D'var Torah

In this week’s parasha, Vayishlach, after wrestling alone till dawn with an angel, or Divine figure, Jacob asks the being for a blessing. In response, the angel asks him for his name, then says in response:

לֹ֤א יַעֲקֹב֙ יֵאָמֵ֥ר עוֹד֙ שִׁמְךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּֽי־שָׂרִ֧יתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִ֛ים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַתּוּכָֽל

“Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed.”

From here forward, Jacob has a new name, Israel, the one who wrestles with God. It is, perhaps, one of the most important moments in our text, as we hear this name that comes to represent us as a people, and is the name of our homeland. And, it’s a fitting name for Jacob- this angel has gotten it spot on! In the previous chapters, we watch Jacob grow up, first wrestling physically and emotionally with his twin Esau, from the womb to teenagehood, and years later, wrestling figuratively with his father-in-law Laban over his daughters who Jacob will take as brides. Jacob has seemingly been in a state of wrestling his whole life, with lots of complexities, and with few clear victories. But here, the angel tells Jacob he has prevailed. What does it mean, in Jacob’s case, to prevail?

I myself am wrestling with big and divine questions right now. What does it mean to live in America as a proud Jew? What does it mean to hold my American and Israeli identities side by side? How can I lay down my head, safe, in my bed at night as my cousins run to bomb shelters? How do I stand unequivocally by my loved ones in Israel while helping them hold their government accountable for proper pursuit of justice and care? How do I advocate for support of Israel in a complex world among peers and friends who don’t wish to understand my perspective?

I’ve decided it won’t be easy to “prevail” over my current course of wrestling if my outcome is to win, or to find all the answers. I have learned that there is much holiness in the act of the struggle itself, and regardless of the outcome, much holiness in what we do after. When Jacob struggles, he becomes Israel. Perhaps he is taking on a new identity, or maybe just solidifying one that was already growing, but I’d like to think that this changed self helps him to go out the next day and make peace with his estranged brother. 

After October 7, and the days and weeks that followed, I feel I am a new person. Both because of the sorrow and grief, but also because of all that I have learned about myself. I’ve had no change of name, but a shift of clarity in my identity and vision. I feel right now that I know who I am more than ever before- I am an American-Israeli Jew, a proud Zionist, and an unequivocal supporter of the state of Israel. I am not afraid to share who I am, and go out into the world, using my identity and my passions for the pursuit of justice, learning, and peace. 

After giving him a new name, the Divine being leaves Jacob, now Israel, and he names the place P’niel, meaning face of God, for there Israel had seen a Divine being, face-to-face, and his life had been preserved. We each must follow in Jacob’s footsteps. We are, after all, the people of Israel. Our strength is not obtained from having all the answers, from being the strongest, or by winning the wrestling match, but rather, we prevail when we have the ability to struggle, to question, and come out the other side better for it. May we greet these challenges, and leave triumphant, not because we won, but because we showed up, face-to-face. 

Cantor Sydney Michaeli