Vayishlach – Peninim on the Torah

“Therefore, until this day, the Bnei Yisrael do not eat the sinew of the thigh vein.” (32:33)

Yaakov’s struggle with Eisav’s angel is memorialized in halacha by the prohibition against the consumption of the muscle injured in this struggle. The commentaries state a number of reasons as rationales for this mitzvah. These serve to guide Jewish survival during our exile. Horav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch Z”l notes the symbolic value of this injury. He points out that Yaakov’s physical injury represents for Eisav the real power that makes Yaakov invincible. Indeed, Yaakov’s descendants realize that their existence is not dependent upon the presence or absence of the thigh muscle. If Yaakov falters, it is not due to a…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayishlach, 5752

“And Yaakov was left alone, and there wrestled a (man) with him… and he touched the hollow of his thigh… Therefore the Bnei Yisrael do not eat the sinew of the thigh vein.” (32:25-33)

This narrative raises many questions. First, why was Yaakov alone, without his wives and children who had already crossed the river? Chazal respond that he had forgotten small jars and returned to retrieve them. Secondly, who was this “man” that wrestled with Yaakov? Chazal respond that this was Eisav’s “guardian angel”. We may also question the significance of the damage inflicted upon the thigh muscle. As a remembrance of this physical damage, we are forbidden to eat the sinew of an animal’s thigh muscle. We may suggest that the Torah is illustrating the effect of Am Yisrael’s exile upon…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayishlach, 5752

“And he said, your name will no longer be called Yaakov, but Yisrael.”

The blessing which Eisav’s angel bestowed upon Yaakov inadvertently hurt his descendants until this very day. When an individual member of another sect or nation commits any form of transgression, he alone is held accountable. Communal responsibility is not imposed upon the entire nation for the offense of an individual. This rule, however, unfortunately does not apply to Bnei Yisrael. When a Jew – a “Yaakov”- sins, it is not viewed as a singular transgression of one person; the entire community of “Yisrael” is held responsible. Your name will no longer be called “Yaakov” – but “Yisrael” from now you…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayishlach, 5752

“And Yaakov said G-d of my father Avraham and G-d of my father Yitzchak.” (32:10)

As Yaakov prayed to Hashem to save him from his evil brother Eisav, he invoked the merit of his saintly ancestors, the Patriarchs. Are they not, however, Esov’s ancestors? How can he entreat Hashem to listen to his prayers in lieu of Eisav’s? We may derive from this pasuk that only one who follows in the footsteps of his ancestors may invoke their merit. Yaakov followed the path which was paved by his forefathers; he maintained their ideals. We may add that it is not sufficient to merely emulate the actions of the Patriarchs externally, but it is even more…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayishlach, 5752

“And Yaakov was greatly afraid and distressed.” (32:8)

As a consequence of Yaakov and Eisav’s confrontation, Hashem made a revelation to Yaakov. A reminder of this encounter is interwoven into the daily life of Am Yisrael. Just as Yaakov and Eisav opposed each other, so, too, in contemporary life they face one another. They each represent a distinct way of life, originating from two different sets of goals. Yaakov is characterized as a hard-working and loving family man, blessed with children. Opposite him stands Eisav, a man of “accomplishment” and substance, of power and glamour. For twenty years Yaakov struggled to raise a family, to educate children, to…

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“Therefore, until this day, the Bnei Yisrael do not eat the sinew of the thigh vein.” (32:33)

“And Yaakov was left alone, and there wrestled a (man) with him… and he touched the hollow of his thigh… Therefore the Bnei Yisrael do not eat the sinew of the thigh vein.” (32:25-33)

“And he said, your name will no longer be called Yaakov, but Yisrael.”

“And Yaakov said G-d of my father Avraham and G-d of my father Yitzchak.” (32:10)

“And Yaakov was greatly afraid and distressed.” (32:8)

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