Hebrew Insights into
Parashat Va’yishlach – B’resheet (Genesis): 32:3 -ch.36 with Hebrew Tools for
Everyday Use
"Then Ya'acov
sent [va’yishlach]
messengers - "mal’a'chim" - before him to his brother Esau…" (32:3). These are the opening words of our
Parasha. "Mal'a’chim" are angels, messengers, or emissaries.
Ya'acov had seen them in dreams (aside from the famous ladder scene in 28:12,
an angel also addressed him in a dream in 31:11 ff). He had also run into
YHVH's messengers when he departed from Lah'van (32:1,2), and now he sends
messengers, human “mal'a’chim,” to his brother Esav. The root of "mal'a’ch"
(singular) is “la'a'ch” (lamed, alef, chaf), meaning "to send."
It is from this verb (which is not in use as such) that we get the noun:
"m’la'cha," occupation, work, workmanship (such as the service that
was preformed in the Mishkan), possession, and more. Later on, when Esav will propose
that Ya'acov come along with him with his entire entourage, the latter will refuse
and say that he will move "according to the pace of the cattle that are
before him…" (33:14). "Cattle" (or “livestock”) here is
also "m’la’cha," as the herds would typically go out ahead, or
be sent forth in front of the retinue. When "YHVH rested on the seventh
day from all His work which He had done" (Gen. 2:2), it was His "m'la’cha"
from which He had ceased. This is one example of how the Hebrew language is
able to accommodate, as it were, in one word or term, cattle, angels,
occupation, the holy service rendered unto YHVH in His Abodde, and even His
work of creation.
Such
diverse ‘blends’ are not uncommon in Hebrew, and provide a window to the understanding
of the thought pattern or mentality of the society which gave birth to them. When
the root word for "work," for example, is "to send forth"
what does it say about the society where this usage originated? What does it tell
us about the basic understanding of the concept of "work" or
"occupation"? It certainly speaks of production or labor which does
not remain in confinement, or only within one's vicinity. Rather, it appears
that the work is rendered or performed for the community and is looked
upon as a mission (by its very definition) and therefore cannot be considered
incidental or self-serving. The word "m'la’cha" also refers to the
one performing it, again, pointing to a member of a socially-inclined
community. The content of the one and
only proverb where "m'la’cha" is found, validates what the etymology
of this word reveals. Thus, Mishley (Proverbs) 24:27 reads, "prepare your
work ("m'la’cha") outside, and make it ready for yourself in the
field; afterwards, then, build your [own] house" (italics added).
Just
before Ya'acov and company venture to cross the Yarden (Jordan) in anticipation
of the unknown, the much concerned Ya'acov prays for safety and deliverance. At
the same time he also expresses gratitude to the Elohim of his fathers,
acknowledging his own unworthiness "of all the lovingkindness and of all
the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff I
crossed this Jordan
Next
we are faced by the following scene: "Now he [Jacob] arose that same night
and took his two wives and his two maids and his eleven children, and crossed
the ford of the Jabbok. Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him
until daybreak" (32: 22, 23). Wrestle here, "(va)ye'a'vek,"
is remarkably similar to the proper name "Yabbok” – “Jabbok”
(remember that in Hebrew b and v sounds are designated by the same letter), the
root of both being a.v/b.k (alef, vet/bet, kof), forming the noun "ah’vak,"
which is “dust.” Naturallly, an 'engagement' such as the one in which Ya'acov
and the "man" were involved would have raised no small amount of
dust. "Ah’vak" speaks of very fine dust, not the kind that is
translated "dust of the earth," which is "ah'far" (mentioned
and discussed in Parashat Chayey Sarah in Gen. 23). The dust contained in the
river's name, as well as in the verb chosen to describe Ya'acov's struggle with
the unnamed person in the dark, add even more (proverbial) haziness and mystery
to the already obscure event. Even Ya'acov's name-change to “Yisra'el” is not
quite clear. The reason for the change is given as, "For you have striven
with Elohim and with men and have prevailed" (32:28). The name was
bestowed in response to Ya'acov's demand to be blessed by the "man,"
whom he was not willing to release until and unless his request was granted. Additionally,
the river’s name, “Yabbok” may also be connected to the root b.k.k (bet, kof,
kof) which forms the verb for to “empty out,” thus possibly lending a further perspective to
the scene that had just been imposed upon Ya’acov/Yisrael.
The
name “Yisra'el” is a composite word formed by the verb "sara"
(s.r.h. sin, resh, hey), to “rule, persist, persevere, strive,”
and "el" - “strong” or “mighty one,”
from which the word “Elohim” is derived. What was meant by the declaration to
Ya’acov, and in what way was his life, at least up to that point, congruent
with the definition of this name? Were his 'dusty' struggles on behalf of self'
taken into account in this lofty pronouncement? Or was it simply a statement of
facts, devoid of any qualitative and personal evaluations? Was the name
Yisra’el and its meaning the Almighty's way of bestowing pure and unadulterated
grace upon him - the name possessing
more of a prophetic significance for a future day when Ya'acov would be
empowered by his Elohim - rather than a description of present day facts? Whether
Ya’acov ‘merited’ that name at that moment, at least the presistence that he
demonstrated that night did, to some degree, validate the meaning of the new
name.
When
it was Ya'acov's turn to ask the ‘mystery man’ for his name, the
response came in the form of a question: "Why is it that you ask my
name?" (32:29). When Ma’no'ach (Manoah), Shimshon's (Samson) father, asked
the very same question of the messenger ("mal’ach") who came to him,
the response was "for it is wonderful" (Judges 13:18). In the case
before us the reply is followed by, "and he blessed him there." What
was the blessing? Did it simply constitute the name change?
After
his first heavenly encounter, upon depating from the land, Ya’acov’s experience
was marked by the 'Elohim of a place,' as
he deemed to have been in what he called, "the house of Elohim" (“bet
El” - Gen. 28:16,17). However, now, upon his return, it is the "face of
Elohim" that he encounters – “P'ni'el” (ref. 32:31). An
echo of his P'ni'el experience may be detected in what he says to his brother
Esav in 33:10, "for I see your face (pa’ne'cha) as one sees the face
of Elohim ("p'ney Elohim")" (italics added). Ya'acov's
perspective certainly seems to have changed. Having seen "Elohim face to
face," he is now able to view even Esav differently.
As
he re-enters the land of his fathers, Ya'acov walks in the footsteps of his
grandfather Avraham (see Gen. 13:6) and comes to Sh'chem (Shechem). His coming
to that town after the encounter with his brother does not pass by unnoticed,
"and Ya'acov came safely to the city of Shechem
In
chapter 35:1 Elohim tells Ya'acov to "rise ("kum") and go to
Bet-El… and make an altar there to Elohim, who appeared before you…." Last
week we noted that Ya'acov's call to "rise up" started sounding when
he first found himself in the "makom" (place) which he named Bet-El
(ref 28:19). Now, having completed a full cycle, Ya'acov is to go back there
and continue to "rise up." Truly, from that point Ya'acov's on going maturation
process becomes evident. First, he orders his family to "put away the
foreign gods which are among you…" (v. 2). In last week's Parasha (31:32b
etc.) we saw that Ya'acov's household was not free of idolatry, indeed the ‘man
about the house’ seemed to tolerate that state of affairs - but not so now! After all the foreign idols
and the earrings were gathered, Ya'acov buried them under the "ela,"
the terebinth tree (v.4). This small tree, along with the "alon"
(“oak”) share the root "el," pointing to strength, and hence
"el” - "god," which has been surfacing often in these narratives
about Ya'acov. In fact, in these Parashot (plural for Parasha) the title
"Elohim" (plural of "el"), rather than YHVH, seems to be
more prevalent. In verse 8 of our
passage, Rivka's nurse D'vora (Deborah) dies and is buried under the "alon,"
and thus the place was named Alon Ba'chut ("oak of weeping"). Many
other place names bear titles connected to the oak tree (Elon Moreh, Eloney -
"oaks of…" - Mamreh etc.), which is an indigenous tree and is known
for its strength and rejuvenation ability. The oak and the teberinth have both
remained symbols of strength and durability, and as such the remnant of the
Nation is compared to them in Yishayahu (Isaiah) 6:13: "Yet there will be
a tenth portion… and it will again burn, like a terebinth or an oak
whose stump remains when it is felled…." (italics added).
Back
to our narrative in chapter 35, where Ya'acov calls his Elohim: "The El who answered me in the day of my
distress…" ("tzarati") (35:3, emphasis added). Before that, in 32:7, we read that he
"was greatly afraid and distressed." The word for "distressed"
there is "(va)ye'tzar." The two consonants (tz.r. tzadi, resh)
happen to be used in numerous other words such as “adversity, affliction,
anguish, distress, tribulation or trouble,” and in several more such as tza'ar
- sorrow; tzar - enemy, adversary; tzarar - bind, tie up, restrict, narrow,
scant, cramped, a show of hostility, vexing; tzaraf - smelt, refine, test;
matzref - a crucible or instrument of refining; tzir'ah - hornet; tzorev -
burn, scorch; tzara'at - leprosy; batzoret - drought; matzor - siege; mitzrayim
– straits, Egypt, and more. Yirmiyahu
(Jeremiah) 30:7 contains a reference to "tzarat Ya'acov,” Ya'acov's
trouble: "Alas! For that
day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble,
but he shall be saved out of it."
Immediately
after Dvorah’s burial Elohim appears before Ya'acov once again, blessing and
reminding him that his name is no longer Ya'acov, but Yisrael, repeating the
promises He had given to his fathers (ref. 35:9,10). In commemoration of the
event, Ya'acov-cum-Yisrael sets up a pillar over which he pours oil (v. 14). This
scene is part of the first 15 verses of chapter 35, a remarkable and condensed
passage that sums up, brings to a conclusion, resolves, hints at eternal principles
(of redemption) and recalls past events while also reiterating blessings and
future promises, as well as aluding to future events. Looking at this rather
short, yet intense and power-packed excerpt from our (time) perspective, it
appears that past and future meet here, encapsulated in a dynamic time capsule!
Next
comes the birth of Binyamin, whom his mother named Ben-Oni,
commonly translated “son of my sorrow,” although the usage of “on” as “strength”
is much more prevalent. Thus if Binyamin (as the name is pronounced in Hebrew)
drained all of his mother’s energy and vigor, she could have easily meant his
name to be "son of my strength."
His father, on the other hand, called him "Ben-Yamin,"
meaning "son of the right (hand)" (35:18).
Naming him as he did, Ya'acov was actually conferring upon him a firstborn
position, perhaps because he was the first and only one to be born in the Land.
In B’resheet 49:3, in Ya’acov’s last words to his sons he says about Reuven: “you
are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength…” “Strength” in
this instance is “on.” Thus a certain symmetry emerges here; Ya’acov’s last
words to his sons ecoe the words of his beloved wife about the youngest son,
who exhausted her strength, while Israel’s firstborn exhausted more than once
his father’s expectations of being mighty and strong (and hence ended up losing this position, see
1Chron. 5:1).
Upon
Ra’chel’s death, Ya’acov set up a pillar upon her grave (35: 20). Doing this he
was actually repeating what he had done in verse 14 above, after YHVH had
talked to him. In both cases it says, “va’ya’tzev ma’tze’va,” that is
“and he placed a pillar.” The very act of placing, as well
as the pillar itself, are of the root y.tz.v. (yod, tzadi, bet/vet), meaning to
“station” or “take a stand.” Just as he did in last week’s
Parasha (ref 28:18), Ya’acov again commemorates the events in his life by
signposts. There is a significnt reference to signposts and landmarks in
Jeremiah 31:21, where the command to the virgin daughter of Yisrael, using the
same by-now-familiar verb, is issued: “set up” (signposts and landmarks) –
ha’tzivi (second person, feminine,
singular).
In
chapter 36, the Parasha’s last, there is a short episode (verses 6 and 7),
interposed in the record of Esav's progeny, which explains the physical
separation of the brothers - Ya’acov and Esav: "For their property had
become too great for them to live together, and the land where they sojourned could
not sustain them because of their livestock." This is a clear echo from
the past, reminding us of Avraham and Lot 's
separation (ref. Gen. 13:1-12).
Let
us also take note of 36:12, which tells us that Esav's first born, Elifaz, had
a firstborn by his concubine Timnah, whom he named Amalek. The latter was to
become Yisrael's fiercest enemy. Being a firstborn (and a son of a firstborn),
Amalek must have carried his grandfather Esav’s hatred for, and murderous
impulse against Ya'acov, and has therefore always trageted the latter’s
progeny, resulting in a state of perpetual animosity (ref. Gen. 27:41; Ex. 17:8-14,
16; Deut. 25:17-19).
Hebrew Tools for Everyday
Use:
The dramatic scene, its
precursor and prelude, all make available to us a number of simple words, nouns
and verbs, that are used in everyday speech. Yaacov’s struggle (the verb
“va’ye’avek”), for example, yields “avak”, dust, as we saw above. From his distress
(“tzara”) we draw “narrow”, and his interfacing with Elohim takes us to “panim”
(face). When Yaacov departed the land he prayed to return safely
(“be’shalom”) to his father’s house, and when he did, after more than twenty
years, the narrative stresses that Yaacov came safely (“shalem”) to
Shechem.
Ya’acov
sent off Ra’chel and Yosef
Ya’acov
shalach et Ra’chel ve’Yosef
In
the narrow place there is dust
Ba’makom
ha’tzar yesh ava’k (lit. in the place narrow there is dust)
The
face of the son
Ha’panim
shel ha’ben
A
whole heart
Lev
shalem (lit. a heart whole)
Whole
heartedly
B’lev
shalem (literally, in a heart whole)
