Rabbi Konigsburg's Blog

I was once taught that if you want to find someone to get something done, find someone who is very busy. At first glance, this seems counterproductive. Why would you choose someone who has a full plate to get something done? Surely, they don’t have any more room to do more! However, the characteristics of someone who is busy demonstrates that the person is productive and a doer. The thinking therefore goes, if you want to find someone to do a task, then find a person who can imagine a world where they can get everything done. 

As we continue the Jacob narrative in this week’s portion, we continue to see that Jacob is quite the planner and doer. In Parshat Vayishlach, Jacob is anticipating a difficult encounter with his brother Esau. After sending emissaries ahead to greet Esau, Jacob learns that Esau is en route with a small army of 400 men. Worried that his brother is coming to enact his revenge, Jacob acts and organizes a series of gifts to Esau to help offset the negative attitude his brother might have. Similarly, Jacobs divides his family into two camps, reasoning that if his brother attacks one of the camps, the other has a chance to escape. We can imagine these efforts took a lot of thoughtfulness and organizing; and it’s not so far of a stretch to imagine that these efforts left Jacob tired and spent – making his subsequent wrestling match with the angel more suspenseful. Yet perhaps it is this fact that allows Jacob to gain favor from God and the angel after the wrestling match. Even after working to get things off his to-do list, even after being weary from all the emotional angst spent on his anticipated encounter with Esau, Jacob still finds the strength to wrestle with an angel. Thus, when dawn arrives and the angel finds that neither one of them has succeeded over the other, Jacob is blessed, and his name is changed to Israel. For Jacob strived with beings human and divine and prevailed (Genesis 32:29). 

In our own lives, it seems that our own to-do lists never seem to be fulfilled. After finishing all the returns, dropping by the ATM, and taking care of our car’s emissions tests and yearly registration, we discover that the backyard needs to be raked, the air in the car tires needs to be topped off, and the dry-cleaning from last week still needs to be picked up (let alone needing to do the dishes again, even though you just did them yesterday). Like Jacob, we are engaged in so many chores and activities and just when we check them all off, we find ourselves wrestling with an angel or adding new things to our list. But like Jacob, perhaps we can find the blessing in being people who get things done. Like Jacob who doesn’t win his wrestling match, we will never prevail over our responsibilities and to-do lists. Yet being productive and people who get things done is worthy of blessing indeed. May this Shabbat grant us rest and perspective, and may it leave us feeling recharged to face next week with renewed spirit and a “can-do” attitude.