5753

“For you battled with G-d and with man and have prevailed” (32:29)

Targum Onkelos interprets the angels’ words in the following manner: “For you fought before G-d with man and have succeeded.” Consequently, the name “Yisrael” refers to one who fights “before’ Hashem. Horav Eliyahu Munk, z.l., notes that there is no indication that this name refers specifically to the battle with men. Our strength lies not in our physical struggle with human beings. Judaism’s eternal struggle is within society. Its goal is the establishment of the kingdom of Hashem on earth. In this struggle, however, the Jew does not gather physical weapons of violence. On the contrary, his symbolic armament is…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayishlach, 5753

“And he said: No longer shall your name be said as Yaakov but Yisrael, for you battled with angels and with men and have prevailed” (32:29)

There are many explanations regarding the episode of Yaakov’s battle with the “man.” Indeed, the divergence between the literal and symbolic meanings of the episode is reflected in the many interpretations applied to this passage. Many commentators view the narrative as a parable for the righteous individual’s inner struggle against the forces of evil. Yaakov stands alone in the vastness, in the deep silence of the night, a mortal being in confrontation with the Divine messenger. This mysterious encounter represents the numerous struggles which surface on the eve of an approaching ordeal. The Sh’lah Hakadosh views this struggle in the…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayishlach, 5753

“And (the stranger) saw that he could not defeat him (Yaakov), he touched the upper joint of his (Yaakov’s) thigh, and Yaakov’s hip joint became dislocated as he wrestled with him. Therefore Bnei Yisrael do not eat the displaced nerve. (32:26-33)

The Talmud, Chullin 90b, cites a difference of opinion between R’ Yehudah and the Chachamim regarding the prohibition of gid ha’nashe, the thigh muscle. The Chachamim state that this prohibition applies to the thigh muscle of both the right and left hind legs, while R’ Yehudah has the opinion that it applies only to the right hind leg. His reasoning is based upon the premise that the angel struck Yaakov on the right side. The Chachamim, in contrast, feel that he was struck from behind, affecting both sides. Since the prohibition is in memory of Yaakov’s struggle, what happened that…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vayishlach, 5753

“And he rose that night and took his two wives and his two maidservants and his eleven children.” (32:23)

Rashi cites the Midrash that questions Dinah’s whereabouts. He explains that Yaakov, fearing Eisav’s desire for Dinah, hid her in a chest in order to prevent Eisav from seeing her. For denying Eisav this opportunity, Hashem punished Yaakov by causing Dinah to fall into the hands of Shechem. As the Midrash states, Hashem reprimanded Yaakov, saying: “You prevented the possibility of a kindness to your brother; she will instead be taken by an enemy. You denied her marriage to one who is circumcised; she will instead marry an uncircumcised infidel. You refused her marriage in a permitted fashion; she will…

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YEARS

“For you battled with G-d and with man and have prevailed” (32:29)

“And he said: No longer shall your name be said as Yaakov but Yisrael, for you battled with angels and with men and have prevailed” (32:29)

“And (the stranger) saw that he could not defeat him (Yaakov), he touched the upper joint of his (Yaakov’s) thigh, and Yaakov’s hip joint became dislocated as he wrestled with him. Therefore Bnei Yisrael do not eat the displaced nerve. (32:26-33)

“And he rose that night and took his two wives and his two maidservants and his eleven children.” (32:23)

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