The Appearance of the Angel

The Talmud in Masechet Chullin has a difference of opinion as to what was the appearance of the angel that wrestled with Yakov.

One opinion was that he had the appearance of a Gentile. The other opinion was that he had the appearance of a Talmid Chacham, a Torah scholar.

The angel was thought to epitomize the Yeitzer Hara, the evil inclination. Yakov was fighting to weaken its influence on his descendants.

The meaning of this Talmudic statement was to warn us of how cunning the Yeitzer Hara can be. Sometimes the carefree lifestyle of the Gentile can be enticing. Self indulgence and pampering oneself might not seem so bad. But such an emphasis on self gratification draws a person away from G-d.

The Talmud is also warning us that we could be fooled by the one who “appears to be a Torah scholar. He might really be the Yeitzer Hara in disguise, when he preaches that an עבירה, a sin, is really a Mitzva. People might be confused because he looks so religious. But the reality be that he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

We must be diligent in our battle against temptations and the Yeitzer Hara. It has many tricks at its disposal. It is up to us to seek truth, and not allow ourselves to go astray from the path of Torah and Chessed.