Last Friday afternoon in Israel, Shabbat tables were prepared with yellow flowers. Yellow ribbons were tied around candle sticks. In nervous whispers, Israelis held each other tight, waiting for news of the safe return of their loved ones. As the minutes ticked toward Shabbat, the faces of women and children not seen for fifty days were finally revealed to the world. For some the nightmare was over, for others the endless angst and heartache continued. Even as the joy was slightly tempered, the hugs and the tears of reunited family members resounded around the world.
The echo of emotions in this week’s Torah portion, Vayishlach, and what unfolded last Shabbat is unmistakable. In the portion, the bitter rivalry between Jacob and Esau ends when “Esau ran to greet [Jacob], embraced him. Falling on his neck, he kissed him, and [the brothers] wept” (Genesis 33:4). What could have been a war between the twin brothers, is transformed into overtures of love and friendship. Reaching back thousands of years into the past, it is difficult to imagine the relief each brother and their respective family members must have felt in that dire moment.
But, instead of emphasizing the joy in the moment, the rabbis look closely at a group of seven dots placed above each of the letters of the word for “he kissed him” (Vayshakehu). Some say, this demonstrates Esau’s duplicity, that he only half-heartedly made his action. While other rabbis, see this is a sign of Esau’s genuine show of emotion. Our experience of the return of the hostages is similarly dotted. We want so much for this to be a sign of good things to come, but know the path forward is complicated. May the kiss of Esau be felt for the remaining hostages and their families and may peace return to the land of Jacob.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex