Torah Down Under

What was the significance of Yaakov’s victory over the sar shel esav ? The gemara says in Taanis (5b): ...א"ר יוחנן יעקב אבינו לא מת א"ל וכי בכדי ספדו ספדנייא וחנטו חנטייא וקברו קברייא א"ל מקרא אני דורש שנאמר (ירמיהו ל, י) ואתה אל תירא עבדי יעקב נאם ה' ואל תחת ישראל כי הנני מושיעך מרחוק ואת זרעך מארץ שבים מקיש הוא לזרעו מה זרעו בחיים אף הוא בחיים “Rabbi Yochanan said Yaakov Avinu did not die. He said to him, was it for nothing that they were maspid him and embalmed him? He said, I am making a derosho from a passuk as it says – ‘And you do not fear my servant Yaakov says Hashem and do not tremble Yisroel because I will save you from afar and you children from the land of their captivity.’ – The possuk compares Yaakov to his children, just as his children are alive so is he alive.” How did Rebbi Yochanan answer the question. The possuk says in Vayechi that they embalmed Yaakov and were maspid him, so this contradicts the derosho from Yirmiya? Rabbi Yitzchok ...

The hagaddah says, ” ארמי אובד אבי ” – “Lavan, the Aramean, tried to destroy my father.” The hagaddah implies that the threat from Lavan was even greater than the threat from Esav. The hagaddah does not say that “Esav tried to destroy Yaakov and then he went down to Mitzraim.” It seems that the danger from Lavan was a more significant event in Yaakov’s life than the attack from Esav, why is this? Chukim The possuk says in Divrei Hayamim (1:16): זִכְרוּ לְעוֹלָם בְּרִיתוֹ דָּבָר צִוָּה לְאֶלֶף דּוֹר. אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת אֶת אַבְרָהָם וּשְׁבוּעָתוֹ לְיִצְחָק. וַיַּעֲמִידֶהָ לְיַעֲקֹב לְחֹק לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּרִית עוֹלָם “Remember forever his promise, the matter which he commanded for a thousand generations. Which he agreed with Avrohom, and his shevuoh to Yitzchok and he set it up for Yaakov as a statute (chok), for Yisroel an eternal covenant.” The promise that Hashem made to Yaakov to give him Eretz Yisroel is described as a chok whereas for the other avos it is described as a shevuo...