Bereishit 32:23
וַיַּעֲבֹר אֵת מַעֲבַר יַבֹּק
vaya'avor et Ma'avar Yabok
he crossed the ford of the Yabok
He wanted to test if the river bed would rise for him (Ramban) and would enable him to cross on foot. Once he saw that the water level was shallow enough, "he took them and brought them across the river." He then retraced his steps "and he brought his belongings across." He commanded his servants to do this. As a result he himself was the last one left on the wrong side of the river.
32:25
וַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב לְבַדּוֹ
Vayivater Ya'akov levado
when Ya'akov had remained alone...
Chazal in Bereishit Rabbah 77:3 state that these words should be read as if Ya'akov was trapped there. Read lekado (for his pitcher) instead of levado (alone). This teaches that Ya'akov went back across the river to retrieve small vessels which had been overlooked. This teaches that the tzaddikim (righteous) are very meticulous even with relatively low cost items seeing that when you acquire things by making certain none of them has been tainted by being stolen or otherwise illegally acquired, one does treasure what one has more than do other people who dod not mind to acquire things less honestly. (Rashi).
Another approach is the vessels were used to drink out of and Ya'akov was concerned that the younger children should have a chance to drink from them on the journey.
וַיֵּאָבֵק אִישׁ עִמּוֹ
vaye'avek ish imo
a man wrestled with him.
The word וַיֵּאָבֵק (vaye'avek) is derived from אבק (avak) "dust." It means that Ya'akov became enveloped by the dust of the person engaging him in a struggle. The "man" was the celestial representation of Esav. It is well known that had it not been for the original sin in Gan Eden there would not be a noticeable difference between man and angel. On the contrary, man would outrank the angel in ever respect. We base this on Sanhedrin 93 "the righteous are greater than the angels." Accordingly, the "angel" came to try and find a sin Ya'akov was guilty of in order to use the sin as a weapon to overpower him. However, he did not succeed. The only "sin" he could find was that Ya'akov had married two sisters during their lifetime, something which had not yet been forbidden. The Torah alludes to this when writing, "he inflicted an injury on Ya'akov's hip joint." This was a euphemism for his sexual organs and the seat of sexual desire. The "punishment," such as it was, was administered near the organ so that Yaakov limped for a while. (Bereishit Rabbah 73:3 and 77:2)
Another allusion included in the words "he struck the socket of his hip," is that the damage inflicted by the celestial representation of Esav would manifest itself in later generations, among descendants of Ya'akov who would suffer under the Romans. When the Torah wrote that the "angel" was unable to harm Ya'akov, i.e. כִּי לֹא יָכֹל לוֹ (ki lo yachol lo), the meaning is that he was unable to harm Ya'akov personally. He did not have permission to do so as Ya'akov was unblemished. Later generations who would not be so unblemished would become victims of Esav, however. This happened in the generation of Rabbi Yehudah ben Bava and his colleagues when that Rabbi became a martyr in order to save his students during the period when the Romans tried to wipe out Jews and Judaism. (Sanhedrin 13). The Talmud tells the following story:
Rabbi Chiyah bar Abba said, "If someone were to tell me to offer my life for the Holy Name of G-d I would be prepared to do so on condition that they would kill me quickly. If I had been asked to do the same during the persecutions of Jews and Judaism under Emperor Hadrianus, I would not be able to do so as I am not able to undergo such tortures." What did they do in that generation? They brought iron bars which had been made white hot. They then placed these bars under the arm pits of the victims and this is the way these people died.
32:27
וַיֹּאמֶר שַׁלְּחֵנִי
Vayomer shalcheni
he [the angel] said, "let me go!"
The angel was afraid that if he were to leave without having obtained Ya'akov's permission they would punish him in heaven with having to endure the פולסי דנורא (pulsei denura) "lashes of fire", a physical punishment administered by a fiery rod and mentioned in Chagigah 15 and elsewhere as an instrument for disciplining wayward angels. There is another reference to this incident in Hoshe'a 12:5, "He strove with an angel and prevailed; the other had to weep and implore him."
כִּי עָלָה הַשָּׁחַר
ki alah hashachar
for dawn as risen.
When the angel asked to leave before daybreak Ya'akov asked him, "are you a thief that you need to fear daylight?" He answered, "I am an angel and ever since I have been created I have not yet had the opportunity to sing a song of praise to HASHEM in the heavenly choir. Today is my opportunity." There is reference to this in Scripture, "When the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy" (Iyov 38:7). The time of dawn is the time when the קדושה (Kedushah) is recited as mentioned by Yeshayahu 6:3, "and one would call to the other: Holy, Holy, Holy." Hearing this, Ya'akov replied, "I will not let you go unless you first bless me." He wanted Esav's angel to acknowledge that the blessing he had received from Yitzchak was acknowledged by Esav as being rightfully his. Thereupon the angel said, "your name will no longer be Ya'akov but Yisrael." He meant that from now on people will no longer say that you obtained the blessing by subterfuge, but they will admit that you are the rightful recipient of them. Alternatively, what the angel meant was that if anyone were to accuse Ya'akov of having swindled Lavan they would be proven wrong as Ya'akov had been accorded the Attribute "Truth", i.e. that he had acted truthfully IN ALL his undertakings. This was confirmed in Michah 7:20, "You have given 'truth' to Ya'akov."
32:29
כִּי-שָׂרִיתָ עִם-אלוקים
ki-sarita im-Elokim
for you have contended with Divine forces.
In this instance the word elohim refers to the angel representing Esav with whom Ya'akov had wrestled. The words ve-im anashim, in the same line, refers to Lavan and Esav. According to Bereishit Rabbah 78:3 the words mean כִּי-שָׂרִיתָ עִם-אלוקים (ki-sarita im-Elokim) mean that Ya'akov's countenance was engraved on the Throne of G-d and the angel had realized this after looking at Ya'akov.
32:30
הַגִּידָה-נָּא שְׁמֶךָ
hagida-na shmecha
please tell me your name.
He wanted confirmation of what the "angel" had said by being able to identify him by name. The name would give Ya'akov a clue as to the essence of that spiritual force.
לָמָּה זֶּה תִּשְׁאַל לִשְׁמִי
lamah zeh tishal lishmi
why is this that you ask for my name?
He meant, "we do not have a fixed name; our names always change according to the mission we are sent on." Another meaning of these words, "why do you ASK for a name seeing that we are not in the habit of revealing our nations?" The reason an angel does not like to reveal his name is so as not to appear to crown himself with the success of any mission he has been sent on. He does not want a human being to go around saying, "this and this angel has performed such and such miracle." He is a servant, a mere extension of his Master in Heaven and he is careful not to do something which would create the wrong impression. This was the reason that the angel who had announced to Mano'ach and his wife that they would have a son resented being asked for his name (Shoftim 13:18) saying that his name was פלאי (pil'i) "something concealed." This is the meaning of Yeshayahu 43:7, "everything which bears My Name, I have created it for the sake of MY honor." This is also the thrust of David saying in Tehillim 29:1, "ascribe to HASHEM, O divine beings, ascribe to HASHEM glory and strength."
The "angel" responded that Ya'akov did not need this information as he had already achieved a great deal and had risen to the level of disembodied heavenly spirits.
וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתוֹ שָׁם
vayevarech oto sham
he blessed him there.
He acknowledged that Ya'akov was the rightful owner of the blessings his father had bestowed upon him.
According to a Midrash the blessing the angel bestowed upon Ya'akov at this time was identical with what wold later on become the standard formula of the Kohanim blessing the Jewish people as recorded in BaMidbar 6:24-27.
A logical / investigative approach:
The words, "a man wrestled with him," refer to Gavri'el (on other occasions Gavri'el is referred to as איש (ish) "man." According to the philosophers, Gavri'el is symbolic of the active investigative intelligence. According to Kabbalistic writings this disembodied intelligence supplies the outer form to human beings based on their endowments (genes). This force is the tenth of the emanations (the lowest counting from the top) the one we call מלכות (Malkut) which is just one rung above the physical universe, the עולם העשיה (Olam Ha'Asiyah). This is the reason that the term איש which is usually only associated with tangible creatures is applied to Gavri'el. Ya'akov wanted to know if it is possible that this "man's" soul while still enclosed in a body would attain or represent a spiritual level equal to disembodied intelligence such as the force with whom he had done battle. In other words, this category of angel might be perceived as the link between the highest intelligence found inside a body and the lowest intelligence able to exist as a disembodied entity. The angel, i.e. Gavri'el, answered him that this was possible only after dawn, i.e. until the various forces which darken the soul have disappeared with the light of the morning. This physical light, though symbolic of spiritual light, is here described as עולם העשיה (Olam Ha'Asiyah).
32:33
עַל-כֵּן לֹא-יֹאכְלוּ בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת-גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר עַל
Al-ken lo-yochlu venei-Yisra'el et-gid hanasheh asher al
this is why the Children of Yisrael are not to eat the displaced sinew of the hip-socket.
The Torah goes on with a report of the consequences of this encounter. This means that seeing the נפש השכלית (G-dly intellectual soul) is meant to adjust to the norms of the disembodied intellect, the true Jewish people are not to engage in activities which arouse the libido which is seated near the hip-socket. The meaning of the word "eat" here does not only mean the actual consumption of this part of animalistic tissue but also what it symbolizes, i.e. absorbing the philosophy it represents.
From a purely physical point of view, the sinew is a very tough sinew and comparable to a tough cord. Cords become harder and tougher with use through pulling wagons, etc. Similarly, when one engages in such activities as arousing one's libido, this leaves a progressively deeper imprint on one's personality. The more frequently one engages in such activities the more they become part of one's personality. Hence, the prohibition of "eating" that sinew has also deep physiological significance for the Jewish people. Preoccupation with such concerns gradually estranges one to G-d. The act of "eating' if performed within reason, i.e. in quantities appropriate to the body's need, actually promotes both good physical and spiritual health. Eating to excess results in corruption of the body and health. Eating to excess results in corruption of the body and ultimately the soul. The same is true when one indulges any of the other physical desires.
אֲשֶׁר עַל-כַּף הַיָּרֵךְ
asher al-kaf hayarech
which is on the hip joint.
The importance of this particular sinew is that the entire body relies heavily on it so that if it is damaged one cannot even move. It therefore represents all physical desire.
עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה
ad hayom hazeh
to this very day.
This does not refer to a specific date. The meaning of the words is that as long as the desires of the body assert themselves in man the restriction expressed in this prohibition remains in force. The arrival of the hereafter signifies a new יום (yom) "Day," as documented by many of our Prophets. Hence, the Torah says that as long as man (Yisra'el) is a mortal human being this prohibition will remain in force.
כִּי נָגַע בְּכַף-יֶרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב
ki naga bechaf-yerech Ya'akov
because he struck Ya'akov's hip joint.
The reason the Torah deliberately reverts to naming Yisrael "Ya'akov" at this juncture, is to stress that the influence of physical desire is what "separates the men from the boys," i.e. what is the true impediment of every "Ya'akov" developing into an "Yisra'el." It is within the power and scope of physical desires to drag down the נפש השכלית (G-dly intellectual soul) in man to the level represented by Ya'akov at birth, i.e. a degraded person who hangs on to the heel of this totally physically oriented brother. When G-d said to Yaakov, "You will no longer be called Ya'akov but your name shall remain Yisra'el," the message is not so much a compliment but a moral - ethical imperative to live according to the yardsticks applied to individuals deserving of the distinctive title Yisra'el. This is why Chazal in Berachot 13 stated that Yisra'el was henceforth Ya'akov's major name, the name Ya'akov being used only in a secondary sense. This also explains G-d's instructions to Moshe in Shemot 19:3 prior to the giving of the Torah, "thus you shall say of Yisra'el." The women were referred to as "Ya'akov," as they are adjuncts to the men (in terms of Torah study), the men as "Yisra'el."
33:3
וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אַרְצָה שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים
vayishtachu artzah sheva pe'amim
he bowed earthwards seven times.
The Torah could have written "three times," as we find in connection with David and Yonatan (1Shmu'el 20:41) where we are told, "that David bowed his face to the ground and prostrated himself three times before Yonatan (the crown prince). The reason the Torah here mentions the number seven is to remind us that when a righteous person falls down even seven times, he will rise again and regain his composure (Mishlei 24:16).
May HASHEM continue to enlighten us with the Light of His Torah.
- Chazal
Parashat VaYishlach
Haftarah VaYishlach
