In Parshas Vayishlach, Yaakov and his family are returning to Canaan after twenty years of living with Lavan. The parsha opens with Yaakov’s fears that Eisav will come kill him. Yaakov does three things to prepare for this historic confrontation: he divides his family into two camps, ensuring a she’aris ha’phleita will survive; he davens for Divine protection; and he sends a tribute of hundreds of animals to Eisav.

The night before Yaakov and Eisav are to meet, Yaakov has moved his family over the Yabok River, and finds himself alone. From the darkness, a mysterious attacker emerges and pounces upon him: וַיִּוָּתֵ֥ר יַֽעֲקֹ֖ב לְבַדּ֑וֹ וַיֵּֽאָבֵ֥ק אִישׁ֙ עִמּ֔וֹ עַ֖ד עֲל֥וֹת הַשָּֽׁחַר - And Yaakov was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn (Bereishis 32:25). While Yaakov was neither an infantryman or fighter, he refused to give up. 

While this fight was a physical struggle, it represents the spiritual battle in which our nation is always engaged. The angel, sar shel Eisav, is of our millennia-long opponent: the Eisav’s of the world who oppose us, our morality, holiness, purity, way of life, and ultimately, our return to our land. 

Though the battle was grueling and carried on until dawn, Yaakov did not give up. When the angel realized he could not defeat Yaakov: וַיַּ֗רְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יָכֹל֙ ל֔וֹ וַיִּגַּ֖ע בְּכַף־יְרֵכ֑וֹ וַתֵּ֨קַע֙ כַּף־יֶ֣רֶךְ יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב בְּהֵאָֽבְק֖וֹ עִמּֽוֹ, And he saw that he could not prevail against him, he struck the socket of his hip, and the socket of Yaakov’s hip became dislocated as he wrestled with him (32:26). Yaakov was injured, and as the morning sun dawned, he was limping. But he was not - and will never be - defeated.

When Yaakov asks the angel for a blessing, the angel asks Yaakov for his name, and then the angel says: וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לֹ֤א יַֽעֲקֹב֙ יֵֽאָמֵ֥ר עוֹד֙ שִׁמְךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּֽי־שָׂרִ֧יתָ עִם־אֱלֹקֹ֔ים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַתּוּכָֽל - And he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Yaakov, but Yisrael, because you have wrestled with G-d and with men, and you have prevailed” (32:29).

As a result of this epic struggle, and Yaakov’s injury, an everlasting mitzvah was introduced:עַל־כֵּ֡ן לֹא־יֹֽאכְל֨וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶת־גִּ֣יד הַנָּשֶׁ֗ה אֲשֶׁר֙ עַל־כַּ֣ף הַיָּרֵ֔ךְ עַ֖ד הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה כִּ֤י נָגַע֙ בְּכַף־יֶ֣רֶךְ יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב בְּגִ֖יד הַנָּשֶֽׁה, Therefore, the children of Israel may not eat the displaced tendon, which is on the socket of the hip, until this day, for he touched the socket of Yaakov’s hip, in the upper joint of the thigh (32:33).

Yaakov, renamed Yisrael, is the father of Am Yisrael, and his battle against Eisav - who hates him, vows to kill him, and opposes his return to Eretz Yisrael - is our battle throughout the long, dark night of exile.

Our forefather Yaakov reminds us that though the fight will continue until the light of Moshiach dawns, our spiritual DNA is one that ensures we will never succumb to the foes that rise against us.

And yet, we must remember that our strength, and our victory, lies not in the physical realm, but in the spiritual realm of Torah, mitzvos, and ma’asim tovim. The stronger our nation is in the spiritual realm, and in our adherence to Torah, the stronger we will be in our struggle against Eisav. Conversely, the weaker we spiritually are, R”L, the weaker we shall be in this historic and ongoing battle.

Yaakov won the battle, not because he was physically stronger, but because “With Lavan I dwelled and the 613 mitzvos I kept” (cf.Rashi to 32:5, and Rashi to 33:18). Our greatest and most everlasting strength is our Torah.

In regard to the mitzvah of gid ha’hanesha, Rav Samson Rafael Hirsch notes that whenever the children of Yaakov partake of a meal, they are reminded of this prohibition, which stems from the “chronicle of their life’s wanderings.” The children of Yaakov are to willingly forego this sinew, which represents the might of physical strength, for physical prowess is the mark of Eisav. 

Am Yisrael must never think that their survival in this world depends on such strength. Though we are not armed with the power of the sword, as Eisav was, and is (27:40), and though we “cannot even walk the earth with a firm stride,” Am Yisrael must never consider itself to be unprotected! We should never think we sojourn through the vicissitudes of time without security. For our survival, and the strength of Yaakov/Yisrael, depends solely on Higher powers, against which the sword of Eisav will never prevail.

However, Rav Hirsch reminds us, “If Ya’akov falls, he falls not because of his limited physical power, but because he fails to cultivate G-d’s protection. Conversely, if Yisrael stands firm, it is not because of his physical and material strength, but because G-d bears him aloft on the eagles’ wings of His almighty power (Italics in the original).

“This is the message that was conveyed to Ya’akov, to be borne forever in the hearts of all Israel. This is the Word whose full meaning is to penetrate the consciousness of the nation, when it attributes its fall and calamity not to G-d’s Will, but to its own lack of military preparedness; when, instead of ensuring its future by returning to G-d, it asserts in futile arrogance: ‘Bricks have fallen, but we will rebuilt with hewn stone; sycamores have been cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.’

“The book of Bereishis contains four Divinely ordained institutions: Shabbos and keshes, milah and gid ha’nesha. The first two are of significance to all mankind; the latter two have a similar meaning in the narrower sphere of the Jewish people. Shabbos sets the moral and spiritual mission of mankind; milah sets Israel’s mission. Keshes is the emblem of the history of mankind; gid ha’nesha is the emblem of Jewish history. It is the moral action of man, and the fate ordained for man by G-d, that together determine the sum total of all individual and communal life on earth” (The Hirsch Chumash, Bereshis, Feldheim, p.669).

It is no wonder that this parsha is always read in Kislev, just a week or two before Chanukah begins. For isn’t this the message of Chanukah and the battle of the courageous Maccabiim? Their fight was not one for physical prowess, it was one to restore sanctity, purity, holiness and Torah to Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael.

Their army was small, but their Torah values were enormous. And so, fighting the battle of Torah, with Hashem on their side, the outcome was their victory.

The text of the al ha’nissim tefila that we recite in the Amidah and Birkas Ha’mazon of Chanukah clearly states that the battle was spiritual. The Yevanim wanted to destroy our connection to Torah, and the house of the Chashmonaim fought to restore the glory of Torah to Am Yisrael.

בימי מתתיהו בן יוחנן כהן גדול חשמונאי ובניו, כשעמדה מלכות יון הרשעה על עמך ישראל להשכיחם תורתך ולהעבירם מחוקי רצונך. ואתה ברחמיך הרבים עמדת להם בעת צרתם רבת את ריבם דנת את דינם נקמת את נקמתם מסרת גבורים ביד חלשים ורבים ביד מעטים וטמאים ביד טהורים ורשעים ביד צדיקים וזדים ביד עוסקי תורתך. ולך עשית שם גדול וקדוש בעולמך ולעמך ישראל עשית תשועה גדולה ופורקן כהיום הזה

In the days of Matityahu son of Yochanan the Kohen Gadol, the Chashmonai, and his sons, when the wicked Greek kingdom rose up against Your people Israel to make them forget Your Torah and to turn them away from the statutes of Your will. But You, in Your abundant mercy, stood by them in their time of distress. You fought their battle, judged their claims, and took their revenge. You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and the wanton sinners into the hands of those who engage in Your Torah. For Yourself You made a great and holy name in Your world, and for Your people Israel You performed a great deliverance and redemption to this very day.

And this spiritual battle is ongoing from generation to generation. We must remember the lesson of Chanukah: when the enemy came to destroy our connection to Torah and turn away from mitzvos, it was the house of the Chashmonaim who formed the Maccabee army, and fought to restore the crown of Torah to our nation and our land.

When we remain strong in our adherence to Torah, when we live as proud Jews in the world today, when we embrace a life of mitzvos and ma’asim tovim, then HKB”H will stand by us in our time of distress. He will fight our battles, judge our claims and take our revenge, and deliver the many into the hands of the few and the wicked into the hands of the righteous.  

As Yaakov prevailed over his foe, and the Maccabiim defeated the great Syrian-Greek army, may we too - with Hashem on our side - merit the ultimate victory and salvation. 

May we very soon merit to see the kindling of the lights in the rebuilt BHM”K in Yerushalayim Ir Ha’Kodesh.

בברכת בשורות טובות ושבת שלום

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