יַבֹּק
Yabbok
The river crossing
וַיִּשְׁלַח
Torah Portion 8 of 12 · Bereshit (Genesis) 32:4–36:43
Parashat Vayishlach: the story, then the game.
Yaakov sends messengers ahead and spends the night alone at the Yabbok. He wrestles until dawn, walks away limping with a new name, and meets the brother he ran from.
Vayishlach: "And he sent"
The Story of Parashat Vayishlach
Two camps
Yaakov is going home, and Esav is coming to meet him with four hundred men. He is afraid. He divides his people into two camps, prays, and sends droves of animals ahead as a gift, one after another.
Until the breaking of the day
He sends everyone across the Yabbok and stays behind alone. A man wrestles with him until dawn and can't prevail, and touches the hollow of his thigh. Yaakov won't let go without a blessing, and he's given a new name, Yisrael. He walks on limping into the sunrise.
Esav ran to meet him
Yaakov bows seven times. Esav runs to him, embraces him and kisses him, and they weep. The brothers part in peace. The journey home is hard: there is sorrow at Shechem, Yaakov returns to Beit-El, Rachel dies on the road to Efrat giving birth to Binyamin, and Yitzchak is buried by his two sons.
Read in synagogues on Shabbat, November 28, 2026.
What You Play
The part of the story we focus on.
The game has a set piece built for this one night at the Yabbok: you can't win, and you only have to hold on.
שְׁנֵי מַחֲנוֹת
Two Camps
Send messengers to Esav, divide the camp and send droves from your own flock ahead.
Bereshit (Genesis) 32
עַד עֲלוֹת הַשָּׁחַר
Until the Breaking of the Day
Alone at the Yabbok, hold on until dawn. Receive the name Yisrael, and walk on with the limp.
Bereshit (Genesis) 32
וַיָּרָץ עֵשָׂו לִקְרָאתוֹ
Esav Ran to Meet Him
Bow seven times, build at Sukkot, travel through Shechem and Beit-El, raise Rachel's pillar and bury Yitzchak at Machpelah.
Bereshit (Genesis) 33–36
This portion at a glance
- Messengers and gifts sent to Esav32:4–22
- The night at the Yabbok, and a new name32:23–33
- Yaakov and Esav meet33:1–17
- The return to Beit El35:1–15
- Rachel dies on the road to Beit Lechem35:16–20
Hebrew from Parashat Vayishlach
פְּנִיאֵל
Peniel
Where he wrestled
יִשְׂרָאֵל
Yisrael
Yaakov's new name
שְׁכֶם
Shechem
A stop in the land
Talk about it
- Why do you think Yaakov asks for a blessing when he's in pain?
- What surprises you about how Esav greets him?
- What's different about Yaakov after that night?
About Parashat Vayishlach
What is Parashat Vayishlach about?
Yaakov wrestles at the Yabbok and meets Esav again. The name, וַיִּשְׁלַח, means "And he sent."
Where is Parashat Vayishlach in the Bible?
It runs from Bereshit 32:4 to Bereshit 36:43, which is Genesis 32:4–36:43 in an English Bible. It's portion 8 of the 12 in the book.
Can I play Parashat Vayishlach in Gan Eden?
Playable now in Gan Eden, free in your browser.
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