Rabbi Winston: Parashas Vayaishev ....and a new book

 IT IS always intriguing to see how differently people think from one another, although at other times, it is also very scary. In fact, as time goes on, it is becoming more scary than intriguing. It’s a big blessing to know the Truth, and an even bigger one to live by it. 

Until last week’s parsha, the difference in thinking was between the “Jewish People” and the rest of mankind. But when Ya’akov was forced to berate Shimon and Levi for taking retribution against the people of Shechem, we were introduced to different mentalities within the “frum” community.

That problem is amplified in this week’s parsha. Ya’akov Avinu sees Yosef as the continuation of the legacy of the Avos, but Yosef’s brothers see him as the hindrance to it. To this end, Ya’akov treats Yosef differently than the rest of his sons, and to this end, his other sons sell Yosef into slavery. Somebody had to be wrong.

It would take twenty-two years and a lot of Hashgochah Pratis to show who, and it wouldn’t be Ya’akov or Yosef. And it won’t be until Parashas Vayigash when Yosef finally reveals himself that they will be forced to come to face-to-face with the truth and just how wrong they had been.

It was a much smaller world in those days. MUCH smaller. Today, we are over eight billion people strong, or weak, depending on how you look at it. That’s a lot of mentalities, a lot of very different mentalities. For a while, we were able to live with the differences, but more recently, they are becoming so extremely different for one another that hostilities are surfacing abroad and locally. 

The amazing thing is how G–D puts up with all of it, and for so long. Sometimes it seems as if He is just making sure people have enough rope to hang themselves, giving them the wrong impression that He doesn’t care about what they say or do. As the Gemora warns, never say G–D gives up on things, especially if the Torah says they’re important to Him. 

That’s if you suspect that G–D might not agree with your approach to life. In the case of Yosef’s brothers, they thought they acted for G–D. L’havdil, so do the Muslims and the Christians, especially when they were torturing and killing the Jews. So do factions within the Orthodox world when they go so far as to fraternize with our enemies to undermine the Jewish State. 

Even within a single household, mentalities vary, sometimes resulting in severe and unsolvable shalom bayis problems between spouses, between parents and children, or between siblings. The Gemora makes a seemingly absurd statement that a rebellious child is worse than the war of Gog and Magog (Brochos 7b). It’s not clear how that can be, but the message is clear that a parent has to do whatever they can to at least not make a child rebellious.

But there is only one truth, G–D’s truth. It is objective and absolute, and every individual will be judged based upon their ability to know that truth and how much they did. The Midrash compares Yosef’s revelation of his truth to his brothers in Parashas Vayigash to G–D’s eventual revelation of His truth on Yom HaDin. Seeing it, we’ll automatically know how much we distorted it in each and every gilgul. 

Why wait? Had the brothers questioned themselves earlier, perhaps they could have avoided their painful realization later in the story. “What do I believe, and how did I come to believe it?” are good questions to start with. Asking them will tell G–D that you’re ready to know the truth, His truth, and your life will be greatly enhanced because of it.

This Wednesday is Session Three of “Enlightened: The True Light of the Holiday of Light,” b”H. Go here to register: https://www.shaarnunproductions.org/seminars.html.

I “accidentally” wrote a new book on Chanukah that is almost finished, b”H. Called “Enlightened,” it is my best so far (I think). However, it won’t be available in time for the holiday, so I had an idea. 

Anyone who believes they would want this book can receive 80 percent of it before Chanukah in PDF format for no charge (usually PDFs are $ 5.95 each) by buying the book in advance (12.95 US plus $ 4.50 shipping). 

Once the book is published, I will have it sent to you through Amazon, b”H. If you are interested, use this link to make the purchase: https://www.matara.pro/nedarimplus/online/?mosad=7014140. 

Any questions, write: pinchasw@thirtysix.org. 

Books: Twenty-Four Days, The Light of 36, and The Equation of Life, all available through Amazon and Thirtysix.org. Podcasts: “Bridging the Gap” and “Twenty-Four Days” at Shaarnun Productions. 

Good Shabbos, and, of course, Chanukah Samayach!

Pinchas Winston

Hamodia: Campaign of Excitement

 

The Purpose of the Creation of the World in Bible Code - Matityahu Glazerson

 To all the “Ephraims” in the world:

Ephraim, here’s my rebuttal to your criticism of https://habayitah.blogspot.com/2025/12/ultra-orthodox-jews-defy-israels-draft.html

It’s not so much defying as being steadfast for the purpose of holding up the world!

Sweet & Good Torah - Mashiach Will be Born on this Tisha B'Av

Where does the idea that Mashiach will be Born on Tisha B'Av come from? 

 Will we see the birth of Mashiach this year?

 

Shalom Pollack: Crossroads

One need only follow the news to know that one of the smallest countries on the map and the few Jews that walk this earth are the focus of the world's fascination and hate.

If this were a new phenomenon, we would be flabbergasted.

However,  we have been there before.

In fact, for thousands of years in our history, this was the rule and not the exception.

Once again, in the West and in  America, the Left, the  Right, Muslims, and "Christian nationalists"  find common ground against Jews and the Jewish state.

The post Holocaust generation was born into one of those exceptional "quiet periods" of our history.

The "Golden Age" of American Jewry was the most shining of any other Exile community. We assured ourselves that the patterns of thousands of years had finally been broken. We hoped.

Holocaust survivors prayed daily that this was not an illusion while "looking over their shoulders.",  wondering if that funny look or comment of a  Goy meant anything.

Nah, this is America.

Jews are the only ethnic or religious group in America that listens to the news, praying that  Jews are not involved in negative headlines.

It is not unusual for first or second-generation Gentile immigrants to naturally assimilate into American society.

For Jews, this  was a furious race to safety and  escape from a troubled Diaspora  experience

Overrepresented in education, the media, Hollywood, and politics,  they  push to the front of the line of Jew haters to prove that they are not a threat; they are not  really  "different ."

These days, anything that sounds too favorable to Jews staying alive is considered offensive. The last thing a Jew who is "different" wants to be is offensive, and so they pay their dues and lead the charge against their People.

This is a historic and global phenomenon, wherever Jews succeed, but America was supposed to be safe from history

  America was to have broken the mold.

Many Western Jews are taking notice, and the rush to flee to Israel is not far off.

Not all will come. In fact, in the Exodus from Egypt, the vast majority did not, and were lost to Jewish history.

Our prophets painted the scenario we are witnessing today before our eyes.

And while this is occurring out there, what is happening in the Jewish homeland?

Clearly, Israel is doing something right.

How do I know? Because the world condemns us.

Those who refuse to fight evil hate those who do.

But what of the Jews in Israel who we witness take up the cause of the enemy?

This, too, is not new.

Didn't the Jewish Hellenists stand with the Greek tyrants against their brothers?

Didn't anti Torah Jews, including a former mayor of Jerusalem, deliver  Jewish underground fighters to the British occupation forces for hanging?

Days before the current war,  anti-Torah  Israelis were busy busting up Yom Kippur services in Tel Aviv.

One of their prominent leaders threatened that there would be no army to defend Israel come September 2023.

She was right.

How did she know?

They are fighting their last battles for control of Israel as they desperately try to remove the  Jewish part of the  Jewish state.

Why?

There are parallels with their Jewish self-hating counterparts in the West.

In the West, they turn on their own in the hope of gaining ultimate acceptance in their country.

In Israel, their counterparts do the same to be accepted as a country that does not carry the maligned Jewish label.

Just another "normal" country to hopefully gain acceptance.

Israel was established exactly to erase the historic malady of trying to please the world,

But what happened?

The two-thousand-year trauma of the Diaspora was alleviated for a generation or two in Israel, but the old anxiety and neurotic behavior returned, on a national scale.

Why?

The "new" pride and confidence of the Israeli Jew could not survive without what had sustained the Jewish people for millennia.

The Israeli is fighting the Jew.

If this means siding with the enemy, including on the world stage, so be it.

How is it that former prime ministers, generals, and current politicians take the world stage to accuse Israel of genocide and baby-killing?

They are losing it; desperate.

They want the embrace of the world so very badly.

You can take the Jew out of the Diaspora, but you can't take the Diaspora pathology out of certain  Jews, not even in Israel.

There is a lively business today of attaining foreign passports as expat Israeli communities are established on continents far and wide.

They rush to shed their Jewish identity and then their Israeli one as they are self-erased from the Jewish story forever.

At the same time, the Jews they so detest have large families, are not leaving, and are impacting society as never before.

We are witnessing a historic changing of the guard.

As this occurs, the Haredi community  sees its nemesis fade away

They will slowly leave their self-imposed ghettos, which protect them from the anti-Torah elites, to join their brothers in the  Jewish state.

They will once again see Israel's wars of survival as their own and will gladly shoulder the burden of Am Yisrael as our Torah demands and our forefathers have always done.

We are at a  critical crossroads in the history of the Jewish people

The world is watching and expecting great things from God's Chosen People.

shalompollack613@gmail.com

Where I Was on November 26 | Nachum Hurvitz

Rabbi Weissman: Fighting Antisemitism.....

 Fighting Antisemitism Is a Mistake
And what really killed this child?

One of the most important points we discussed in part 30 of The Prophetic Teachings of Rav Elchonon Wasserman is the proper response when the goyim make libels against us. The typical response is to engage in hasbara, to plaintively explain that we aren’t monsters, that the accusations are fabricated or greatly exaggerated, that the ones making the accusations are hypocrites engaging in double standards.

For example, the snakes are once again accusing American Jews of having dual loyalty, or of only being loyal to Israel. They are making the argument that American Jews who fight for Israel should be stripped of their citizenship.

According to this logic, every American who is loyal to the Vatican, which is technically a different country, who feels a strong religious affinity for the Vatican, and would even fight for it, should be stripped of their citizenship.

Every American who lives in Chinatown should be accused of dual loyalty. They are living in a city that is literally named after a foreign country, and one that is often adversarial at that!

Every American who celebrates “diversity” of this nature and runs parades honoring their country of origin or ancestry should be suspected of being a traitor.

Every American who lobbies politicians to support another country in any way should get the same treatment. And every country that received American “aid” (a misnomer if ever there was one) should receive the same vitriol from these snakes.

But, of course, 99% of the fury and suspicion is directed at Jews, who must renounce any fealty to Israel, and will be suspected anyway.

The average Jew believes it is our duty to confront this malarky with impassioned presentations and clever arguments. On some small level this may be appropriate, but it is not the real hishtadlus. If this is our focus, we are totally missing the point, and will only make things worse, G–D forbid.

The proper Torah reaction is to recognize that an increase in accusations in this world merely echoes accusations against us in the Heavenly Court. It doesn’t matter that the accusations in this world are fabricated or greatly exaggerated; they merely reflect the fact that we are being prosecuted up above for our sins.

The accusers may be like barking dogs, but the solution is not to silence the dogs. It is not to treat the symptom. It is to take the warning from heaven that Hashem is not pleased with us, investigate the root cause, and rectify it. Then the dogs will be silenced without our direct intervention.

Accusations of the goyim are like a check engine light in a vehicle. It’s a warning sign from Hashem. The appropriate response is not to turn off the light, not to fight the warning, but to search for the underlying spiritual problem and correct it.

The class is embedded above and on Rumble here.

This just in:

Sudden Flu Death of Jerusalem Child Leads to Four Life-Saving Transplants

So this poor child got the flu shot, then mysteriously got the flu anyway and dropped dead — no connection to the shot, of course — then they harvested his organs, and now the Mengeles are urging everyone to run and get flu shots.  That’s the takeaway from this report, get the flu shot. Yeah, I’ll pass.

I know what the official story is, but we don’t have to believe monstrous pathological liars or shoulder the burden of proof when expressing skepticism toward their tales.

My question is, what was the actual cause of death?

1) An extremely unlikely case of deadly flu despite taking the shot. It would have been even worse if he hadn’t taken it.

2) The shot itself.

3) Medical malpractice.

4) Cutting him open to harvest his organs while he was still alive.

You’re not crazy if you ask this question. At this point, you’re crazy if you don’t.

Visit chananyaweissman.com for the mother lode of articles and books.

Visit rumble.com/c/c-782463 for my Torah classes, Amalek and Erev Rav programs, and much more.

Buy my books on Amazon here or contact me directly to purchase in Israel.

Download Sefer Kibbutz Galuyos pdf here or ePUB here, or buy on Amazon here.

Download Tovim Ha-Shenayim as a PDF for free!

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Their Tactics for Kidnapping Bnei Yeshiva

 A Full Time Learner of the Torah Mesorah of Hashem, God.

Not Part-Time

See the Anti-God Patrole:

They know not what they are doing……

18-Yr-Old (full-time)Yeshiva Student Imprisoned For Draft Evasion….

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Last Thursday night, at 3:00 a.m.,  Maor Wazana, an 18-year-old yeshiva student at the Mishkan David Yeshiva in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem headed by Rabbi Yisrael Gabay, was arrested by police. He was transferred to the Military Police after it became clear that he was considered a draft dodger, and within a few hours he was sent to a military prison.

It should be noted that Wazana, a graduate of the Orchos Meir Yeshiva in the Beit-Vegan neighborhood, is a full-fledged yeshiva student in every respect.

He was arrested while driving home last Friday night, when the vehicle he was in stopped at a gas station near Ma’ale Adumim. At that moment, police officers approached him and asked for identification.

A check in the police database showed that he was classified as an “evader,” after failing to report to the draft offices when he reached the age of enlistment, in accordance with the instructions of leading rabbinic authorities. He was taken to the Ma’ale Adumim police station, from where the Military Police were summoned. They transferred Wazana to the military detention center in Anatot, near Jerusalem. From there, in the morning hours, he was moved to Prison 10 in Kfar Yona, near Beit Lid.

As soon as news of the “criminal arrest” became known, the organization Am Kadosh stepped in. Attorney Shlomo Hadad began representing the young man before the prison authorities. After making contact with him, he provided full legal guidance on how to conduct himself with army officials.

Shortly before Shabbat began, the yeshiva student’s hearing was held. He was arraigned before a military judicial officer and was sentenced to ten days imprisonment in the military prison.

The arrest of a yeshiva student dedicated to his Torah studies, and his being thrown into a military prison, was met with shock and great anger within the charedi community, as the young man’s only “offense” was his desire to devote himself to Torah and avodah.

Charedi communal leaders stressed that “The charedi community will not sit idly by in the face of this criminal arrest. We will shake heaven and earth against the persecution of yeshiva students that has been intensifying in recent times. We view this arrest as a dangerous escalation.”

The Jerusalem Faction announced that it will be initiating protests on Sunday due to the arrest of Vazana, the first such arrest since the “million-man protest” in Jerusalem last month.

Is This Really the FLU, or Something Else?….Or

 Did something drop down from above to create a planned epic? Maybe all the toxins in the air from the war? The flu used to be a bad ugly cold, what happened?

Isn’t it funny that there is always something threatening the lives of Israelis, all ages, so very often. Makes one wonder?

Hundreds Hospitalized In Israel With Flu, Babies In Critical Condition

Amid an unusually early and harsh flu season and an ongoing measles outbreak, hospitals across Israel are reporting overcrowding, and several babies and children are in serious to critical condition.

Hadassah Hospital reported on Sunday that the pediatric departments at Ein Kerem and HaTzofim Hospitals in Jerusalem have been treating children of all ages hospitalized due to the flu.

The conditions of most children are stable, but two toddlers, an 18-month-old and a two-year-old, are in critical condition, and a five-year-old is in serious but stable condition.

“Hadassah teams emphasize to the public that vaccinating children, babies, and those with weakened immune systems in accordance with the Health Ministry’s guidelines is critical in preventing severe morbidity,” the hospital said.

Rambam Medical Center in Haifa announced on Sunday that its medical staff are treating four babies who have been connected to ECMO machines in the pediatric intensive care unit, a number not seen since the peak of the COVID pandemic.

Two babies, ages eight and 13 months, are in serious condition due to flu complications. A third baby was connected to an ECMO last week due to measles complications and is still in serious condition. The fourth baby is being treated for a non‑viral medical issue.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/2482550/hundreds-hospitalized-in-israel-with-flu-babies-in-critical-condition.html

Semuchim M'yad - Connecting Parshas Vayishlach to the End of Vayeitzei

Announcement of Sefer and Visit to Har HaMenuchot January: 

 

What Rav Chaim Kanievsky Felt About Eretz Yisrael

 

Recently Came to my Attention……..Please Read

Urgent Warning: Problematic Teachings of Efraim Palvanov — Protecting the Integrity of Torah

PLEASE HASHEM FORGIVE THE UNKNOWING AND NOT DELIBERATE POSTING OF ANY KEFIRA BY THIS BLOG. MY READERS, ERASE IN YOUR MIND ANY BELIEFS FROM ANY OF THE POSTS FROM ANYONE SPEAKING KEFIRA! BE MINDFULL AND PLEASE OBJECT TO ANYTHING AND BRING THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THIS BLOG! For greater clarity see https://mayimacharonimchova.blogspot.com/. 

 

This video presents an urgent hashkafic warning to the Jewish community regarding the public teachings of Efraim Palvanov. While his classes and writings appear scholarly and Torah-based, they contain ideas that contradict the fundamentals of Jewish faith — including rejection of the Oral Torah, distortion of halachic norms, and dismissal of rabbinic authority. The goal of this video is not personal attack, but to protect the public (לתועלת הרבים) and uphold the truth of Torah as received from Sinai. Viewers are encouraged to verify independently by reviewing his own writings and comparing them with classical Torah sources and to ask him personally. We must stand firm against subtle distortions that mix truth with falsehood. May Hashem protect His Torah and His people from confusion and guide all of us toward Emet and Emunah. References: 🔹 [Efraim Palvanov’s website: mayimachronim.com](https://www.mayimachronim.com) 🔹 [His article on tefillin](https://www.mayimachronim.com/mysteries-se...) 🔹 [His article on wasting seed](https://www.mayimachronim.com/wasting-seed...) 🔹 [His article on women’s clothing](https://www.mayimachronim.com/can-women-we...) Here is link to dowload letter: https://tinyurl.com/2fcvc6pr This video is not Loshon Hara (gossip), it's a halachic obligation to share with others: Sefer Chofetz Chaim — Laws of Loshon Hora 8:7 The Chofetz Chaim writes that it is permitted, and at times even a mitzvah, to speak loshon hora about an apikoros. The Chofetz Chaim defines apikoros as someone “who denies the Torah or the prophecies of Israel, either the written Torah or the Oral Torah, even if he says that he believes in the entire Torah except for one verse or one law which is derived from the Torah through the principles transmitted at Sinai.” It is a mitzvah to speak derogatorily of an apikoros to publicize his wickedness so that the innocent will know to keep their distance from him and not fall prey to his influence. Source Chofetz Chaim Daily Companion pg 138 -139

Ultra-Orthodox Jews Defy Israel’s Draft

 

NO, NOT “Ultra Orthodox Jews”

The New York Times is slandering an entire Group of Jews

The New York Times headline is adding fuel to Antisemitism

Yeshiva Talmidim want to continue to learn our Holy Torah, continue our holy Mesorah from Har Sinai, which is what deems us Jewish, what holds up the world.

Without Talmidim, Chahamim, there is no purpose to life on Earth

Do The Righteous Live Among Us? - The Ancient Secret of Soul Ibbur | …Plus

 Rabbi Israel Yakobov 

Levels of Chanukiah (Rabbi Israel Yakobov)

Hidabroot: When Life Makes No Sense: The Hidden Good Behind Your Hardest Moments - Rabbi Avi Hoolin

 Why do amazing, wonderful people go through some of the hardest challenges in life?

Why does someone full of kindness, sacrifice and purity sometimes face unbearable pain? In this powerful video, we explore one of the most emotionally charged questions in human experience — why Hashem gives struggle to the very people who deserve only blessing. Drawing from the story of Leah, Dina, Osnas, Yosef HaTzadik, and the deep insights of Chasam Sofer, you’ll discover: ✨ Why Leah’s sacrifice seemed to bring tragedy — yet led to unimaginable blessing ✨ How events that appear painful or unfair eventually reveal deep Divine purpose ✨ Why we almost never see Hashem’s plan from the front — only when looking back ✨ What it means to truly trust Hashem during confusion, struggle, and heartbreak ✨ A real-life story that shows how “the worst moment of your life” can become your greatest salvation This message is for anyone navigating a challenge, feeling stuck, or questioning their path. You are not alone. And the story is not over.

How To Deal With Our Enemies

 

Reb Ginsbourg: Vayishlach

"Do not grab a dog by its ears!"

Reb Ginsbourg:  Couldn’t Yaakov simply avoided his brother?

Without any introduction, our Parasha opens by relating:(32:3-8) Then, Yaakov sent angels ahead of him to Esav his brother to the land of Seir, the field of Edom. He charged them, saying : Thus shall you say: To my lord, to Esav, so said your servant Yaakov:גרתי עם לבן:I have sojourned with Laban and have lingered until now.

I have acquired oxen and donkeys, flocks, servants and maidservants and I am sending to tell my lord to find favor in your eyes.

Sforno expounds: Yaakov sent angels’: To know what was in the heart of his brother.

Rashbam - one of the Rishonim: the prime early commentaries - says: This is the pshat: the literal meaning of the psukim:: He commanded them to say: ’This is what you shall say’ - the emissaries were not aware of Yaakov’s concern.

‘With Laban I dwelt:’as you know: in fulfillment of the mitzvah, to honor my father and my mother - so that he should not think: because of him, I ran away from home.

‘We came to your brother, to Esav’: and you found favor in his eyes, as you sought - out of his happiness at your coming, and out of his love for you, he is coming towards you, with four hundred men with him, to honor you.

Chizkuni - another of the Rishonim - expounds:’ So said your servant, Yaakov: to cool the mind of Esav, he said this - meaning: the blessing of our father - ‘the younger will be the master to the elder’ - was not fulfilled in me, as I seek but to be your servant.

‘With Laban I dwelt’: Do not wonder from where that which I have came, as I dwelt with our relative, Laban - had I dwelt with an unrelated person, I would have had nought.

Another thing: ‘With Laban I dwelt: As you know, to fulfil the mitzvah of honoring one’s mother and father - so that Esav should not think that because of him, he ran away.

Further: So that there should not be in Esav’s heart a complaint against him - that he did not visit him for twenty years - he said that this was because he was but a worker, by Laban.

The Midrash, however, faults Yaakov, on this deed, saying:(Tanchuma): This is what is called ‘one who grabs a dog by its ears’ : מתערב על ריב לא לו: getting involved in a quarrel that is not his - of whom is this said? Yaakov!

‘Said Rabbi Chanina ben Rav Yitzchak: He heard from his Creator, from whom he asked, all that He promised him, and - yet, after this - he sends emissaries to Esav, to say to him: ’So said your servant, Yaakov’.

Regarding this, it is rightly said:’Grabbing a dog by its ears’ - when? when Yaakov sent emissaries to Esav.

Rav Yosef Chaim Shneur Kotler, comments: Why is this called ‘getting involved in a quarrel that does not concern him'?

Is it not well known to all, that Esav is waiting for the hour that he is able to kill Yaakov - so how can it be said, that this argument has no connection to Yaakov?

It appears, that our Sages felt that - according to the lofty level Yaakov had attained, the existence of Esav should not have had a place in his service and in his thoughts, at all.

What was imposed on Yaakov was to strengthen himself, to ascend to the lofty spiritual level required of him - as that, in itself, would result in fulfillment of ‘the elder shall serve the younger’.

Therefore, Yaakov should have not made any efforts to meet Esav, as this would only be an Interruption to his required ascent, and would only hinder this mission.

This is why Yaakov was commanded to leave the house of Laban, and return to the Land of Israel, as his task from now was solely this ascent - and external matters, such as Esav, had no place, not even in his thoughts.

The Da’at Zkenim leBa’alei Tosafot, comment: Because he called Esav ‘my lord’, he was punished - Hashem had said: The elder shall serve the younger, yet you called him:’my lord’ eight times, as we read in the Parasha - by your life, eight kings will reign from Esav, before there will be a king in Israel - as we read at the end of our Parasha: And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before there was a king, who reigned in Israel.

This makes it clear that Yaakov is charged, as he should have felt his superiority over Esav, and known that the role of the first-born was his - and this should have caused him to have a feeling of complete nullity towards Esav and his forces.

From all of this, it is clear that all of Yaakov’s mission now was to completely disconnect from his relatives - Esav and Laban - and his turning to Esav, seemingly gives the impression that he needed to let him know the way on which he was going - which, our Sages say, was a defect in the desired state of ‘a people that dwell alone’, as the nation of Israel had already been built, by the twelve tribes - and, for this, they faulted Yaakov.’

The Yalkut Lekach Tov brings an exposition on our subject, from Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz- which does not appear in the mashgiach’s classic ‘Sichot Mussar’.

The Rav notes our Sages’s reference to ‘getting involved in a fight not his’, and expresses wonder: was it not well known that there was a long and enduring rivalry between Yaakov and Esav, which compelled Yaakov to escape for his life, from his home, to Charan? - and this danger had not yet passed, Esav’s intention still remained.

It was therefore natural that, on his return from Charan now, Yaakov would send emissaries to Esav, saying:’I am sending..to find favor from my lord’ - which Rashi expounds: That I am at peace with you, and seek your love.

Why - then - is this called:’a fight not his’, and why is it likened to ‘grabbing a dog by its ears’, and further likened, to one who awakens the arch- robber who was sleeping, from his slumber?

Expounds Rav Shmuelevitz: From this we learn that all the while that the peril has not come in fact on a person, he is deemed to be as if the fight is not his’ - even if there is a very definite genuine concern that the peril will come upon him - he is still deemed to regard it, as if ‘the arch-robber is asleep’ - more than that: even if the enemy prepares to come, and has even set out on the way, he is still to be regarded as an arch-robber who is asleep, as even after he has taken the first step, it is not certain that he will take the next step.

We can now understand the saying of our Sages, that one who sends emissaries to Esav in our situation, is deemed ‘one who gets involved in a fight that is not his’ - as, at this point, there is no fight! The dog is asleep, and therefore, Yaakov who took steps to precede the peril - is considered as one ‘who grabs the dog by its ears’.

Further, this improper preparation by Yaakov, brought the peril on him - Esav was going on his way, but now that Yaakov - as it were - ‘grabbed his ears’, he came towards him with his four hundred men.

The Malbim elucidates: When Yaakov felt, by the angels who were with him, that he was in danger, he tried to find natural means to appease Esav, so that he would not require a miracle to be safe.

Esav was then a minister in his portion of the land of Seir, and Yaakov came as one who seeks rest and sanctuary in his land, under his rule, and to reside there.

He therefore sent emissaries before him - just as he was later to send Yehuda, to Goshen, before him.

Their role was to speak to the heart of Esav, that he be accepted in his land - this ‘to the land of Seir, the field of Edom’, which Esav had conquered.

And he commanded them to say, words from which Esav would understand that the blessings he received from Yitzchak, were not fulfilled in him - only in Esav, that being the intention of their father, as he had intended them for Esav.

As to the blessing ‘to be a master over your brother’, he said:’So shall you say to my lord, to Esav’ - that he was the lord and master.

As the blessings also encompassed all his family, behold: ‘I have sojourned with Laban’, as an alien in a land, not as a an important person or as a ruler; further, as to the blessing of: ’From the dew of the heaven, and the fat of the land’, this too was fulfilled in Esav, who conquered a land, which he ruled - not in me, as I dwelled in a land that was not mine.

Further, again, the blessings he received was that I should be blessed in a manner beyond the natural order, but behold the little that I have, which came after so much travail and toil.

That which he added:’and I have lingered until now. I have acquired oxen and donkeys..’ - not sooner, only after twenty years of labor, and in this, also, only a few of each.

As to land - which was the main blessing:’From the fat of the land and abundant grain and wine’, I have nought, and I have to seek a place to reside in your land.

I therefore send to you, to find favor in your eyes, so that you permit me to reside in your land.

Rav Shimon Schwab offers a different understanding of our subject: In truth, we need to delve into the deed of Yaakov, in sending emissaries to Esav, as we find that our Sages found fault, seeing it as ‘grabbing the ears of a dog, and intervening in a matter which did not concern him, and in his referring to Esav as his master, when he was going on his way.

This obliges us to clarify what was on the mind of Yaakov, in so doing.

It would appear - as the Malbim expounded in Parashat Toldot - that Yitzchak’s intention, in giving the brachot to Esav, was that he wanted there to be a partnership between the two brothers - like the one between Yissachar and Zebulon - so that Yaakov could dedicate his life to the service of Hashem, and Esav would sustain him .

Therefore, Yaakov in sending the emissaries to Esav , was not to see if Esav was coming ‘after him’ - as he had feared and already known - but in the hope that perhaps now, the original intention of their father would be fulfilled, as to their ‘partnership’.

Whilst to the human eye it might appear that Esav meant to fight and even kill Yaakov, to find out for sure, Yaakov needed to send actual angels - as Rashi states - who could divine what truly was on the mind of Esav - that perhaps now the hour had arrived for Yaakov to proffer a partnership between them.

Our final offering:

The exposition of Abarbanel:

He, alone among the commentaries we have brought, provides the context to Yaakov sending emissaries to Esav.

He begins by asking: What was the reason that Yaakov sent the emissaries, to Esav, as the reason given: To find favor in your eyes’ raises the question: How will it find favor in his eyes, telling him of the possessions he, Yaakov, acquired - and I don’t know the reason for this sending of the emissaries, and why was this to be said by emissaries- and not face-to-face?

Indeed, our Sages already found fault’ - as we have brought, ‘for the sending of the emissaries, so what benefit could there be, for this submissiveness, out of the presence of Esav?’

He answers: There is no doubt in my mind, that when Yaakov parted from Laban, he did not know that Esav was in his way; but when the camp of angels came to him - without speaking to him - he perceived that they came to save him from a peril, and this made him understand that Esav was nearby.- and that Hashem had sent the angels to him, to prevent Esav from harming him.

Armed with this knowledge, he decided in his mind, to send the angels to him, to give him his greeting of peace.

He had two intentions in sending the angels: One, knowing Esav’s prominence, that he not think that Yaakov was a lowly individual of little worth, and that, therefore, his emergence as Esav’s brother from afar, would be an embarrassment and humiliation to him.

He therefore sent to him, before he appeared, that he had many possessions, and would not be a source of embarrassment to Esav.

Further, with this, he instructed the emissaries to say:’So shall you say to my lord, to Esav: this is what your servant Yaakov said’ - so that Eesav not think that the sending of the emissaries was because he was fearful of Esav - but because Esav was his master.

He sought to remove from Esav’’s heart, his hatred for having taken from him, the rights of the first-born and the blessings of Yitzchak - and therefore sent him these emissaries, to subjugate himself to him.

He sent them to Seir - and did not initially go by himself there - because he was unable to leave the women and children, and this led him to send the emissaries, with his message.

They were also to say:’With Laban I dwelt’: meaning: my absence from you, was not on account of the blessings, as - if he was running away from him - he would not have gone to Laban, who was related to Esav, as well as to Yaskov, and to whom Esav - had he wished - could have readily gone, but went there at his mother’s command - to take a wife.

He also relayed this to him for another purpose, saying: whatever I have now, know that is not because of the blessings - but as result of twenty years toil, and with this - see how little it is from each kind.

I send this to my lord, to find favor in your eyes, so that you know that the blessings were not fulfilled in me, and I gained nothing from them - only from my labor.

לרפואת חיילי צה"ל וכן נועם עליזה בת זהבה רבקה ונחום אלימלך רפאל בן זהבה רבקה, בתוך שאר חולי עמנו.