VaYishlach: Jews (almost) NEVER retreat! Rabbi Tuvia Bolton, Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim, Kfar Chabad, Israel

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In the beginning of this Torah reading, VaYishlach, Yaakov is afraid (32:8)

Over twenty years earlier he had tricked his brother, Eisav, out of his birthright and his father's blessings, and now he was coming to get revenge with an army of four hundred men. 

Rashi tells us (32:9) that Yaakov decided on three possible strategies; prayer, appeasement and, if necessary, war. 

At first glance it's not clear. Why didn't he also consider the option of running away? 

After all, he was vastly outnumbered, had been wounded in his battle with an angel just hours earlier and had everything to lose. Not only that but he had been fleeing from Eisav for over twenty years anyway, so what would it hurt to consider one more retreat? 

Also, this Shabbat (on the 19th of Kislev) we will celebrate the anniversary of the freedom of the founder of Chabad Chassidut Rabbi Shneur Zalman (a.k.a. The Alter Rebbe) over 200 years ago from Czarist prison. 

Is there a connection? 

I want to answer with two apparently conflicting stories. 

 One day the Alter Rebbe (who was a young man at the time) was walking in the street together with his holy teacher, the Maggid of Mezeritz, and another great Tzaddik, Rabbi Pinchus of Koritz. The Maggid of Mezeritz was of the opinion that ideas of Chassidut should be printed and made public while Rabbi Pinchus disagreed strongly. He said that secrets of the Torah are to be kept secret except for a select few.

Suddenly Rav Pinchus spotted a sheet of soggy paper in the dirt, picked it up, examined it, and shouted with rage. 

"Here! It's a page of your Chassidic ideas! Have a look!" He yelled, holding it up for the Maggid to see. Because of YOU The HOLY Torah is laying in the GUTTER!" 

The Maggid was stunned speechless, he realized that this was not just the words of his companion but an accusation from heaven and he had no defense. Perhaps he was wrong.

But the Alter Rebbe did not lose his composure and came to the Maggid's aid with a parable: 

"Once there was a great and mighty King who had an only son whom he loved with all his heart. 

"But tragically and unexplainably the boy fell ill and nothing seemed to help him. Day after day the best doctors were called in but their efforts ended in failure. The king was beside himself with grief. His beloved son was dying before his very eyes and he was helpless. 

"After several weeks of futile efforts, just as all had given up hope, an old man with a long white beard and a radiant face appeared in the king's court, approached the throne, bowed deeply and all eyes were on him as he said, "Your Majesty please excuse me for not coming earlier, but I can cure your son. It will require a big sacrifice on Your Majesty's part, and it just might be too late, but it's Your Highness's only chance." 

"ANYTHING!" Shouted the king, "Just tell me what it is I should do." 

"The old man pointed to the top of the king's beautiful crown, where, set in gold, sparkled a huge, stunning diamond - The symbol of the king's greatness and splendor. 

"You must grind up that diamond" he answered. 

"A gasp went up from the crowd. 

"When things quieted down, he continued. "Then I will mix it in water and try to give your son to drink. But I must warn you that the odds are against us. Even if we succeed in opening his mouth, I can't promise that he will swallow anything. But if we can succeed in him swallowing even the smallest amount, he will be healed." 

"The king readily removed his crown, the old man removed and crushed the gem, prepared the mixture, and watched anxiously as the old stranger tried to open the unconscious boy's mouth and pour the mixture in.

"At first it all trickled down his cheek, and onto his pillow and onto the floor. Then a bit seemed to get passed his lips, but he began coughing and this also he spit out. But then, miraculously he swallowed and, to the unbounded joy of the King, the prince opened his eyes and recovered." 

The Alter Rebbe concluded his argument; "This was a parable explaining what you saw today", 

"The King is G-d. The Prince is the Jewish people. The crown is Torah. The diamond represents its precious secrets. And the old man that healed the prince, is the Baal Shem Tov. 

"Like the prince, the Jewish people today are deathly ill. The exile is taking its toll, and they are losing their Jewish consciousness.

"The only remedy is making the secrets of the Torah digestible for even the most hopeless Jews; But in the process, unfortunately, much spills out. And that is why that page of Torah secrets was laying in the gutter today." 

Later, the Maggid thanked the Alter Rebbe for saving Chassidut. When Rav Pinchus opposed him, it was like the angel that opposed our forefather Yaakov. And the Alter Rebbe's parable saved him. 

But there is another story with seemingly the opposite message: 

Years later, in 1798, the Alter Rebbe was (due to the slander and false claims of his enemies) charged by the Czarist government with high treason, imprisoned, almost sentenced to death, and miraculously released 53 days later (on the 19th of the Jewish month of Kislev). 

The immediate cause of this imprisonment was the intense opposition of certain religious Jews (called misnagdim) to his successful Chassidic movement. They falsified documents and instigated his arrest on charges of plotting to overthrow the Czar. 

But the Rebbe sensed there was a deeper reason. 

Shortly after his imprisonment, from which there seemed was no escape; the Alter Rebbe was visited by the Maggid of Mezeritz (mentioned in the above story) and the Baal Shem Tov (both of whom had passed away years earlier) in his prison cell to comfort him. 

The first thing he asked them was why he was imprisoned. What was the real reason? After all, he was only trying to do good.

They answered that in the heavens there was a furor because he was revealing, explaining and advertising too many Torah secrets in order to hasten the arrival of Moshiach. 

Surprisingly, the Rebbe asked them if, perhaps, he should stop. 

"NO!" they replied. "Now that you have begun, continue with even more force." 

This is, at first glance, very strange!

Why did the Alter Rebbe even consider stopping his teachings? As we saw in our first story, years earlier when the Maggid was challenged, he even invented a parable in order that nothing should stop the spreading of Chassidut! Why here did he consider retreat?

The answer is that here the Alter Rebbe's situation was somewhat like that of Yaakov meeting Eisav. 

In the first story, when Rav Pinchus objected to Chassidut, the Rebbe, as he explained in his parable about the king's son, was saving the very existence of the Jewish people. Jews had given up on Judaism, lost enthusiasm and were even assimilating. He knew that the only antidote was the deep and dynamic teachings of Chassidut.

So it wasn't relevant that he could consider retreat.

But in the second story, when the Rebbe was in prison, it was because he was trying to hasten the GOAL of Judaism; to bring Moshiach. 

 Moshiach, a man who will fill the world with the awareness of the Creator and His Torah is the crown of Judaism and the hope of all mankind (end of war, suffering, ignorance etc). But the prerequisite for Moshiach is that Jews want him. The Jews must really desire that this world be filled with the awareness of the Creator "like water fills the sea". (Rambam, hil Melachim 12:5). Which can only be accomplished by learning Chassidut Chabad.

So when the Alter Rebbe saw the tremendous Jewish opposition to his ideas (religious Jews slandered him and had him arrested), and heard from his mentors that the heavens also disagreed, he thought that because the world wasn't ready, perhaps he should stop. 

And to this possibility of retreat, his holy visitors answered No! He must ignore all the apparent obstacles, and he must spread his teachings more than ever before. The world IS ready for Moshiach.

So this answers our question; why Yaakov didn't consider retreat.

Eisav wanted to kill Yaakov and thereby destroy the very existence of the Jewish nation. So, as in our first story, Yaakov couldn't consider stopping.

But Yaakov was also preparing the world (Tikkun Olom) to bring Moshiach.

Chassidut explains that Yaakov worked for 20 years by his dishonest father-in-law Lavan in and was now meeting his evil brother Aisav to set the stage for the future and total redemption by Moshiach. [As he hinted by sending Eisav a message that he had a donkey (32:6) which implies Moshiach (see Midrash Rabba 75:6) and telling him they would meet "later" in Sair with Moshiach (Rashi 33:14). And that is where the Rebbe's visitors in prison got the inspiration to tell him NOT to stop.

The holiday of the 19th of Kislev is the birthday and ‘Rosh HaShanna’ The Chabad movement and of Chassidut (the teachings of) Chabad. It is the day that the Rebbe was freed from prison and began the release of the Jewish people from the terrible exile we are in.

Celebrate it by learning Chassidut, making resolutions to learn and teach more Chassidut, and most importantly let us put what we learn into practice. 

Then it could be that just one more good deed, word or even thought of just ONE more Jew can bring .... 

Moshiach NOW!! 

Rabbi Tuvia Bolton

Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim

Kfar Chabad, Israel www.ohrtmimim.org

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