of Dina and Shechem took place, which Chazal say is a hint to the exile of Yavan. Rachel Imeinu then died on the way in to Eretz Yisrael and is buried on the side of the road – once again linked by Chazal to our exile and future redemption. This week’s Parsha – beginning with Yaakov’s method of approaching Eisav, his separation from him, and through to Rachel’s death and burial – is filled with stories that paint the picture of Am Yisrael’s relationship with the nations of the world to this very day.
I’d like to focus on one specific element of this picture. We discussed last week how Yaacov Avinu is the prototype of galut. As the Rokeach asks with regards to the phrases listed in the paragraph אוֹם אֲנִי חוֹמָה of Hoshanot – what is the significance of הוֹשַׁע נָא קְהִלוֹת יַעֲקֹב? Why specifically Yaacov? Similarly, he asks, why is Yaacov the one mentioned first in the tochecha: בְּרִיתִי יַעֲקֹב וְזָכַרְתִּי אֶת, and why is it Yaacov referred to in שֵׁם אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב - יַעַנְךָ ה' בְּיוֹם צָרָה יְשַׂגֶּבְךָ? The Rokeach answers, it is because Yaacov Avinu was the first of our Avot to go into exile, and thus, he serves as rosh lagolim. It is for this reason the stories of Yaacov Avinu, mostly found in last week’s Parsha, pivot around the subject of exile. Whether his dream of the ladder with each of the galuyot rising and falling, or the wells and flock in Charan that Chazal say are symbolic of the galuyot and Beit Hamikdash, Yaacov Avinu is the architype for the story of galut.
In this and next week’s Parshiot, the Torah delves into matters of Mashiach. It does so b’nistar – hidden and esoteric, needing to be uncovered but present throughout. We’ll start with the Zohar and Rachel Imeinu’s burial:
Yaacov set up a monument on her grave. This monument is on Rachel’s grave to this very day.
Why does the Torah need to call out that it stands to this very day? The extra words, says the Zohar, refers to the time of Mashiach. When is Mashiach coming? The answer is הַיּוֹם, as in בְּקֹלוֹ תִשְׁמָעוּ הַיּוֹם אִם – Today, if you will only hearken to his voice (Tehillim 95:7). The Zohar says, the Shechinah and Mashiach are sitting in Kever Rachel, waiting to redeem Bnei Yisrael who will arrive at her grave and from there be redeemed. That is the first instance of Mashiach in our Parsha, and the second sits in the very next pasuk:
And Yisrael traveled on and set up his tent beyond Migdal Eider [tower of the herds].
Targum Yonatan ben Uziel says, the tower of Eider is the place from whence Melech HaMashiach will be revealed at the end of the days. The Rashbam adds that this place is right next to Beit Lechem.
In the building of our primary focus, there is another point to bring up – one that I cannot properly explain but only present in a cursory manner. At the end of the Parsha, the Torah speaks of eight kings who ruled in Edom:
And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Yisra'el.
בֶּלַע בֶּן־בְּעוֹר was the first and he then died. יוֹבָב בֶּן־זֶרַח was next in line, followed by חֻשָׁם מֵאֶרֶץ הַתֵּימָנִי and then הֲדַד בֶּן־בְּדַד. After Hadad’s death שַׂמְלָה מִמַּשְׂרֵקָה took over, followed by שָׁאוּל מֵרְחֹבוֹת הַנָּהָר, and then בַּעַל חָנָן בֶּן־עַכְבוֹר. The final king was named הֲדַר, and unlike the others, we’re given additional personal details, including the name of his city (פָּעוּ) and his wife’s name (מְהֵיטַבְאֵל בַּת־מַטְרֵד בַּת מֵי זָהָב).
Anyone reading these Pesukim asks themselves what difference it makes. What does it matter if there were eight or twelve or two, and do their names carry significance? If one letter was missing from these Edomite kings’ names, we’d return the Sefer Torah and take out a new one to re-read the section. And this includes the name עַכְבוֹר, because it is apparently not enough to know the king’s name was בַּעַל חָנָן. We must know his father’s name too! And we’re told they all died, with the exception of הֲדַר. Why? What lies beneath these seemingly pointless names and facts?
These are Sodot HaTorah – the secrets of the Torah. Earlier today, I asked someone deeply in touch with this aspect of Torah, and he responded, “Half of the Zohar, half of the Arizal, and half of Rav Chaim Vital deal with these verses!” For our purposes here, it is sufficient to say that these verses, and this final section of the Parsha, deal with Mashiach. The final king – Hadar – symbolizes Mashiach and thus, according to the Vilna Gaon, there is no concept of death associated with him. בִּלַע הַמָּוֶת לָנֶצַח – death will be destroyed forever. He is the first king to have a wife, symbolizing completeness and the shleimut of the Messianic period – a period in which gold no longer carries value, as reflected by the names in his wife’s lineage (מַטְרֵד בַּת מֵי זָהָב בַּת) which Chazal say reveal one who is so rich that they don’t bother bending down to pick up a half-kilo bag of gold that fell on the street!
Time and time again, the concepts of Mashiach are found in our Parsha, and I’d like to dive in and learn a related topic in anticipation of Chanukah next week, which IY”H will see us light our candles in the Beit HaMikdash!
Yaacov Sent Gifts to Eisav
Yaacov sent gifts to Eisav and told him the following:
I lived as a stranger with Lavan and was delayed until now. I acquired oxen, donkeys, sheep, servants, and maidservants. I have sent these to tell my master, to find favor in your eyes.
Rashi expands on these statements. Yaacov told Eisav that he lived with Lavan as a foreigner rather than as an important person, and that he received oxen and cattle rather than the dew promised him in the blessing given by his father, Yitzchak. Lastly, he lived with Lavan yet observed all the commandments. Many commentators are puzzled by these statements. Why would Yaacov boast of his observance to Eisav as if he cared? And why would Yaacov throw his father under the bus and declare that his blessing never came true?
They provide several answers explaining that Yaacov was indicating to his brother that the blessings hadn’t yet come to fruition but not because he failed to fulfill his side of the deal – i.e., observing the mitzvot. Furthermore, Yaacov was making clear that his merits outweighed those of Eisav, even if the latter was strong in honoring his father whereas Yaacov could only do so in a limited fashion but made up for it – and essentially observed all the other mitzvot – through engaging in learning them. As the Siftei Chachamim says, all who learn (מִּתְעַסֵּק) about the Korban Olah are considered as having sacrificed the Olah. That is how one observes all the mitzvot, even when some are not applicable. The Kli Yakar adds a tremendous answer. When Yitzchak blessed Yaacov, his mind was focused on Eisav, as he thought it was the latter standing in front of him. Intent matters, and as a result, the brachot did not yet take effect.
The Ba’al HaTurim comments on the שׁוֹר וַחֲמוֹר, saying they represent Yosef and Yissachar, respectively. Interestingly, Yaacov did not mention other animals, such as the camel, which he clearly had in his possession as they were part of his gift to Eisav. Why not? In short, the Ba’al HaTurim explains that since the time of Adam HaRishon’s sin in Gan Eden, there was a combination of good and bad. Eating from the tree of knowledge of good and bad (עֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע) led to these traits being combined in each generation that followed. The Avot were tasked with correcting this. Avraham was first, casting off Yishmael – the bad. Yitzchak was next, having both Yaacov and Eisav and casting away Eisav. Yaacov was then the first whose bed was whole – מִטָּתוֹ שְׁלֵמָהּ. All his offspring were good; no bad was present. The camel represents an animal with one kosher sign but lacking the other – a mix of pure and impure. Yaacov had completed the separation process and therefore presented to Eisav לִי שׁוֹר וַחֲמוֹר וַיְהִי – choosing one pure animal and one impure animal. There was no longer any room for hybrids, and there would be no more mixing of pure and impure, good and bad. The Meshech Chochma adds, Eisav was now the camel – the one who mixed good and bad. יְכַרְסְמֶנָּה חֲזִיר מִיָעַר – Eisav is compared to the pig, another animal who has one sign of purity and one sign of impurity, albeit the opposite combination of the camel.
Amudei Hod answers the question differently, pointing to the essence of Yosef and Yissachar as being the reason for selecting those two animals. The two biggest sins of Eisav – which he committed after his father’s funeral and just prior to asking his brother for food and giving up his birthright – were murder and forbidden relations. Yosef symbolized the overcoming of these two sins, via the story with Potiphar’s wife and his providing sustenance to an entire Egypt in order to keep them from dying. Yissachar was at all times focused on spirituality – learning and growing. These are the polar opposite of Eisav’s focus and actions. In confronting Eisav, Yaacov studied his adversary, determined his weaknesses, and selected precision armaments to counter them.
Ox and Donkey: Symbolism and Mashiach
Following this introduction, we can now build up our shiur’s main idea. In addition to the opinion that says שׁוֹר וַחֲמוֹר represent Yosef and Yissachar, there are two additional opinions which point, once again, to Mashiach. The first is that שׁוֹר represents מְשׁוּחַ מִלְחָמָה – anointed for war, and חֲמוֹר represents Mashiach ben David who rode atop a donkey. The second is that שׁוֹר is Mashiach ben Yosef, whereas חֲמוֹר, once again, is Mashiach ben David.
There is a piece in the Zohar, found both in our Parsha and Parshat Ki Teitze, which can be summarized with the following headline:
You may not plow with an ox and with a donkey together. Why not? Because it causes pain to the animal, one of which is stronger and faster than the other. That is the explanation suggested by Sefer HaChinuch.
Da'at Zekainim MiBa'alei HaTosafot provides a different reason. The ox eats all day long as a result of chewing its cud. The donkey would stand at its side and see it eating at all times, beginning to wonder why it’s hungry like a donkey and why after each round of work it has the luck of a donkey not to be fed like its peer. Therefore, they are to be kept apart during plowing work.
The Zohar goes deeper on this rule. There is a concept of an ox of purity and an ox of impurity, and similarly, there exists a donkey of purity and a donkey of impurity. What does that mean and what is its connection to the ox and donkey of our Parsha. Let’s get to work and bring forth the answer!
The Ba’al HaTurim comments on our Pasuk, quoting the Zohar from Parshat Kedoshim:
Woe is me if the ox and donkey connect, as in the pure and impure together.
Many sefarim dissect this comment; too many to mention, in fact. The ox is Yosef, and the supporting pasuk brought is found in V’zot Habracha: בְּכוֹר שׁוֹרוֹ הָדָר לוֹ. And this is not the first time Yosef and שׁוֹר are found together. The first time is in Vayechi, when Yaacov rebuked Shimon and Levi. In his speech to them he says: כִּי בְאַפָּם הָרְגוּ אִישׁ וּבִרְצֹנָם עִקְרוּ־שׁוֹר – For in their anger they killed a man, and through their willfulness they maimed an ox. Rashi says this pasuk reflects their desire to kill Yoseph, who is called שור. Additionally, when Moshe Rabbeinu went to search for the bones of Yosef, the Midrash says (Tanchuma, Beshalach 2:1) he searched unsuccessfully in the desert for three days until Serach bat Asher directed him to the spot in the Nile River where the coffin was buried. To raise the coffin from the depths of the Nile, Moshe called out, “עֲלֵה שׁוֹר עֲלֵה שׁוֹר – Come up, ox, come up, ox!” Yoseph is an ox of purity.
There is also a donkey of purity. Rabbeinu Bachya says, the first time a donkey appears in the Torah is during Akeidat Yitzchak. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer says, it was a son of the original donkey born during the twilight hours (בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת) at the culmination of the sixth day of Creation. This is also the donkey Moshe Rabbeinu rode to join Bnei Yisrael and take them out of Egypt, and the same donkey Mashiach will ride in the future, as it says: עָנִי וְרֹכֵב עַל חֲמוֹר – Yet humble, riding on a donkey. The Maharal asks about the connection between Avraham, Moshe, and Mashiach, and furthermore, what it means for Mashiach to be עָנִי and riding a donkey. He answers, each of the three conquered all חוֹמֶר – all materialism. וַיַּחֲבֹשׁ אֶת־חֲמֹרוֹ means Avraham ruled over all matter, as did Moshe, as will Mashiach. Our world today is filled with matter and people chase materialism. B’ezrat Hashem, Mashiach will arrive, and wealth will shift from being measured in gold and money to Torah and knowledge of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. In the same way the father of King Hadar would not bend down to pick up a bag of gold, it will be worthless to us, too, in that era. This is a donkey of purity.
After Avraham, we skip forward to Yissachar in order to find the next instance of חֲמוֹר, which is found in Yaacov Avinu’s bracha to him: יִשָּׂשכָר חֲמוֹר גָרֶם רֹבֵץ בֵּין הַמִּשְׁפְּתָיִם – Yissachar, a bone-strong donkey, crouching among the sheepfolds. The Midrash says (Bereshit Rabbah 99:10), this should be read as ‘garam’ – יִשָּׂשכָר חֲמוֹר גָרַם. A donkey caused Yissachar to be born. How did this occur? When Rachel asked her sister Leah for dudaim, only to be scolded in response, she reacted by withdrawing her request and offering that Yaacov stay in the tent of Leah that night. How did Leah know when Yaacov was coming? The donkey brayed and she heard its voice and went out to greet him. Yissachar was born as a result of that night. This, too, is a donkey of purity.
We’re taught by Chazal that Yissachar is compared to a donkey because he carries the Torah like a donkey carries its load. But the Zohar asks why a donkey? Why not a horse, which is able to pull even more? The Zohar answers that the horse will schlep, but it will also kick whenever it feels the urge to do so, even as you attempt to care for it. The donkey, on the other hand, has no ego and remains calm at all times. And when it needs to sleep, it doesn’t need to first unload, lie down and get all comfortable. It can decide to sleep where and how it is standing, with no fuss whatsoever. Its only concern is fulfilling the directions of its master, just as Yissachar sought to follow the ways of Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
Ox and Donkey of Impurity
Let’s now shift gears and focus on the ox and donkey of impurity. Who exactly are they? Note: these concepts are found in a wide array of sefarim – including Zohar, Arizal, Megaleh Amukot, Nachalat David, and Shem Mishmuel – from which I pulled different bits and pieces to assemble the idea being shared. As a result, I won’t quote the unique sources for each component.
Yalkut Reuveni says, the ox is situated in the Merkava (the esoteric Divine chariot) on the left side of the Kiseh HaKavod. Opposite it, on the side of impurity (the Sitra Achra), is another ox that bites and damages. Eisav is the source of this second ox, opposing Yosef. Similarly, there is a biting and damaging donkey opposite the donkey of purity. Which donkey is this? Yishmael, who sits in opposition to Avraham and Yissachar.
Rabbotai, let’s advance to an additional point. The Torah instructs us not to plow with an ox and donkey together, but that is when both the ox and donkey originate from the side of impurity. Yishmael and Eisav together pose a grave risk to the world. Yosef and Yissachar together, however, pose no risk whatsoever. The opposite, in fact. They serve as a tikkun for the world! Where do we find these two connected? Next week, during Chanukah! The pasuk in Shir HaShirim states (7:14): הַדּוּדָאִים נָתְנוּ־רֵיחַ וְעַל־פְּתָחֵינוּ כָּל־מְגָדִים חֲדָשִׁים גַם־יְשָׁנִים דּוֹדִי צָפַנְתִּי לָךְ
