RAV KOOK ON Vayishlach Part 1: Jacob Arrived Whole

Having survived the trickery of uncle Laban and the enmity of his brother Esau, Jacob finally returned to his homeland. “Jacob arrived whole (shalem) to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan” (Gen. 33:18). In what way was Jacob shalem? The Talmud explains that he was “whole in body, whole in money, whole in his Torah knowledge” (Shabbat 33b). According to the medieval commentator Rashi, these three areas are directly related to Jacob’s previous ordeals. Physically — Jacob healed from the lameness the stranger had afflicted upon him in their mysterious struggle at Peniel. Financially — he did not lack money, despite the expensive gifts he had offered this brother Esau. And spiritually — he had not forgotten his Torah learning, despite the long years of intensive labor at Laban’s house.