The Weekly Sedra – Vayishlach – Confronting Chutzpah

Confronting Chutzpah with Chutzpah.
Well, the neighborhood bully, he’s just one man,
His enemies’ say he’s on their land.
They got him outnumbered about a million to one,
He got no place to escape to, no place to run.
He’s the neighborhood bully.
The neighborhood bully just lives to survive,
He’s criticized and condemned for being alive.
He’s not supposed to fight back, he’s supposed to have thick skin,
He’s supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in.
He’s. . .
The neighborhood bully been driven out of every land,
He’s wandered the earth an exiled man.
Seen his family scattered, his people hounded and torn,
He’s always on trial for just being born.

He’s. . .
Well, he knocked out a lynch mob, he was criticized,
Old women condemned him, said he should apologize.
Then he destroyed a bomb factory, nobody was glad.
The bombs were meant for him.
He was supposed to feel bad.
He’s. . .
Well, the chances are against it and the odds are slim
That he’ll live by the rules that the world makes for him,
‘Cause there’s a noose at his neck and a gun at his back
And a license to kill him is given out to every maniac.
He’s. . .
He got no allies to really speak of.
What he gets he must pay for, he don’t get it out of love.
He buys obsolete weapons and he won’t be denied
But no one sends flesh and blood to fight by his side.
He’s. . .
Well, he’s surrounded by pacifists who all want peace,
They pray for it nightly that the bloodshed must cease.
Now, they wouldn’t hurt a fly.
To hurt one they would weep.
They lay and they wait for this bully to fall asleep.
He’s. . .
Every empire that’s enslaved him is gone,
Egypt and Rome, even the great Babylon.
He’s made a garden of paradise in the desert sand,
In bed with nobody, under no one’s command.
He’s. . .
Now his holiest books have been trampled upon,
No contract he signed was worth what it was written on.
He took the crumbs of the world and he turned it into wealth,
Took sickness and disease and he turned it into health.
He’s. . .
– Bob Dylan

Bereishis, first of the five volumes recorded by Moshe, contains few laws or commandments. Indeed, it reads more like a story or a series of stories than a code of moral instruction. No wonder many a scholar has classified it as a book of ancient Hebrew folktales.

The Torah commentaries however, are quick to point out that there is more to this narration than simple legend. Jewish tradition views these accounts as being permeated with valuable lessons on multiple levels.

Our sages go as far as to assert: “The deeds of the forefather’s are signposts for their offspring.” For the Rabbis, the Patriarchs/Matriarchs were paragons of our very own lives – their story is keenly reflective of ours. Genesis in this regard, is a manuscript of life, its purpose and people. It is essentially a book of the human journey and mission.

Of all the narratives, the one of Yaakov most resembles the story of the Jewish people and their astonishing historical voyage. Third in the patriarchal dynasty, Yaakov, known as the choicest of the forefathers, is said to comprise a synthesis of the fine qualities of his predecessors Avraham and Yitzchak.

It is hence not at all surprising that of the many Biblical figures, no one’s life is more transparent than Yaakov’s. The Torah devotes more verses and chapters to Yaakov’s adventure than to the others combined.

We meet Yaakov even before he is born, interacting (battling) with his twin brother Esau in their mother’s womb. We come to know him as a young man, a mature adult, and an old man contemplating death. We observe Yaakov interrelating with his parents, his brother, his wives, his children and grandchildren, even with his cunning father-in-law. Each of these anecdotes is replete with relevant messages.

Yet oddly enough, the portrait that emerges of this Biblical giant is of a man embroiled in continual adversity and battle. First there is the protracted struggle with his brother Esau, then with his uncle Laban. Finally, he is seen in a nocturnal wrestling match with an obscure spiritual entity. Why is this icon of Jewish identity and existence forever wrestling?

More disturbing, are some the tactics to which our ancestor resorts as a means of prevailing in his incessant struggles. What for example, are we to make of our sagacious patriarch dressing up in the clothes of Esau in order to secure his father’s blessings?

Some of the stratagems used to acquire his wealth from Laban are likewise perplexing. And what about his sneaky escape from Charan with his family – Laban’s children and grandchildren? Even more puzzling is the fact that the Torah tells us all this. Is this something to be proud of? Is it not fodder for the anti Semites, who are more than happy to use this as proof of the devious character of the Jew?

The answer cannot be better stated than in the above quoted song by Bob Dylan.
The function of the Jew, as he goes through life, is to reclaim the sparks of holiness that have become trapped in the ugly clutches of Klipah (impurity) and return them to their rightful owner; the Creator of heaven and earth. This is accomplished by utilizing worldly possessions in the service of the Almighty.

Problem is, there are two, none compatible, approaches regarding existence – religious and atheist – and we inevitably belong to one or the other. The “other,” is not excited to relent easily.

The Jew goes about his mission – acquiring these possessions – happy to play by the same rules as everyone else. But the world seems to say, “Wait! You are not entitled to the same set of laws as the rest of us. For you there is a different set of rules. You must pay a much a higher price for what you wish to call your own.” And even after we pay the highest price, there are those who shamelessly turn around and cry, “Thief!”

Consider the audacious declaration of Laban, after Yaakov toiled twenty hard years under arduous circumstances for his wives and possessions, only to be cheated repeatedly: “The daughters are mine, the children are mine, the cattle are mine, and all that you see here is mine!” If not for its recurrence, one might think of this mindset as insane or even maniacal.

His brother Esau was not much better. Having gladly parted with his firstborn responsibilities and even degrading the right, he was ready to kill Yaakov for having claimed what he had acquired fare and square.

The overall lesson of Yaakov’s lifelong battles, then, is that the corporeal world is not about to give up anything on a silver platter. Klipah, i.e. Esau, Laban, and their like, latches on to everything in its path and claims ownership. It will not relinquish anything unless it is outwitted and out-maneuvered.

The story of Yaakov is essentially the story of the Jewish people throughout history. No matter how much we earn our keep in this would; no matter how much we benefit and enrich the societies and cultures that have hosted us, the familiar mantra of Esau and Laban is sounded over and over: “The daughters are mine. . . the cattle is mine. . . all that you see is mine.” In the end it is we the Jewish people who are portrayed as the thieves and the bullies.

Hence, to bring the world under the sovereignty of its legitimate Maker requires ingenuity and even cunning. Justice is sadly of little importance when dealing with the savage pirates who wish to claim ownership of heaven and earth and everything in between.
Yaakov, the choicest of the ancestors, teaches us that the way to succeed in our mission as a Jew in this world, especially in the dark moments of exile, is not by being timid and passive. Quite the contrary, it requires that we put on the clothes of Esau and beat him at his own game – that we fight cunning with cunning and chutzpah with chutzpah.

Further on in our Parsha we learn that after all his battles, “Yaakov arrived ‘Shaleim’ (intact) at the city of Sh’chem.” Rashi points out that the Torah intimates herein that he arrived intact physically, financially, and spiritually. He managed to accomplish his mission of establishing the twelve tribes of Israel unharmed by any of the adversaries,

We too, will no doubt accomplish our mission in this long and difficult exile by elevating its riches. We will, moreover, come away entirely whole, physically, financially and spiritually, with the coming of the righteous redeemer Moshiach.