Finally, Yaacov returns to his father. He reconnects with his past. This act of return solidifies his connection to the legacy of Avraham. With this act, the act of once again seizing the legacy of Avraham, Yaacov’s path is made clear. No longer is Esav a potential inheritor of a symbolic legacy – Esav can now leave Canaan and fully enter the world of Seir.
Yaacov is a man with such a powerful will that he can constrain his own forcefulness. He is constrained, and he works within the social contract, but he is not a man who should descend to the life of Shechem. He works within the world and its realities, but that is not all he does. And that is not all that we, the children of Israel, should do. Yaacov is a symbolic man and we are a symbolic nation. As with Yaacov, we use symbolism to protect the spiritual potential of our people and we use it to encounter G-d. We use symbolism to recognize the potential of all people and we use symbolism to push back against an often harsh reality. Finally, we use symbolism, constantly, to reconnect to the legacy of Avraham.
While all people should imitate G-d (through creation, connection and protection) and while all people should relate to Him, it is the unique task of the Jewish people to recognize and reinforce this imitation and relation symbolically. We are the ambassadors of these values and our laws, from the laws of the offerings to the laws of Kashrut to the laws of family purity, are symbols of that role.
The symbols do more than reinforce our message. The brother’s protection of the family’s symbolic status protected Yaacov from continuing on the road to Seir. Our symbols protect us in the same way. In the offerings, we are represented by the goat. Just like Esav, we are rambunctious and willful. We are constantly encircling Seir. Our symbols maintain the self-control, refinement and spirituality of our nation.
Fundamentally, it is our symbols and our laws that enable our mission, and it is our symbols and laws that keep who we are.