B"H

Parshas Vayishlach  (Genesis 32:4-36:43)
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Israel or Yisroel?
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by Yitzhak Kolakowski
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Our sages say concerning the book of Genesis, "Maaseh Avos siman l'banim",
"The actions of the Patriarchs is a sign for the children."  In other words,
the things that happened to the Patriarchs is a form of prophecy, an
indication for what will happen to the Jewish people as a nation.

Last week's parshah, concerning Jacob's sojourn with Laban, was the story
of the Galus (exile) of the Jewish people.  This week's parshah is the
parsha of the events leading upto and including the Geulah (redemption).
The parsha discusses "Hevlei Moshiach", the "Ikvasa d'Meshicha", and
the "Aschalta d'Geulah".

First, Jacob sends his family over the waters of the Jabbok but stays behind.
This is like the Jews who went over the Atlantic to America, and Jacob is 
like those who remained in Europe.  Jacob was attacked by the guardian angel of Esau,
the satan, who fought with him during the dark night.  Satan attacked the
children of Jacob who remained behind in Europe, too.  The satan, Hitler (y"s),
saw he "could not prevail against" Jacob, (as we are still here and he
wanted to destroy us entirely), although we still are left in pain (as Jacob was
limping) from the attack.  After the Night was over, Jacob asked the Edomite angel
(also representing the entire gentile world) to bless him.  The angel said that
he was changing Jacob's name to Israel.  Compare this to the U.N. (the satan)
creating the secular State of Israel in a sense out of the ashes of Europe.
Indeed, the image of the Jew in exile (Jacob/heel) is much different from that 
of Israel.  Jacob's asking what the angel's name is the question of why
the Holocaust happened, perhaps both are not for us to know.

However, throughout the next chapter, Jacob is still Jacob.  He is not yet
truly Yisroel.  He humbles himself before the gentile, giving him gifts, etc.
He is still the "heel".  However, he is not, G-d forbid, stupid.  He is
wise enough to know that he and Esau must go their separate ways if he is ever
to truly become Yisroel.  Then, Jacob went to Succoth, a temporary shelter, 
perhaps as we are temporarily sheltered in America.  Then he went on to Shalem,
buying land legally and building an altar there.  The altars the
Patriarchs built generally were not made for bringing offerings, but rather
were like yeshivoth, places where the Patriarchs would give lectures.  Indeed,
we are complete (Shalem) when we are in a yeshivah, which is indeed an altar to the
Mighty G-d of Israel.

Immediately after this, we see the story of Dinah being attacked and taken by Shechem.
This is the period we are in today.  Sins in this area, concerning violating
the holy covenant, (i.e. sexual sins) are rampant in this generation, even among
the best of us (i.e. the tzadekess Dinah).  This is because we are living in the
time just before the Messiah, and in Caballah the attribute of "Yesod/Foundation" 
(which is related to this area) comes directly before "Malchus/Royalty" 
(i.e. the King Moshiach).  Thus, as is well known, before Moshiach the world 
is tested with great tests concerning the covenant.  (It is also interesting that Clinton's
party have the Hamor - Donkey - as their mascot, and Hamor is the name of Shechem's father.)

Now, we see that we are in the time just before the Messiah, just before the greatest
time in history.  How do we make the transition from "just before Moshiach"
to Moshiach?  In the parsha, we see the zealotry of Simeon and Levi.
They slew all of the men of Shechem in revenge for treating their sister
as a harlot, and for failing to keep the Noahide law of justice.  Jacob was aprehensive
about this, not for their action (which was a huge mitzvah) but rather out of fear
for what the heathens would think of them.  In the end, Simeon and Levi have the
last word, a powerful fact.  Right after this act of zealotry, G-d calls Jacob and tells him
that it is time to cleanse his family of iniquity and go back home.  Then Jacob builds
a new altar, and tells him that only now is G-d officially changing his name
from Yaakov to Yisroel.  The "siman l'banim" is obvious.  We must be zealous
in this difficult area where we are being tested, fighting against the strong yetzer
hara in this area which is the root of our problems and the root of our
solutions.  If we are zealous, keeping the Torah's laws between boys and girls,
(as incredibly challenging it is), emulating the zealotry of Simeon and Levi no matter
what the heathens (whether the real external ones or the internal yetzer hara) say, 
we will all go home and rebuild the Temple. We will stop being merely Israel in the
eyes of the world and truely become Yisroel by the word of HaShem.

"And saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mountain of Esau; and
the Kingdom shall be the L-rd's"  (Obadiah 1:21)

May we all (myself included) have the strength to be truly zealous in guarding
the foundations of our eternity and holiness, thus bringing the words of our
Haftarah to realization.

Gut Shabbos