5785/2024

The Pasuk in this week’s Parashah says: ׳׳וָיָרָץ עֵשָׂו לִקְרָאתוֹ וַיְחַבְּקֵהוּ וַיִּפֹּל עַל-צַוָּארָיו וַיִּשָּׁקֵהוּ וַיִּבְכּוּ׳׳ "And Esav ran toward him and hugged him; he fell on his neck, kissed him, and they cried” (BeReishit 33:4).

Most people learn that when עֵשָׂו “kissed” יַעֲקֹב, he actually bit him. However, רַשִׁ"י explains that it was indeed a  kiss. This raises a question: don’t we learn that עֵשָׂו will always hate יַעֲקֹב? Explains רַשִׁ"י, that at that moment, Hashem caused עֵשָׂו to have רחמנות for יַעֲקֹב.

Throughout history, there have been moments when the children of עֵשָׂו have shown mercy on the Jews. For example, after the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, עֵשָׂו’s descendants allowed the Jewish people to re-establish the סַנְהֶדְרִין. Similarly, after destroying Yavneh, they let the Jews bury their dead. Even during the Holocaust, there were instances of illogical mercy shown to Jews. These moments remind us that when the nations of the world show mercy toward us, it is ultimately from Hashem.

We also learn from this story that the experiences of the אבות  will repeat themselves during the יְמוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ. We see the UN always putting up resolutions against Israel. Yet, this same organization let the State of Israel form to begin with. This is reflected in what happened to יַעֲקֹב.. You may ask, how is this the same? When the U.N. recognized Israel, it was like a "kiss" to the Jewish people—a parallel to עֵשָׂו's kiss to יַעֲקֹב.

We learn that what happens to the אבות will always repeat itself until יְמוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ.