This Shabbat after 20 years abroad, Yaakov Avinu comes back to the Holy Land, comes back to Hebron.
And the second a Jew wants to come back to the Holy Land, right away there’s opposition. Right away Yaakov is faced with Esau and his 400 generals.
There’s also a spiritual battle that takes place that night. And Yaakov goes back for the small jugs of oil which is a little allusion to Chanukah and the Pach Shemen, the jug of oil that was found on the Temple Mount.
Yaakov fights all night against the archangel of Esau. Yaakov, after being victorious, despite getting wounded, his name is changed from Yaakov to Yisrael.
The verse tells us: Ki Sarita im Elokim v’anashim vatucheal. You battled against angels, you battled against men. You fought against Esau and his men. You fought against the archangel. You fought with Laban. And you were always victorious.
We Jewish people are called Bnei Yisrael. We’re not called Bnei Reuven, Bnei Gad, Bnei Shlumiel, people of Shalom. We’re called people who know how to fight. People who know how to take the battle against the strongest forces in the world.
Yaakov was victorious. and gave us the strength eventually to be victorious against the Greeks and the great miracle of Chanukah, Rabim B’yad M’atim, the many Greek legions were given over to the few.
Be’ezrat Hashem, we should be victorious over all our enemies and get that strength from Yaakov Avinu who fought that long night and long exile until the great morning shined.
And that’s the great morning of the geula, the great light of Chanukah, the hidden light that’s revealed every Chanukah.
Shabbat shalom.
