Parshat Vayeitze 5773 Drasha Rabbi Shaanan Gelman A Moments Rest News of the ceasefire in the latest skirmish

h with Gaza is on all of our minds this Shabbos. Many have expressed their disillusion with the outcome (after all, Hamas has declared victory), while others have expressed relief. The diverse reaction within the Jewish community is not surprising, for on the one hand, the problem has not been resolved. One New York Times editorial compared the predicament to mowing the lawn, and that the re-growth of the grass is inevitable, but our job is to at least trim it and prevent things from getting out of hand. Similarly, they argue, we can never destroy the stream of weaponry and arms into Gaza through Egypt, nor can we quench the virulent antiSemitism over night, but we can seriously deplete their supply in the meantime. Others will contend that if Israel were to finish the job completely, we would never have to face this problem again. But as we know, this too is a complicated response, as it will surely anger the surrounding countries and the world for that matter, and, perhaps, place Israel at odds with her only true ally in the world, the United States. One thing is for sure, I do not envy the decision makers in the IDF. The kind of responsibility that rests in their hands is simply beyond imagination.

Not being a citizen of the State of Israel, I do not believe that I have earned the right to weigh in on this debate, but I would like to draw a parallel to the story of Yaakov Avinu in our parsha. For this was not the first time in history that members of the Jewish people endured crisis and death threats in the city of Beer Sheva; indeed, many years earlier their ancestor had undergone a similar trauma: .( :) , ; , Yaakov finds himself in a precarious situation, fleeing for his life, and on his way to Charan to meet up with his future father-in-law. What events had precipitated such that he came to this decision? Immediately beforehand, in the end of Parshat Toldot, we read about an event which seems, at first, to have little significance: , , , . , - ; . - - - , --- Esav, seeing that Yitzchak did not favor the women of Canaan, travels to the home of his uncle Yishmael, to look for a new wife. The , Rav Nata Spira, a 16th Century Polish Kabalist and student of the Maharam of Lublin, presents an intriguing twist on Esavs decision (quoted in the :) , " " , , " ""

Esav saw that he was not effective in defeating his brother directly. Evidently, the missiles and fancy weaponry were not sufficient to undermine the security system of Yaakovs iron dome (the ,)and so he develops a Plan-B he travels to the world of Yishmael, where he learns about dishonesty, and how to undermine Yaakov from a place of love. Esav understands that if a direct war is ineffective, he must resort to peace treaties and handshakes. In fact, when the two re-engage later on, Esav embraces his brother as Yaakov makes valuable monetary concessions; By that point their war is no longer about an arms race or a body count, rather, it has entered the realm of diplomacy. And yet the Chazal understood that beneath the hug and the tearful reunion was a sinister grin, famously suggesting that Esav didnt kiss the nape of his brothers neck, rather he bit it. Its just that sometimes a bite appears like a kiss. Esav learns that if he wants to go head to head with Yaakov in the modern world, he needs to lose the turban, trim his beard and don an Armani suit. The Shem MiShmuel goes on to describe that even before he must face off with the new and improved Esav, Yaakov encounters a man of dubious character, steeped in the ways of doublespeak and deception: Lavan Harasha. And so, to establish the setting of our parsha, we find Yaakov in between a rock and a hard place, between Iranian made Fajr-5 missiles and a peace orchestrated and designed by the Muslim Brotherhood.

It is easy to understand why Yaakov was fearful, why he felt alone in his world. But just at that moment, when utter despair was about to set in, something happened to Yaakov he was given a moment of absolute serenity. ; , - , , ; , . , , , , . ' , , ' , ; , -- , . , ; - - , . , -, , : , , - , - . ,, , , ' ; , . , . -, : , - , , Where exactly was Yaakov when he had this dream? According to Rashi: "... " : the verse doesnt state a location because perhaps what this really means is that this place doesnt actually exist right now. Yaakov is temporarily whisked away into a place in which Angels appear out in the open, in which the Temple stands atop Har Habayit and in which fear no longer resides in mans heart. Yaakov is shown a crystal ball, a prophetic vision of a world that will one day come to be, and where love will replace hate and plowshare will replace the sword. And though it seems like a fantasy, and though he knows that peace is elusive and a long distance away, it doesnt stop Yaakov from dreaming. Alas, he is woken up from his dream and he will continue his battle yet another day, but for now Yaakov can breathe and enjoy the ceasefire.

He leaves behind the bombs of and has ahead of him a long and arduous journey filled with land mines and booby traps, but, for the time being there is a moments reprieve, a few seconds in paradise. The Sages point out that Yaakov slept here for the first time in 14 years: " " : , " " This Midrash is usually interpreted to mean that the years spent immersed in intense Torah study allowed Yaakov to remain above nature and thus he did not ever feel the need to take a nap. But perhaps we can suggest that Yaakov does not sleep well at night how could he with Esav on one hand and Lavan on the other?! But for this brief wrinkle in time, he actually makes it through the night one time! I was speaking to my sister in Israel this past week. She mentioned her apprehension over the cease-fire but also noted to me, anecdotally that it would be nice to have a rest. She described how when the code-red alerts are sounded, they interrupt the radio programs with an .And you might find yourself in the middle of a song and the DJ will interject with " " , or " ." , , And its hard to describe but it has to be a very difficult thing to deal with that something as beautiful as a song cannot exist in a war torn land. My sister explained that for several days in a row, not one track had been played through from start to finish without being rudely interrupted once or twice (and sometimes more). Such is the life for many of our brethren in Israel. But something peculiar happened on Wednesday, even before the cease-fire was called, they were able to get through a four minute block

with no bombs! An entire song, from start to finish was heard without interruption, without the frightening raucous of " ."And as the song finished the DJ announced " , ". And when I heard this story I understood in an instant the emotional experience of Yaakov Avinu when he proclaimed: " " ' ; , There exist Godliness in this place, and yet I had no idea of it And so, as we weigh in on the political ramifications of the cease-fire, remember that there are people involved who need to rest, and who havent slept through a night in many days, and who havent been afforded the dignity to listen to one little song on the radio. The Jews in Israel today are all on the front lines. They are our heroes, and they sacrifice the comforts of everyday life so that one day when Yaakovs vision is brought to fruition, we too can listen to the songs of the Leviim, and observe . That day has not yet arrived; we have many more encounters with Lavan and Esav ahead of us. But, in my humble opinion, we must thank God, and his helpers down on this Earth for the moments rest that we have been granted.