This year I met our ancestors Jacob’s new set of angels
This week’s Torah portion opens with the dramatic confrontation between Jacob and Esau. The opening verse raises a striking question: “Jacob dispatched angels as messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau, to the land of Se’ir, the field of Edom.”
Esau was a coarse, brutal hunter—someone who spent his life plundering and living far from spiritual sensitivity. Why would Jacob think an angel could soften the heart of someone so seemingly unreachable? What kind of angel could possibly penetrate the spirit of a man like Esau?
This year, after attending the International Chabad Convention, I gained a deeper, more revolutionary understanding of what kind of angels Jacob may have sent—and what an angel on a mission truly looks like.
As 6,000 rabbis sat in awe, a young Chabad ambassador named Zalmy took the stage and shared his story—how he lost both his legs at a very young age, yet he never lost his will to live fully!! When Zalmy walked onto the stage on prosthetics, his upbeat “can-do” spirit filled the room. In a confident, unwavering voice he declared:
“In my life, I don’t know what it means to be lacking. I have been sent to my community with a mission, and for that I am so grateful to represent the Rebbe and help my fellow Jews.”
Zalmy then introduced Rabbi Liraz Zeira, an Israeli Chabad rabbi and IDF soldier who also lost both his legs , this time in Syria, while protecting his fellow Jews. Rabbi Liraz spoke of his refusal to fall into despair because his mission remains unchanged: his people still need him. He may no longer have his feet, but he possesses a soul on fire and a purpose that moves him forward with even greater conviction.
There is a well-known debate among the classic commentators about Jacob’s messengers. Some describe them as literal angels; others say they were courageous human beings.
No commentary ever suggests they were without legs —and yet, my friends, today we have seen a level of angelic spirit that our rabbis of old could hardly have imagined. The unwavering light and strength of Zalmy and Rabbi Liraz reveal a new kind of angelicity—one born from courage, resilience, and an unbreakable Jewish soul.
Today, humanity cries out for help. And to truly reach people—especially those hardened by pain, fear, or darkness—what the world needs most is not a pair of wings, but rather a loving heart and a wise, nurturing mind.
There is even a Talmudic opinion that Samson was born lame. His physical limitations never prevented him from dedicating his entire life to saving his nation. His strength came not from his body, but from his soul.
All you need is a heart and a soul.
A dear friend of mine, the founder of a branch of Friendship Circle program, ( a program that empowers teenage volunteers to become friends with children with special needs) once faced criticism from the “establishment” leaders who questioned what degrees he held in psychology or special-needs education to justify his remarkable success. His response was simple and yet so profound: “I have a heart and a soul. That is my degree.”
The commentaries may disagree on the identity of Jacob’s angels, but today we see clearly what the greatest messengers in the world truly look like. Zalmy and Rabbi Liraz may not have legs , but they possess hearts and souls ablaze with love and purpose – and that is exactly the kind of angel our ancestor Jacob would send today to protect and uplift the Jewish people.
I stand in deep reverence and humility beside soldiers of the spirit like Zalmy and Rabbi Liraz. We are blessed with the Rebbe’s messengers dispatched to literally every corner of the earth—angels whose burning hearts and luminous souls have the power to pierce even the toughest of spirits and allow Jacob’s light to prevail.
The reality is that we are all angels with one wing, in order to fly – we have to start embracing each other!