Born and raised in Jerusalem in the early 20th century, Rabbi Abraham Shalem was one of the 20th century's most outstanding representatives of the classical Sephardic tradition. A descendant of Hakhamim from Spain and Salonika (including his grandfather, Hakham Shmuel Shalem, author of the book Melekh Shalem, commenting on Maimonides and the Talmud), Rabbi Abraham Shalem studied under the tutelage of Sephardic Chief Rabbi Benzion Meir Hai Uziel in his yeshiva, received his Semikha (Rabbinical Ordination) from him, and was close to him personally, reflected in what Rabbi Uziel once wrote to him in their many letters they exchanged:"my relationship with you is like that of a father to his son."
I had the privilege of knowing Rabbi Shalem personally, and spent many, many hours with him in his beautiful apartment in Jerusalem. Every wall was lined with sacred books and world literature, but also with original oil paintings which he himself had painted. Certificates and leadership awards he received from his many years as a community rabbi in Peru, Seattle and Mexico City also adorned the walls. I marveled at the many Sephardic manuscripts he transformed into books during his years as the head of the Sephardic Manuscripts division of Makhon Yerushalyim in Jerusalem, but I especially loved hearing all of his wonderful stories about his days as a student with Rabbi Uziel and all of the other Sephardic Hakhamim from the early days of the Zionist Yishuv in Jerusalem. Were I ever to put all of my conversations with Rabbi Shalem down into writing, it would be the rabbinical version of Mitch Albom's classic book Tuesdays With Morrie.
Speaking of books, Rabbi Shalem authored several brilliant books with his own insights into the Torah, halakhic issues and Jewish philosophy and theology. I am privileged to be the proud owner of all of his books, and I cherish the personal inscriptions in each one of them.
In his book Eshed Ha-Nehalim, Rabbi Shalem's beautiful derashot (homilies) about the weekly parasha are the gems from whose wisdom I constantly draw upon. That includes his derasha to this week's Torah portion, Parashat Vayishlach.
Jacob is understandably anxious about his planned reunion with his brother Esau. The last time they were together was when Esau threatened to kill Jacob over the controversy regarding their father Isaac's blessing.
On the eve of this reunion, Jacob expresses fear, as he hears that Esau is on his way over with 400 men:
"Jacob was greatly frightened, and in his anxiety, he divided the people with him into two camps" (Genesis 32:8)
Rabbi Shalem picks up on Jacob's fear over the potential confrontation with his brother, and explores it on a deeper level: "He who examines Jacob's fear more closely, and what Jacob experienced that night on the eve of meeting his brother, will see that his fear reflects not only that moment, but was on behalf of his descendants for many generations to come."
Jacob's fear, followed by the whole night he spent "alone wrestling with a man" is understood by Rabbi Shalem as a metaphor for all of subsequent Jewish history.
"The various trials and tribulations of the Jewish people," writes Rabbi Shalem, "the various confrontations with hateful enemies, the wars, the destructions, the persecutions and pogroms, the hatred and violence against the Jewish people -- all of these dark pieces of our history were part of Jacob's fears on that dark, lonely and anxious night."
Rabbi Shalem describes our nearly 2,000 years in exile as "one long night, when we wrestled with our enemies - like Jacob wrestled that night - to maintain our unique character, identity and faith as Jews. This struggle through that long, dark night of exile was a journey through the valley of tears in the shadow of death." Like Jacob our ancestor, we were alone in darkness.
Jacob's frightening struggle lasted all night "until the break of dawn" (Genesis 32:25). Rabbi Shalem reads "the break of dawn" as a metaphor for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland, after a long night in exile lasting nearly 2,000 years: "At the break of dawn, after all of the struggles and attempted destructions of our people, the enemy had not prevailed against us, much like the mysterious man could not prevail over Jacob. Like Jacob, we were limping and injured - physically and emotionally - but we survived and came home. Like our ancestor, who prevailed at dawn and had his name changed from Jacob to Israel, his descendants went from being the "Jews in the darkness of exile" to the "Jews who came back home" - to a place called Israel.
Rabbi Shalem was privileged to be a part of that "return home to Israel." His family left Salonika and moved to Jerusalem, and despite his many years of devoted service to Jewish communities in the diaspora, he now did so as an "emissary from Jerusalem," from a land and country - Israel - where his people now had control over their own lives and destiny.
Rabbi Shalem passed away in 2014 and was laid to rest in Jerusalem, at the Har Hamenuhot cemetery, the same cemetery where his revered teacher Rabbi Uziel was laid to rest in 1953. Rabbi Shalem's anio (yahrzeit - anniversary of passing) is the 23rd day of Elul, Rabbi Uziel's the 24th of Elul. In life and in death, the rabbi and student remain close to one another.
Today, a very large collection of those beautiful books that lined Rabbi Shalem's walls in his apartment are proudly housed in the Emquies Family Sephardic Library of the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Shalem's beautiful interpretation of "Jacob's fear" serves to inspire and remind us that in the face of darkness, loneliness, struggle and confrontation, we may get injured and hurt along the way, but with persistence, "Jacob will become Israel," meaning we will survive and prevail, both in our individual lives, and - per Jewish history - as a Jewish nation.
Shabbat Shalom