Miller's Musings Parshas Vayishlach: Our Last Line of Defence

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 לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם   ד בס''

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This week’s Miller’s Musings is sponsored  לעילוי נשמת מרדכי בן שלמה יחיאל ולאה בת אברהם

Quote of the Week: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Miller’s Musings

וישלחפרשת   

Our Last Line Of Defence

The epic battle between Yaakov and the angel of Eisov is one that can be viewed on any number of levels.  The eternal battle between the forces of evil in the world versus the powers for good.  The perpetual conflict between our Torah way of life and the influences that would corrupt them.  Or perhaps the struggle between our nation and those who would seek to do us harm or destroy us.  Whatever our understanding of this encounter, the question that poses itself is why it was specifically Yaakov chosen to engage with the angel rather than the other forefathers, Avrohom or Yitzchok?

                                                                                                                                                                                                       

If we focus for a moment on this skirmish as something of a metaphor for the endless fight that takes place between our animal self and our more elevated soul, then, suggests Reb Elchonon Wasserman zt’l, we can begin to see why it was Yaakov selected by the Yetzer Horah.  For in war there can be many individual clashes between the opposing sides.  And defeat is not necessarily conclusively gained by the loss of one such confrontation.  Even the vanquished can get up and rise again to once more step into the breach.  But if all of your adversary’s weapons have been lost or captured in battle, then you can truly consider yourself the victor.  Chazal tell us that the most potent antidote to the evil inclination is Torah and this is what Yaakov represented above all us.  A person may be riddled with sin and lacking almost all positive deeds, but if they have Torah then there is always a chance for repentance and a potential deterrent for this congenital proclivity for wrong.  Avrohom exemplified kindness and Yitzchok personified strict judgement.  But for the Soton to gain absolute victory he needed to conquer and ultimately crush Torah, as embodied by Yaakov.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Whether individually or collectively, until the time of Moshiach, we are here to do battle and fight evil, in all its shapes and sizes.  Each day we must subdue our predilection towards focusing only on the self and instead look outwards.  Each moment we must ask what we should be doing, not necessarily what we want to be doing.  And in every generation there may be those that look to hurt us and cause our people pain and we must endeavour to triumph over their schemes.  But as the children of Yaakov, the Bnei Yisroel, we hold the most powerful protection and devastating armoury to combat all that have malevolent intentions towards us.  The Chofetz Chaim once said that the Yetzer Horah is not bothered if a Jew fasts, cries and prays all day as long as he does not learn Hashem’s Torah.  We must allow the Torah into our lives and souls and cherish its teachings.  Forces will always emerge to conspire against us as long as we do not bring perfection to the world, so we must make sure that we have the wherewithal to combat it.  Learn Torah, transmit Torah, absorb Torah and live Torah, and there will ultimately be nothing that can destroy us nor keep us from our purpose.

*May we utilise Shabbos for making Torah ever more part of our lives*

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Shimmy Miller
Rebbe/Teacher/Counsellor/Tutor| Manchester Mesivta and Private
07531322970 | rabbimiller.mesivta@gmail.com| http://rabbimillersmusings.blogspot.co.uk/
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