46 | DECEMBER 12 • 2019 

Spirit
torah portion

D

id you know that 
the first Torah 
scholar mentioned 
in the Torah was also the 
first wrestler recorded in 
history? 
Yes, it’
s true. Our 
patriarch Jacob, 
whom the verse 
(Genesis 25, 27) 
describes as “an 
innocent man, dwell-
ing in tents” [of 
Torah study, Rashi] is 
the very same fellow 
who, in this week’
s 
portion, wrestles 
with a man, who the 
Midrash tells us is the 
guardian angel of his 
twin brother, Esau.
Because with us 
Jews nothing is sim-
ple or can be under-
stood only in the literal 
sense, their fight was a man-
ifestation of a deeper quar-
rel between holiness and the 
forces of unholiness. After 
the showdown of the decade 
with the pomp and drama 
to the tune of 400 armed 
soldiers and elaborate gift- 
giving ceremonies and after 
which Jacob thought he 
was through with worrying 
about Esau, here comes his 
angel to attempt one final 
blow.
The result? Let’
s look 
at the word used in our 
parshah for “wrestling”: 
The Hebrew word here 
is avak. The more common 
understanding of the 
word avak is dust. The 
Talmud (Chulin 91a) tells us 
the fight was so intense, that 
the dust around them rose 
up until it reached God’
s 
throne of glory.
What does that mean?
First, let’
s introduce 
a third meaning for the 
word avak, a torch (avukah, 

a torch made up of many 
wicks braided together.) 
Similarly, when two people 
wrestle with each other, it is 
as if they are hugging each 
other and interlocked with 
one another, just like a 
torch.
Jacob didn’
t fight 
with the angel from a 
distance by aiming an 
arrow at him. He got 
close. That tells us that 
Jacob wanted to sur-
round Esau’
s angel with 
his holiness. When 
Jacob emerges victo-
rious, he doesn’
t just 
eliminate the unholy 
angel. He’
s able to ele-
vate even the lowliest 
parts of that angel, as 
the Talmud says that 
“the dust under his 
feet, was elevated to the 
throne of glory.”
The lesson for us, Jacob’
s 
descendants, is simple. 
When we deal with the 
dark side of materialism, we 
ought to grab the opportu-
nity to wrestle with it, not 
just to beat it. When we get 
a chance to take what the 
world offers and use it the 
way Jacob would want us to 
use it, we can elevate even 
an Esau to God.
May we merit to reveal 
the light hidden within the 
darkness of the world, just 
as Jacob did. As the verse 
concludes: Jacob wrestled 
“until the rising of the 
morning star.” Our sages 
explain that this will be 
fully realized at the time 
of ultimate brightness, in 
the era of our redemption, 
may it come speedily in our 
time. 

Rabbi Bentzion Geisinsky lives in 
Bloomfield Hills, where he co-
directs Chabad of Bingham Farms 
with his wife, Moussia.

Parshat 

Vayishlach: 

Genesis 

32:4-36:43; 

Obadiah

1:1-21.

Rabbi 
Bentzion 
Geisinsky

Wrestle Like A Jew

Jacob
is living safely in his 
own home.
OLDER ADUL
TS
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Kyle
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and anxiety.
MENT
AL HEAL
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Abby
is putting food 
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SAFETY NET
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