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Vayishlach

Mashiach, whose name also equals 358 (without adding a one). But
miketz ץ ֵּ ק ִמ what does this have to do with Jacob and Esau?

Jacob’s crossing back over the Yabbok represents, as we explained
above, his need to come to terms with himself before confronting
Esau. He was unsettled and agitated, unprepared for his meeting
with destiny. We noted that the wrestling match he had with the
£Pharaoh’s Dreams Pharaoh’s Dreams Pharaoh’s Dreams “man” he met there, on the one hand, reflects his internal struggle
££
and Their Eternal Moral Relevance but, on the other hand, also reflects his wrestling with the dark and
and Their Eternal Moral Relevance
and Their Eternal Moral Relevance
difficult relationship he had with Esau.
This, however, is merely the tip of the iceberg, as Rashi hints to

Pharaoh’s two dreams are the last of the ten recorded in the book of an even more profound struggle going on. Rashi proposes that the
Bereishit. Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams and in so doing becomes “man” Jacob wrestled with was Esau’s angel; according to tradition,
the vizier of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. Pharaoh’s two this angel is none other than Satan himself. Thus, this wrestling
dreams are similar. In his first dream, he sees seven healthy cows match is merely a reflection of the real battle going on between Jacob,
emerge from the Nile and graze until seven ugly, gaunt cows emerge representing the forces of good, and Esau and his angel, representing
and consume them. In his second dream, seven healthy ears of grain the forces of evil.
sprout on one stalk of wheat followed by seven unhealthy ones. Jacob’s very name alludes to this battle for he was born holding
The thin ones, scorched by an eastern wind, consume the healthy onto Esau’s heel. The word “heel” was first mentioned in the Torah
ones (Genesis 41:1-7). Pharaoh aroused his advisors, but none could after the snake had convinced Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge
interpret the dreams. Since this is somewhat surprising, Rashi of Good and Evil and Adam ate as well. God cursed the snake and
explains that the advisors actually offered reasonable interpretations, concluded by describing the eternal battle between humankind and
but Pharaoh rejected them. the evil inclination (the snake): “He will pound your head and you

The Sages explained that Pharaoh had actually dreamed the will bite his heel” (Genesis 3:15).
interpretation as well, but he had forgotten it upon awaking. When The archetypal image of Satan biting at humanity’s heel comes to
he hears Joseph’s interpretation, it rings true because the true life in Jacob holding onto Esau’s heel, determined to prevent Esau
interpretation was buried in his subconscious. This point is crucial from “biting his heel.” The wrestling match that Jacob waged on that
because oftentimes the meaning of a dream is either quite obvious auspicious night was indeed a fight to the eschatological end: Satan
to us or is easy to recognize when we are presented with the correct versus the Messianic spark in Jacob, that spark of potential which
interpretation. had been waiting Jacob’s entire life to be awakened. Jacob’s crossing
Chassidut explains that every detail in the Torah is dedicated to the stream to retrieve his “small vessels” was in fact his engaging in
teaching us how to best serve God and how to bring out the best in the struggle to awaken the Messianic spark in him to combat Satan.
ourselves. The Slonimer Rebbe, in Netivot Shalom, explains that the This entire spiritual equation is alluded to by the numbers 358 and
seven healthy cows and ears of grain represent our positive traits, 359.
while the sickly ones represent our evil inclination. In addition to the Parenthetically, in Judaism, Satan is not an evil force independent
interpretation Joseph gave to Pharaoh, these dreams teach us that of God, competing with Him for the throne of glory. The role that

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