יעקב אבינו was alone when he fought the מלאך and won. How was יעקב אבינו able to defeat a מלאך with such tremendous כוחות?
Rabeinu Yonah explains “אם אין אני לי מי לי”: No mussar or inspiration can help a person who doesn’t awaken himself. Real change begins only when we take responsibility. Rav Nosson Wachtfogel זצ״ל explains that this is the meaning of “לבדו.” Yaakov understood: This is my battle. No one else can do it for me. The moment he took ownership, he found the inner strength to overcome even the strength of a מלאך.
Our success is in our own hands. No one else can choose who we become. Don’t wait for others to inspire you. Take a moment each morning to think: Who do I want to be today? Demonstrating ownership over our own decisions allows powerful latent kochos to come to the forefront in a way that nobody can ever foresee.
With real simas lev and the mindset of “אין הדבר תלוי אלא בי,” every one of us can be מצליח.
The זוהר says that when the יצר הרע saw that he could not defeat יעקב אבינו directly, he went after those who support Torah, trying to weaken them instead.
As Shela-He Members, our job is to stay strong and continue supporting those who hold up the world with their learning, unmoved by the שרו של עשיו. These תלמידי חכמים continue יעקב’ס fight with incredible mesirus nefesh each day. Let us stand with them, both through supporting Torah financially and remembering that we are capable of rising above every nisayon when we internalize that “it all depends on us.”
ר' מאיר שמעון קאלמאנאוויץ
