התבטלות

Continuing on the theme of Yakov’s bowing to Eisav, the Netivot Shalom expands on his unique interpretation. He explained that Yakov did not exactly bow to Eisav, but bowed to the שכינה, the Divine Presence.

Yakov’s bowing showed התבטלות, self nullification. When one bows, he is nullifying himself before Hashem. This is why we bow before Hashem on Yom Kippur.

The Rebbe of Avritch זצ״ל, lived in Tzephat when there was a great earthquake that caused extensive damage. The Rebbe viewed the quake as a surge of power of the סטרא אחרא, the side of evil. He instructed the entire Jewish community to bow or do השתחויה, by stretching themselves directly on the ground. This subdued the forces of evil.

Yakov Avinu taught us the strength of התבטלות, when he confronted the evil, Eisav. This self nullification is definitely a trait that we all need to work on. It brings with it, great protection and closeness to Hashem.