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Vayishlach 5763 (2002) Moshiach: An Anthology Idea of the Where are we headed? What is the Jewish inter- pretation of history? Twenty-eight articles and Week dozens of source texts on the why, how, who, Every man should view him- when and what of Moshiach and the future self as equally balanced: half good and half evil. Likewise, The Clock he should see the entire world Story All throught the night, whenever this clock sounded as half good half evil... So that the hour, the guest leapt from his bed and danced for with a single good deed he will joy. "it's quite an ordinary clock," said the surprised innkeeper tip the scales for himself, and for the entire world, to the side of good. G-d in the Laundry Room (Maimonides) Voices Load after load of whites and darks. Heavily soiled and lightly soiled. Delicate wear and regular cycle. Do You watch the constant motion and wonder at the necessity of the repetition? Listening Inner The Double Face of the World Within each thing we behold, It is interesting to note that the Divine name con- the moshiach dwells, like the Dimensions sists of one true double (the letter Hei); also note embryo waiting to break out of its the similarity of Yud and Vav -- a pictorial simi- egg. In the rhythm of a dandelion larity that exists in English as well (Y/V) shivering in the breeze, in the eyes of the children we raise, in Seasons of the Kislev 19 the goals we make in life, in the The 19th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev machines we use and the art we Soul marks the "birth" of Chassidism: the day it was create, in the air we breathe and allowed to emerge from the womb of "mysti- the blood rushing through our cism" into the light of day, to grow and develop veins. When the world was made, the sages say, the moshiach was the Parsha Vayishlach — Genesis 32:4-36:43 wind hovering over all that would Jacob's confrontation with Esau, the long journey be. to Se'ir, the abduction of Dinah, Reuben's sin, the Today, those who know to lis- eight primordial kings of Edom -- and what it all ten can hear his voice beckoning, means according to sages and mystics from Moses to today “Do no let go of me after all these ages! For the fruit of your labor and the labor of your holy moth- ers and fathers is about to ripen.” For more information or to subscribe new material The listening alone is enough to one of our many insipiring added daily! to crack the shell of the egg. periodicals log on to:

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idea of the week Cholent by Yanki Tauber Moshiach: An www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63496 Contemporary Voices Anthology Coming In for a Landing by Yeruchem Eilfort www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63497 A Mother’s Plea by Chana Weisberg www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63498 After all is said and done, there are basically two things Timed Out by Chana Weisberg that can be said about this world we live in and this life we www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63499 inhabit. Either it’s a hotchpotch of objects and events Sighting Moshiach by Tzvi Freeman going nowhere in particular. Or else there’s a plan — a www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63500 method buried somewhere in all the madness, a goal towards which all this is headed. Is the World Really Getting Better? by Tzvi Freeman www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63501 Four thousand years ago, Judaism embraced the latter option and proceeded to convince the rest of the world of Cold Soup by Manis Friedman this truth. That the world has a Creator. That the Creator www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63502 has a plan, and that everything that occurs — good and Belief in Moshiach a conversation between Susan evil, momentous and trivial — is a step in the march Handelman and Manis Friedman towards its fulfillment. That life has purpose. That all this www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63504 is leading somewhere — somewhere good. A Chaos of Infinite Light by Yaakov Brawer The rest is commentary. www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63505 A Taste of Future by Eli Touger From the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe: www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63506 Facing Reality www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63483 Who Believes in Moshiach? by Yanki Tauber www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63507 For Real www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63484 The Seven Fat Cows by Yanki Tauber www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63508 Land and See www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63486 A Gathering with the Rebbe in 1992 by Yanki Tauber www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63509 The Right Not to Know www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63487 Is Judaism a Theocracy? by Yanki Tauber www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63511 The Quest for Peace www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63488 The Skeptic and the Believer: a Conversation on Moshiach by Yanki Tauber The Window www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63490 www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63555 The Fifty-Sixth Century Eternity by Zvi Yair www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63491 www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63512 Stories: Listening by Tzvi Freeman The Clock www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63535 www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63492 From the Sources: The Palace and the Pigeons by Tzvi Freeman A selection of source-texts on Moshiach and the inher- www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63493 ent goodness of creation from the Bible, Prophets, A Surgical Procedure by Yrachmiel Tilles Midrash, Talmud, classical commentaries, Kabbalah, www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63494 Chassidic masters and sages of all ages; compiled by The Old Man on the Island by Yanki Tauber Yanki Tauber www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63495 www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63607

Story The Clock From the Chassidic Masters

In one of his travels, chassidic master Rabbi Dov Ber of Radoshitz occasioned to stay the night at a wayside inn. In the morning, he sought out the innkeeper. “The clock,” he asked excitedly, “the clock you have hanging in my room — where is it from? Where did you get that wonderful clock?” “Why,” said the surprised innkeeper, “it’s quite an ordinary clock. There are hundreds like it hanging in homes throughout the country.” “No, no,” insisted Rabbi Dov Ber. “This is no ordinary clock. You must find out for me where this clock comes from.” If only to humor his guest, the innkeeper made some inquiries, which yielded the information that this clock once belonged to the famed “Seer of Lublin,” Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Horowitz. An heir of the “Seer” had been forced by poverty to sell all his possessions, and so the clock passed from owner to owner until it came to hang in one of the guestrooms of the inn. “Of course!” exclaimed Rabbi Dov Ber upon hearing the clock’s history. “This clock could only have belonged to the ‘Seer of Lublin.’ Only the Seer’s clock could mark time in such a manner! “Your standard clock,” he explained to his host, “strikes such a mournful tone. ‘Another hour of your life has passed you by,’ it says. ‘You are now one hour closer to the grave.’ But this clock pro- claims: ‘Another hour of galut (exile) has gone by. You are now one hour closer to the coming of Moshiach and the Redemption...’ “All through the night,” concluded Rabbi Dov Ber, “whenever this clock sounded the hour, I leapt from my bed and danced for joy.”

Voices and around it agitates. Stopping here, adding water, rinsing and spinning. Non-stop motion. At times the G-d in the Laundry endless movement seems like pointless repetition. But eventually, I see the laundry exiting, clean and fresh. Room And I think of the many aspects of life that seem by Chana Weisberg pointless. Do You ever watch the constant motion and wonder at the necessity of the repetition? Sometimes, only the power of hindsight clues us in on the purpose My oldest daughter returned home late last night, of life’s turns. Sometimes, even that, is lacking. Often, after having been away for two months at sleep-over all we have is our trust in You that ultimately every- camp. thing is for a purpose, and our lives and world will On my mind now is what is on every mother’s emerge clean. mind when her child returns from camp. Then there are those clothes that are so stained or Yes, of course, I am thrilled that she is back. I soiled that they require extra treatment. There are the know that over the next few days we will stay up into whites that only return to their sparkling whiteness the late hours of the night as we catch up on all her with the addition of strong bleach. There’s the deeply experiences and adventures. Snuggled up on the ingrained soil that needs to be rubbed and scrubbed couch over hot chocolate or tea, I will eagerly listen with harsh cleansers to erase their stains. to her share and reminisce, as she fills me in on all I cringe, as I think of Your bottles of bleach and her new friends. Your containers of harsh cleansers. I think of the But, no, that is not what occupies my thoughts at brushes that You use to scrub us. I wince as I think of this moment. the many trials, tribulations and challenges or our lives And, yes, of course, the fleeting thought has that You use to purify refine and teach us. crossed my mind that now my in-house babysitter And then, once the laundry has been cleaned, dried and right-hand helper has returned. Yes, I considered and folded, there is the special-wear clothing. Those how now, once again, I will be able to take up my late blouses or shirts that get the extra care, reserved for night strolls with my husband or accept invitations to special occasions, when we want to look our absolute affairs at a moment’s notice. best. For those, I spray starch on the collars and I take But, no, that, too, is not on my mind right now. out the hot iron to press hard against any creases or I am thinking of something far more mundane — folds. what every mother thinks about with the return of her I ponder the special people around me who seem to child from sleep-over camp. be pressed continuously by Your hot iron. Yet the only Laundry. crease on their faces is their ever-present smiles. I think about their perpetual words of comfort for oth- Loads and loads of it. ers, despite their own predicaments. And I imagine All the suitcases and duffel bags — still unpacked You personally and affectionately tending to them. — have been directed straight to the laundry room. Load after load of whites and darks. Heavily soiled So, the task is completed. I can finally sit down to and lightly soiled. Delicate wear and regular cycles. relax. With great effort, the loads of laundry have been So I stand, engulfed by the piles on the laundry washed, dried, folded and put away. room floor neatly grouped according to task, water Just as I am thinking that the workload has finally temperature and degree of soil. ended, I hear it — a new piece of laundry being And I wonder about Your laundry. Do You, too, dropped into the hamper. have different piles of missions and goals that you There is still what to do. allot to different individuals? Do You group Your Chana Weisberg is the author of two books — on the lives of loads based on respective talents and capabilities? Do Biblical women and on the feminine soul — and is currently work- You, too, choose the varying life temperatures, the ing on two more. She is the dean of the JRCC Institute of Torah alternate degrees of ruggedness or gentleness, Study in Toronto and lectures worldwide on issues relating to according to Your creatures’ cares and needs? women, relationships and mysticism. She welcomes your comments or inquiries about her speaking tours and books, and can be con- The washing machine whirs incessantly. Around tacted at [email protected]

Inner dimensions than the human being. After all, it is the food that sus- tains us, and vice versa. We draw from its spiritual ener- The Double Face gy in order to survive. Yet the human being has the capacity to act as the lever of creation. By “borrowing” of the World the food’s energy we can elevate it to a higher plane by by Laibl Wolf using the energy wisely, to maintain and develop the spiritual progress of creation. Should the energy be used unwisely, by inflicting pain, destruction, divisiveness, and selfishness, then the spiritual energy latent within the food is degraded. We live in a multi-dimensional world. On a hori- At this stage of the world’s development the initial zontal plane there exist length, breadth, and dept. On Hei, the spiritual realm, is hidden from our eyes. But a the vertical plane we experience parallel levels of time will come, when that Hei will be revealed to mor- consciousness or altered states, the most common tal eyes, and at the same time, the double nature of the one being the dream state during sleep. world will be reconciled. All doubles will return to a The four Hebrew letters that constitute the name state of unity and oneness. of G-d known as Y, H, V, H (Yud, Hei, Vav, Hei) also represent these multi dimensions. It is interesting to note that this name consists of one true double (H — MASTERY: Food addiction, like any addiction, has the letter Hei) , and also note the similarity of the Y a spiritual base. It is based in the ego self — the drive (the letter Yud) and V (the letter Vav). That pictorial towards self-satisfaction that is the signature of the similarity exists interestingly in the English and the Nefesh HaBehamit (the lower-order spiritual self). The Hebrew as well. antidote is to draw upon our strength and discipline (Gevurah) and promote the flow of compassion for the In fact, the feature of “doubles” is apparent in the Divine spark within us that is effectively imprisoned in cosmos far beyond the likelihood that probability Kelippot (the “Husks” — a restrictive spiritual encasing theory would predict. The human being possesses that imprisons the light of Divinity) through the misuse two feet, two hands, two eyes, two nostrils, the two of food. Food discipline is one of the major teachings hemispheres of the brain, etc. The world is made up within Kabbalah. of up/down, right/left, positive/negative, male/female, etc. This duality stems from the duali- MEDITATION: Take a bite of one of your favourite ty-laden name of G-d. foods. Don’t gulp it down but masticate it in your mouth for the longest of times, savouring its taste and texture. The first Hei of the Name refers to the spiritual Associate the enjoyment you are experiencing with the plane of shape and form. The second Hei refers to understanding that you are elevating the food. A good the physical analogue that we read as the finite meditative daily exercise is, before sitting down to eat, world. The Yud — which in Hebrew is the smallest bring to mind and give deep consideration, to a letter — represents the exclusive Divine G-dhead, Mitzvah, a good deed, that you will do soon after, there- and the letter Vav (which in Hebrew is shaped as a by elevating the spiritual sparks of sacredness latent downward-extended Yud) demonstrates the flow of within the food. Divinity from the most ephemeral spiritual planes .. into the realm of time and space — the world of our Follow-up resources: The Ten Sefirot of Kabbalah daily sensations and experiences. (audio) Achieving Inner Balance and Unity (audio) available at Rabbi Wolf’s Website (see link below). Chassidic teachings instruct us that G-d trans- formed the spiritual into the material, and our job is to reverse the process and return the material back Based on Torah Ohr, a collection of discourses by Chassidic into the spiritual. We do this by elevating the second master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812); adaptation Hei into the realm of the first Hei. by Laibl Wolf. Rabbi Wolf, a renowned mystic, author and speak- er, lives in Australia and lectures worldwide on Kabbalah and A classic manner through which we achieve this Jewish mysticism. His daily meditations and weekly essays can is via eating. Interestingly, Kabbalah teaches that the be viewed on his website, www.laiblwolf.com spiritual source of the food must be of higher order

Seasons of the soul losophy and practice. After 52 days, he was exonerated of all charges and released. Kislev 19 Rabbi Schneur Zalman saw these events as a reflec- tion of what was transpiring Above. He regarded his arrest as but the earthly echo of a Heavenly indictment against his revelation of the most intimate secrets of the Torah. And he saw his release as signifying his vindi- cation in the Heavenly court. Following his liberation on Kislev 19, he redoubled his efforts, disseminating The 19th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev (this his teachings on a far broader scale, and with more year, Sunday, November 24, 2002) is celebrated as the detailed and “down to earth” explanations, than before. “Rosh Hashanah of Chassidism.” It was on this date, in Kislev 19 therefore marks the “birth” of Chassidism: the year 1798, that the founder of Chabad Chassidism, the point at which it was allowed to emerge from the Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), was freed womb of “mysticism” into the light of day, to grow and from his imprisonment in Czarist Russia. More than a develop as an integral part of Torah and Jewish life. personal liberation, this was a watershed event in the history of Chassidism, heralding a new era in the reve- For more on Rabbi Schneur Zalman, his teachings, lation of the “inner soul” of Torah. and the events of Kislev 19, see the following articles and stories: The public dissemination of teachings of Chassidism had in fact begun two generations earlier. The founder of the Chassidic movement, Rabbi Israel Baal Shem The Black Carriage Tov (1698-1760), revealed to his disciples gleanings www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63844 from the mystical soul of Torah which had previously Is Anybody Home? been the sole province of select Kabbalists in each gen- www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63845 eration. This work was continued by the Baal Shem Tov’s disciple, Rabbi DovBer of Mezeritch (d. 1772). The Splattered Gem But Rabbi Schneur Zalman went much farther than his www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63842 predecessors, bringing these teachings to broader seg- The Longer Shorter Way ments of the Jewish population of Eastern Europe. www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63843 More significantly, Rabbi Schneur Zalman founded the Body: The Physical World According to Rabbi “Chabad” approach — a philosophy and system of Schneur Zalman of Liadi study, meditation, and character refinement that made www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63849 these abstract concepts rationally comprehensible and Twenty-eight Teachings of Rabbi Schneur Zalman practically applicable in daily life. of Liadi In its formative years, the Chassidic movement was www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=63852 the object of strong, and often venomous, opposition Also see: Birthday: a Chai Elul anthology from establishment rabbis and laymen. Even within the www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=3071 Chassidic community, a number of Rabbi Schneur Zalman’s contemporaries and colleagues felt that he had “gone to far” in tangibalizing and popularizing the hitherto hidden soul of Torah. In the fall of 1798, Rabbi Schneur Zalman was arrested on charges that his teachings and activities threatened the imperial authority of the Czar, and was imprisoned in an island fortress in the Neva River in Petersburg. In his interrogations, he was compelled to present to the Czar’s ministers the basic tenets of Judaism and explain various points of Chassidic phi-

PARSHAH in a nutshell Vayishlach Genesis 32:4-36:43 Torah Reading for Week of November 17-23, 2002

Jacob returns to the Holy Land after a 20-year stay in Charan, and sends angel-emissaries to Esau in hope of a reconciliation; but his messengers report that his brother is on the warpath with 400 armed men. Jacob prepares for war, prays, and sends Esau a large gift (consisting of hundreds of heads of sheep and cattle) to appease him. That night, Jacob ferries his family and possessions across the Yabbok River; he, however, remains behind and encounters the angel that embodies the spirit of Esau, with whom he wrestles until daybreak. Jacob suffers a dislocated hip but vanquishes the supernal creature, who bestows on him the name Israel, which means “He who prevails over the Divine.” Jacob and Esau meet, embrace and kiss, but part ways. Jacob purchases a plot of land near Shechem, whose crown prince — also called Shechem — abducts and rapes Jacob’s daughter r Dinah. Dinah’s brothers Simon and Levi avenge the deed by killing all male inhabitants of the city after rendering them defenseless by convincing them to circumcise themselves. Jacob journeys on. Rachel dies while giving birth to her second son, Benjamin, and is buried in a roadside grave near Bethlehem. Reuben loses the birthright because he interferes with his father’s marital life. Jacob arrives in Hebron , to his father Isaac, who later dies at age 180 (Rebecca has passed away before Jacob’s arrival). Our Parshah concludes with a detailed account of Esau’s wives, children and grandchildren, and the family histories of the people of Se’ir among whom Esau settled.

sengers, however, return to report that Esau is “coming against you, and four hundred men are with him.”

And Jacob was greatly afraid, and he was distressed And he divided the people that were with him, and the Vayishlach flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two camps. Genesis 32:4-36:43 And he said: If Esau comes to the one camp, and Torah Reading for Week of November 17-23, 2002 smites it, then the camp which is left shall escape.

Then he prayed:

“O G-d of my father Abraham, and G-d of my father Isaac… I am unworthy of the least of all the mercies, “And Jacob sent messenger-angels before him to Esau his and of all the truth, which You have shown Your ser- brother.” Jacob is back in the Holy Land after a 20-year stay in vant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and Charan, where he has married, fathered 11 sons and a daugh- now I am become two camps. ter, and has acquired herds of sheep and cattle and many other possessions. “Deliver me, I entreat You, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he Thirty-four years earlier, he had fled the wrath of Esau after come and smite me, the mother with the children….” stealing the blessings from their father. Now, he sends angels as messengers bearing conciliatory words to his brother. The mes- The third thing he did was to appease his brother by dispatch-

Commentary (Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi)

AND JACOB SENT MESSENGER-ANGELS BEFORE HIM TO ESAU HIS BROTHER AND HE TOOK HIS TWO WIVES, AND HIS TWO HANDMAIDS, AND HIS ELEVEN (32:4) SONS (32:23)

The Hebrew word malachim means both “messengers” and “angels” (an And where was Dinah? Jacob had placed her in a chest and locked her in, angel being a Divine messenger). Rashi, in his commentary on the verse, lest Esau set his eyes on her. For this, Jacob was punished in that Dinah fell says that here the word is to be understood as referring to “real angels.” into the hands of Shechem, for had he not withheld her from his brother, perhaps she would have brought him back to the proper path. AND JACOB WAS GREATLY AFRAID, AND HE WAS DISTRESSED (32:8) Said G-d to Jacob: “You wouldn’t give her in marriage to a circumcised per- He was afraid that he might be killed, and distressed that he might kill. son; behold, she is now possessed by an uncircumcised one. You wouldn’t give her in legitimate wedlock; behold, she is now taken in illegitimate fash- (Midrash Rabbah) ion.”

IF ESAU COMES TO THE ONE CAMP, AND SMITES IT, THEN THE CAMP WHICH (Rashi; Midrash Rabbah) IS LEFT SHALL ESCAPE (32:9) AND JACOB REMAINED ALONE (32:25) He prepared himself in three ways: he sent a gift, he prayed, and he made ready for war. He remained for the sake of some small jars he had left behind. Hence [it is learned] that to the righteous their money is dearer than their body. (Rashi) (Talmud, Chulin 91a) I AM UNWORTHY OF THE LEAST OF ALL THE MERCIES, AND OF ALL THE TRUTH, WHICH YOU HAVE SHOWN YOUR SERVANT (32:11) This is because the righteous know that their material possessions contain “sparks of holiness” which are redeemed and elevated when the object or The meaning of this is that every kindness bestowed by G-d upon a person resource they inhabit is utilized to fulfill the Divine will. The righteous per- should cause him to be exceedingly humble. For a Divine kindness is an son sees these sparks of Divine potential as virtual extensions of his own expression of “His right hand does embrace me”—G-d is literally bringing soul, as the fact that Divine Providence has caused them to come into his the person closer to Himself. And the closer a person is to G-d, the greater possession indicates that their redemption is integral to his mission in life. the humility this should evoke in him; for since “all before Him is as naught,” the more “before Him” a person is, the more “as naught” does he (The Chassidic Masters) perceive himself to be.. AND A MAN WRESTLED WITH HIM (32:25) This is the manner of Jacob. The very opposite is the case in the contrasting realm of kelipah (evil). There, the greater the kindness shown a person, the This was the “prince” of Esau (the angel who embodies the spirit of Esau). more he grows in arrogance and self-satisfaction.

And [the stranger] said: “Let me go, for the day breaks.” And he said: “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.”

And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” And he said, “Your name shall be called Vayishlach no more Jacob, but Israel; for you have contended with G-d and with men, and have prevailed.” Genesis 32:4-36:43 Torah Reading for Week of November 17-23, 2002 The Embrace

The sun had risen when the two brothers meet. Jacob’s family ing a gift of is arrayed behind him: the two “handmaids,” Bilhah and Zilpah, with their four children; Leah and her six sons; and bringing up Two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two the rear, Rachel with Jacob’s youngest, the six-year-old Joseph. hundred ewes and twenty rams; thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty she And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell asses and ten foals. on his neck, and kissed him; and they wept.

Alone at Night And [Esau] lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, “Who are those with you?” And That night, Jacob transfers his family across the ford of Yabbok, he said, “The children which G-d has graciously given yet mysteriously remains behind alone on the other side, where your servant.” “a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.” Esau protests that the gift which Jacob sent is really not neces- And when he saw that he did not prevail against him, sary: “I have much, my brother; keep what you have to your- he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of self.” But Jacob insists: “Take, I pray you, my blessing that is Jacob’s thigh was put out of joint, as he wrestled with brought to you; because G-d has dealt graciously with me, and him. I have all [I need].”

Commentary When Mordechai refused to bow to Haman, they said to him: “You’re going to get us all killed! How dare you go against the decree of the king?” (Midrash Rabbah; Rashi) Said Mordechai: “I am a Jew.” AND WHEN HE SAW THAT HE DID NOT PREVAIL AGAINST HIM, HE TOUCHED THE HOLLOW OF HIS THIGH (32:26) Said they to him: “Did not [our] forefathers bow to his forefather?”

Jacob’s struggle with Esau’s angel represents the physical suffering of Replied Mordechai: “I am descendant of Benjamin, who was in his moth- galut. When the angel of Esau injured Jacob’s hip-joint, he injured his right- er’s womb at that time. Just as my forefather did not bow, so, too, I shall not eous descendants. In the words of the Midrash, “This is the generation of kneel nor bow.” the shmad”—the cruel tortures inflicted by the Romans in Mishnaic times (1st and 2nd century ce) in their effort to eradicate the faith of Israel.. (Midrash)

There were other generations in which the same and worse was done to us. AND ESAU RAN TO MEET HIM, AND EMBRACED HIM, ANDFELLONHISNECK, We suffered all this and persevered, as alluded to by the verse, “And Jacob AND KISSED HIM (33:4) arrived, whole.” In the Torah, the word vayishakeihu (“and he kissed him”) is dotted on top, (Nachmanides) implying that this was an exception to the rule. Said Rabbi Yanai: This is to tell us that he did not intend to kiss him, but to bite him; but Jacob’s throat AND HE SAID:“LET ME GO, FOR THE DAY BREAKS” (32:27) turned to marble and broke the evil one’s teeth.

Said Jacob to him: “Are you a thief or a gambler, that you are afraid of the (Midrash Rabbah) morning?” Said he: “I am an angel, and from the day that I was created my time to sing praises to G-d has not come until now.” What was different about this kiss? Our Sages debate this. There are those who say that it implies that Esau did not kiss Jacob with all his heart. Rabbi (Talmud, Chulin 91b) Shimon ben Yochai says: It is a well known law that Esau hates Jacob. Here, the kiss was an exception in that he did kiss him with all his heart. AND [JACOB] BOWED HIMSELF TO THE GROUND SEVEN TIMES, UNTIL HE CAME NEAR TO HIS BROTHER… THEN THE HANDMAIDENS CAME NEAR, THEY (Rashi) AND THEIR CHILDREN, AND THEY BOWED THEMSELVES.AND LEAH ALSO WITH HER CHILDREN CAME NEAR, AND BOWED THEMSELVES; AND AFTER AND I WILL LEAD ON SLOWLY… UNTIL I COME TO MY LORD TO SE’IR (33:14) CAME JOSEPH NEAR AND RACHEL, AND THEY BOWED THEMSELVES (33:3-7)

But Jacob never does get to Se’ir. He stays a while in Sukkot, where he “built for himself a house, and made sheds for his cattle.” He then settles near the city of Shechem, where he purchases a plot of land for 100 kesitah. Vayishlach The Rape of Dinah Genesis 32:4-36:43 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Torah Reading for Week of November 17-23, 2002 Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. Shechem, the son of Chamor the Hivvite, prince of the country, saw her and abducted her, and lay with her, So come with me to Se’ir; says Esau. But Jacob stalls: and defiled her.

“My lord knows that the children are tender, and the And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of flocks and suckling herds are a care for me; and if Jacob; and he loved the girl, and spoke kindly to the they should over drive them one day, all the flocks will girl. die. And Shechem spoke to his father Chamor, saying, “Get “Let my lord, I pray you, go on ahead before his ser- me this child for a wife.” vant; and I will lead on slowly, according to the pace of the cattle that goes before me and the children, Chamor went to speak with Jacob “The soul of my son until I come to my lord to Se’ir.” Shechem,” said he, “longs for your daughter; pray, give her him

Commentary AND DINAH THE DAUGHTER OF LEAH… WENT OUT TO SEE THE DAUGHTERS Said Rabbi Abbahu: We have searched the whole of Scriptures and do not OF THE LAND (34:1) find that Jacob ever went to Esau to the mountain of Se’ir. Is it then possi- ble that Jacob, the truthful, should deceive him? But when would he come Because of her going out, she is called “the daughter of Leah.” For Leah, to him? In the Messianic Era, when “the saviors shall ascend Mount Zion too, was an “outgoer,” as it is written, “And Leah went out to greet him” to judge the mountain of Esau” (Obadiah 1:21). (Genesis 30:16). Regarding her it has been said, “Like mother, like daughter.” (Midrash Rabbah) (Rashi) HE BUILT FOR HIMSELF A HOUSE, AND MADE SHEDS FOR HIS CATTLE (33:17) AND JACOB HELD HIS PEACE UNTIL THEY CAME (34:5) For “himself”—for his true self and his true priorities—Jacob constructed a “home”; for “his cattle”—his material possessions and other peripheral ele- Thus it is written, “But a man of wisdom holds his peace” (Proverbs 11:12). ments of his life—he sufficed with a minimal “shed.” (Midrash Rabbah) (The Lubavitcher Rebbe) AND EVERY MALE WAS CIRCUMCISED, ALL THAT WENT OUT OF THE GATE OF JACOB ARRIVED, WHOLE, IN THE CITY OF SHECHEM (33:18) [SHECHEM] (34:24)

Whole in body, for he was healed of his limp. Whole in wealth, for he sus- When any one of them entered the city laden with his wares they said to tained no loss as a result of the gift [he dispatched to Esau]. Whole in his him, “Come and be circumcised,” while he would reply, “Shechem is mar- Torah, for he forgot nothing of his learning in the house of Laban. rying her and Magbai must be circumcised?!”

(Talmud; Rashi) (Midrash Rabbah)

AND HE BOUGHT THE PIECE OF LAND... FOR A HUNDRED KESITAH (33:19) SIMON AND LEVI,DINAH’SBROTHERS(34:25)

This is one of the three places regarding which the nations of the world can- Was she then the sister of these two only, and not the sister of all Jacob’s not accuse Israel and say, “You have stolen them.” The three places are: the sons? But she is called by their name because they risked their lives for her Cave of Machpeilah, the site of the Holy Temple, and the tomb of Joseph at sake. Shechem. The cave of Machpeilah, as it is written (Genesis 23:16): “And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver”; The Temple: “So David gave to (Mechilta) Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold” (I Chronicles 21:25). And EACH MAN HIS SWORD (34:25) Joseph’ s tomb: “And [Jacob] bought the piece of land for a hundred kesitah.” Our Sages calculate that the younger of the two, Levi, was exactly thirteen (Midrash Rabbah) years old at the time. The fact that the Torah refers to him as a “man” is thus

their sister’s honor, they replied to Chamor’s offer with cunning:

“We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that would be a disgrace to us. Vayishlach “But in this will we consent to you: If you will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised. Then Genesis 32:4-36:43 will we give our daughters to you, and we will take Torah Reading for Week of November 17-23, 2002 your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.

“However, if you will not hearken to us, to be circum- to wife.” cised, then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.” Indeed, says the Hivvite prince, this can be the start of a most productive cooperation between our peoples: “Make marriages Chamor and Shechem fall for the ploy, and convince the entire with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to town to circumcise themselves. you. And you shall dwell with us; and the land shall be before And it came to pass on the third day, when they were you; dwell and trade in it, and take possession of it.” ailing, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simon and Levi, Jacob’s sons, who have in the meantime returned from the Dinah’s brothers, took each man his sword, and came field, are greatly distressed and angered. Determined to avenge upon the city unresisted, and slew all the males.

(Midrash Rabbah) Commentary There are those who say that Job lived in the times of Jacob, and that he one of the sources that 13 is the age at which the Jewish male attains the age married Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. of manhood and daat (intellectual maturity), rendering him a bar mitzvah, one who is bound by the commandments. (Talmud, Bava Batra 15b)

On the face of it, this seems a rather inappropriate context in which to con- AND DEBORAH,REBECCA’S NURSE DIED (35:8) vey the law of bar mitzvah. Simon and Levi’s act seems the very antithesis of daat. Indeed, Jacob denounced their deed as irrational, irresponsible and What was Deborah doing with Jacob? Since Rebecca had said to Jacob, of questionable legitimacy under Torah law. Yet this is the event that the “And I will send and take you from there” (Genesis 27:45), she sent Torah chooses to teach us the age of reason, maturity, responsibility and Deborah to summon him from Charan, and Deborah died on the road. commitment to the fulfillment of the mitzvot! (Rashi) But as Simon and Levi replied to Jacob, the situation that prompted their action did not allow them the luxury of rational consideration of its conse- AND RACHEL DIED, AND WAS BURIED IN THE WAY TO EFRAT, WHICH IS quences. The integrity of Israel was at stake, and the brothers of Dinah BETHLEHEM (35:19) could give no thought to their own person—-not to the jeopardy of their physical lives, nor to the jeopardy of their spiritual selves by the violence What was Jacob’s reason for burying Rachel at the roadside? Jacob foresaw and impropriety of their deed. In the end, their instinctive reaction, coming that the exiles from Jerusalem would pass that way, therefore he buried her from the deepest place in their souls—-deeper than reason, deeper than all there so that she might pray for mercy for them. Thus it is written (Jeremiah self-consideration-—was validated; G-d condoned their deed and came to 31:15): “A voice is heard in Ramah... Rachel weeping for her children....” their assistance. (Midrash Rabbah) This is the message which the Torah wishes to convey when establishing the AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN ISRAEL DWELT IN THAT LAND, THAT REUBEN age of reason and the obligation of mitzvot. Rare is the person who is called WENT AND LAY WITH BILHAH HIS FATHER’S CONCUBINE, AND ISRAEL HEARD upon to act as did Simon and Levi. This is not the norm; indeed, the norm forbids it. But the essence of their deed should permeate our rational lives. OF IT; AND THE SONS OF JACOB WERE TWELVE (35:22) Our every mitzvah should be saturated with the self-sacrifice and depth of commitment that motivated the brothers of Dinah. Whoever maintains that Reuben literally sinned is simply making an error. For the Torah immediately states, “and the sons of Jacob were twelve,” (The Lubavitcher Rebbe) teaching that they were all equally righteous. How, then, do I interpret, “and he lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine”? It means that he relocated his AND THEY TOOK DINAH OUT OF SHECHEM’S HOUSE, AND WENT OUT (34:26) father’s bed, for which the Torah faults him as if he had lain with his father’s wife. They dragged her out... For at first she refused to go with them, saying, “And I, whither shall I carry my shame?” (II Sam. 13:13), until Simon (Talmud, Shabbat 55a) swore that he would marry her. In what way did Reuben violate his father’s bed? When Rachel died, Jacob

I will give it, and to your seed after you will I give the land. Jacob has now been in the Holy Land for nearly two years, Vayishlach making his way southward toward Hebron, where his father Genesis 32:4-36:43 lived. He was nearly there when tragedy struck: Torah Reading for Week of November 17-23, 2002 There was but a little way to come to Efrat, when Rachel gave birth, and she had a difficult labor… And it came to pass as her soul was departing—for she died—that she called [the child’s] name Ben-Oni (“son of And they slew Chamor and Shechem his son with the my grief”); but his father called him Benjamin (“son of edge of the sword; and they took Dinah out of the right”).). Shechem’s house, and went out. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Efrat, The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a monument upon the city, because they had defiled their sister. her grave; that is the monument of Rachel’s grave to Jacob was displeased by their action: this day. And Jacob said to Simon and Levi: “You have sullied me, The Torah then mentions Reuben’s sin in “violating his father’s making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, marriage bed.” (The verse writes that “Reuben went and lay among the Canaanites and the Perizzi; and I being few with Bilhah his father’s concubine.” But our sages are unani- in number, they shall gather themselves together mous in that this is not to be understood in the literal sense, against me, and slay me. And I shall be destroyed, I and but in the figurative sense of Reuben’s interference in his my household.” father’s marital life).

To which they replied: At long last Jacob reaches Hebron, and is reunited with his father. At this point the Torah also notes that Isaac died at the “Could we have allowed our sister to be made a har- age of 180 years, and was buried by “Esau and Jacob his sons.” lot?!” (Chronologically, this places the death of Isaac 22 years hence, long after the events of the next Parshah; indeed, in Genesis The Death of Rachel 37:3 we find Isaac weeping with Jacob over the apparent loss of Joseph). News reaches Jacob that Deborah, his mother’s nurse, has died. A number of the commentaries see this as an allusion that The Clan of Esau Rebecca, too, passed away at this time. Vayishlach concludes with a detailed account of Esau’s world: G-d appears to Jacob and reiterates the name change given him the names of his wives, children and grandchildren; the chief- by the mysterious stranger with whom he had wrestled all tains of his clan, which developed into the nation of Edom; and night: “Your name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel the family histories of the people of Se’ir among whom Esau’s shall be your name.” family settled and intermarried

G-d then blesses him: It also lists eight kings who “reigned in Edom, before there Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of reigned any king over the children of Israel.” nations shall come from you, and kings shall come out of your loins. And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, to you

Commentary took his bed, which always stood in Rachel’s tent, and placed it in Bilhah’s What, indeed, is the Torah’s purpose in writing, “And Lotan’s sister was tent. Reuben resented his mother’s humiliation. Said he: “If my mother’s Timna”? sister was a rival to my mother, shall the handmaid of my mother’s sister be a rival to my mother?” Thereupon he arose and removed Jacob’s bed. Timna was a royal princess, as it is written (Genesis 36:29), “Duke Lotan.” Desiring to become a proselyte, she went to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but (Rashi) they did not accept her. So she went and became a concubine to Elifaz the son of Esau, saying, “I had rather be a servant to this people than a mistress AND TIMNA WAS CONCUBINE TO ELIFAZ,ESAU’SSON; AND SHE BORE TO of another nation.” From her was descended Amalek who afflicted Israel. ELIFAZ AMALEK (36:12) Why so? Because they should not have repulsed her.

Manasseh the son of Hezekiah examined Biblical narratives to prove them (Talmud, Sanhedrin 99b) worthless. Thus he jeered: Had Moses nothing better to write than, “And Lotan’s sister was Timna… And Timna was concubine to Elifaz”?

tragic and glorious as Jacob’s 147 years. The forces of Tohu are too expansive, too hungry for life, to FROM THE CHASSIDIC MASTERS submit to the rigors of Tikkun; and the vessels of Tikkun are too focused, too structured, to embrace THE COSMIC TWINS the passions of Tohu. Our sages tell us that before G-d created our Some very serious attempts are made. Isaac world, He created an “earlier” state of existence— endeavors to create a partnership between his two the world of Tohu (“Chaos”). But this was a world sons by bequeathing the spiritual legacy of Abraham of “much light and scant vessels”; as a result, the to Jacob and granting the material blessings of earth vessels burst and the light escaped. G-d then created to Esau. But Rebecca intervenes: Esau is still too “our” world—the world of Tikkun (“Correction”), raw, too unformed, to be entrusted with this role. If constructed with “broad containers and scant light” he is granted the “dew of heaven and the fat of the that allow it to function and endure. land” there’ll be another explosion. (“Light” is the Kabbalistic term for an emanation Had Esau been allowed to marry his predestined of Divine energy; “containers” (kelim) are the Divine soulmate, Leah, as Jacob married Rachel, the broth- forces that channel, define, and focus the “light”. A ers (now brothers-in-law, as well) would have shared soul, for example, is a “light”, while a body is a “ves- in the founding of the nation of Israel. But Leah wept sel”. A “world”, whether physical or spiritual, con- her eyes out at the prospect, and Jacob ended up with sists of lights deriving from the Divine power to both wives (as he had ended up with both blessings) reveal and bestow, and vessels deriving from the and all twelve tribes. Divine power to define and delimit.) Upon his return from Charan, Jacob seems ready There was a reason for this “debacle.” G-d desired to take the big step: he dispatches angels and gifts to that our “correct” world should be built upon the Esau and initiates a reunion. But on the night before ruins of Tohu, so that we should delve beneath its the fateful meeting, Jacob encounters the spirit of surface to unearth the “sparks of holiness” that are Esau, and, instead of embracing, man and angel the residue of this primordial world, tap their potent wrestle all night. Jacob, again, emerges as the victor, potential, and, ultimately, integrate the two realities, and exacts a concession from Esau’s angel that the capturing the immense light of Tohu in the broad blessings—all of them—and the name “Israel” are vessels of Tikkun. rightfully and exclusively the younger brother’s. The Kabbalists see Esau and Jacob as the embod- The next morning, the brothers meet in the flesh, iment of the cosmic twinship of Tohu and Tikkun. but their long-awaited reunion is an anti-climax: Esau is the raw, untamed energy of Tohu. He is a both know that the true encounter has already taken destructive force, because he lacks the discipline and place, resulting in yet another battle and victory control that would channel this energy in a useful, rather than a union and integration. Jacob locks his constructive way. But he is also a very powerful daughter, Dinah, in a chest to prevent her marriage to force—far more powerful than the constricted and Esau, eliminating the chance that the daughter will defined energies that animate Jacob’s correct and take on the task which her mother had refused (with orderly world. The challenge, as we said, is to bring the result that Jacob loses her not to his twin brother together the cosmic twins in a way that exploits the but to a Canaanite prince). Jacob and Esau embrace best of both worlds: to marry the immense energy of and kiss, but only superficially; Esau extends a half- Tohu with the focus and control of Tikkun.. hearted invitation for a joint life together, but Jacob drags his feet. The brothers meet again only at their The struggle to achieve this synergy is the life-his- father’s funeral, and then in death, when Esau’s head tory of the biblical twins, and the essence of human (but only his head) finds its resting place in the lap of history as a whole. Esau and Jacob emerge from the Isaac in the Cave of Machpeilah on the day that same womb (where they were already fighting), and Jacob is laid to rest in the same burial place. the rest of their lives is defined by the effort to bring them back together. So the quest to unite Tohu and Tikkun extends beyond their lifetimes, to the nations of Israel and But the conflict is too deep, too vast, to be Edom. The eight kings which “reigned in Edom, resolved in one lifetime—even a lifetime as rich,

FROM THE CHASSIDIC MASTERS children to Molech, and war and pillage were com- monplace features of everyday life. Yet Jacob believed that very world to be on the threshold of the Messianic Era! before there reigned any king over the children of In the 33rd chapter of Genesis, the Torah Israel” are the volatile forces of Tohu, while the peo- describes Jacob’s encounter with Esau. Many years ple of Israel proceed to Sinai where they are entrust- earlier, Jacob had fled to Charan because his brother ed with the 613 commandments that serve as the ves- wished to kill him; now he returns, believing that sels for tikkun olam, the correction and civilization Esau is ready for a reconciliation. The brothers meet, of the world. The conflict rages on in the battles they even hug and kiss, but Jacob realizes that the between Judah and Rome, between spirit and matter, day has not yet come in which the sons of Isaac can between law and lust, to be resolved only when the live together in harmony. So he says to his brother: struggles of humanity culminate in the day when “Please, go on ahead. I will follow slowly, according “the saviors shall ascend Mount Zion to judge the to the pace of the work before me and the pace of the mountain of Esau.” children, until I will come to my lord to Seir.” Esau goes, but Jacob never does make it to his FACING REALITY brother’s mountain kingdom; he settles in Hebron and, more than thirty years later, moves to Egypt Sometimes it all seems so hopeless. where he spends the final seventeen years of his life. Half the world goes to sleep hungry. Today’s news So when, asks the Midrash, will Jacob make good on may bring one “regional conflict” to the forefront of his promise to come to Se’ir? In the days of our attention, even as the other dozen wars rage on, Moshiach, when, as the prophet Obadiah prophesies, with one group of human beings hacking off the “The saviors will ascend the mountain of Zion to limbs, burning down the villages or pulverizing the judge the mountain of Esau.” shopping centers of group B. And if you’re fortunate In other words, Jacob initiated his encounter with enough to live in a more civilized part of the world, Esau only because he believed that the Messianic you can observe the more civilized forms of man’s Era was at hand. Had Esau been ready for a true rec- cruelty to man, as people break each other’s hearts onciliation, this, in Jacob’s view, would have ush- and trample everything good in themselves under- ered in the state of divine goodness and perfection foot in the rampage for money, power and “self-real- that is the purpose and end-goal of G-d’s creation. ization.” You want to do something, but it all seems so hopeless. You can feed a hungry child, yet millions There is a lesson in this, says the Lubavitcher more remain hungry. For every kind word you speak, Rebbe, to each and every one of us. Jacob knew that so many nasty, hurtful, antagonistic words are spo- his particular mission in life was to actualize the ken all over the world. For every good deed you do, enormous positive potential locked within his exter- so many evil deeds are committed. What can you nally wicked brother. He also knew that the moment possibly hope to achieve? he achieved this, the entire world would be trans- formed for the better. If you want to create a nuclear explosion, all you Jacob was nobody’s fool. He may have been “a need to do is split a single atom. That will set in guileless man” (Genesis 25:27), but he could muster motion a chain-reaction in billions of other atoms enough guile to wrest the birthright and the blessings and transform the face of the earth over an area of from Esau and to best the conniving Laban at his many square miles. own game. He knew how to talk his way out of an assassination attempt, build a fortune from scratch In the same way, we have each been allotted our and wrestle with an angel. One can safely say that he own “portion of the world” — the material resources knew the world in which he lived. we possess, the talents and capabilities with which we have been endowed, the circle of family mem- And the world in which he lived was not a pretty bers, friends and colleagues whom we interact with place. 3,500 years ago, people were sacrificing their

FROM THE CHASSIDIC MASTERS the king’s daughter to leave her inner sanctum is to expose herself to all sorts of negative encounters, as [i] and influence. Transforming the nature of reality in Dinah’s case tragically demonstrates. our own slice of the world will transform the nature This, however, cannot be Rashi’s intention, for it of reality in the entirety of G-d’s creation. runs contrary to what he writes in his commentary Yes, feeding that one child will mitigate the on a previous verse. A few chapters back, where hunger of every hungry child in the world. Saying Jacob is preparing for his encounter with his wicked that one kind word will soften every insult uttered on brother Esau, we read: the face of the earth. Doing that one good deed will And [Jacob] took his two wives, his two nullify all the evil in the universe. Because the world handmaidens, and his eleven sons, and he is one, and you are the world. crossed the ford of Yabbok (Genesis Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, 32:23). www.therebbe.org; adapted by Yanki Tauber, Asks Rashi: What about his daughter? [email protected] Where was Dinah? Jacob had placed her in a chest and locked her in, lest Esau set OUTGOING WOMAN his eyes on her. For this, Jacob was pun- And Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she bore ished, for had he not withheld her from his to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. brother, perhaps she would have brought And Shechem the son of Chamor the Hivite, prince of [Esau] back to the proper path. [The pun- the land, saw her; and he abducted her... ishment was] that she fell into the hands of Shechem. Genesis 34:1-2 In other words, it was Jacob’s isolation of Dinah, In the thirty-fourth chapter of Genesis we read of not Dinah’s and Leah’s outgoingness, that was the Dinah’s abduction, her brothers’ cunning plot to dis- cause of Dinah’s misfortune. Dinah should not have able the people of Shechem, her rescue, and the been hidden from Esau. Her encounter with the big, destruction of the city. bad world should not have been avoided; indeed, it Our sages note that in the opening verse of its should have been welcomed. Jacob feared that she account the Torah introduces Dinah as Leah’s child. would be corrupted by her wicked uncle; he should She is not referred to as “the daughter of Jacob”, or have realized that, with her firm moral grounding “the daughter of Jacob and Leah,” or even as “the and unassailable integrity, she was far more likely to daughter of Leah and Jacob”, but as “the daughter of influence Esau for the better. Leah, whom she bore to Jacob.” Rashi explains: Interestingly enough, here, too, there is a mother- Because of her going out, she is called “the daughter connection. The Torah (in Genesis 29:17) daughter of Leah.” For [Leah], too, was an tells us that “Leah’s eyes were weak.” Rashi ‘out-goer’, as it is written, “And Leah explains that they were weak from weeping: went out to greet him” (Genesis 30:16). She wept over the thought that she would Regarding her it has been said, “Like fall to the lot of Esau. For everyone was mother, like daughter.” saying: Rebecca has two sons and Laban At first glance, this seems an indictment of Leah’s has two daughters; the elder son (Esau) is and Dinah’s behavior. The hallmark of the Jewish destined for the elder daughter (Leah), woman is her tzniut, the modesty in dress and and the younger son (Jacob) for the demeanor expressed by the verse (Psalms 45:14), younger daughter (Rachel). “The entire glory of the king’s daughter is within.” A This was more than common speculation; accord- Jewish girl, Rashi seems to be saying, has no busi- ing to the Midrash, these were matches ordained in ness going out to visit with the daughters of a pagan heaven. But Leah’s tearful prayers changed the land; when she does, she is not acting as a daughter heavenly decree, and both sisters were married to of Jacob but like her mother, who is known to have, the righteous younger son. But it was Leah who was on occasion, embarked on outings of her own. For

FROM THE CHASSIDIC MASTERS king’s daughter is within. But within does not necessarily mean indoors. Esau’s potential soulmate. If she herself felt unequal The woman, too, has a role that extends beyond the to the challenge of dealing with his wickedness, her home, extends also to the most alien of daughters daughter and spiritual heir, Dinah, could have served and the most pagan of lands. A woman who has been as the instrument of Esau’s redemption. blessed with the aptitude and talent to influence her This is the deeper significance of the adage, “like sisters, can, and must, be an “out-goer”, periodically mother, like daughter,” quoted by Rashi. Our children leaving her haven of holiness to reach out to those inherit not only our actual traits but also our unreal- who have lost grounding and direction in their lives. ized potentials. Physically, a brown-eyed mother may And when she does, she need not, and must not, transmit to her child the potential for blue eyes inher- assume the warrior stance of the man. Confrontation ited from her mother but dormant in her genes. and conquest is not the only way to deal with the Spiritually, a parent may impart to a child the ability to outside world - there is also a feminine way, a gen- achieve what, for the parent, is no more than a subtle tle, modest and compassionate way to extract good- potential buried in the deepest recesses of his or her ness from the evil that rages without. Confrontation soul. is often necessary, but it is also often ineffective and So Dinah’s going out to make the acquaintance of even detrimental. Even the fiercest of battles needs the daughters of the land was fully in keeping with her the feminine touch of the outgoing woman. and her mother’s unique gifts. Her exposure to an alien environment would not have adversely affected notes: her Jewish femininity, her King’s daughter’s inner [i]. Indeed, it is in this negative light that the glory. On the contrary: she was born to the role of the Midrash Rabbah (Bereishit 80:1) compares the going outgoing Jewish woman who serves as a source of out of mother and daughter. But Rashi’s selective quot- enlightenment to her surroundings without compro- ing of this Midrash, as well as his earlier words on mising her modesty and innerness. Rather, it was Genesis 32:23 (quoted in this essay) and 30:17 (see Jacob’s attempt to closet her that invited disaster. In next note) imply an entirely different perspective on going out to “the daughters of the land,” Dinah was the matter. truly the daughter of Leah — in the positive sense. She [ii]. This explains the connection between Leah’s was not the daughter of Jacob, for Jacob had hesitated going out to greet Jacob cited by Rashi and Dinah’s to put her outgoing nature to its intended use. [ii] foray to the pagan daughters of Canaan. Leah, the Within Without Torah tells us, had just purchased Rachel’s conjugal rights with Jacob in return for the mandrakes her son, Therein lies a message to women of all generations: Reuben, had picked in the field. When Jacob came The Torah sees man and woman as having been home that evening, “Leah went out to greet him, and imparted by their Creator with distinct characteristics said: You shall come to me, for I have hired you with and roles. Man is a conqueror, charged to confront and my son’s mandrakes” (Genesis 30:16). At first glance, transform a resistant, often hostile, world. To this end, Leah’s behavior (like Dinah’s) seems unbefitting the he has been supplied with an extroverted and aggres- modesty of the Jewish woman; but Rashi, in his com- sive nature, a nature he is to apply constructively in mentary on the following verse, considers the Torah’s the war of life — the war to combat the negative with- recounting of the incident to be in praise of Leah, laud- out and to redeem the positive elements and opportu- ing the fact that “she desired and sought to increase the nities held captive in the most spiritually desolate cor- tribes [of Israel].” In other words, while Leah’s ability ners of G-d’s creation. to positively influence others was not actualized by her in her personal life (as evidenced by her reluctance to Woman is his diametric opposite. Her intrinsic marry Esau), she devoted her life to mothering the sons nature is non-confrontational, introverted, modest. For and daughter who would realize her innately outgoing while man battles the demons without, woman culti- nature. vates the purity within. She is the mainstay of the Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, home, nurturer and educator of the family, guardian of www.therebbe.org; adapted by Yanki Tauber all that is holy in G-d’s world. The entire glory of the [email protected]

Week at a Glance Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, married Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneersohn (1901-1988), the middle daughter of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880-1950), the sixth Rebbe of Chabad- Sunday Kislev 12 | November 17 Lubavitch. The wedding was held in Warsaw, Poland, On This Date: Yahrtzeit of R. YY Kazen (1998) at the Lubavitcher Yeshivah, Tomchei Temimim. Kislev 12 is the yahrtzeit (date of the passing) of Upon Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak's passing in 1950, Rabbi Chabad.org's founding director Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Menachem Mendel succeeded his father-in-law as the Kazen ("YYK", 1954-1998), widely acclaimed as "the Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch. On the 14th of Kislev of father of the Jewish internet." 1953, at a farbrengen (Chassidic gathering) marking his 25th wedding anniversary, the Rebbe said to his Chasidim: "This is the day that bound me to you, and Links: http://chabad.org/article.asp?aid=36222 you to me." http://www.chabad-centers.com/magazine/kazan/ Links: Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneersohn; http://chabadonline.com/Rebbetzin/rebbetzin-index.html Monday Kislev 13 | November 18 www.therebbe.org; On This Date: Passing of Ravina II; Talmud complet- Marriage: an Anthology ed (475 CE) http://chabad.org/article.asp?aid=61679 In the first decades of the 5th century, Rav Ashi (d. 427) and Ravina I (d. 421) led a group of the Amoraim Friday, Kislev 17 | November 22 (Talmudic sages) in the massive undertaking of compil- ing the Babylonian Talmud -- collecting and editing the Light Shabbat Candles before sunset discussions, debates and rulings of hundreds of schol- ars and sages which had taken place in the more than Shabbat, Kislev 18 | November 23 200 years since the compilation of the Mishnah by Rabbi Judah HaNassi in 189. The last of these editors Torah reading: Vayishlach (Genesis 32:4-36:43) and compilers was Ravina II, who passed away on the Haftarah: Chazon Ovadiah (Obadiah 1) 13th of Kislev of the year 4235 from creation (475 CE); On This Date: Passing of Abraham ben HaRambam after Ravina II, no further additions were make to the (1237) Talmud, with the exception of the minimal editing under- Rabbi Abraham Maimuni HaNagid was the only son of taken by the Rabbanan Savura'i (476-560). This date Maimonides (the famed Talmudist, codifier of Jewish thus marks the point at which the Talmud was "closed" Law, philosopher, physician and statesmen, Rabbi and became the basis for all further exegesis of Torah Moshe ben Maimon, 1135-1204). Born in 1185, Rabbi law. Abraham succeeded his father as the leader of the Tuesday, Kislev 14 | November 19 Jewish community in Fostat (old Cairo), Egypt, at the On This Date: Reuben born (1568 BCE) tender age of 19. He wrote many responsa and commentaries explaining and defending his father's writ- Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob and Leah, was born in ings and Halachic rulings. Rabbi Abraham passed Charan (Mesopotamia) on the 14th of Kislev of the year away on the 18th of Kislev of the year 4998 from cre- 2193 from creation (1568 BCE). As Jacob's firstborn, he ation (1237). was initially entitled to the leadership of Israel and to a double portion in the Holy Land, but these privileges and R. Baruch Mezhibuzher (1811) were taken from him (and given respectively to Judah Rabbi Baruch was the son of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem and Joseph) because he sinned by "violating the bed of Tov's daughter, Adel, and her husband, Rabbi Yechiel his father." Reuben unsuccessfully tried to prevent the Ashkenazi. He was born in 1753 in Mezhibuz, the town persecution of Joseph by his brothers in 2216 (1545 from which his illustrious grandfather led the Chassidic BCE) and subsequently berated them for selling him Movement. He was one of the pre-eminent Rebbes into slavery (Genesis 37:21; 42:22). In 2238 he relocat- (Chassidic masters) in the 3rd generation of ed to Egypt together with his father, brothers and their Chassidism, and had thousands of disciples and follow- children, where he died on his 125th birthday in 2318 ers. (1443 BCE). Link: http://chabad.org/article.asp?aid=1125 Link: Reuben and Judah http://chabad.org/article.asp?aid=63945 Rebbe's marriage (1928) On the 14th of Kislev, 1928, the Lubavitcher Rebbe,