Parshas Vayetzeh

This week's Torah portion ends with, "And he named the place, Machanayim ('two camps')." Rashi explains that Ya'akov gave this name because he saw two camps of angels: from the Diaspora and the angels from Eretz Yisrael. The famous expression  "Maasei Avos siman labonim" (Deeds of the fathers is a sign to the children) is a lesson to us: Jews are two dimensional -- the soul and the body -- Eretz Yisrael and the Diaspora.

   The soul is a "Chelek Elokah" (a piece of G-d)  "m’igra rama l’bira amikta" (from a very high to a  very lowly place) and it descends into the body. Even then it stays pure and it parallels Eretz Yisrael which is kedusha (holiness). But the body is "a snake skin," parallels the Diaspora which is an impure land. 

 A Jew's service must encompass both these spheres: 1. "the service of the soul," kedusha = Eretz Yisrael" and also, "service with the body," like the Diaspora, involves working on others with holiness through our efforts. Since an angel is created from every positive act, we each have two camps of angels: one camp of angels that are involved with holiness (Eretz Yisrael) and one camp of angels that are involved with the mundane.

  By naming the place Machanayim, Jacob reveals how the influence of the two camps of angels permeates through even the material substance of the world. The name used for G-d in the expression "the angels of G-d," is E-lohim. 

E-lohim refers to G-d as the Almighty. Thus, the angels described as "the angels of E-lohim," are angels that result from service that requires effort that transcends nature. Kislev parallels Sivan, the Matan Torah and Kislev is associated with the giving of P'nimiyus HaTorah as reflected in the teachings of Chassidus. The full moon of the third month is the expression of the bond between G-d and the Jews, expressed more completely in Kislev, the third of the winter months than in Sivan, the third of the summer months. We read Vayishlach during Mincha. 

The difference between Jacob in Yayetze and Vayishlach is that Jacob had reached a level when he was ready for the Redemption. This is the message to the malochim sent to Esau. The Torah Or explains, that Yaakov was ready and was expecting Esau to match his level to proceed to the Redemption together. Similarly, Parshas Vayeishev is identified with "Jacob’s desire to live in prosperity" which will be prosperity in the Era of the Redemption. 

The Moon will be as bright as the Sun which will be the case in the Era of the Redemption. Jacob’s refinement is associated with a diminution of the moon. Refinement involves the elevation of the sparks of G-dliness that fell when into Tohu shattered caused by the diminution of the moon. So the moon's diminution was for a purpose, the elevation of the world thru refinement. When completed, the moon will not be small and will be elevated to the state of a "great light." 

 When Jacob confronted Esau, Esau was not ready, and the process of rectification would take millenia. Jacob’s name is 7 x 26, Yitzchak’s is 8 x 26, the one remaining "26" was given to Esau. Esau's name = 376. 350 equal 7 x 50 (tameh]. Thus, Esau equals: 1 x G-D's name or 26) + ( 7 x "impure" = 350). Each time Jacob bowed, he provided to Esau one of his forces of holiness and neutralized a measure of tameh. After 7 bows, all that was left was one holy, 1 "26". Jacob thus succeeded not only in overpowering his brother, but in returning him to "goodness". 

 In the present age, the  rectification of Eisav is finished. The task nowdays is: instead of concentrating on refining the world, we must focus on revealing the Geula. The Era of Redemption which is compared to a feast, all we need to do is open our eyes and see. The majority of the Torah's focus on Jacob’s service takes place in an unhealthy environment: Choron. Yaakov is forced to leave Israel and go to Charan whose name means G-d's wrath. (af) 

 He lives with Lavan, an undesirable individual. Yaakov marries and raises his family, laying the foundation for the Jewish people. Even after Yaakov left Charan back to Eretz Yisrael, his journey was difficult involving a confrontation with Esav. Seemingly, the life of Jacob, the chosen of the Patriarch's, should center on holiness that he achieved. There’s the principal of "the deeds of the Patriarchs are a sign for their descendants." Thus, Jacob’s involvement with Lavan contains lessons for his descendants Jacob’s descent to Choran is analogous to the descent of the soul into the body. 

Each Jew's soul is pure, a part of G-d from above. It descends from Beer Sheva, the Sefirah of Binah of Atzilus to Charan, the Sefirah of Malchus, soecifically, to Malchus as it brings into being the worlds below it including our material world filled with influences hiding G-dliness to the extent where a Jew can be possessed by fear. This descent into the body allows the soul reaches a higher level. This process is alluded to by the words "vayeilech Charanah", "he proceeded to Charan," it was the descent to Charan which allowed Yaakov to "proceed," to advance spiritually. 

Javob is rectification, orderliness for the revelation of G-dliness. Esau is Tohu (powerful chaos), the sparks of G-dliness that fell into materiality. Yaakov thought that Esau had completed refinement and was ready to unite the powerful light of Tohu with the potential for reception (keilim) of Tikkun. 

Through this union, the light of G-d's essence which transcends both Tohu and Tikkun would be revealed. Esau, however, was not prepared and this union was postponed until later (which is now) as alluded to in the Torah reading, 

" וְעָל֤וּ מֽוֹשִׁעִים֙ בְּהַ֣ר צִיּ֔וֹן לִשְׁפֹּ֖ט אֶת־הַ֣ר עֵשָׂ֑ו”

"And saviors shall ascend Mt. Zion to judge the mountain of Esau, and the Lord shall have the kingdom."  (Prophet Ovadiyah)