The mitzvot of Vayishlach

The first mitzvah of the parsha

3. Not to eat the sciatic nerve

Genesis 32:33

The root of the mitzvah

The mitzvah is a hint to Israel that although they will suffer many troubles in exile at the hands of the nations and of the descendants of Esav, they will not perish; their offspring and their name will endure until the redeemer comes. The angel who wrestled with Yaakov our father, by tradition the guardian angel of Esav, wanted to uproot him and his descendants from the world but could not, and only struck his thigh. And just as the sun rose for Yaakov and healed him, so the sun of the Messiah will rise for us and heal us of our pain.