What do you think of when you
hear the word “wrestling?”
I must confess that I associate
wrestling with the entertainment variety.
That’s the one that everyone says is “fake” or entertainment. I grew up with the World Wrestling Federation
and personalities like Hulk Hogan and Sgt. Slaughter. I don’t follow the “sport” today, but I
remember some exciting moments (like at the end of this video!).
Parshat Vayishlach tells the
story of the first wrestling match in history, the “main event” between Yaakov
(Jacob) and…
With whom exactly is Yaakov
wrestling?
"Va-yivateir Yaakov levado va-yei’aveik
ish imo – Jacob remained alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.”
(Bereishit 32:25)
Who was this ish?
Rabbi Ari Kahn, a senior lecturer
at Bar-Ilan University, addresses
this and a number of other issues in this story. One answer is that Yaakov fought against the
angel of Esav. Another suggestion is
that Yaakov was fighting against himself.
If Yaakov was alone, thought, with whom was he wrestling? Why would a sane person wrestle with himself?
Rabbi Kahn explains that we find
another reference to another “ish,” a man that is less enigmatic in an earlier
verse:
The man (ish) prospered exceedingly and he
possessed great herds and maids and servants and camels and donkeys. (Bereishit
30:43)
This “ish” is clearly
Yaakov. He is successful and prosperous.
The blessings he received, which had
initially been meant for Esav, have come to fruition. Yaakov has "made
it". He has completed a
metamorphosis from being a “man sitting in the tent” - a yeshiva student - to
becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Yet Yaakov struggles with his
success. As he prepares to meet his
brother, he is left alone. Yaakov looks
at all the wealth which he has accumulated, and he questions his identity. “Have I become too much like Esav?”
All night long, Yaakov’s spiritual
self and his physical self wrestle with each other as he tries to determine his
true identity. In the end, Yaakov prevails,
but he is injured. He receives a new
name, Yisrael, and he limps away. From
this point on, Jews do not eat the hip tendon (gid ha-nasheh) of the
animal to remember this battle.
Rabbi Kahn writes: In the
resolution that is finally achieved, the physical realm is forced to yield.
Laws, like that of the hip tendon will create spiritual boundaries within the physical
experience, making possible the elevation of the physical world to a spiritual
plane. This is Yaakov's resolution – and
a resolution for us, his descendants. Yaakov may look like Esav, but he is now Yisrael,
the name which speaks of his relationship with the physical and spiritual
realms.
This battle continues within each
of us.
Especially at this time of year,
as Chanukah approaches while we are, simultaneously, bombarded with images of
another holiday, I think about what it means to be a modern Jew today. We are incredibly blessed with rich Jewish
lives in the middle of an incredible modern society that, at times, challenges
our Jewish identities. There is a
struggle.
Embrace the struggle.
It is in right in the middle of
this disequilibrium that our future will be won.
How will we transmit
passion to our children?
What should I be studying
that will fortify my Jewish commitment?
How can I respond to the
turbulent times?
How can I make a difference in a world where the
volume is louder and shriller and the common ground is getting smaller?
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