Angel and Self by Laya Crust
Va Yeishev: Bereshit (Genesis) 32:4 – 36
Haftarah: The Book of Ovadiah
This week’s Torah reading takes us on Yaakov’s (Jacob’s) journey through the country of Edom towards Bethlehem and Efrat. He was a successful man. He had huge flocks, 2 wives, 2 concubines, 11 sons and a daughter, yet he was nervous. He knew he had to travel through his brother’s landholdings but did not want to face his twin because of their unresolved history. Would Esau be angry at Yaakov? Did Esau still want to kill his brother?
The narrative begins with Yaakov sending messengers to his brother, announcing his approach. The report came back that Esau was coming to meet Yaakov, accompanied by 400 men. Yaakov, frightened and anxious, sent his messengers ahead with many expensive gifts. He sent his family to the far side of the Jabok River for safety and he slept on the closer side of the river, possibly to be on the alert for any attack.
A man came and wrestled with him through the night. Finally, at dawn, the stranger told Yaakov to let him go. Yaakov demanded that the man give him a blessing, and the blessing came in the guise of a new name- Yisrael, “because you have striven with beings Divine and human” (כּי שׂרית עם אלהים ועם אנשׁים).
Who was the man Yaakov fought with? An angel sent by God? An adversarial angel representing Esau? Or was it an inner battle that Yaakov was struggling within himself? At the end of the battle, Yaakov had a new name and an injury that stayed with him for the rest of his life.
Yaakov’s name has many meanings. It can mean follow, heel, or deceive. Yaakov followed his brother into the world when he was born, holding on to Esau’s heel. As they grew up, he deceived his brother and his father and, in turn, was deceived by his father-in-law.
He left Canaan to avoid confrontation with Esau and to seek a wife. Many years later he left Lavan’s estate at night, hoping to avoid confrontation. He may have been a successful man in terms of his career but he was afraid to face the consequences of his actions.
Yaakov couldn’t avoid wrestling with the angel and he refused to give up or give in to the aggressor. He was given a name that represented his strength and position.
The night of struggle heralded a new beginning. He faced himself and the enemy across from him. That incident strengthened him in his role as leader of a nation. He could carry on and deal with whatever life put in front of him. The struggle with the immortal being took place between sending a message to Esau and actually facing him. Maybe the fight itself influenced Yaakov’s interaction with Esau.
These days, we are facing an evil, psychopathic army, gleefully bent on Israel’s destruction. They are supported by vicious, lying anti-Semites. Jews, Israelis, and Zionists face attacks- verbal and physical, hurtful and deadly, overt and covert, on a frightening level. We are witnessing anti-Semitism from UN speeches and resolutions, rallies calling for genocide, and unconscionable displays of hatred against Israel and Jews on campuses. Like Yaakov we have to face our fears rather than run away from them. Strength as a people and a nation is the only way to combat hatred and violence.
Like Yaakov we are struggling with the adversaries. Israel’s soldiers are heroes. So are those who are taking action by supporting the victims of terror, fighting media bias, feeding the hungry and displaced, aiding the ill and wounded, and speaking out for what is right. May our hostages return and may we achieve a lasting peace.
In prayer, Sabbat Shalom,
Laya
Zechariah by Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel
Cervera, Spain, c. 1300
Laya Crust 