Parshas Vayishlach
One of the better-known occurrences mentioned in this week’s parsha is the fight between Yaakov Avinu and the malach of his brother, Eisav. During the night immediately preceding the dangerous and tension-filled meeting between Yaakov Avinu and Eisav, Yaakov engaged his brother’s malach in battle. As dawn broke, with only a misplaced thigh to tell of the angel’s efforts, Yaakov Avinu emerged as the clear victor of their confrontation.
Quite simply, this episode confounds the intellect. Angels are supernatural beings entirely unrestricted by the physical boundaries of mortal man. How can an angel possibly be defeated by a human?
The Seforno explains that Yaakov acquired the ability to prevail over the malach only through his extraordinary d’veikus (attachment) to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Through Yaakov Avinu’s constant d’veikus to Hashem, he attained heights of supernatural ability rivaling even those of the angels. Yaakov so successfully transcended his physical limitations that he actually possessed the ability to defeat a malach in battle. In fact, as the Seforno proceeds to explain, the malach only succeeded in harming Yaakov at all by purposefully distracting him, causing a momentary pause in Yaakov’s d’veikus to Hashem.
As the Rambam writes in his sefer, Moreh Nevuchim, the avos were constantly davuk (attached) to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Even while herding flocks of sheep, the avos kept the image of Hashem in front of them. Yaakov Avinu was a yoshev ohalim, he never stopped learning Torah his entire life. Yaakov kept the image of Hashem in front of him constantly. He was entirely removed from the distractions of the world and strived through his every act to fulfill Hashem’s will in its entirety.
Later in the parsha, the passuk discusses how Yaakov named a certain mizbei’ach “Keil Elokai Yisroel.” In one of Rashi’s pshatim, he quotes a Gemara (Megillah 18) which states that as opposed to the mizbei’ach being called “Keil,” it was actually Yaakov Avinu whom Hashem himself called “Keil – G-dly.” The Sfas Emes explains that Yaakov earned this unique title of “G-dly” through his outstanding d’veikus to Hashem. Through Yaakov Avinu’s middah of d’veikus he succeeded in becoming the ultimate example of a G-dly person.
Let us pause for a moment and reflect on how far we are from genuine d’veikus to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. We must strive to go in the path of Yaakov Avinu and become ever stronger in our d’veikus to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. We must strengthen our learning sedarim both in quality and time, and work relentlessly to improve our davening, trying to really build a relationship with the creator of the world. We must realize, not merely during prayer but at every second of our lives, that we are continuously in the presense of Hashem. We must keep G-d in the forefront of our thoughts and always have words of Hakadosh Baruch Hu and His torah on our lips.
Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt’l, who was a premier example of someone davuk to Hashem, utilized every spare second for learning torah. Occasionally, when his wife would call him to the dinner table, he would not even close the sefer he had been studying. Since, even while eating, he never removed his thoughts from learning, and it could not really be considered that he had paused in his learning at all.
A story is told about Rav Leizer Platchinsky, zt’l, which can also give us a glimpse of what real d’veikus and closeness to Hashem is. Towards the end of Rav Platchinsky’s life, when his perception was dulled by the trials of old age, a grandson witnessed his shemoneh esrei tefillah. Although Rav Platchinsky was davening quietly, one could easily tell from his unguarded expressions that he understood and felt that he was speaking directly to Hashem. The grandson related that his facial expressions and bodily movements were not fiery or showy, they were simply those of one engaged in regular conversation with the person standing directly in front of them.
May we be zoche to really grow in our d’veikus and closeness to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, and may we never allow the pleasures so everpresent in our mundane world to distract us from keeping the image of Hashem constantly in front of our eyes.