Parshas Vayishlach 5786

Parshas Vayishlach 5786        

This encounter that Yaakov has with Eisav encompasses the way of interacting in this last long galus. Eisav comes with intention to kill, Yaakov prepares with prayers , gifts and bribes toward merit,  appeasement and war.  Eisav in this moment is appeased.  The last step he offers to walk together, and Yaakov answers, you go on ahead, the children are young and the animals, it will take us a long time. We will make our way slowly.  Choosing for us this long road back. This foreshadows the last galus. Eisavs entrapment through erstwhile kindness.  Yet in essence cause helplessness, and neediness. Yet see the large great edifices dedicated to these. of course it is necessary for some, but now all are trying to fit into these categories as a way of being taken care of.

Taking care of you through, programs, special teaching and social  supports or sameness, benefits to all people who declare themselves disabled, debilitated,  homeless, helpless, separated, single mothers of families of 10+. What are willing to claim and slander  ourselves, and demean  ourselves to fit this bill and their regulatory protocol. There are certainly many who need this assistance, and it is a lifeline in some circumstances to allow for survival. But when as general method of living is  vied for by, and lied for, It is an imprisonment and destruction.  Turning us from Givers, following the example of our Hashem, to takers, whose hands are tied because when we really want to give, the program rules and fears of being found out, force the will from our ability.  

In times of kindness is the greatest danger to us as yidden. As we stop trying to create for ourselves, think for ourselves and rely on the “help”, we concurrently stop being able to take on responsibility , especially for our choices, eventually claiming, G-d does it all, Govt does it all, my Group des it all and we have nothing to do with this.  Or we are a bag of chemicals, to be tampered with by taking tablets that alter who we are,( After thirty years of experience, I can say it does not). Teaching us to   Avoid responsibility at all cost , and remove from yourself the very essence of what makes you human. Your Choices.. In a very short nutshell one can tell the difference between true illness vs character that needs refining is by the ability to control the symptoms when it is advantageous to do so, and let it all come out when there are no consequences.

There is a concept of “A finger doesn’t move unless Hashem wills it”. taken out of context to promote Eisav thought.  Eisav believes one can act with impunity, theft and murder, torture whom they call “other “, Yet he thinks he will stay in the right, his choices do not matter, his efforts do not matter, good or bad doesn’t matter- as long as he believes, he will be saved. This ideology is incompatible with Yiddishkeit, where the saving by the Rabbi- Tzaddik-mystic  concept is gaining momentum.  Mimicking this same idea. A Rebbe , a Rav once spoke with you, clarified with you, took on the ohl with you, did with you and prayed for you and cried with you, and in the end, you had to decide. De-cide, means you kill off all the other options. One must do this to choose, so you can go forward.

This skill is being lost with a clear inability to decide, for always looking over our shoulders about what the other choice would have given me., or what other have people have done. And yet , Our choices can  elevate us to become so high, as to partner with Hashem in creation anew each day.  Using all your will your whit’s, all you are, to forward each day. ,What Hashem knows will happen, is in His realm. Since we don’t know what that is, In our realm,  are the choices in front of you. Do or don’t, its up to you. And in the way you wish to go, the choices will be placed in front of you. For the reward for doing a mitzva, is being given the opportunity to do more, and the reward for the aveira, you’re  choices based on your road you decided to travel.

Many people think being passive , not doing, will save them from making a choice, they will choose nothing, and let life unravel in front of them. This too is a choice, as one chooses not intervene and allows what is happening to continue to go in that direction.  In fact, most evil that happens is passed forward by this method

An oft asked question is who was worse, Yemach Shemo the head of the Nazi’s, or the German people.  Often, psychology tries to prove that anyone in those circumstances, would have acted the same. It is not so, as seen by those who defied, because they went with fighting evil and darkness, despite the cost. The truth, is without the German people acquiescence, He would have been a madman in back room bars spewing spittle for the sparse audience that was also power hungry. Decency, Humanity would have prevailed, had enough of the German people not caved to initially occasional theft murder, thuggery, looking away in an attempt to feed their own desire for power and allow the purported “return to peace and equality for all men”, a claim by most despots to get your willing allowance.

An example, though on a much milder and finer scale,  would be medical protocol. Initially these were investigated as best methods that should be used as a base for all patients. As we know, humans tend not to be identical, and though it works for many , you will always have that minority above and below.  So a Dr with expertise is required to see abigger picture,  what are the options in these particular circumstances.  And then something changed, instead of the protocols being a base, it became their prison,  for whoever deviated with the protocol, since there was no proof, risked loss of license or being sued. And though they may have experience situations that called for other, they couldnt say so. 

For example, the protocol for Afib is blood thinners to prevent clots which can lead to Heart attack or stroke. This individual, tried  different ones, always having severe reactions, eventually having a Major bleed in the GI tract.  While still in the ICU, they restarted the blood thinners, because this is protocol, to prevent a stroke that would disable him. However the major bleed went on to do the same, having to stop working and becoming completely dependant , and eventually unable to walk.  So what was prevented? When challenged, each Dr would not take responsibility for saying, it doesn’t make sense here. Until, one eventually stated, you have to make your decision of what to do when stuck between a 2 awful out comes. Bleeds,  we had 4 actual proofs for. And in danger to ones life , 2 is counted as sufficient to regard the item as damaging, vs a potential clot. Yet, when making the decision to stop said thinners, each Dr walked away from it.

At the same time, I have found those that have made it work. For example, a woman was able to have children through c-section only. Due to the 5^th section, her Dr informed her under no circumstances could she go into labor, At the 38 week mark, labor was close and he attempted to get her admitted to a First rate hospital. They had  passed a rule, due to findins of increased distress at c section prior to 39 weeks, no c section would would be permitted prioir to 39 weeks. Her Dr Attempted to get an exception, but was unable, because he had no evidence of large scale study of evidence.  There are likely less than 10 women in the county fitting this category.  He made it happen, taking some risk to his career and reputation, but willing to stand in that space of right and wrong , based on the individual standing in front of you.  This is what separates those who choose Hashem’s Torah  from those made by man, Tora always looks at the individual above the group, Whereas all man made seek to uniformize and control.  Think each snowflake, and altering zebra stripes, vs society ruled fit, or factory fitted sameness.

Another DR I found, worked for a cancer center, who strictly followed protocol In research, to ensure purity of findings in what helps and what doesn’t,  1 or 2 treatments were studied at a time to prove what worked. However , if 5 options were available, they didn’t use them. And although  for the group as a whole this is indicated, to the person who died and wasn’t give the additional options, in the process of learning, it is a poor comfort

We live today in a world that wants to say there is no right and wrong. That there is no objective truth.  That we can all choose whatever we believe, and when the consequences happen, it is divorced from the choices one has made. We don’t know what His plan is. Yet the choice is in  front of you. You create yourself, because what are you, but the sum total of what you have done.  Have you filled yourself with enough truth to know which decision is up or down.  Do you have someone you trust, that  you have seen leads one to life, that leads to you standing taller on your own,  so when you make your decision,  it brings you in contact with less doubt and more of His infinity.  Often ,  the short term looks worse, as your life is shaken up from its inertia, and yet once extracted from the darkness, your soul, your will, your mind can sing. As you negotiate your way upward.