Parashat Vayishlach

Parashat Vayishlach!

In this week's parsha we see the meeting between Yaakov and Esav, after Yaakov took the blessings from Esav, Esav intends to kill him. And because of this Yaakov prepares for three things. Gifts, prayer, and war.

First, he tries to find favor in his eyes. So he sends him lots of gifts, flock and cattle and many ewes.

And he stands and prays to the Holy One blessed be He. אלוקי אבי אברהם ואלוקי אבי יצחק, O God of my father Avraham and God of my father Yitzchak. קטנתי מכל החסדים ומכל האמת אשר עשית עם עבדך כי במקלי עברתי את הירדן הזה, ועתה הייתי לשתי מחנות , I have become small from all the kindnesses and from all the truth that You have rendered Your servant for with my staff I crossed this Yarden, and now I have become two camps. First he thanks Hashem for all He has given him in the past. For he crossed the Yarden with his stick. And now he gets rich. Has livestock, slaves and maids. A large family, wives and children. And now he prays for the future, הצילני נא מיד אחי מיד עשיו, Now deliver me from the hand of my brother from the hand of Esav. פן יבא והכני אם על בנים, lest he come and strike me a mother with children. ואתה אמרת היטב איטיב עימך ושמתי את זרעך כעפר הארץ אשר לא ייספר מרוב, And You said I will surely do good with you and I will make your seed as the dust of the earth which cannot be counted because of multitude.

He prays to Hashem to save him from his brother Esav. For He had promised him that He would watch over him and his descendants.

Then he proceeds to give Esav the gifts he had prepared for him. But Esav tells him - It's okay, I don't need your gifts. "יש לי רב אחי", I have plenty my brother. And Yaakov says - יש לי כל, I have everything. What is the difference between plenty and everything?

Esav tells Yaakov - I have plenty. I'm fine. I have everything, I don't need anything. The things you want to give me, your gifts, are not needed. I am doing okay without them.

But Yaakov says - I have everything. Meaning, I do not have everything. But I have everything I need. God has given me what I need to have. I'm not missing anything.

There are people who think they have it all, but really they have nothing. They have money, cars, and luxurious homes. But they are empty inside. Why? Because it's never enough. They always want more. A person can have millions, but still be jealous of a friend who has more. Why does he have a nicer car, a fancier home. And I don't. Even though he has a lot, it's not worth anything to him because he doesn't have everything.

There's a man who comes home for dinner, and he is anxious, and not calm. He tells his wife that he doesn't know what to do. Because he doesn't have a million dollars in his bank account, and his friend is successful and has that. And there's a man who comes home and says to his wife, I am so happy. Last month we were negative 700 shekel. And now we are okay. This is great.

And this is what Chazal tell us - איזהו עשיר השמח בחלקו, Who is wealthy he who rejoices in his portion. It does not say who is wealthy he who has a lot of money. But he who is happy with what he has. And does not always need more. But is satisfied with little.

There are people who do not have much at all, they live with what they have. They are content with the simplest things, because they are living with emunah (faith). That the Holy One blessed be He knows what I need, and what I am missing. And if He decided that for some reason I am not deserving of something, He knows better than I do. That it's not good for me. God closes one door to a person in order to unlock a bigger and better door for him. But we don't have the patients to wait. We do not trust the Almighty. The Creator of the Universe has his ways, and his reasons. What is good for us. Just as we know what is best for our children. But for that we need to have emunah.

There are some people who being rich would be harmful to, they would just go crazy and do nonsense with it. And would do a lot of aveiras (sins) and it would distance them from Torah and mitzvot. So the Almighty made them poor. So that such a person would always feel badly for himself, and would be closer to God, and always pray for his livelihood. But there are others who not being rich would hinder them from doing mitzvahs properly, so God gives them riches, because He knows that they will do good things with it, give tzedaka (charity). And support Yeshivas (Jewish educational institutions).

And the same with people who have health problems. It is all directed from above. There are people who being completely healthy would cause them to be further away from God. But if that person has some aches and pains and does not feel well from time to time it only strengthens him in Torah and mitzvot and makes him pray more. This is why Hashem sometimes gives a person yesurim (suffering) - for they wash away all the sins of a man.

It all depends on how a person lives. Esav teaches us how someone who lives without faith, thinks he has it all, and thinks that everything he wants he has to get, he has to have. And he does not understand that if the Almighty decided that he will not get something, no matter what he won't be able to have it.

But a man who lives with faith, knows that everything is calculated above. And that what a person has is decided for him, how much he will earn that year, then he will always be satisfied with what he has. And even when he is lacking - it will feel to him like he has everything.

What is the segulah (spiritual remedy) to protect oneself from ayin harah (the evil eye) ?

Yaakov meets Esav after so many years of his wanting to kill him, and he prepares himself well for the meeting. And the moment comes, and he stands before his brother and bows down to him 7 times. Until Esav hugged and kissed him.

Esav looks at all of Yaakov's children, and asks him: מי אלה לך, Who are these to you. Yaakov answers him - הילדים אשר חנן אלוקים את עבדך, The children with whom God has favored your servant.

What is Esav asking here? Can he not see that these are his children? Does he think that he stole them from somewhere? And more - why does Yaakov reply - the children that God has given etc. He could have given a brief - these are my children. Why did he add with whom God has favored your servant?

The Ben Ish Chai says a wonderful thing: It is well known that a person that makes people jealous of him can be hurt by the evil eye. What is the segulah to protect oneself from the evil eye? And is a person not allowed to tell people that he has money, children, a nice house?

A person who does not want be harmed the evil eye, needs to always have in mind that everything is from Hashem. Everything is from the Creator, He gave me everything and nothing is because of me. Not my wife, or children, or income, nothing !! All of it is from Hashem.

If a person believes this, and thinks like this, an ayin harah will not be able to hurt him.

And another thing - everyone knows the concept of "Chamsa", (an amulet symbolizing the Hand of God) - It represents the name of God with the letter 'ה, heh which is part of the name of The Holy One blessed be He. And this is a segulah for protection against the evil eye.

So we see that - Yaakov Avinu was afraid that Esav would place an ayin harah on his children. Because he had asked, who are these to you. For he was jealous - how is it that you have so many children.

Therefore Yaakov replies - the children with whom God has favored your servant. First he told him - הילדים, the children. The ה''א, heh is a Chamsa against the evil eye.

I was once asked how is there such a thing as ayin harah? Whoever wants to be jealous can be jealous - why would that hurt me??

I told him. It says in the holy books that the moment that a person has money, or a nice car. Or a gorgeous mansion. At that moment he is causing grief to his friend, because he does not have what he has.

The Almighty then prosecutes for the grief that was caused to that person, and it causes harm to the one who was flaunting what he has.

So a person should take great measures not to cause any sorrow to his fellow Jew. A person needs to be very careful not to make other people envious of him, talk and tell as little as possible about things that we know will cause another grief. And we will not be harmed by the evil eye, God forbid.

Hashem yizakeinu! Shabbat shalom !!