Genesis Cycle Three Vayishlach 32:4 to 36:43

Vayishlach


Vayishlach can be seen as a study of the south, and therefore of chesed (see Matt on his commentaries on the Zohar, p. 320 v.2). The work of mankind (I believe) does not revolve around any lack of chesed in this world. The work (as one of my teachers has said) is learning how to show love…how to send out the sparks. Many of us don’t direct our kindness and graciousness in a way that is patient, gentle, respectful, healing and creative. And when we don’t it can’t be received and therefore we fear the repercussions. So there’s a lot we can learn here. Chesed after all, is given to us. As we read in line 32:14 (Jacob) took from what came into his hand as a gift for Esau, his brother.

What is chesed? Green says it’s the love of God and the ability to continue this divine flow. The kabbalists say that among our patriarchs, Abraham is chesed. Jacob is tiferet, the merge of chesed with gevurah, the south with the north. And since tiferet represents the sun (see Matt again) you would think that Jacob shines more on the south, the place of warmth. Therefore, in this parasha seen by many rabbis as war-like and fractional, we want to ask ourselves, where is this chesed so ingrained in Jacob? How and where do we come face to face maybe not with God (as does Jacob) but with the flow of God’s essence?

First, the very root-word sheliach refers to a sending out and therefore connotes flow. Think of the offering up of our sparks. No doubt, we not only offer them up, but out of the confines of our body. In fact, the root word sheliach (in this parasha) is used to show the sending of angels, news or words, gifts (or tributes), and the angel with whom Jacob wrestles. We see it in the future tense, the past and the imperative. It keeps coming back in different forms to poetically demonstrate the motion of deep inner sacrifice and our love for Hashem.

In terms of story, Jacob first sends out the angels but without ministering this action beyond the message. He doesn’t organize their expedition. He isn’t careful. When they return they say that Esau is approaching with 400 men. Jacob then goes into a place of fear. The truth is though, there is nothing in the message that infers that Esau is attacking. The Esau-flow is coming towards them…and even (as so many sages believe) if Esau really is the dark-side of Torah…he is still within the love of Hashem.

Seen in this way, darkness, as well as light, can emit chesed. The prophet Isaiah himself wrote the lines of the (edited) Yotzer Or in order to erase the dark/light dichotomy of the Gnostics and the Sadduccees. Here, Jacob’s flow magnifies this same dichotomy. The energy he gives out rebounds back to him with equal force and a different (darker) vibration. The dark/light conflict is suddenly in his face. He suddenly fears that Esau will smite him. To repeat, given what we read in Torah, the fear is not grounded. Similarly, our fear in the here and now is often caused by our own chaotic flow of chesed and our shock at the rebound. Think of the continual wars that we wage, our refusal to help others, our hiding, our excuses. Think of Schechem. This is self destructive love. It includes a belief that the un-ministered flow is self-validating. It sets the stage for pain and self-deceit.

Jacob then (with wisdom) sends out parcels of divine sparks with space (or ruach) in between. There is order here, patience, humility. When all has been sent, he struggles with that final piece of light, the angel. It is an intense soul-naked moment. In my opinion, angels can only appear from within and only when we have offered almost all of our sparks to God. This way, both soul and body are almost clear and there is an opening in our heart through which the inner angel can rise. According to the Sfas Emet, angels have a vibrational energy that is greater than the body but less than the soul. Jacob’s soul therefore wants to send the final angel away yet the body clings. The name Israel given to Jacob raises him from a place of deceit (where he had been) to a place of authority and superiority (Rashi). This is not because he wins or loses but because he takes part. He offers enough chesed to pull the angel from his innermost being, to propel that final light from his gut. Just as he (later) says God has given him all…this is because he has given all to God.

So, may we love beyond all dichotomy. May we love with great attention to flow and force, restraint and circumstance. May we give enough so our inner angels can rise and manifest the final struggle/merge between body and soul. May we funnel our divine sparks in a way that they can be received. May we give down to our raw cry, down to the tears in our eyes. May we, at the right moment, give birth to the south itself and die in the absolute birthing. Then , like Rachel, may we continually offer our body-memory to our lover and our all to God.