The "Saar of Eisav" was a Talmid Chacham!

 

In this week’s parsha, the Torah describes a mysterious and pivotal moment:

וַיִּוָּתֵ֥ר יַעֲקֹ֖ב לְבַדּ֑וֹ וַיֵּאָבֵ֥ק אִישׁ֙ עִמּ֔וֹ עַ֖ד עֲל֥וֹת הַשָּֽׁחַר 

 “And Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.”

Rashi explains that this “man” was none other than the Saar shel Eisav — the spiritual force or angel representing Esau.

וּפֵרְשׁוּ רַזִ"לִ שֶׁהוּא שָׂרוֹ שֶׁל עֵשָׂו

The Gemara in Chullin (91a) offers a fascinating debate about how this angel appeared to Yaakov:

רבי שמואל בר נחמני אמר כעובד כוכבים נדמה לו

 רב שמואל בר אחא קמיה דרב פפא משמיה דרבא בר עולא אמר כת"ח נדמה לו

• Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani says he appeared as a goy, a pagan.

• Rav Shmuel bar Achai, quoting Rava bar Ulla, says he appeared as a talmid chacham, a Torah scholar.

This contrast is striking. What could it mean that the angel of Esau — the embodiment of spiritual opposition — looked like a Torah scholar?

I’d like to suggest a deeper explanation.

Yaakov was on his way to Eretz Yisrael — making Aliyah, returning to the land of his fathers. At that vulnerable moment, the Saar of Eisav came to stop him.

According to Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani, the angel appeared as a non-Jew, arguing that Eretz Yisrael is not holy because it’s inhabited by goyim. This mirrors the mindset of some Jews in Chutz La’Aretz today who claim that since the land was built by Zionists or secular Jews, it lacks holiness. The Satan whispers: “It’s dangerous there. Goyim want to kill Jews. Stay in exile.”

But Rav Shmuel bar Achai’s view is even more subtle — and perhaps more dangerous. He says the angel appeared as a Torah scholar. In this version, the Satan doesn’t use fear or foreignness. He uses Torah itself. He tells Yaakov: “Aliyah isn’t a mitzvah from the Torah. It’s only rabbinic. There are halachic reasons to stay in Chutz La’Aretz.”

This is the spiritual struggle of our generation. The resistance to Aliyah isn’t always external. Sometimes, it comes cloaked in Torah arguments, dressed in piety, and spoken in the language of halacha.

Yaakov’s wrestling match wasn’t just physical — it was ideological. And it continues today.