Vayishlach | Yaacov's Restoration

INTRODUCTION  

     Twenty years have elapsed since Ya'acov left home, fearfully fleeing the wrath of his brother.  Arriving alone and penniless in the house of Lavan his uncle, he now leaves that house with wives, children and great flocks.  God has indeed preserved him and fulfilled His pledge to "keep watch over him wherever he will go" and now Ya'acov is poised to return to the land of Canaan and to the welcoming embrace of his aged parents.  Although two decades have passed, Ya'acov is justifiably apprehensive that his brother Esav has never forgiven his seizing of the birthright and the blessing, and may yet harbor malignant ill will towards him.   

 

     In the meantime, while Ya'acov tended the sheep of his wily uncle in Charan, Esav left the ancestral land of Canaan to establish himself in the rocky fastness of Se'ir.  Indigenous peoples known as the Chorites had earlier inhabited this rugged region, southeast of the Dead Sea.  But by employing a crafty combination of intermarriage and warfare, neutralizing the natives from within while overwhelming them from without, Esav succeeded in quickly displacing them thereby securing the land for his own descendents.   

 

     Ya'acov, however, is keenly aware that his approach to Canaan is also his confrontation with the demons of the past.  It will not be possible to enter the land stealthily, and sooner or later a meeting and perhaps a confrontation with his twin brother is inevitable.  Does his brother still harbor lethal resentment towards him for having wrested the birthright and the patriarchal blessing from their aged and blind father Yitzchak?  Sending messengers ahead to ascertain Esav's intentions, he is alarmed by their report that Esav is approaching with a group of four hundred fighting men.  Adopting a multi-pronged approach ever since employed by his own exilic descendents when confronted with an overwhelming external threat, Ya'acov responds to the news by dividing his own camp and preparing for war, while simultaneously sending gifts to impulsive Esav in order to appease his ancient anger. Finally, the patriarch implores the God of his ancestors to save: "Rescue me now from the clutches of my brother, from the clutches of Esav, for I fear that he will smite me along with the mothers and the children." (32:12).  

 

 

YA'ACOV'S PRAYER AND ITS COMPONENTS 

 

Ya'acov's anxious prayer, hopeful yet tense, sanguine while solemn, offers us an important study in the art of standing before God and imploring His mercy.  Let us quote his impassioned words in their entirety:  Ya'acov said: the Lord of my father Avraham and my father Yitzchak, God who said to me "return to your land and to your birthplace for I will deal goodly with you!"  I do not deserve all of the kindness and all of the truth that You have done with your servant, for with my staff I traversed this Yarden and now I have become two encampments.  Rescue me now from the clutches of my brother, from the clutches of Esav, for I fear that he will smite me along with the mothers and the children.  But you had said, "I will surely bring goodness upon you, and I will multiply your descendents as numerous as the sand of the sea that cannot be counted." (Bereishit 32:10-13). 

 

     Structurally, the prayer employs a bracketing effect, for the Divine pledges of protection, restoration and innumerable descendents ("God who said to me 'return to your land and to your birthplace for I will deal goodly with you!'"; "But you had said 'I will surely bring goodness upon you, and I will multiply your descendents as numerous as the sand of the sea that cannot be counted.'") neatly frame the core element of a plea for salvation ("Rescue me now from the clutches of my brother, from the clutches of Esav, for I fear that he will smite me along with the mothers and the children").  But that plea for salvation is appended to a statement of gratitude, for Ya'acov first recalls all of the kindness that God has bestowed upon him already ("I do not deserve all of the kindness and all of the truth that You have done with your servant, for with my staff I traversed this Yarden and now I have become two encampments").  Empty-handed he had left Be'er Sheva to journey to Charan, bearing only his staff in his hand, while now he returns with a great household of wives, children, servants, flocks, livestock and camels that are too large to be effectively defended as a single camp.    

 

 

A LATER PARALLEL 

 

     In essence, then, considering the matter with the hindsight afforded by the centuries, what lies in Ya'acov's poignant petition is the muse for the institution of formal prayer, the liturgy that begin to develop some 1200 years later when the people of Israel returned from Babylonian exile!  At that time, according to tradition, the gifted Ezra the Scribe gathered around himself a cohort of sincere and ambitious scholars and leaders, the so-called Men of the great Assembly ("Anshei Knesset HaGedola"), who enacted a number of important practices to nurture the nascent community that gathered around the ruins of Jerusalem under the aegis of the Persian kings.  One of the most important of these enactments was the proto-service of the Shemoneh Esrei, the "Eighteen Benedictions" that achieved more pronounced form in the aftermath of the destruction of the Second Temple (see Talmud Bavli Tractate Megilla 17b-18a) and later became the standard for Jewish worship until this very day.  Tradition asserts that the Shemoneh Esrei is structurally divided into these same three basic elements: an opening series of three blessings of "praise," a middle section of twelve (later thirteen) blessings of "petition," and a concluding three blessings of "gratitude."  

 

     Thus, Ya'acov's prayer preserves this tripartite division, albeit with the critical elements arranged in a slightly different order.  Additionally, we also note that Ya'acov's prayer opens with a reference to the God of his father Avraham and his father Yitzchak, the One who pledged to "deal kindly with him."  This is obviously the source for the opening sequence of the Shemoneh Esrei as well: "Blessed are you God, our Lord and the Lord of our ancestors, the Lord of Avraham, the Lord of Yitzchak and the Lord of Ya'acov.He who bestows merciful kindnesses."  As Seforno (15th century, Italy) perceptively remarks on our passage: 

 

Ya'acov said: the Lord of my father Avraham and my father Yitzchak - Ya'acov first made mention of God's praise and His acts of kindness, in the context of recalling the merit of his own ancestors.  This was the order adopted by the Men of the Great Assembly at the beginning of the Shemoneh Esrei (commentary to 32:10). 

 

     Of course, we must bear in mind that Ya'acov's prayer was the intensely personal and spontaneous prayer of a man in distress, rather than the ordered and regular communal services that currently are the hallmark of the Shemoneh Esrei.  Nevertheless, it is striking indeed to discover that the leaders of Second Temple Jewry, as far removed in time, place and circumstance from Ya'acov as could seemingly be imagined, looked to his prayer for their inspiration.  

 

 

RESOLVING THE RAMBAM 

 

     If our analysis is correct, that Ya'acov's prayer follows a discrete structural division into elements of praise, petition and gratitude, we have surely found the source for a puzzling remark of the Rambam (12th century, Egypt).  In his discussion of the origins of prayer, preserved in his monumental Mishneh Torah, the Rambam correctly asserts that before the innovations of Ezra and his court, prayer was an exclusively individual matter.   People prayed when sudden adversity urged them or else when the desire for communion struck them, but at a time and with words that were both entirely of their own choosing: 

 

It is a positive command to pray daily, as the verse states: "serve Him with your whole heart".the number of prayers is not dictated by the Torah nor is its liturgy, not does prayer have a set time according to Torah law. Rather, the obligation of this command is thus: a person must plea and pray daily, expressing praise of the Holy One blessed be He, and afterwards asking for his needs with request and plea, and afterwards offering praise and gratitude to God for the goodness that He bestowed, each one in accordance with his abilities.  If one was eloquent, then he would pour out his petition and request; if one was reticent, then he would express himself in accordance with his abilities, at any time of his choosing.  Similarly, the number of daily prayers was also entirely personal.  Some would pray once a day while others would offer multiple prayers.this was always the practice from the days of Moshe until Ezra.(Mishneh Torah, Laws of Tefilla, 1:1-3). 

 

     What is unsolved in the Rambam's formulation, however, is his assertion that the prayer required by Torah law (in contrast to the formal liturgy promulgated by Ezra) must incorporate praise, expression of needs and gratitude, the fundamental three elements that much later form the backbone of the Shemoneh Esrei.  As the medieval commentary Lechem Mishneh remarks:  

 

…one must ponder how our master (Rambam) knows that this is Torah requirement!  The author of the Kiryat Sefer also wrote: I know not the source of this statement, and it is baffling to me! (commentary to 1:2). 

 

     The source, of course, is the patriarchal prayer of Ya'acov, his spontaneous, personal and plaintive plea to be spared from the wrath of his brother Esav.  For the Rambam, Ya'acov's prayer constituted the model for Torah-mandated devotion, and therefore, while liturgy, timing and frequency were entirely Rabbinic innovations from a later age, the core ideas of praise, petition and gratitude were understood by him to have been prayer's defining mechanism from time immemorial.   

 

 

THE RESTORATION OF YA'ACOV AND THE RETURN FROM BABYLON 

 

     There may, of course, be more than a fanciful link between Ya'acov's prayer and Ezra's Shemoneh Esrei as implied by Seforno's interpretation.  To put the matter differently, why should Ezra and his court have looked to Ya'acov's prayer as their inspiration, more than, say, to one of David's innumerable petitions preserved in Sefer Tehillim, or to the outpouring and subsequent thanksgiving of Channa preserved in Sefer Shemuel (1:1:11; 2:1-10), or to Solomon's dedicatory prayer preserved in Sefer Melakhim (1:8:12-61) or to the innumerable other possible models scattered throughout the Hebrew Bible?  To be sure, many of these other citations were incorporated into the formal prayer service either as literary devices, or else as exemplars for sincere devotion and proper comportment, but it is Ya'acov's prayer that appears to have defined the parameters more than the rest. 

 

     Perhaps the answer lies in recalling the broader context of his outcry.  Some twenty years beforehand, Ya'acov had fled eastwards towards Mesopotamia, effectively exiled by his brother's wrath and fearful of never returning.  How uncertain the future seemed, how full of menacing shadows lurking over the horizon!  In the house of Lavan, though Ya'acov had been initially warmly welcomed, it soon became apparent that his "refugee status" would be exploited by his host to Ya'acov's disadvantage.  As a rootless stranger from far off, Ya'acov could only clench his teeth and accept the terms of his vulnerability, all the while dreaming of one day being restored to Canaan, just as God had promised.  Though he managed to establish his family and even to amass great wealth, Ya'acov always recognized that his sojourn was temporary and that eventually he would return.  Finally forced to flee once again, this time from the wrath of Lavan, Ya'acov set his sights westwards, pleasant memories of Canaan and his former home flooding his mind.  Though Lavan threatened him enroute with overwhelming force, God again intervened and the former agreed to an uneasy detente.   

 

     But returning to Canaan carried its own perils, for waiting in ambush was his vengeful brother Esav, still fuming over his exclusion from the patriarchal blessings and from the unique privilege afforded by the status of the firstborn.  Did Ya'acov now come to claim Canaan as well, finally driving away Esav from everything that was precious?  As he approached the land and his destiny, Ya'acov offered prayer, heartfelt pleas for Divine protection and for the complete fulfillment of the pledge.  Though "undeserving," Ya'acov asked for compassion, for God to answer him for the sake of His promise.  And God responded. Finally confronting his brother, Ya'acov's heart began to pound, but Esav would not (could not?) harm him.  The two parted amicably and Ya'acov finally continued home.  

 

 

STRIKING BROAD PARALLELS 

 

     Who could not fail to see, in the saga of Ya'acov's expulsion and return, the essence of the story of the Babylonian exile?  Had the Jews of Judea, in the aftermath of the First Temple's destruction, also not been forced to wander eastwards to their ancient source "between the rivers"?  Hadn't they also suffered the ignominy of refugee status, laboring mightily to rebuild their lives while subjected to the whims of their capricious hosts?  Hadn't at least some of them dreamed of one day returning home, though admittedly only with the permission of the self-serving Persian kings?  And didn't hostility await them around Jerusalem's ruins, supposed Chorite, Amonite and Arab "brothers" who had claimed the land in their absence and now regarded themselves as Canaan's rightful inhabitants and as God's chosen ones (see Ezra Chapter 4; Nechemia Chapter 2)? 

 

     As the hapless Jews traveled westwards, elated over their "redemption" but apprehensive over their future, they no doubt turned (as Jews always have) to the Book of Books for guidance.  Anxiously, they searched its ancient verses, seeking to find solace and inspiration, encouragement and hope.  And they were not disappointed, for preserved within its ancient narratives was a saga that was utterly familiar to them: the story of Ya'acov and his restoration. Confidently, they marched forward, a pathetic train of horses, camels, donkeys and men, a mere remnant of Judea's former glory and a small percentage of Babylon's diaspora, but supremely confident nonetheless. God would protect them, God would restore them, surely God would fulfill His ancient pledge to their patriarch: "I will surely bring goodness upon you, and I will multiply your descendents as numerous as the sand of the sea that cannot be counted."  And He did.   

 

     After great struggle, external adversity and internal apathy were overcome, ruins and rubble were restored, and the Temple was rebuilt.  Later, Ezra arrived and, ably assisted by many others, he initiated an era of religious and political stability, laying the foundations for the Second Commonwealth.  Having decided that prayer could no longer be the preserve of the individual but had to also strengthen the community of Israel and its faith, he and his court began the process of formalizing the service.  Finally ready to compose a liturgy that would simultaneously address the individual's needs while yet bringing together the people of Israel as a faith community, Ezra and his court drafted the Shemoneh Esrei, WHILE BEFORE THEM WAS THE ONLY EXTANT PATRIARCHAL PRAYER THAT WAS ALSO A PERFECT REFLECTION OF THE STORY OF THEIR OWN REDEMPTION!  And so it was that the structure of the Shemoneh Esrei, its opening formula and its heartfelt plea for Divine assistance, was modeled after the words of Ya'acov, who had sung God's praises, implored His mercy and thanked Him for His kindnesses some 1200 years earlier.   

 

     It must therefore be more than serendipity that draws together the elements of the following Talmudic passage, from Tractate Berakhot 4a: 

 

Rabbi Ya'acov bar Idi contrasted the following verses: (God promised Ya'acov that he would protect him, as it states) "Behold I am with you and I will protect you wherever you go" (Bereishit 28:15).  (Yet, Ya'acov was later afraid as) the verse states: "Ya'acov was sorely afraid" (Bereishit 32:8).  Rather, he feared that perhaps his iniquities in the interim had caused him to forfeit that protection.  This is as we learned elsewhere: "Until your people traverse, God, until this people whom You have acquired pass over" (Shemot 15:16).  From here the Sages derive that Israel should have been worthy of Divine miracles (when they returned from exile) with Ezra, just as they experienced during the days of Yehoshua bin Nun (when they entered the land of Canaan for the first time).  But their iniquities caused them to forfeit those miracles (and they could only return with the permission of Cyrus - Rashi ad loc).   

 

May God bestow His protection upon us and restore our fortunes as He pledged. 

 

Shabbat Shalom