Wrestling Toward the Name “Israel”
Wrestling Toward the Name “Israel”
The Courage to Choose Your Identity
of Ulpan-Or, the International Center
for Hebrew and Israeli Culture Studies.
Hebrew at the Speed of Light!
One of the most mysterious episodes in the entire Torah occurs in this week’s portion ‘Vayishlakh’.
This nocturnal encounter becomes the turning point of Yaakov’s life—the moment when struggle itself becomes destiny.
A contemporary psychologist might say: Yaakov is the first biblical figure who chooses his own identity rather than merely receiving it.
- Avraham is called.
- Yitzḥak is chosen.
- Moshe is drafted.
Modern identity theory speaks of the “authored self,” the individual who constructs meaning not from calm circumstances but from inner conflict.
A life of wrestling does not indicate spiritual failure; it is the crucible in which authenticity is forged.
Yaakov teaches that faith is not the absence of struggle; faith is the willingness to struggle toward blessing.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks speaks of Mozart-souls and Beethoven-souls.
Some people move through the world like Mozart composed: effortlessly. Their creativity flows like a spring—clear, smooth, unlabored.
You listen to Mozart and feel as though the music simply appeared, as if he touched heaven without struggle.
Beethoven was the opposite. His genius required battle. Manuscripts full of scratch-outs, drafts piled on drafts, ideas hammered into being.
The result is breathtaking—but you feel the fire, the wrestling, the inner storms. The sublime serenity of his late works is the hard-earned peace of one who confronted both angels and demons.
This is the perfect metaphor for Yaakov, the man who becomes Yisrael.
Yaakov is not the obvious religious hero. He lacks the bold hospitality of Avraham, the disciplined faith of Yitzḥak, the burning charisma of Moshe, or the poetic radiance of David.
His life—at least on the surface—seems like a sequence of entanglements: rivalry with Esav, tension with Lavan, friction between his wives, strife among his sons. His path is not a straight line but a field of struggles.
And yet—it is Yaakov whom the Torah elevates as the father of Israel, the man whose children all remain within the covenant.
He is Beethoven, not Mozart.
When the Torah Chooses Not to Idealize
One of the remarkable features of Torah is its refusal to whitewash its heroes. Unlike mythologies where leaders are godlike and perfect, the Torah insists that our giants be fully human—complex, flawed, and real.
- He deceives and is deceived.
- He flees danger only to meet new danger.
- He wrestles externally and internally.
- He succeeds—and pays a price each time.
The Torah could have told a simpler story, a cleaner story, a heroic story. Instead, it gives us a human story. Because we do not grow from perfection; we grow from struggle.
Our Torah portion Vayishlaḥ teaches us that God seeks both.
A Chassidic Story: The Rebbe and the Stone
A young Chassid once came to his Rebbe in tears.
“Rebbe,” he said, “others seem to serve God with such ease. They pray with joy, they learn with clarity. But for me—every mitzvah is a battle. My mind wanders, my heart is heavy, my soul is blocked. Why is my path so hard?”
The Rebbe walked him outside to a large stone.
He paused.
“Some souls are wells with no stone. Their waters flow naturally. But some souls are wells whose waters are so deep, so precious, that Heaven placed a stone atop them.
Their task in life is not to complain about the stone—but to move it.”
“And when they do,” said the Rebbe, “their water is sweeter than any other.”
Yaakov removing the metaphorical stone—through fear, through loneliness, through wrestling with a mysterious being at the river’s edge—reveals the deepest waters of all: Israel, the one who “struggles with God and with man and prevails.”
Key Terms From the Portion
1. יעקב / Yaakov — “The Heel-Holder”
From akev, “heel.” It captures both his initial position in life and the complexity of his early path—someone who navigates from behind, negotiating, strategizing, finding his way in a world not naturally favorable to him.
2. ישראל / Yisrael — “One Who Wrestles With God”
A Message for Our Moment
This week, as Yaakov prepares to face Esav, he experiences fear, vulnerability, and the unknown. He divides his camp. He prays. He struggles through the night. And he comes out limping—yet blessed.
It is impossible not to feel the echo of this portion in Israel today, still walking through a nighttime of uncertainty, still wrestling with enemies seen and unseen, still yearning for dawn.
Shabbat Shalom,
Yoel & Orly
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