1- Yaakov represented and embodied the system of the Lights and Vessels of Tikkun, where the Light is limited to and internalized in the Vessels, and the Sefiros all merge together out of a bittul, perception of the greater reality of, the Infinite Light of Hashem that included all the Sefiros as one. Just as he had refined and elevated everything in his life to Holiness, similarly, he hoped that Eisav had done Teshuva and reconnected himself to his source in Holiness.
Yaakov knew that Eisav’s source was the Encompassing Lights of Tohu, where are much stronger than the Lights of Tikkun. He was hoping to be able to receive from Eisav his Encompassing Lights of Tohu, to amplify and energize his system of Tikkun with a more powerful connection to Hashem.
2- He sent messengers to Eisav to find out if Eisav did Teshuva, and they came back with the report that he had only gotten worse and had disconnected from his source in Holiness ever more, to the point that he hired an army of 400 men to attack Yaakov.
Based on this report, Yaakov knew that he could not receive the Encompassing Lights of Tohu directly through Eisav, since he was severely disconnected from his source in the Holiness of Tohu. Rather, Yaakov would have to draw down those Encompassing Light of Tohu by himself.
3- How would he bring down those Encompassing Lights of Tohu? He did three things in order to bring down those Encompassing Lights:
A: Gifts to Eisav
He sent to Eisav (who derives from Tohu) certain gifts that relate to the level of Tohu. That is why he sent live animals that were not slaughtered, and non-kosher animals, donkeys and camels. In the realm of Tikkun, which operates according to the laws of the Torah, a Korban-offering needs to be a kosher animal properly slaughtered and other details.
By contrast, in the realm of Tohu the “offering,” as it were, is an entirely different system, that includes non-kosher animals and live animals. (The only “offering” to Hashem similar to that Tohu system is the goat pushed off the Azazel cliff on Yom Kippur, where it is offered live.) Through these “gifts” to Hashem in a manner of Tohu, he would draw down the Encompassing Lights of Tohu. (Only before the Giving of the Torah was it possible to draw down these Encompassing Lights by giving “offerings” to Hashem in a manner of Tohu, after the Giving of the Torah this manner of service only gives additional life to unholiness.)
B: Splitting the Camp
He split his camp into two sections. In Tohu everything functions in a manner of division, each Sefira is split and divided from each other Sefira. (In addition, there is a split and division in each Sefira between the Light and the Vessel.) This contrasts with the system of Tikkun, where there are three Channels, representing how all opposite aspects merge together through the Middle Channel. In order that his camp should reflect the Tohu system, he split his camp in half. This would further enable his family to receive the Tohu Lights.
C: Elevating His Family
He elevated his family to the level of Kesser-Will/Pleasure of Atzilus, which is above the levels of Chochma-Wisdoma and Bina-Understanding of Atzilus. This level is called “across the Yabok river.” The Yabok river represent Chochma and Bina, which is the river of Divine Wisdom flowing through Atzilus, and “across the Yabok river” is above Divine Wisdom, in the level of Kesser-Will/Pleasure. This transcendent level of Kesser is “close” to the exalted level of Tohu. This further enabled his family to receive the Lights of Tohu. However, Yaakov himself had to return to “below the river of Yabok,” to the level of Ze’eir Anpin and Malchus of Atzilus, which descends into the physical world, so that he could correct Eisav as he exists in the physical world.
4- Why did Yaakov want so much to draw down the Encompassing Lights of Tohu? Because his aspect is Tiferes. Tiferes-Beauty is about merging opposite colors and aspects. By merging opposites, this reveals the Infinite Truth of Hashem, Who contains all opposites in Himself simultaneously, and transcends all specific limited aspects. This is why Tiferes merges the opposite aspects of Kindness and Severity. For this reason, Yaakov wanted to merge together the opposite modes of Tohu and Tikkun. By merging them together, he would reveal an even greater, Infinite Light of Hashem that transcends both aspects of Tohu and Tikkun, and is therefore able to merge them.
5- What does Tohu and Tikkun mean in our service of Hashem? Tohu represents Ratzo-Running in yearning for Hashem. This is experienced in heartfelt prayer, when accompanied by the proper contemplation of Hashem’s greatness and awareness of the meaning of the words. A person can come to yearn to experience G-dliness, Divinity, closeness to Hashem, to the point of wanting to escape the mundane coarseness of the physical world. Tikkun represents the orderly system of the learning of Torah and performance of Mitzvos. The idea of merging Tohu and Tikkun is to take the passion and excitement for Hashem from prayer and use that to fuel the performance of Mitzvos and learning Torah with feeling and meaning.
