A famous incident from this week’s Parshah is the struggle of Jacob with the angel and the changing of his name to Israel. Several puzzles surround this incident, however. The identity of the angel, why G-d again changes his name at Beit El, when the angel had already done so, and the meaning of the injury Jacob sustains. According to the Rabbis, the angel Jacob fought was none other than the angel of Esau. They saw this struggle as the precursor of the struggle between the Jewish people and their enemies throughout history. Seen, in this light, the injury sustained by Jacob, indicates that this struggle will leave its mark on the Jews. We do not emerge unscathed. Yet what is the nature of this injury and how does it relate to the change of name that immediately follows? Jacob is injured in his leg and walks away limping. In last week’s Parshah it was those same legs that lifted Jacob up after his angelic dream with its promise of divine protection. The sages explain that his legs were made light by this vision, he was filled with self-confidence. Esau’s angel, however, injures Jacob’s thigh, impeding this lightness. The enemies of the Jewish people have the ability, even when defeated, to impinge on our confidence, making us doubt our own mission and integrity. We can be left limping, wondering if, perhaps, there is something in all their baseless accusations after all. For this reason Jacob insists that the angel bless him and change his name to Israel. Not only can we struggle with our enemies in the material world and defeat them, but we are also morally right before G-d. We can struggle in the realm of higher justice and also emerge vindicated. And this must be conceded, davkah, by the angel of Esau. It cannot wait until G-d’s vindication of Jacob in Beit El. Our very accusers must be forced to own up to their lies and admit our moral superiority. Like Bilaam they must turn their curses into blessings. That is the true struggle that faces us today as we struggle with the demonic angel of anti-Semitism. Seeking to destroy us by delegitimisation, it can strike at our own self-confidence, causing us to doubt the justice of our cause. Like Jacob we must overcome this injury by forcing our accusers to swallow their words and admit their own base motivations. We must glory in the name of Israel, signifying both physical and moral victory, standing up with confidence for the truth. That is the path of the sons of Jacob who became Israel.

ALIYAH BY ALIYAH SYNOPSIS

 

Rishon	Jacob hears Esau is coming to meet him, is afraid and prays.
Sheni	He sends presents, wrestles with an angel and has his name changed to Israel.
Shelishi	Esau arrives, is friendly and is introduced to the family .
Revi’i	Jacob politely declines an invitation to visit Esau at home and buys some land outside Shechem.
Chamishi	Dinah is raped by the local prince’s son and Simon and Levy use deception to massacre the whole town.
Shishi	Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin and is buried in Efrat. Isaac dies. The descendants of Esau.
Shevi’i	The chiefs and monarchs of Edom.
Haftorah	Hosea: 11;7-12;12: The sins of the Northern Kingdom.

 Sidra Statistics

Parshat Vayishlach

·         has 154 verses ;

·         is the 8th in Genesis, 8th in the Torah

·         longest in Genesis, 3rd longest in the Torah

·         has one pos mitzvah.