Vayishlach: The Lazy Self
Grappling with an Angel
Having transported his family and possessions to the far shore of the Yabok River Jacob returned to retrieve a number of small items that were inadvertently left behind. The Torah tells that once he returned “He grappled with a man… till the dawn rose.” The Midrash teaches that this man was in fact an angel, specifically, the angle responsible for Esau and his progeny.
The Little Things
This story has tremendous application in our daily life. Esau’s angel represents our Yetzer Hara, evil inclination. The small items represent Judaism’s little things; the diminutive, seemingly inconsequential, mitzvahs and sins that we sometimes inadvertently forget.
If he had his way, our Yetzer would persuade us to forgo them. If you inadvertently forgot to do a Mitzvah it is not worth your effort to return and retrieve it, argues the Yetzer, just leave it behind and move on. Jacob struggled against this angel, he deliberately returned to his end of the river to retrieve those little mitzvahs that the angel would have him abandon.
Till Dawn Breaks
Just as Jacob, the father figure of the Jewish people, overcame the angel when dawn broke so too will dawn break when we overcome our Yetzer. The morning will fill with light and we will see the truth of G-d before our very eyes.
May that time come soon.
Tags: mitzvah
