There are certain inevitable realities. Yaakov knew the day would come when he would have to face his brother, Esav. Would Esav be seething with anger, or had he moved on? Could Yaakov and Esav rehabilitate their relationship, or would they simply go their own ways? We could only imagine that these questions were on Yaakov’s mind the night before this fateful encounter. The Torah describes that after Yaakov crossed his family over the Jordan River, he found himself all alone, Va’yivaser Yaakov L’Vado. It is at this moment that he is attacked by the “Ish,” (a man, identified by Rashi as the ministering angel of Esav), and they wrestle with one another throughout the night. Yaakov was injured but managed to stand his ground and kept his adversary restrained until morning. When the sun rose, the Ish requested that Yaakov release him. “And he (the angel) said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking,” but he (Jacob) said, “I will not let you go unless you have blessed me.” So, he said to him, “What is your name?” and he said, “Jacob.” And he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, because you have commanding power with [an angel of] God and with men, and you have prevailed” (Genesis 32:27-29).”
This exchange is perplexing. First, why is the Ish asking Yaakov his name? After all, they had been struggling with one another throughout the night. Second, it would appear that Yaakov’s name is changed twice, once in the above-mentioned verse and a second time when God appears and says: “…Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” And He named him Israel (Genesis 35:10).” Why was the second name change necessary?
The Torah (Genesis 2:20) states that Adam named each of the animals. The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabba Chukas 19:3) relates that after Adam finished this important task, God approached him and asked, “… and you, what is your name? He (man) responded, Adam, because I was created from the earth (adama).” Man named each of the animals based on the qualities and characteristics he perceived in them. When God asked man, “What is your name?” He was asking how do you perceive yourself? And man answered, “I am from the earth.” This was not a statement of origin; it was a statement of identification. Adam identified with the earth. Adam failed to realize that the root of his name is also the same root as the Hebrew word “adameh, I will resemble.” Man has a choice – he can view himself as resembling the dirt or he can view himself as resembling his Maker and Creator. He can choose to identify with the earth, or he can choose to identify with the heavens. The choice is his.
A name captures the essence of an individual. When the angel asked Yaakov, “mah sh’mecha (what is your name)?” he was asking Yaakov, “how do you view yourself? What do you see when you look in the mirror?” Yaakov responded, “I am Yaakov. I am the one who was trampled on and who has to hold on to the heel of the other (the root of the name Yaakov is eykev, heel). I am the one who is always running; I am the one who is unable to face others (he ran away from home and later from Lavan to avoid conflict).” The Ish says, “Yaakov, you are mistaken. Your name is no longer Yaakov, you don’t have to run, you don’t have to fear. Your name is Yisrael, ki sarisa, you are a master, you have struggled, but you are still standing. You have fought with both angel and man and have stood your ground. You lived in Lavan’s home, a spiritually hostile environment for over two decades, and yet, you remained true to your Abrahamitic values. You wrestled an angel into submission. You don’t have to grab at anyone’s heel; you don’t have to flee in the face of adversity. You are Yisrael. Find the confidence to face your demons, find the confidence to confront your challenges, find the strength to see how much you have grown.”
