בס”ד
A THOUGHT ABOUT PARSHAT VAYESHEV 5785
| And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan. | א וַיֵּשֶׁב יַעֲקֹב, בְּאֶרֶץ מְגוּרֵי אָבִיו–בְּאֶרֶץ, כְּנָעַן. |
The previous Parsha concluded with the account of Esau (also known as Edom, see Zohar III, 232b) and his descendants. Esau married Canaanite women and settled in Seir, the land of his possessions. This stands in stark contrast to Jacob, who chose to dwell in the land of his forefathers, as a stranger, because he could not yet settle there. This fulfills the promise made to Abraham in Genesis 15:13:
| 13 And He said unto Abram: ‘Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; | יג וַיֹּאמֶר לְאַבְרָם, יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע כִּי-גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם, וַעֲבָדוּם, וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם–אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת, שָׁנָה. |
This promise clearly applies to Jacob and his descendants, not Esau. As Ramban explains on Genesis 37:1 the promises made to Abraham—including the mission to bring the nations closer to G-d—were passed on to Jacob.
The words MeGuRei Aviv (“the sojournings of his father”) can also be read as MeGiyuRei Aviv (“the places where his father made converts”1). This emphasizes Jacob’s mission to bring the nations closer to G-d, just as Abraham did.
The Challenge of Esau’s Strength
Esau grew into a powerful nation. As described in Genesis 36:15:
| 15 These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the first-born of Esau: the chief of Teman, the chief of Omar, the chief of Zepho, the chief of Kenaz,… | טו אֵלֶּה, אַלּוּפֵי בְנֵי-עֵשָׂו: בְּנֵי אֱלִיפַז, בְּכוֹר עֵשָׂו–אַלּוּף תֵּימָן אַלּוּף אוֹמָר, אַלּוּף צְפוֹ אַלּוּף קְנַז. |
The phrase Alufei bnei Esav (“chieftains of the sons of Esau”) can also be read as Alafim (“thousands”). This suggests the vastness of Esau’s descendants. Additionally, the word Aluf also means “learned one,” indicating that Esau’s leaders were not just numerous but also influential. According to Likutei Halachot (VIII, p. 212a-212b), these leaders sought to divert the Jewish people from their faith and mission.
The Answer: Joseph
The answer is immediately given in
| 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren, being still a lad even with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought evil report of them unto their father. | ב אֵלֶּה תֹּלְדוֹת יַעֲקֹב, יוֹסֵף בֶּן-שְׁבַע-עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה הָיָה רֹעֶה אֶת-אֶחָיו בַּצֹּאן, וְהוּא נַעַר אֶת-בְּנֵי בִלְהָה וְאֶת-בְּנֵי זִלְפָּה, נְשֵׁי אָבִיו; וַיָּבֵא יוֹסֵף אֶת-דִּבָּתָם רָעָה, אֶל-אֲבִיהֶם |
Joseph is named first among Jacob’s descendants, even before Reuben, the firstborn. According to Rashi on Genesis 37:1 Joseph represents the answer to Jacob’s concerns.
Rashi’s Parable
Rashi illustrates this with a parable:
“A flax dealer’s camels once entered a city, loaded with flax. A blacksmith wondered, ‘Where will all this flax be stored?’ A clever man answered, ‘One spark from your bellows can burn it all up.’
Esau represents the flax: vast and imposing, yet vulnerable. Joseph is the spark capable of destroying it all. This is further elaborated in Obadiah 1:18
| 18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the L-RD hath spoken. | יח וְהָיָה בֵית-יַעֲקֹב אֵשׁ וּבֵית יוֹסֵף לֶהָבָה, וּבֵית עֵשָׂו לְקַשׁ, וְדָלְקוּ בָהֶם, וַאֲכָלוּם; וְלֹא-יִהְיֶה שָׂרִיד לְבֵית עֵשָׂו, כִּי ד’ דִּבֵּר. |
Jacob is likened to a fire, symbolizing the truth of the Torah, while Joseph is the flame that spreads and strengthens this truth.
The Role of Messiah ben Joseph and Messiah ben David
The “fire” of Jacob can symbolically be seen as the truth of the Torah. However, it is only with the “flame” of Joseph—a strong foundation and trust (emunah)—that the fire can spread. Through education and faith, this flame touches the fuel (Edom) and burns it, resulting in the ultimate redemption from Esau’s influence Rashi on Genesis 37:1
The Gemara Bava Batra, 123b further illustrates that throughout the history of the Jewish people, on every occasion when they overcame Esau’s descendants (including Amalek) in battle, it was achieved only with the help of Joseph’s descendants.
It is therefore significant that Messiah ben Yosef (a messianic figure descending patrilineally from the Tribe of Joseph) will play a crucial role in bringing others closer to G-d (Rebbe Nachman’s Torah, Berkowitz Edition, p. 274). This Messiah will destroy the enemies of the Jewish people and pave the way for Messiah ben David (descended from the Tribe of David) to end the Jewish exile and build the Third Temple.
A Lesson for our lives
Like Jacob and Joseph, we are tasked with living a Torah-based life and sharing its values with those around us. In doing so, we face challenges: external opposition and inner struggles with the yetzer hara (evil inclination). To overcome these challenges, we must build a strong foundation in the Torah and place our complete trust (emunah) in G-d, as Joseph did. With this fire (Torah) and flame (trust and emunah), we can overcome any obstacle and fulfill our mission2 to teach others and bring them closer to Hashem through His Torah.
By Angelique Sijbolts
With thanks to Rabbi Tani Burton for his feedback
Sources
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- At this time, Judaism as we know it today did not yet exist. It emerged after Sinai. Therefore, the converts mentioned refer to non-Jews who acknowledged the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as their G-d and began to live according to the 7 Noahide Laws, which had already been given. After all, the 613 commandments were given by G-d later at Sinai ↩︎
- See also the blog : PROMOTING THE 7 LAWS OF NOAH: IS IT A REQUIREMENT FOR NOAHIDES?
and BNEI NOACH AND OUTREACH ↩︎
