Parshas Vayishlach - Angels in the Outfield

Parshas Vayishlach

Angels in the Outfield

By: Daniel Listhaus

וַיִּשְׁלַח יַעֲקֹב מַלְאָכִים לְפָנָיו אֶל עֵשָׂו אָחִיו אַרְצָה שֵׂעִיר שְׂדֵה אֱדוֹם: וַיְצַו אֹתָם לֵאמֹר כֹּה תֹאמְרוּן לַאדֹנִי לְעֵשָׂו כֹּה אָמַר עַבְדְּךָ יַעֲקֹב עִם לָבָן גַּרְתִּי וָאֵחַר עַד עָתָּה: וַיְהִי לִי שׁוֹר וַחֲמוֹר צֹאן וְעֶבֶד וְשִׁפְחָה וָאֶשְׁלְחָה לְהַגִּיד לַאדֹנִי לִמְצֹא חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ

“And Yaakov sent malachim before him to Eisav his brother to the land of Seir, the field of Edom. He charged them saying, “Thus shall you say, 'To My lord, to Eisav, so said your servant Yaakov: I have sojourned with Lavan and have lingered until now. I have acquired ox and donkey, flock, and servant, and maidservant and I am sending to tell my lord to find favor in your eyes.'”

-Vayishlach 32:4-6

The Torah¹ describes that after Yaakov left Lavan's house, he sent malachim ahead of him to try to determine what Eisav's feelings were toward him. Although the word malachim could mean either messengers or angels, Rashi² explains the passuk (verse) to mean that Yaakov sent actual angels for the task.

How could we begin to understand the fact that Yaakov felt comfortable sending angels to take care of his personal errands when he could have just as easily sent a person to do the job? Malachim are creatures of one-hundred percent ruchniyus (spirituality). How could Yaakov give commandments to such lofty beings?

A few passukim later, the Torah³ relates that after going back and forth over the Yabok River to ferry his entire family across, Yaakov realized he left a few small worthless jugs behind. When he went back to retrieve them, the Torah⁴ relates the fight that took place between Yaakov and the ministering angel of Eisav. After a night of fighting, Yaakov pinned the malach down and would not let go. The malach hurt Yaakov by striking and dislocating his thighbone, but to no avail – the malach was still unable to escape. The malach told Yaakov to let him go, but Yaakov refused until the malach of Eisav would admit that Yaakov was the rightful receiver of the brachos from Yitzchak.

The S'forno⁵ is bothered by the obvious question on this story. How is it possible that Yaakov had the upper hand in a fight against a malach of Hashem? A malach is a purely spiritual being and Yaakov, as great as he was, was only a man. The S'forno says, based on a Gemara⁶, one line: Tzadikkim are greater than malachim.

This S'forno and Gemara are truly unbelievable. With this approach that tzadikkim are greater than malachim, we could understand why Yaakov had the authority to send the malachim as well as explain how he was able to defeat the malach of Eisav. However, why is this true that tzadikkim are greater than malachim? In no way could we downplay the level of a malach. After all, malachim represent single, direct commandments of Hashem. This is something that is clear throughout chumash⁷ as well as from the conversation that took place between Yaakov and the malach of Eisav in this week's parsha. Yaakov asked the malach, “Tell me please, what is your name?” The malach responded, “Why is it that you ask my name?” Rashi⁸ explains that the malach was telling Yaakov, “We have no fixed name. Our names change according to the task of the mission upon which we are sent [from Hashem].” Malachim are pure expressions of Hashem's will. So still, how could we understand that tzadikkim are greater than malachim?

The mishna⁹ states, “He [Rabban Gamliel] used to say: Treat His [Hashem's] will as if it were your own will. So that he should treat your will as if it were His will.” What does this mean? Is it a one-for-one game of 'I scratch your back and you scratch mine'? Are we simply supposed to do something Hashem wants in order to be rewarded in turn by Him doing something that we desire?

Rabbeinu Yonah¹⁰ explains that our job is to literally adopt Hashem's ratzon (will) as our own. We must strive to achieve a level where everything we do, say, think, and want is precisely what Hashem's will is. The mishna is not teaching us how to negotiate deals with Hashem to get what we want, rather is giving a directive to synchronize our ratzon with Hashem's.

Later on in the parsha, the Torah¹¹ testifies. “He [Yaakov] set up a mizbeach (alter) there and he called to it “G-d is the G-d of Yisroel”. The Gemara¹² says that based on the grammatical construction of the passuk, it seems that the passuk is actually trying to convey the following message: Yaakov set up a mizbeach there. And He – the G-d of Yisroel - called to him [Yaakov] 'G-d'. This too is astounding. How could it be that man be called G-d? There is only one G-d and He alone is the creator and controller of the world. However, even with knowing this as a basic principle of our emunah (faith), we must also consider the fact that man was created b'tzelem Elokim and therefore indeed, contained within man is the potential to maximize his one's koach ha'bechirah (power of free-will) to the extent that one has the ability to achieve extremely high levels of G-dliness.

Many people underestimate chashivus ha'adom. Even those who actually appreciate that man is an incredible being with tremendous potential, still mistakenly rank mankind as somewhere between animal and malach. However, the truth is exactly the opposite. Man is not situated between animal and malach. Rather, man is located on the bookends of the spectrum. On the one hand, man has the ability to choose to do evil and exist on a level lower than the lowest creatures. On the other hand, man has the ability to choose to do good and follow the derech HaTorah and ultimately become even greater than malachim. This is because even though malachim are pure expressions of Hashem's will, they are strictly defined and remain at a status that is in the outfield. People however, have the ability to become so close to Hashem through using one's bechirah to align one's ratzon to Hashem's. Such an individual is even fitting to have his own malachim do certain tasks for him.¹³ After all, carrying out the will of a person who is completely engrossed in avodas Hashem is comparable to carrying out the will of Hashem Himself.

May Hashem help us discover our ability to be in the infield, close to Hashem, and guide us in using our koach ha'bechirah correctly to achieve this goal.

1Beraishis 32:4

2Ibid. Rashi obviously did not arbitrarily choose this meaning over the other, rather he saw an implication from the passuk to learn this way. (See Sifsei Chachomim there)

3Beraishis 32:24 and see Rashi there

4Beraishis 32:25

5Beraishis 32:27

6Sanhedrin 93a. See Maharsha there who writes that in Tanach we see that man is referred to as an “Elokim” (G-d) whereas malachim are only referred to “bar Elokim” (offspring/an extension of G-d).

7For example see Beraishis 18:2 and Rashi there.

8Beraishis 32:30

9Avos 2:4

10Ibid.

11Beraishis 33:20

12Megillah 18a. Rashi (33:20) brings this in his second explanation but the Gemara explains it with more detail.

13See Pirkei Avos 4:13 which states that every time a person does a mitzva, he is koneh (acquires/gains) a single malach advocate.
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