Vayishlach 27.11.2015/16. Kislev 5776

(6) [The prohibition against eating the sciatic nerve] applies for permitted [animals] but does not apply for prohibited ones. Rabbi Yehuda says, "Even for prohibited ones." Said Rabbi Yehuda,"For from the [time of] the sons of Ya'akov the sciatic nerve was forbidden, and prohibited animals were still permitted to them." They said to him, "[The prohibition] was stated at Sinai, but it was written [about] in its place."

(1) על כן לא יאכלו בני ישראל, the children of Yaakov adopted this prohibition for themselves in commemoration of their father whose thigh muscle had been injured. They in turn commanded their children to abstain from eating this part of any animal. It reminds us of the descendants of Yonadav ben Rechev who faithfully adhered to the clan’s founding father’s injunction not to drink wine (Jeremiah 35,6) in honour of the oath they swore to their forefather.

Moses recorded it in the Torah in the Name of God. But in accordance with our teachers, it was given at Sinai, and written down in ist place in order to tell ist reason why it was forbidden.

(3) Rabbi Chama bar Chanina said, "He was the ministering angel of Esav. And that is [what he meant] when he said to him, 'For this have I seen your face as I saw the face of God and you have accepted me' (Genesis 33:10). There is a parable about an athlete that got up and wrestled with the son of the king. He lifted his eyes and he saw that the king was standing behind him and [so] he fell to the ground in front of [the son]. This is what [is meant by that which] is written, 'and he saw that he could not overcome him.'" Rabbi Levi said, "'And he saw' the Divine Presence 'and he could not overcome him.'" Said Rabbi Berachia, "We do not know who won, whether it was the angel or whether it was Yakov. And from that which it is written, 'and a man wrestled (vayitabek, the root of which contains the letters that spell dust) with him,' prove who was covered in dust - the man that was with him.' Said Rabbi Chananya bar Yitschak, "The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, 'He is coming against you and he has five charms in his hand: his merit, the merit of his father, the merit of his mother, the merit of his grandfather, and the merit of his grandmother - measure yourself [and see] if you can stand even against his merit.' Immediately, 'And he saw and he could not overcome him.' There is a parable of a king that had a wild dog and a tamed lion. And the king took his son and endeared him to the lion, [such that] if the dog would take him on, the king would say to him, 'The lion was not able to stand in front of him and you want to take him on?' So [too], if the nations of the world will come to take on Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, will say to them, 'Your ministering angel was not able to stand in front of him and you want to take on his children?'" "And he touched the hollow of his thigh" - he touched the righteous men and women, the prophets and prophetesses, which were to arise from him in the future. And which is this? The generation of persecution (shemad). "And he touched the hollow of Yakov's thigh" - Rabbi Berachia and Rabbi Eliezer [disagreed about this]: Rabbi Eliezer said, "He pressed it down." Rabbi Berachia said in the name of Rabbi Assi, "He split it like a fish." Rabbi Nachman bar Yakov said, "He separated it from its place, as it is written (Ezekiel 23:18), 'and my soul was separated etc... like my soul was separated' [in which the context shows that the verb for touching also means separating]." Said Rabbi Chanina bar Yitschak, "That whole night both of them were striking each other, the shield of this one across from the shield of that one. Once the sun rose, 'And he said, send me away from here as the sun has risen.'

(2) and a man wrestled: Heb. וַיֵאָבֵק. Menachem (p. 14) explains: And a man became covered with dust, derived from אָבָק, dust, for they were raising dust with their feet through their movements. I believe, however, that it is a term meaning that he attached himself, and it is an Aramaic expression [found in the Talmud] (Sanh. 63b):“After they became attached (דָּאִבִיקוּ) to it,”“and he would tie it (וְאָבִיק לֵיהּ מֵיבַק),” for so is the habit of two people who make strong efforts to throw each other down, that one embraces the other and attaches himself to him with his arms. Our Rabbis explained (Gen. Rabbah 77:3, 78:3) that this was the prince (guardian angel) of Esau.