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Vayishlach

And Yaakov sent malachim

He sent real angels /malachim mamash (Rashi) We can explain the intention of Rashi according to what we have learned in the holy Zohar, that every mitzvah that a person performs creates an angel. Now, the main power needed to conquer the angel of Eisav, is the power of the reading of shema. This is hinted to us in the passuk (Ovadiah 1:18); And the house of Yaakov will be a fireand the house of Eisav as straw (lkash). The word kash, spelled kuf shin, hints to the mitzvah of krias shema. It is also written in the sefer Megaleh Amukos regarding the passuk So (koh) shall you say to my master Eisav. The word koh has a numerical value of 25, hinting to the first verse of shema which has 25 letters. We can say that Rashi in our parshah is hinting to this. The word mamash, spelled mem mem shin, can represent the first letters of the term; mikabeles malchus shamayim, which means; accepting the kingdom of heaven. Meaning that Yaakov had sent to Eisav the angels that were created through his shema which were necessary to conquer him. This is also hinted to in the closing passuk of Ovadiah (1:21) And the saviors will come up from mount Zion to judge the mountain of Eisav, and the kingdom will be g-ds. Meaning, when the kingdom is given to g-d through ones accepting his rule by reciting the shema then Eisav will be judged and conquered.

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If Eisav will come to one camp and strike them, then the camp that is left will escape
He prepared himself for three things; to give gifts, to pray and to wage war. (Rashi) Without mentioning all the questions regarding the wording of the passukim, we will explain a lesson that the Torah is hinting to us in this parshah. It is written in the writing of the Arizal, that the wicked in this world are only sustained and given power from the holy sparks that are swallowed within them. Therefore, as soon as these holy sparks are removed from their mouth, they are instantly nullified. The way for the tzaddik to remove these sparks from their captivity, is through his looking at or direct recognition of these sparks within the evil. This is alluded to in the gemora, when it states; he placed his eyes on him and he became a pile of bones. Meaning, as soon as the tzaddik gazes upon the holiness within the evil, the sparks are then freed and the evil immediately loses its substance. It is also written in the Arizals writings, that Eisav possessed many souls of tzaddikim within his mouth. This is the intension of the Torah when it says (Breishis 25:28); and Yitzchok loved Eisav because he trapped with his mouth. Now, when the Torah tells us that Eisav was approaching Yaakov with 400 men, it is referring to the 400 sparks of holiness that he possessed within himself. It is through these holy sparks that the wicked Eisav was empowered to approach Yaakov. However, when Yaakov gazed upon the holiness that was in Eisav, he immediately took them from him and returned then to the side of holiness. This is the reason why following their encounter, the passuk says (Breishis 33:15); Eisav returned on his way. Rashi explains that Eisav returned alone, but the 400 men who accompanied him had fallen away one by one (echad,echad). Meaning, all the holy sparks that Eisav possessed had left Eisav and cleaved to the oneness (echad) of holiness. This is the intention of the passuk (Ovadiah 1:10); From the extortion done by your brother Yaakov, shame will cover you. Meaning, through Yaakov extorting all of the holy sparks found within Eisav, Eisav was left with nothing and is therefore covered in shame. Now, the reason why the passuk refers to Yaakovs extortion as chamas/extortion and not gezel/stealing, is because the gemora says that chamas is referring to a case when payment is made. Since Yaakov had given gifts to Eisav, Yaakov was paying for the holiness that he would be taking away from him and was therefore performing chamas/extortion and not gezel/stealing. Returning to our original topic, when Rashi says that Yaakov had prepared himself for three things, all three things were preparations to remove the holy sparks from within Eisav. We find that the raising of holy sparks is called war by the splitting of the sea. The passuk says (Shemos 15:3); G-d is a man of war, g-d is his name. The war in this passuk is referring to the raising of the holy sparks that were in the mitzriim, therefore g-ds name was raised and unified through their repossession. We can now explain that when Yaakov says the camp that is left will escape, it is a reference to the holy sparks that will successfully escape to the side of holiness.

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And the sun rose upon him as he passed over Penu-el, and he was limping on his thigh
And the sun rose- to heel him from his limping. (Rashi) It would seem that according to what Rashi is saying, the passuk should have been written in the reverse. If the passuk wishes to inform us that g-d caused the sun to rise in order to heel Yaakov, it should have first told us that he was limping and then tell us that the sun rose? We will begin to understand by first explaining the passuk in parshas Mikeitz (Breishis 43:10); we have lingered, for we have now returned two times. This passuk is hinting to a person who has sinned and never regretted his past doings. This person continues in his ways, without the knowledge that he is missing anything. This is clearly the work of the evil inclination causing him to believe that everything he does is a great mitzvah and that his past deeds do not need any rectification. To avoid this, one needs great assistance from heaven to bring him to the realization that he has sinned and that he needs to repent properly in order to fix that which he has damaged. This is what had occurred within the shevatim regarding the sale of Yoseph. In all the 22 years that Yoseph was sold to Mitzrayim, his brothers had no idea that they had done any wrong. In fact, they believed that they had only done what is good and just. However, as soon as they saw the great holiness of Yoseph in Mitzrayim, they were immediately overcome with feelings of repentance, and said (Breishis 41:22); we are guilty concerning our brother. Yehudah was hinting to this lesson with his words to Yaakov in the aforementioned passuk in parshas Mikeitz. The passuk is therefore telling us, that the way of proper repentance is to continually attain new levels every day. Then, with every new level, one must repent and regret that which he has done the day before, when he had lacked the knowledge of his present level. This is the meaning of the words we have now returned two times. Returning to our original question, we can now understand the order of the passuk; And the sun rose upon him- This is a reference to the times that g-d, in his great kindness shines light into the soul of a person in order to grant him greater knowledge. as he passed over Penu-el- The name Penu-el can hint to ones involvement in g-ds Torah and mitzvos. Meaning, that this is when the sun rises upon him. and he was limping on his thigh- Meaning, once a person reaches a new level of knowledge and understanding through his Torah and mitzvos, he begins to reanalyze the mitzvos he had done before. He then realizes that his ways until then were flawed and need to be rectified. However, before he had reached his present level, he had no knowledge that his actions were incomplete.

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And Yaakov said to his household and to all who were with him; put away your foreign g-ds that are amongst you and purify yourselvesAnd we will rise and go up to Beis-El and I will make an alter there
Purify yourselves- from idol worship. (Rashi) The Torah here, through Yaakovs words, is teaching us the proper way of serving the blessed creator. We will begin by analyzing the gemora (Kidushin 6a); anyone who is not thoroughly versed in the laws of divorce/gittin and marriage/kidushin, should not have any involvement in them. The meforshim question the order of this gemora. Why does the gemora mention the laws of divorce before the laws of marriage, one cannot come to divorce before he has married? Let us first look at the passuk in Michah (6:8); what does g-d require of youto walk humbly with Hashem your g-d. Our sages explain that this humbleness refers to the mitzvos of taking out the dead and the helping of brides. Firstly, we must understand why the sages attribute the passuk to these specific mitzvos. Could the passuk not be speaking of giving charity or praying, which like all services, should preferably be done with humbleness? We also need to explain why the passuk says that this is all that g-d requires of us. Does the passuk mean that if one does these two mitzvos then g-d does not require him to do any other mitzvos? It is written in many holy books, specifically in the writings of the Arizal, regarding one who does a mitzvah or prays or studies Torah, after committing a sin. If a person has not repented properly for the sin he committed, then the other side and its impure forces derive more strength from the mitzvos and praying that he involves himself with. With this lesson, they explain the passuk (Tehilim 50:16); and to the wicked, g-d says; what is it to you, to speak of my laws. This is also demonstrated in the passuk (Tehilim 34:15); turn away from bad, and do good. Both of these passukim are hinting to the necessity of repenting ones sins before entering into the service of g-d. This also explains the term used in the mishnah; repentance and good deeds in this world. The order of term indicates that one must properly repent before doing any good deeds. We can also learn this lesson from the portion of the Torah which speaks of repentance in parshas Vayeilech (Devarim 30:2,8,10) And you will return to Hashem your g-d and listen to his voice, as all the things that I command you, And you return and listen to the voice of g-d and do all his mitzvos, and If you will listen to the voice of Hashem your g-d, to keep his mitzvosbecause you returned to Hashem your g-d. These passukim clearly indicate that repenting proceeds the doing of any mitzvah and before repenting a person cannot begin to do the mitzvos. This is because when one is still clothed in his sin, everything he does gives more strength to the other side. We can now return to explain the passuk in Michah with a few necessary introductions. It is written in the holy Zohar, on the passuk (Devarim 29:28); The hidden things belong to Hashem our g-d, that the hidden things refer to the attributes of fear and love that are hidden within the heart of a

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person. It is also written that the other side and the evil inclination are called dead. This is why the gemora says (Berachos 12b); the wicked during their lifetime are called dead, because they are always under the control of the other side. We can now say that, to walk humbly with Hashem your g-d, is also referring to the fear and love that are humble and hidden within a person. This is also hinted to by the usage of the names Hashem Elokecha which refers to the attributes of fear and love. A person must therefore walk humbly with the fear and love of g-d in his heart. We can now explain the term removing the dead and bring in the brides. Removing the dead is a reference to removing the impurities of the other side, which are called dead, from within oneself. This must be done before accepting the shechinah, which is called the bride, upon oneself. This is what the passuk is hinting to in parshas Chayei Sarah (Breishis 24:31); come in; bless the lord, why should you stand outside, for I have cleared the house. Rashi explains there, that when Lavan says that he cleared the house, he is referring to ridding his house of idols. The passuk is therefore teaching us that one must first clear his heart from any crookedness and foreign desires before entering to bless g-d. This is also the understanding of the gemora which says (Kidushin 6a); anyone who is not thoroughly versed in the laws of divorce/gittin and marriage/kidushin, should not have any involvement in them. The word for marriage, kidushin, refers to one who comes to draw holiness upon himself through the performance of a mitzvah, as we say in our blessings; who made us holy through his mitzvos. The word for divorce, gittin, refers to the removal and disassociation of ones previous sins. Therefore, the gemora is telling us that somebody who does not follow this particular order of first ridding himself of impurities and only then becoming holy through the mitzvos, should not involve himself with them. In this fashion, we have also explained the passuk (Shemos 12:21);withdraw yourselves and take for yourselves lambs. Our sages explain the term withdraw yourselves, referring to removing your hands from idol worship. Here too, the Torah is teaching us that one must first purify himself before bringing the pesach sacrifice. The Torah hints to this lesson many times, specifically concerning the first mitzvos that were given to the Jewish people in Mitzraim. Although the intentions there are referring to the Jewish people removing themselves from the hands of the Mitzriim and the forces of evil which they represent, after the exodus however, it refers to the removal of ones evil inclination. Similarly, with the mitzvah of matzah given to the Jews in Mitzraim (Shemos 12:15); seven days you shall eat matzah, but, on the first day you shall remove all leaven from your house. The holy Zohar teaches that the removal of leaven from ones house, symbolizes the dismissal of ones evil desires. Therefore, the Torah instructs us to remove our impurities before drawing holiness upon ourselves through the mitzvos. In fact, when the passuk later on says (Shemos 12:17); and you shall guard the matzos, our sages tell us to read the word matzos as saying mitzvos. Meaning that, all the mitzvos of the Torah require the removal of ones impurities before they are performed. Other passukim in the Torah hinting to this lesson include, (Shemos 34:17,18); Molten g-ds you shall not make for yourselves. You shall guard the feast of Matzos, (Vayikra 22:7); And

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when the sun is down he will be clean and after he may eat of holy things, (Shemos 23:24,25); You shall not bow down to their g-dsyou shall break their pillars into pieces. And you shall serve Hashem your g-d. Now, this was Yaakov Avinus intentions in what he was telling his family in our parshah. Put away your foreign g-ds, refers to the evil inclination, as we are taught in the gemora; there shall not be a foreign g-d amongst you- this is the evil inclination. This is also what Rashi is hinting to when he says; Purify yourselves- from idol worship. All of these preparations had to be done before going up to Beis-El and offering sacrifices to g-d. May his will be so in all our actions, amen.

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