BS’D
Today’s daily dose of emuna is dedicated to the refuah shleimah of Sarala Ginsberg who just fell into a coma and the doctors are saying she has 48 hours to live. Please please daven for her. She’s just 17 years old. Her name is Alter Sarah Chaya bas Leah Avigayil. May Hashem send her a complete healing among all of Klal Yisrael who are sick and suffering b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen.
The Jewish people will go through 4 exiles: Babylonian, Median, Greek and Roman. We are currently in the last exile, the Roman exile. How do we know who today’s Romans are? The Gemara in Masechet Gittin teaches the wicked Titus destroyed the second Beit HaMikdash and sent us into our current exile. Eisav married an Ishmaelite; Titus descended from this marriage (some say even a reincarnation of Eisav). Consequently Eisav, Edom and Rome are one in the same, with a mix of Ishmaelites in there as well.
Chazal teaches Rome refers to any nation representing Christian culture. Eisav hates Yaakov; this is a halachah. Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai ztk’l further explains Christianity is founded on Jewish hatred; they continuously fight against the Jewish people.
We read in this week’s parsha,”Yaakov remained alone, and a man wrestled with him until the break of day.” [32:25].The children of Yaakov, continue to fight with Eisav nations until daybreak (until the light of Mashiach illuminates the world). Rav Shimshon Rafael Hirsch ztk’l and others view the confrontation between Esav’s angel and Yaakov as a metaphor for Jewish history. The passuk continues, “Yaakov was left alone”. The Jewish people regularly find themselves helpless and abandoned to face persecution at the hands of our enemies. Sound familiar?
This in spite of the fact that then and now Yaakov acted in self-defense. Yaakov survived the battle and moved forward in life while the angel disappeared. The Jewish people will survive, even if injured and oppressed, weary and alone. Yet, the pages of history testify that their enemies have disappeared and will be removed forever when Mashiach comes to redeem us. B’H, b’karov, b’rachamim, Amen.
