Jacob as Embodied Shabbat

במדרש ויבא יעקב שלם בשש צרות יצילך ובשבע לא יגע בך רע.

In the Midrash: “And Jacob came whole” (shalem): “In six troubles He will save you, and in the seventh no evil will touch you.”

The Midrash links Jacob’s safe arrival to a verse in Job.

והוא בחי' ששת ימי המעשה וכפי העבודה בהם כך זוכין להארת השבת שאין בו שום מגע נכרי.

This is the aspect of the six working days. According to the work done in them, one merits the light of Shabbat, in which there is no foreign touch.

The six troubles are the weekdays; the seventh is Shabbat, untouched by harm.

ובודאי בחי' יעקב אבינו מצ"ע הי' כולו שבת כמ"ש ת"ח נק' שבת.

Certainly Jacob our father in himself was entirely Shabbat, as it says that a Torah scholar is called Shabbat.

Jacob lived on the level of Shabbat at all times.

שיש בו הארה בכל יום כמו ההמון בש"ק.

He has a light every day like the ordinary people have on the holy Shabbat.

What others feel on Shabbat, a sage feels daily.

מכש"כ יעקב אע"ה אשר חכמים הגידו צורתו חקוקה תחת כסה"כ.

All the more so Jacob our father, whose image, the Sages said, is engraved under the Throne of Glory.

Jacob’s form is carved beneath God’s throne.

פי' שהוא מקיים כל הבריאה.

Meaning, he sustains all of creation.

His image holds up the world.

כמ"ש וירא אלקים כו' כל אשר עשה כו' טוב מאד.

As it is written, “And God saw all that He had made, and behold it was very good (tov me’od).”

He cites the last verse of the creation account.

אדם. שראי' זו מקיים כל הבריאה.

Me’od, “very,” has the letters of adam, man: this seeing sustains all of creation.

God’s gaze on the complete man keeps creation standing.

ומזה נעשה מנוחת שבת וגמר המלאכה.

And from this came the rest of Shabbat and the completion of the work.

Once man was complete, Shabbat could begin.

והוא אדם השלם שבעבורו נברא הכל.

He is the complete man for whose sake everything was created.

Jacob is that complete man.

לכן צורתו חקוקה. וכביכול הקב"ה משגיח בו תמיד.

Therefore his image is engraved, and, as it were, the Holy One watches over him always.

God’s eyes rest on Jacob’s image.

ובזה מקיים כל הבריאה.

Through this he sustains all creation.

And so Jacob sustains the world.

ואמרו חז"ל גדולה תשובה שמגעת עד כסה"כ.

Our Sages said: great is repentance, for it reaches the Throne of Glory.

Teshuvah reaches the same place as Jacob’s image.

ואמרו במקום שבעלי תשובה עומדין אין צדיקים גמורים יכולין לעמוד.

And they said: in the place where penitents stand, completely righteous people cannot stand.

Returning can raise one higher than never having fallen.

פי' לשוב לאותו הנקודה שעתיד להיות נצמח לטוב שהקב"ה בראו בעבור זה ובעל תשובה מעורר אותו החלק שיש לו מקודם.

Meaning, to return to that point which will one day grow into good, for which the Holy One created him; the penitent awakens the part that was his from before.

Teshuvah reawakens the original good point in a person.

אבל אין זה יכול להיות בקביעות עד שיהי' תיקון הכולל.

But this cannot be permanent until the general repair.

Until the final redemption, it does not last.

זולת לפי שעה על ידי הרהורי תשובה.

Except for a moment, through thoughts of repentance.

For now we touch it only in flashes.

אך יעקב אע"ה שהיה אדם האמת כמו שעלה לפניו ית' לכן צורתו חקוקה שם בתמידות.

But Jacob our father was the man of truth just as he arose before Him, therefore his image is engraved there permanently.

Jacob holds that level always.

אכן יעקב אבינו ע"ה רצה לתקן כל בחי' העשי'.

Yet Jacob our father wished to repair the whole realm of action.

He wanted to fix the entire world.

וכתיב ויירא ויצר מזה עצמו שראה שנמצא רשע בעולם כי רדף אחריו שהוא העובד ה' באמת צר לו מזה.

It is written, “And he was afraid, and it distressed him.” From this very thing, that he saw that there was a wicked man in the world pursuing him; he, who serves God in truth, was distressed by this.

Jacob was pained that evil existed at all.

ולכך חשב עצה להניח קצת ממדריגות גבוהות שהיו לו.

Therefore he thought of a plan to set aside some of the high levels he had,

So he lowered himself,

והשפיל עצמו בבחי' הקטנות כדי שבאופן זה אפשר יהי' תיקון גם לעשו שרצה לקרב אותו וכל העולם אל הבורא ית'.

and he humbled himself into a state of smallness, so that in this way there might be a repair even for Esau, for he wished to bring him and the whole world near to the Creator.

hoping to reach Esau and draw him closer to God.

וכיון שראה שגם זה לא הועיל וישב כו' עשו לדרכו.

When he saw that even this did not help, “and Esau returned on his way,”

Esau did not change.

לכן נסע סכותה. והנה איתא כינוס לצדיקים טוב להם ולעולם ולרשעים רע להם.

therefore he traveled to Sukkot. It is taught: gathering is good for the righteous, good for them and for the world, and bad for the wicked.

Jacob withdrew to build his own home.

פיזור לרשעי' טוב כו'.

Scattering for the wicked is good, and so on.

The Mishnah’s teaching in Sanhedrin.

והנה בסוף דכ' וישב יעקב כינוסו וכינוס בניו הצילו.

At the end it is written, “And Jacob settled”: his gathering and the gathering of his sons saved him.

Jacob’s family together was his protection.

רק מקודם הי' יעקב אע"ה מפוזר ועשו בא עם ארבע מאות איש כי הרשעים תחילתן שלוה וכמ"ש דשארי בחיבורא ומסיים בפרודא.

Only before that Jacob our father was scattered, and Esau came with four hundred men, for the wicked begin in calm, as it says that they begin in union and end in separation.

Esau started strong and united.

ונפרדו ממנו אחד אחד הד' מאות איש.

And the four hundred men separated from him one by one.

Esau’s army drifted away.

ויעקב נשאר בהאחדות. ופיזור שיש לצדיקים הוא כדי להמשיך הנצוצות קדושות להאחדות כמ"ש בכ' עם אחד מפוזר ומפורד שזה כל הגלות כדי להיות האחדות האמת בסוף בעת הגאולה.

Jacob remained in oneness. The scattering of the righteous is in order to draw the holy sparks into oneness, as it is written, “one people, scattered and dispersed.” That is the whole exile, so that there will be true oneness at the end, at the time of redemption.

Israel’s dispersion gathers sparks for a final unity.

ובשש צרות יצילך הכל הכנה אל בשבע לא יגע בך רע כנ"ל:

And “in six troubles He will save you” is all a preparation for “in the seventh no evil will touch you,” as said above.

The weekdays and the exile lead to Shabbat and redemption.

Summary: Jacob arrived whole, as Job says: saved in six troubles and untouched in the seventh. The six are the working days and the seventh is Shabbat, and Jacob, whose image is engraved beneath the Throne, lived on that level always and sustains creation. Repentance can touch that level for a moment, but Jacob held it permanently. Still, he humbled himself to try to bring Esau close to God, and when that failed he settled with his family. The wicked start united and fall apart, while the scattering of the righteous gathers holy sparks toward the final unity of the redemption.