Rebecca Ordin, Bat Mitzvah Drash

Parshat Vayishlach

14 Kislev 5768

November 24, 2007

Our names are connected to who we are and what makes us unique. Some people have more than one name. Names can tell us about our history. Sometimes people change their names because of something important. Often women change their last name when they get married.

I have been given two completely different names. My Birthmother named me Janice Caroline in memory of her mother. Naming a child is a gift and an act of love. Knowing this name makes me feel connected to my Birthparents. Ima and Abba named me Rivkah Shoshanah, or Rebecca Rose: Rivka after my Savta Rita Ordin and Shoshana because they liked the name. When you change your name, you change your destiny and you can become a different person. By giving me a new name, a Jewish name, and making me a Jew, Ima and Abba changed my destiny.

In this week’s parasha, Vayishlach, Jacob had his name changed from Ya’akov to Yisrael because of an important experience that changed his life. I feel connected to Ya’akov because we both had our names changed and therefore our destinies.

What was the experience Ya’akov had that led to his name change? At the beginning of our parasha, Ya’akov is returning home with his two wives Rachel and Leah, and all of his children and flocks. Ya’akov is terrified of seeing his brother Esav again, because of what he had done many years earlier. Ya’akov stole Esav’s blessing while Esav was out hunting. Once Esav found out what Ya’akov had done, he was enraged and wanted to kill him, so Ya’akov ran away. Now, after 20 years, Ya’akov will see Esav again.

Ya’akov does not know what to expect from this reunion. He is very scared of being killed by Esav. Ya’akov showed his fear in many different ways. He divided his camp into two parts so that if one got attacked the other would still survive. He prayed to God asking for protection. He sent gifts ahead to Esav, hoping his brother would forgive him. Finally, the night before Ya’akov would see Esav, he sends his family ahead and is left alone. The Torah then describes how a man came out of nowhere and wrestled with him until the break of dawn. Ya’akov demands a blessing from the man and that is when his name is changed to Yisrael.

One of the most basic questions we face in this parasha is, With whom is Ya’akov fighting? Is it God? Is it an angel? Or is it himself? Some see Ya’akov as having wrestled with God. The most obvious evidence would be the change of his name from Ya’akov to Yisrael. And who but God would have the power to change his name? This isn’t the first time God has changed someone’s name. He changed "Sarai" to "Sarah" and "Avram" to "Avraham." When the assailant gives Ya’akov the new name Yisrael, he explains the name "You have struggled with Elohim-God-and men and have prevailed." Ya’akov has struggled with his brother Esav and his father-in-law, Lavan, but he has never before struggled with God. This supports the idea that the being Ya’akov wrestled with is God.

Another detail in the story that suggests that Ya’akov was wrestling with God occurs 2 verses later. Verse 31 says that Ya’akov names the place where the wrestle took place Peniel, which means "Face of God." Ya’akov explains the name saying "I have seen Elohim-God- face to face, yet my life has been preserved."

Ya’akov could also be wrestling with himself. This part of the story begins with Ya’akov being left alone. The Torah then says a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. Is this a contradiction? If he is alone, how can a man wrestle with him? Ya’akov could be struggling and talking to himself. One half of him could be saying "go ahead to Esav." The other half could be saying "No, go back!" Ya’akov is really frightened, but at the same time he wants to overcome his fear and be more powerful. This is a real struggle for him.

But if Ya’akov is wrestling with himself, how does he wrench his own hip? This could just be the Torah’s way of telling us that he had a hard time dealing with his fear. When the Torah says he walks away with a limp, maybe the memory itself is a reminder for the future, of how hard this experience was for Ya’akov. With a limp, he would never forget this experience and what he had learned. With the limp, he is weaker outside, but inside he is even stronger, because he overcame his fear.

Ya’akov could also be wrestling with an angel. The medieval commentator, Hizkuni, thought God sent an angel to wrestle with Ya’akov to stop him from running away. Even though the Torah does not say that Ya’akov was running away, this makes sense because he was so afraid that Esav might still want to kill him. God sent an angel to keep Ya’akov from running away so Ya’akov could conquer his fear.

Of these three possibilities, what makes the most sense to me is that Ya’akov wrestled with both God and an angel. The Torah uses God’s name, Elohim, when it explains Ya’akov’s name change. Also, God’s name is used when Ya’akov names the place where he wrestled Peniel, saying "I have seen God face to face and yet my life has been preserved."

At the same time, I think Ya’akov is wrestling with an angel because it makes more sense that God would send an angel than wrestle with Ya’akov himself. I think of God as being a blinding bright light; if Ya’akov wrestled with God directly, he would probably die because God’s light and presence is so powerful. The angel represents God, and serves God. While the angel changes Ya’akov’s name here in this story, later in our parashah, God himself will finalize Ya’akov’s new name and bless him.

One of the most interesting things about this story is that Ya’akov wrestled his attacker all night until the break of dawn and still did not give up. This shows he was very brave. In the future, when I face hard times that make me want to give up, I hope I’ll think of how brave Ya’akov was and not give up myself, but keep on going.

Because Ya’akov didn’t give up, God changed his name to Yisrael. Ya’akov has a bigger sense of pride and his new name makes him feel more powerful. The name change gives Ya’akov a new direction and a new destiny.

The name Yisrael later became our name as a people. We are known as "Am Yisrael," the People Israel. We are also known as
"B’nai Yisrael," The Children of Israel. With this name, we are all still linked in a special way to Ya’akov. From Ya’akov we can learn don’t lie to anyone, and don’t give up even when you face hard times in life.

(Pause a little. Look at each person as you mention them.)

(Wait until it’s quiet)

Ya’akov became Yisrael, and I have become a Bat Mitzvah.