02 Dec VAYISHLAH- THE BEST INSURANCE POLICY

The Torah in Parashat
Vayishlah tells the
famous story of the
mysterious man who
attacked Yaakob Abinu
as he was making
his way back to Eretz Yisrael from Haran.
Yaakob and his assailant wrestled throughout
the night, with Yaakob ultimately emerging
victorious, though with an injury to his thigh
which made him limp.
The Rabbis teach us that this assailant was
actually not a man, but an angel. Specifically,
it was Satan, who came to attempt to block
Yaakob Abinu, to prevent him from continuing
his journey and the process of building Am
Yisrael.
The question arises, though, why did Satan
attack only Yaakob? Why did he not try to
obstruct the path of Abraham or Yishak?
These three patriarchs built the foundations
of Am Yisrael – and yet, for some reason,
Satan waited until the emergence of the third
patriarch, Yaakob, to launch his assault and
try to prevent the rise of Hashem’s special
nation. Why?
Rav Elhanan Wasserman (1874-1941)
answered this question by taking a closer look
at the unique characteristics embodied by
Abraham, Yishak and Yaakob.
Abraham, of course, embodied the attribute
of Hesed, kindness, extending himself
generously and selflessly for the sake of

others. Even after undergoing the painful
procedure of Berit Mila at an advanced age,
he sat outside hoping to find weary travelers
in need of hospitality whom he could invite
and help.
Yishak is associated with the quality of
“Aboda,” serving G-d through sacrifice and
prayer. This quality is best exemplified by his
having been placed on an altar as a sacrifice
to Hashem. He embodied the devoted service
of Hashem, which nowadays, in the absence
of the Bet Ha’mikdash, is done primarily
through prayer.
Finally, Yaakob represents the value of
intensive Torah study. He is described as a
“dweller of tents” (Bereshit 25:27), referring
to the halls of Torah learning. And even when
he was forced to leave because of Esav’s
threat to kill him, he first went to the yeshiva
of Eber, where he spent fourteen years
diligently learning, without even taking time
to sleep (Rashi, Bereshit 28:11).
Rav Elhanan explained that whereas all three
qualities are vitally important components of
Jewish life, it is the third of these qualities
that guarantees our survival as a nation. A
Jew must, of course, act with kindness, but
this attribute is not unique to our nation. Other
nations also recognize the great value of
Hesed, and many non-Jews are wonderfully
kind and generous. In fact, we are privileged
to live in a country that guarantees the rights of
all its citizens, and even has welfare systems

in place to help the underprivileged. Clearly,
Hesed is not a strictly Jewish value.
The same is true of “Aboda.” Followers
of all religions pray, and perform rituals
in the service of their deity. And there are,
unfortunately, many Jews who pray to
Hashem, but without accepting the core
beliefs of Judaism, or living a Torah lifestyle.
The value that sets us apart from everyone
else, and which thus ensures our continuity
and survival as a distinct nation, is Torah.
Immersing ourselves in our sacred texts,
absorbing our ancient wisdom, is what
enables us to resist the lures and pressures
that abound, to withstand the powerful
cultural influences that are all around us, and
to preserve our faith.
This is why the Satan felt threatened
specifically by Yaakob, and not by Abraham
or Yishak. He was not worried about the
Jewish People’s extraordinary devotion to
Hesed, or about our filled-to-capacity houses
of worship. Neither of these guarantee our
eternity, because other nations are also kind
and also have houses of prayer. Satan sprang
into action only when he saw Yaakob Abinu,
the bastion of Torah learning, because it is
the devotion to intensive Torah study that
ensures Am Yisrael’s survival throughout the
generations.
As mentioned, although the Satan was
unable to eliminate Yaakob, he did succeed
in crippling Yaakob, by dealing a blow to his

thigh. The Zohar
comments that the
thigh symbolizes
the supporters of
Torah. Just as the
legs hold up the body, the generous donors
who fund Torah education are the ones who
maintain the Jewish People. When the Satan
realized that it was unable to destroy Yaakob,
it dealt a debilitating blow to the thigh, to
the support of Torah. Indeed, there has never
been a shortage of Jews interested in learning
Torah, but there is often difficulty in funding
Torah learning. Parents are reluctant to
incur the significant costs of providing their
children with a Torah education, and yeshivot
and kollelim struggle to raise enough money
for their institutions to operate.
We must remember that Torah learning is
the best “insurance policy” we have for
Jewish survival. In a time when we face
unprecedented spiritual challenges, when we
are, sadly, witnessing assimilation on a mass
scale, the best way to ensure our continuity
is intensive, rigorous Torah learning. Hesed
and prayer are critically important, but not
sufficient. In order for us to withstand the
relentless attacks of today’s “Satan,” the
challenges it has put in our way, we must
make time for our own Torah learning and
also allocate the resources needed to support
our Torah institutions.