Vayishlach: Angels Among Us 4. Jacob sent angels ahead of him to his brother Esau, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom. - Bereshit 32:4
ׁשלַח יַעֲק ֹב ַמלְָאכִים ְל ָפנָיו אֶל ֵעׂשָו ָאחִיו ְ ִ ַוּי.ד :ׂשעִיר ׂשְדֵ ה אֱדֹום ֵ ַארצָה ְ
Jacob sent angels. “Literally, angels,” Rashi insists, as the Hebrew word malachim could also be defined as “messengers,” which would make much more sense. Later that night, Jacob wrestles a “man” all night, despite the text telling us that he (Jacob) was alone. Several sources (Rabbi Hama ben Hanina, Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer) write that this “man” is actually an angel. What is an angel? What are these sometimes corporal, sometimes energetic manifestations that arrive to deliver our messages, save us from harm, and keep us up all night in a struggle? I.
Angels as manifestations of righteousness
Rashi’s claim that Jacob sends angels is supported with a citation to Bereshit Rabbah 75:4. There, the Rabbis explain that it is Jacob’s righteousness and status as “beloved” that gives him this ability to gather and dispatch angels. Indeed, Rashi’s commentary on last week’s parsha describes Jacob as having “beauty,” “splendor,” and “majesty,” as a result of his righteousness. These qualities cling to Jacob when he enters a city and leaves with him when he departs. In Psalm 34:8, we are told that angels of the Divine “surround those who are in awe of God.” Something about Jacob was so kind, awake, and connected that he manifested angels around him. I think angels in this context are a type of loving presence that follows truly holy and openhearted people. Spiritual giants like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, and Abraham Joshua Heschel are often remembered as much for the content of their teachings as for the light they embodied and spread to others. “After an encounter with him,” Samuel Dresner wrote of Heschel, “it was not unusual for people to come away with the feeling that one of the prophets of Israel had suddenly risen up before them.” Why? Because, Dresner explains, “he wrote what he thought and lived what he wrote.” (I Asked for Wonder, xii). People can sense and feel this type of spiritual integrity and wisdom, and frequently want to be around that energy.
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