Parshat Veyishlach

Yaakov send messengers and gifts to Esav to inform him that he is coming home with his family. As they approach, Yaakov notices that Esav has four hundred armed men with him. Fearing that Esav means to kill him, Yaakov divides his people into two camps. This way if one camp is attacked, the other can escape.

Yaakov prays to Hashem for the safety of him and his family. After dividing his family, Yaakov is approached by a man, a t night, who wrestles with him until dawn. Yaakov was able to defend himself until the mysterious stranger injures Yaakov’s thigh. Yaakov responds by restraining the person until he will be given a blessing. The stranger (who the sages say was an angel of G-d representing Esav) grants Yaakov’s wish and changes his name to Yisroel, which means “one who wrestled with G-d”.

Yaakov now approaches Esav, followed closely behind by his wives and children. Esav is touched by this scene in which Yaakov is bowing seven times as he approaches. Esav runs to Yaakov and embraces him while weeping. The two brothers are seemingly reconciled.

Yaakov leaves his brother and travels with Shechem. There, his daughter Dinah is forced to live with the prince of the city. Shimon and Levi rescue their sister and punish not only the perpetrator, but also all those who aided him.

Yaakov returns to Beit-El, and builds another altar to Hashem. Hashem appears to Yaakov and again renews the promise made to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov about inheriting the land of Canaan and becoming a great nation. After leaving Beit-El, Rochel dies giving birth to Benyamin. She is buried at Beit Lechem and Yaakov builds a monument over her grave.

Yaakov finally reaches Chevron and is reunited with his father before Yitzchak dies at the age of one hundred and eighty. The two brothers bury their father and Esav, who has become wealthy, settles in the land around Mount Sair in the land of Edom.

And Yaakov was left alone; and there wrestled with
a man () until the breaking of the dawn

Who was Yaakov wrestling with? The Torah seems clear on this issue suing the word “ish” (

) which means “ a man”. However, the timing of this athletic match seems odd during the the time right before Yaakov and Esav were to meet. The sages were puzzled over this episode as well and came up with various interpretations. Was it an angel? The three men Avraham met at his tent were not described as “angels”, but men (the word used in Vayeira was “anashim”). Was it a stranger? Why would a stranger wander over to wrestle with Yaakov? Additionally, why does the Torah use the word “ish” instead of “adam” (

) or “anash” (

)? Perhaps, it was all a dream and Yaakov was wrestling with himself (his “conscience”).

The word ish is significant since it can be thought of as a combination of

, meaning “there is One”. The letter alef is similar to aluf which means lord or chief. It can also allude to the One True G-d. Also, the letters

, allude to “dust”, which indicates an actual physical act.

Further insight can be gleaned from the fact that the phrase "

" , has a gematria of 430. This is the same as the word “nefesh”, which means “soul”. In other words, Yaakov was wrestling with his own soul (in his sleep) for control and consequently, was rolling around in the dust. However, instead of “nefesh”, we also have “nafesh”, which indicates “life”. This would seem to imply that Yaakov was wrestling with a living being.

The gematria of ish is 311 while the gematria of va-yayavek is 119. The digit sum (mispar katan) if each of these (i.e. add up the individual numbers in the gematria) is 5 and 11 respectively. Together, they add up to 16. This alludes to Esav since the word , has a gematria of 376 which also has a digit sum of 16. It is for this reason that some speculate that Yaakov wrestled with Esav or Esav’s guardian angel.

Two other verses seem to correspond to each other in similar language. In chapter 32, verse 31 Yaakov says that he “has seen G-d face to face”. The word used in this context for G-d is Elokim, which, as we know, alludes to the Attribute of Justice. Later, in chapter 33, verse 10, Yaakov meets Esav and says “I have seen thy face as one sees the face of G-d and thou wast pleased with me.”

This brings us back to our original discussion. Could Yaakov have really seen the “face of G-d”. The Torah says that only Moshe Rabbeinu was permitted to have this intimate contact. The word for face, (panim), also has the meaning of “inner”. This, the sages say, alludes to the inner aspects of Torah ( sod or mystery). Thus, what Yaakov was referring to, was that he was permitted to learn some of the inner aspects of Torah, as alluded to by the sulam (a basket for the mem). Still, the similarities of the verses leads, one to think that perhaps Yaakov wrestled with Esav.

And he said to him: What is thy name? And he said, Yaakov.
And he said: not Yaakov shall any more be called thy name, but Yisroel
for thou has striven with G-d and with men, and hast prevailed

…And Yaakov called the name of the place Peniel; for I have seen G-d face to face, and my life is preserved.

There are several questions raised by these verses. The last one was discussed above. First, why does the stranger ask Yaakov his name? If he is an angel, surely he must know who Yaakov is? This is true even if the stranger was Esav. If it is a stranger, how does the stranger have the power to change someone’s name? We will see later, in the story of Yosef, that Yosef meets a stranger in a field who directs him to his brothers and their fateful encounter.

We have seen before that sometimes the Torah is indicating what seems to be rhetorical questions for an inner purpose (like asking Adam ,”Where are you?”). What is the purpose of a name? A name is a method of identification. The sages say that Adam was asked to name all of the animals in the Garden of Eden because the angels were unable to do so. They had no capacity for independent creative thought. A person’s name reflects their inner self; it is a garment worn on the outside that covers the inside. We have many names for ourselves and some that others give us (willingly or not). We may be mom, dad, doctor, professor, mister, Yaakov, or Sarah. The Talmud states that the crown of a good name is higher than the crown of Torah.

Changing one’s name, can sometimes change their character (but only to a point). A divine change of name, however, can change everything. Avram became Avraham. Avram could become a father, but Avraham could. Sarai was changed to Sarah and she became pregnant. In some communities, it is customary to change the name of a very ill person so that the divine decree against them is now invalid (because they have become someone else). The names chosen by the Patriarchs and Matriarchs for their children reflect inner meaning as well (Yosef means, “to increase”, for example).

Yaakov has his name changed to Yisroel and it is by this name that the Jews would eventually be known as (the Children of Yisroel). It became part of our most sacred liturgy, the Shema : “Hear O Yisroel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One”. The Torah states that the name Yisroel means “one who has striven with G-d”. However, the word "

", also means “upright” and “faithful”. We could say that Yaakov merited the change of name because he was upright and faithful during his exile. Yaakov says that he “garti”(

) sojourned. The word has the gematria of 613 which alludes to the 613 mitzvot in the Torah. During his stay with Lavan, the sages say that Yaakov was faithful to his faith and his people. As we think about our own lives, what names have we acquired for ourselves and how will we be remembered?

	Oceanside Jewish Center Weekly Parsha By Jonathan Wolf
	Parshat Veyishlach Yaakov send messengers and gifts to Esav to inform him that he is coming home with his family. As they approach, Yaakov notices that Esav has four hundred armed men with him. Fearing that Esav means to kill him, Yaakov divides his people into two camps. This way if one camp is attacked, the other can escape. Yaakov prays to Hashem for the safety of him and his family. After dividing his family, Yaakov is approached by a man, a t night, who wrestles with him until dawn. Yaakov was able to defend himself until the mysterious stranger injures Yaakov’s thigh. Yaakov responds by restraining the person until he will be given a blessing. The stranger (who the sages say was an angel of G-d representing Esav) grants Yaakov’s wish and changes his name to Yisroel, which means “one who wrestled with G-d”. Yaakov now approaches Esav, followed closely behind by his wives and children. Esav is touched by this scene in which Yaakov is bowing seven times as he approaches. Esav runs to Yaakov and embraces him while weeping. The two brothers are seemingly reconciled. Yaakov leaves his brother and travels with Shechem. There, his daughter Dinah is forced to live with the prince of the city. Shimon and Levi rescue their sister and punish not only the perpetrator, but also all those who aided him. Yaakov returns to Beit-El, and builds another altar to Hashem. Hashem appears to Yaakov and again renews the promise made to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov about inheriting the land of Canaan and becoming a great nation. After leaving Beit-El, Rochel dies giving birth to Benyamin. She is buried at Beit Lechem and Yaakov builds a monument over her grave. Yaakov finally reaches Chevron and is reunited with his father before Yitzchak dies at the age of one hundred and eighty. The two brothers bury their father and Esav, who has become wealthy, settles in the land around Mount Sair in the land of Edom. And Yaakov was left alone; and there wrestled with a man () until the breaking of the dawn Who was Yaakov wrestling with? The Torah seems clear on this issue suing the word “ish” () which means “ a man”. However, the timing of this athletic match seems odd during the the time right before Yaakov and Esav were to meet. The sages were puzzled over this episode as well and came up with various interpretations. Was it an angel? The three men Avraham met at his tent were not described as “angels”, but men (the word used in Vayeira was “anashim”). Was it a stranger? Why would a stranger wander over to wrestle with Yaakov? Additionally, why does the Torah use the word “ish” instead of “adam” () or “anash” ()? Perhaps, it was all a dream and Yaakov was wrestling with himself (his “conscience”). The word ish is significant since it can be thought of as a combination of , meaning “there is One”. The letter alef is similar to aluf which means lord or chief. It can also allude to the One True G-d. Also, the letters , allude to “dust”, which indicates an actual physical act. Further insight can be gleaned from the fact that the phrase "" , has a gematria of 430. This is the same as the word “nefesh”, which means “soul”. In other words, Yaakov was wrestling with his own soul (in his sleep) for control and consequently, was rolling around in the dust. However, instead of “nefesh”, we also have “nafesh”, which indicates “life”. This would seem to imply that Yaakov was wrestling with a living being. The gematria of ish is 311 while the gematria of va-yayavek is 119. The digit sum (mispar katan) if each of these (i.e. add up the individual numbers in the gematria) is 5 and 11 respectively. Together, they add up to 16. This alludes to Esav since the word , has a gematria of 376 which also has a digit sum of 16. It is for this reason that some speculate that Yaakov wrestled with Esav or Esav’s guardian angel. Two other verses seem to correspond to each other in similar language. In chapter 32, verse 31 Yaakov says that he “has seen G-d face to face”. The word used in this context for G-d is Elokim, which, as we know, alludes to the Attribute of Justice. Later, in chapter 33, verse 10, Yaakov meets Esav and says “I have seen thy face as one sees the face of G-d and thou wast pleased with me.” This brings us back to our original discussion. Could Yaakov have really seen the “face of G-d”. The Torah says that only Moshe Rabbeinu was permitted to have this intimate contact. The word for face, (panim), also has the meaning of “inner”. This, the sages say, alludes to the inner aspects of Torah ( sod or mystery). Thus, what Yaakov was referring to, was that he was permitted to learn some of the inner aspects of Torah, as alluded to by the sulam (a basket for the mem). Still, the similarities of the verses leads, one to think that perhaps Yaakov wrestled with Esav. And he said to him: What is thy name? And he said, Yaakov. And he said: not Yaakov shall any more be called thy name, but Yisroel for thou has striven with G-d and with men, and hast prevailed …And Yaakov called the name of the place Peniel; for I have seen G-d face to face, and my life is preserved. There are several questions raised by these verses. The last one was discussed above. First, why does the stranger ask Yaakov his name? If he is an angel, surely he must know who Yaakov is? This is true even if the stranger was Esav. If it is a stranger, how does the stranger have the power to change someone’s name? We will see later, in the story of Yosef, that Yosef meets a stranger in a field who directs him to his brothers and their fateful encounter. We have seen before that sometimes the Torah is indicating what seems to be rhetorical questions for an inner purpose (like asking Adam ,”Where are you?”). What is the purpose of a name? A name is a method of identification. The sages say that Adam was asked to name all of the animals in the Garden of Eden because the angels were unable to do so. They had no capacity for independent creative thought. A person’s name reflects their inner self; it is a garment worn on the outside that covers the inside. We have many names for ourselves and some that others give us (willingly or not). We may be mom, dad, doctor, professor, mister, Yaakov, or Sarah. The Talmud states that the crown of a good name is higher than the crown of Torah. Changing one’s name, can sometimes change their character (but only to a point). A divine change of name, however, can change everything. Avram became Avraham. Avram could become a father, but Avraham could. Sarai was changed to Sarah and she became pregnant. In some communities, it is customary to change the name of a very ill person so that the divine decree against them is now invalid (because they have become someone else). The names chosen by the Patriarchs and Matriarchs for their children reflect inner meaning as well (Yosef means, “to increase”, for example). Yaakov has his name changed to Yisroel and it is by this name that the Jews would eventually be known as (the Children of Yisroel). It became part of our most sacred liturgy, the Shema : “Hear O Yisroel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One”. The Torah states that the name Yisroel means “one who has striven with G-d”. However, the word "", also means “upright” and “faithful”. We could say that Yaakov merited the change of name because he was upright and faithful during his exile. Yaakov says that he “garti”( ) sojourned. The word has the gematria of 613 which alludes to the 613 mitzvot in the Torah. During his stay with Lavan, the sages say that Yaakov was faithful to his faith and his people. As we think about our own lives, what names have we acquired for ourselves and how will we be remembered?