Spiritual Battle and Surrender Vayishlach תרל”ט 3
בפסוק ואשלחה להגיד לאדוני למצוא חן בעיניך אח”כ ג”כ למצוא חן בעיני אדוני.
“In the verse: ‘And I sent to tell my lord, to find favor in your eyes; afterward also to find favor in the eyes of my lord.’”
The Sefat Emet notes the double expression of ‘finding favor,’ signaling a deeper intention behind Jacob’s message to Esau.
ומסתמא אמר אמת.
“And surely he spoke truth.”
Jacob’s words to Esau were sincere, not strategic flattery.
אכן נראה שרצה להמשיך את עשו ג”כ כמ”ש הגדה לשון המשכה כגידין.
“But it appears that he wished to draw Esau as well, for ‘telling’ implies drawing forth, like sinews.”
Jacob hoped not merely to inform Esau but to draw him spiritually toward holiness.
ובודאי עשו לא הי’ יכול להיות כיעקב.
“Certainly Esau could not become like Jacob.”
The brothers’ spiritual natures were fundamentally different.
אך אם הי’ דרכו של יעקב טוב בעיניו והיה מבטל עצמו אליו. הי’ לו ג”כ תיקון.
“But if Jacob’s way had been good in his eyes, and he had nullified himself to him, he too would have had repair.”
Esau had the possibility of spiritual rectification—if he aligned himself with Jacob’s path.
וזה עצמו ענין לדורון שפי’ רש”י.
“And this itself is the meaning of the gift, as Rashi explains.”
The gift Jacob prepared was part of this attempt to soften and draw Esau toward goodness.
וצריך כ”א להכין עצמו נגד היצה”ר באלה ג’ דרכים ללחום ולא להניחו לשלוט עליו ח”ו.
“And each person must prepare himself against the evil inclination with these three methods, to fight and not allow it to rule over him, God forbid.”
The encounter with Esau symbolizes the inner struggle with the evil inclination, requiring a threefold strategy.
ועכ”ז לא יסמוך על עצמו רק לבקש רחמים ותחנונים לפני הבורא ית’ להצילו מיצה”ר ותחבולותיו כמ”ש אם אין הקב”ה עוזרו לא יכול לו.
“Yet one must not rely on himself, but must ask mercy and supplication before the Blessed Creator to save him from the evil inclination and its schemes, as it is said: If the Holy One does not help him, he cannot overcome it.”
Human effort is necessary but insufficient; divine assistance is essential in the spiritual struggle.
וגם לדורון פי’ לעורר רחמנות גם על תאוות רעות למה יהי’ נמצא בעולם דברים שקרים ונפרדים מן השורש הלא הכל שלו והכל מעשי ידיו של הבורא ית’ והכל לכבודו ברא.
“And the ‘gift’ also means to arouse compassion even for harmful desires—why should false and rootless things exist in the world? For all is His, all is the work of the Creator’s hands, and all was created for His glory.”
The Sefat Emet extends the idea of the gift: one should feel compassion for even destructive impulses, seeking their rectification because they, too, originate from God.
לכן צריך כל אחד לבקש לתיקון הכולל לבד תיקון עצמותו ולתקן ג”כ היצה”ר ולהכניע כל הסט”א וזהו לדורון:
“Therefore each person must ask for the universal repair, aside from his own repair, and must also repair the evil inclination and subdue all the forces of impurity—and this is the meaning of the gift.”
The final meaning of Jacob’s ‘gift’ is a spiritual offering—an effort to uplift even the darker aspects of the world toward their divine source.
Summary: The Sefat Emet reads Jacob’s gestures toward Esau as attempts to draw him toward spiritual repair, which parallels our own battle with the evil inclination through effort, prayer, and compassion aimed at transforming even negative forces.
