Wrestling the Angels and the Demons within Us
In this week鈥檚 Torah reading, Parashat Vayishlah, we read of the patriarch Jacob鈥檚 journey home with his family after freeing himself and his entire clan from his father-in-law, Laban鈥檚, control. Along the route, Jacob prepares himself for his eventual reunion with his older twin brother Esau, whom he fears to be vengeful. Right in the middle of the parashah, in between the description of Jacob鈥檚 preparations and his actual meeting with Esau, Jacob is involved in a transformative experience: a physical struggle with a stranger. He comes out of the encounter newly named 鈥淚srael鈥� and, at least temporarily, limping.
As the narrative goes, after accompanying his family and children from one side of the river Jabbok to the other, Jacob was suddenly left alone. The Torah only tells us that, 鈥淛acob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn鈥� (Gen. 32:25). But, if in fact he was left alone, with whom did he wrestle? Was it with a suddenly arrived messenger from God, an angel, as alluded to by the prophet Hosea (12:4)? Or, alternatively, was Jacob鈥檚 struggle an internal one, the verses giving a physical description of what was truly an emotional inner fight between Jacob and the demons that haunted him? If the latter, then the Torah鈥檚 description of Jacob being 鈥渓eft alone鈥� is more meaningful. For struggling within ourselves and with ourselves is, at times, the most difficult challenge. We can let the demons within us eat us up alive, extinguish our passions, take away our hope. Or, we can conquer them. The ultimate lesson of the Jacob encounter is that, even if we come out a bit scarred, if we face our fears and win the struggle, we can move forward, changed at the core, and stronger to face the future.
What was, in fact, the fear that Jacob confronted, and, what significance does his transformation鈥攊n the form of a name change鈥攔eally have? For possible answers to these questions, we need to remind ourselves of some background. Even in their mother鈥檚 womb the twins, Esau and Jacob, competed for seniority. And as we read in Parashat Toledot two weeks ago, that struggle continued into adulthood, reaching its high point when Jacob eventually took the birthright from Esau. In fact, in two separate narratives, we are told of Jacob鈥檚 progress toward the goal of seizing the birthright from Esau (Gen. 25:27鈥�34 and 27:1鈥�28:9).
Here a note on the firstborn and his birthright in the ancient Near East and the Bible is in order. The firstborn son, at least according to Deuteronomy, would typically inherit an extra portion of inheritance (see Deut. 21:15鈥�17) and become the head of the clan upon his father鈥檚 death. Despite the presumed regular practice, it seems that fathers had the ability to ignore the birth order of sons and appoint a 鈥渇irstborn,鈥� in so doing transferring both rank and right to another son. These details are an essential part of the background to the stories about the relationship between Jacob and Esau. Both Rebecca (the boys鈥� mother) and Jacob knew that, although the birthright was lawfully Esau鈥檚, Jacob could have it, if only Isaac, their father, would cooperate. In the first instance (Gen. 25), Jacob took advantage of the famished Esau and got him to sell the birthright for a bowl of lentil stew. In the second scene (Gen. 27), with the crafty assistance of his mother, Jacob disguised himself and managed to convince his visually impaired father that he was Esau. Isaac himself bestowed the blessing of the firstborn onto Jacob!
Although it is clear from Genesis 25:23 that God鈥檚 communication to Rebecca during her pregnancy revealed the divine plan that Jacob would eventually rule over Esau, mention of God鈥檚 sanction of Jacob鈥檚 deceitful behavior is never made in Gen 25 or 27. In fact, it may be that 25:23 mentions the prophecy of Jacob鈥檚 eventual leadership specifically to emphasize that Jacob鈥檚 future position as forefather will be solely the result of divine appointment; the methods Jacob employs along the way are not endorsed by God. Only in the scene of Jacob wrestling the stranger does God appear again. Ultimately, to fulfill the prophecy, and as a result of Jacob鈥檚 activities, God puts Jacob through the ordeal of wrestling, eventually transforming the crafty Jacob into the upright Israel, only now a worthy candidate for leadership.
The lifetime feud between brothers weighed Jacob down. It was not just actual fear of Esau鈥檚 threatened retaliation for past events (see Gen. 27:41) that haunted Jacob. It was the fear of facing the fact that he had taken something that was not his and had fooled his father into cooperating. As implied by his name, 驰补鈥檃办辞惫, Jacob recognized he had behaved 鈥渄eceptively.鈥� Read in this way, Jacob did not wrestle an angel; he struggled with the demons inside of himself. Winning the fight that night, therefore, represented a new phase in the development of Jacob鈥檚 character. As pointed out by Nahum Sarna, if Jacob鈥檚 new name, Israel鈥攊n Hebrew 驰颈蝉谤补鈥檈濒鈥攊s related to the root y-sh-r, meaning 鈥渦pright,鈥� then the new name 鈥渇orms a perfect antonym鈥� of the old name (The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis, 405). Jacob鈥檚 confrontation, struggle, and triumph leading to his transformation into Israel changed his persona at the core. Jacob, once crafty, cunning, and conniving, will now be Israel, straight, strong, and upright in his ways.
Real internal transformation is a feat only accomplished by the most mature; those who can see into themselves so keenly that they can find their deepest faults鈥攄espite perhaps being predisposed to them鈥攁nd actually change themselves. Certainly the process of facing and conquering his fears better equipped Jacob for his eventual encounter with his brother Esau.
More importantly for the history of the people Israel, Jacob鈥檚 transformation that night at the ford of the river Jabbok鈥攖he geographic limit of the wandering Israelites鈥� victory against the kingdoms east of the Jordan River鈥攓ualified him to be a patriarch for the great nation that would become his namesake. For, although 驰颈蝉谤补鈥檈濒 can be rendered as 鈥渙ne who wrestles with God,鈥� based on the above it can also be translated as 鈥渉e who is upright with God鈥� (ibid.). It is here that God gave the final stamp of approval for Jacob to enter physically into the future Land of Israel and spiritually into the role of its patriarch. Jacob鈥檚 ability to move from being 驰补鈥檃办辞惫 to being 驰颈蝉谤补鈥檈濒 made him worthy, now, of being a leader. The initial prophecy was fulfilled.
In these trying times, leaders should learn from the Torah鈥檚 teachings that to become great鈥攁nd, yes, in order to make a nation great鈥攍eaders have to allow themselves to be transformed as they heed the call to public service. Authentic leadership requires the search for both truth and justice along a straight path. The cunning, conniving, and colluding must wrestle down their internal demons and metamorphize into upright representatives of a higher truth for the greater good. For, as we learn in this week鈥檚 Torah reading, leadership is a holy task.
The publication and distribution of the JTS Commentary are made possible by a generous grant from Rita Dee (锄鈥漧) and Harold Hassenfeld (锄鈥漧).
