Yaakov’s Defense Against Esav: The Power Of Amelut BaTorah

The Torah describes Esav’s murderous intent toward his brother:

“And Esav said in his heart: ‘The days of mourning for my father will soon come, and then I will kill my brother Yaakov’” (Bereishit 27:41).

Rashi explains simply: Esav did not want to cause his father pain; he would wait until Yitzchak had passed away.

But this raises a question: If Esav wished only to spare his father grief, why link his plan not to Yitzchak’s death, but specifically to the days of mourning?

The Kli Yakar: Esav Waited for a Window of Vulnerability

The Kli Yakar addresses this difficulty. A mourner is prohibited from engaging in regular Torah study because “the precepts of Hashem are right, rejoicing the heart.” Torah brings joy — and therefore an avel must refrain.

Yitzchak had already told Esav, “And it shall be when you are unsettled” — interpreted by Chazal to mean: when Bnei Yisrael are lax in Torah, Esav’s descendants will be able to break their dominance.

Thus, Esav reasoned:

During mourning, Yaakov will certainly not be learning Torah,

Without Torah, he will lose its spiritual protection,

And that will be the perfect moment to strike.

The Targum Yonatan offers a similar interpretation.

The Mourner’s Missing Protection

Chazal state (Berachot 44b):

A mourner requires special protection, because he lacks the Torah that guards him, as it is written: “When you walk, it will guide you; when you lie down, it will watch over you.”

The Rosh HaYeshivah of Grodno, Rav Dovid Tzvi Karlenstein zt”l, asks:

A mourner may still study halachot of mourning and tragic episodes in Am Yisrael — so why does this Torah not protect him?

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He answers:

Only Torah learned with toil — with effort, sweat, and deep engagement — possesses the unique power of “מגנא ומצלא,” to shield and save.

A mourner may learn, but he may not exert himself; the inner emotional state required for true amal is absent.

Thus, he is missing the highest level of Torah protection.

The Chazon Ish: Protection Comes From Toil

The Chazon Ish expressed this succinctly:

“All the special segulot of Torah were said only regarding its toil.”

Not casual study.

Not light reading.

Only labor — amal — carries the transformative, protective power described by Chazal.

Yaakov’s Response to Danger

With this in mind, the behavior of Yaakov Avinu becomes clear.

When fleeing from Esav, he immersed himself in the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever for fourteen uninterrupted years.

Chazal note on the verse “וישכב במקום ההוא — He lay down in that place” that the word “that place” is limiting:

Only in that place did he lie down.

For the entire fourteen years, he did not lie down to sleep at night.

Why?

Because he was in danger.

Esav sought his life — and Yaakov responded not with weapons, but with toil in Torah.

He knew he required extraordinary spiritual protection, and he drew it from the one source that never fails:

intense, joyous, exhausting engagement in Torah.

This, Chazal teach, is the ultimate shield.

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Rabbi Leeor Dahan, a graduate of Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim/RSA, is a noted scholar and teacher, well-versed in halachah. He currently leads Kehilat Avodat Hashem in Hillcrest, Queens, inspiring his congregation to delve into Torah study and embrace its eternal teachings.