December 16, 2024|ט"ו כסלו ה' אלפים תשפ"ה Vayishlach 5785 - The Ox & The Donkey: The Secret Strength of the Jewish People By Rabbi Beni Krohn

Rabbi Yekutiel Yehuda Halberstam, also known as the Klausenberger Rebbe, lost his wife, eleven children, and his entire community during the Holocaust. Despite unimaginable suffering, he never gave up hope. While in Auschwitz, he risked his life to perform mitzvot, including secret acts of kindness, teaching Torah, and giving strength to others. Even in the darkest moments, he believed that better days would come.

After the war, instead of succumbing to despair, the Rebbe rebuilt his life and community. He established schools, synagogues, and a hospital in Netanya, Israel, all rooted in the principle of healing and renewal. He often said that his survival and accomplishments were possible only because he clung to faith and the belief that God would guide him to brighter days.

One striking example of his hope was his response to a question he was asked during the Holocaust: " Rebbe, how can you keep going?" He replied, "Because I believe that one day, we will dance at the weddings of our children and grandchildren." This belief in a brighter future fueled his ability to endure, rebuild, and inspire countless others.

As Yaakov finds himself about to come face-to-face with his brother Esav, he prepares in a myriad of ways. He prepares for war, by splitting up his camp. He davens to Hashem to help him. He sends a gift to Esav. But before he does any of that, he sends a message:

(ה) וַיְצַו אֹתָם לֵאמֹר כֹּה תֹאמְרוּן לַאדֹנִי לְעֵשָׂו כֹּה אָמַר עַבְדְּךָ יַעֲקֹב עִם לָבָן גַּרְתִּי וָאֵחַר עַד עָתָּה:

Tell my brother, this is what your servant, Yaakov said: I have lived with Lavan, and was held back until now.

And then he adds:

  (ו) וַיְהִי לִי שׁוֹר וַחֲמוֹר צֹאן וְעֶבֶד וְשִׁפְחָה וָאֶשְׁלְחָה לְהַגִּיד לַאדֹנִי לִמְצֹא חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ:

And I have an ox and a donkey, sheep and servants, and I am sending a message to my master to inform my master, to find favor in his eyes.

And this message is interpreted by the commentators in numerous ways: Rashi notes that Yaakov is basically telling Esav that all the brachos that Dad promised me never really came to fruition.  I was supposed to have great wealth with land and fields, and all I have is some animals and servants. Ramban argues that Yaakov is noting that he actually has quite a lot of money, and he is offering a bribe to Esav to keep him happy. But I would like to share with you a slightly different perspective, offered by Rav Aharon Lopiansky, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva of Greater Washington.

The Medrash Tanchuma interprets Yaakov’s words as actually being a show of strength, but NOT in the physical sense, rather in the spiritual sense:

[שור] זה יוסף, שנאמר בכור שורו הדר לו וגו'...וחמור זה מלך המשיח, שנאמר גילי מאד בת ציון הריעי בת ירושלים וגו' עני ורוכב על החמור (זכריה ט ט),[

When Yaakov says I have an Ox, that refers to Yosef, as Moshe Rabbeinu later refers to Yosef as a SHOR, an Ox.  A Donkey, that refers to Mashiach, who will come from Yehuda, as the pasuk in Zecharia refers to Mashiach as being an Ani V’Rocheiv al HaChamor, a poor person riding on a donkey.

We know that struggle between Yaakov & Esav is not simply a PHYSICAL one, rather, even in utero, and at every step of their lives, as Yaakov purchases the firstborn and then steals Esav’s bracha, they are struggling over the spiritual future of the children of Avraham & Yitzchak.  And so, as Yaakov is approaching Esav, he WARNS HIM: Yosef has been born, I have the spiritual power of a SHOR, I have the power of an Ox.

But as much as we can understand the value in noting the strength of the Shor, the ox.  Why does Yaakov also note that he has the CHAMOR, the Donkey!?  We can further the question by asking why is it that Mashiach is described as a poor man riding on a donkey?  A donkey is not as beautiful and graceful as a horse, nor is it as strong as an Ox.

And the answer is that the medrash is actually revealing the TRUE secret to success against the forces of evil in our personal lives and as a nation.  And that is that we need a combination of the strength of BOTH the ox AND the donkey. Yes, of course, in moments of challenge, we need the STRENGTH of the ox.  We need to be able to forge ahead powerfully, to fight our enemies, to attack our negative character traits.  We have to be strong and proactive against those who attack us. However, the strength of the ox is not enough.  For as hard as a person works, or as hard as we as a nation we fight, we will always make mistakes, we will always fail SOMETIMES.  And every time we fail, that adds more and more BAGGAGE, psychological and emotional.  And then, as we try to fight, we become WEIGHED DOWN, more and more, by that baggage, by our past, by our failures, by all the stuff that we carry with us throughout our lives. And it’s human nature that when we become weighed down, we lose momentum, we lose that will to fight.

And in those moments, the power of the ox is not enough.  It’s in those moments that we need the unique strength of the donkey, the ability to carry the heavy burden but to keep plodding along.  Yes, the donkey doesn’t move quite as quickly or with as much force, but it is able to take weight after weight, bag after bag, failure after failure, and keep MOVING FORWARD. And this is why the symbol of Mashiach is NOT the ox, but rather a poor man riding on a DONKEY.  A donkey that carries the heavy burden of our millenia of challenges, mistakes, and disappointments, but allows us to carry ourselves forward through history nonetheless.

And so, as Yaakov approaches Esav, he lets him know, that while he might feel frightened by the upcoming encounter, while he can’t promise that he won’t falter along the way, he has the power BOTH of the Ox and the Donkey, the SHOR & CHAMOR,  the ability to strike with power and defeat our enemies and to bear the burden of the inevitable failures that will come our way.  And together, this will allow him and his children to make it through until the End of Days.

When Yaakov is renamed, he is called Yisrael, as the angel says ‘Ki Sarisa Im Elokim VA’anashim vatuchal’.  You struggled with Gd and man and you overcame/prevailed. And so many ask:  Why not call our nation “TUCHAL – The nation that overcomes, that prevails, that wins!”  Why Yisrael?

And the answer is, of course, that we won’t ALWAYS succeed and prevail.  Sometimes we fail, sometimes we mess up.  What makes us great, is that no matter the challenge, we are ready to fight, to work, to STRUGGLE!

Another week, another mix of military success, but more soldiers lost in battle, a young Israeli boy killed in a terrorist attack.  The longer our people fight with the strength of an ox, the burden of our losses becomes heavier and heavier. And it is in these times that we are reminded what Chazal tell us: “Maaseh Avos Siman LaBanim” – the stories of our forefathers, of our Avos & Imahos, their struggles and triumphs, their willingness to carry on in moments of challenge until the break of dawn, are not only emblematic or symbolic of that which would happen to us, their children, so many millenia later.  It is their ability to shoulder that burden and fight on that gives us the strength and the wherewithal to do the same. 

As we continue to make our way through this challenging darkness that at times seems like it will never end, we should remind ourselves of the struggles of Yaakov, and the power of the Shor & Chamor. Knowing that if we are willing to shoulder the burden and hold on tight, eventually the morning will come.