ב"ה
Vayishlach: Jacob in Canaan
Genesis 32:4–36:43
The eighth section of the Book of Genesis chronicles the patriarch Jacob’s challenges as he returns to the Land of Israel after concluding his stay in Aram. It opens as he hears that his grudge-bearing brother Esau is on his way to confront him. Jacob sends (Vayishlach, “he sent” in Hebrew) a diplomatic entourage to meet Esau. After neutralizing the threat from Esau, Jacob has to respond to his daughter Dinah’s abduction and violation by the local populace. After this, his wife Rachel dies in childbirth. The narrative then concludes its account of Jacob’s father Isaac and his brother Esau, preparing to continue with the chronicle of Jacob in the next section.
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Daily Quote
The Torah is acquired with 48 qualities: study, listening, verbalizing, comprehension of the heart, awe, fear, humility, joy, purity, serving the sages, companionship with one's contemporaries, debating with one's students, tranquility, study of the scriptures, study of the Mishnah, minimizing engagement in business, minimizing socialization, minimizing pleasure, minimizing sleep, minimizing talk, minimizing gaiety, slowness to anger, good heartedness, faith in the sages, acceptance of suffering, knowing one's place, satisfaction with one's lot, qualifying one's words, not taking credit for oneself, likableness, love of G-d, love of humanity, love of charity, love of justice, love of rebuke, fleeing from honor, lack of arrogance in learning, reluctance to hand down rulings, participating in the burden of one's fellow, judging him to the side of merit, correcting him, bringing him to a peaceful resolution [of his disputes], deliberation in study, asking and answering, listening and illuminating, learning in order to teach, learning in order to fulfill, wising one's teacher, exactness in conveying a teaching, and saying something in the name of its speaker.
–Ethics of the Fathers 6:6
The Parshah
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