Vices and Victories
Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
As with many of the parshiot in Sefer Bereishit, Parshat Vayishlach has several iconic scenes that are instructive for us even as they were pivotal in the lives of our Patriarchs. This parshah records Yaakov Avinu finding himself alone, being confronted by a man/angel, engaging in an epic battle, and finally emerging victorious while nevertheless sustaining an injury to his thigh. Besides wondering about the identity of this mysterious stranger Yaakov battles, we are also puzzled by the dialogue between the two following the struggle.
While the man/angel acknowledges defeat, he asks Yaakov to release him, to let him go for dawn has broken. Yaakov refuses to release him unless the angel will bless him first. The angel asks Yaakov his name, and then immediately tells Yaakov he will now be called Yisroel, for he has "striven with God and prevailed." Now Yaakov asks the angel what his name is. The angel's response seems to be avoiding the question: "Why do you ask my name? And he blessed him there."
Our first question is quite simple, why was dawn a signal that the angel had to leave? But Rashi's answer raises even more questions. Rashi tells us that the angel had now arrived at the moment he was to sing praises to Hashem. Medrash Rabba offers two possibilities to the significance of this moment, each with its own later explanations. First, Hashem creates new angels each day and therefore they have only that day to sing praises to Hashem before they lose the opportunity. Alternately, while "ordinary" angels were replaced daily, or given a new task daily, the archangels like Michael and Gavriel, were never replaced and were required to sing before Hashem every dawn. If this is a one-time angel, why is it precisely this moment, after struggling with Yaakov, that the angel must sing his song, asks the author of Bein Hamishpatayim?
The Imrei Chen, suggests that although the angels may not have been recreated each day, they have only one day in which they are given the privilege of singing shirah to Hashem. They may wait 2,000 years for this opportunity and, if they miss their appointed time, they will need to wait another 2,000 years. How fortunate are we, comments the Imrei Chen, that we have multiple opportunities every day to connect with Hashem, to sing His praises through our prayers and brachot. Every time we do a mitzvah, adds the Netivot Shalom, we should be overjoyed that we have this opportunity, every time we connect to Him and mention His name, we should experience the greatest pleasure.
What was this struggle? Rabbi Lopian zt”l, among others, suggests this was the guardian angel of Esau who remains in constant battle with Yaakov/Yisroel. His mission is to take on the role of the yetzer horo, of corrupting Yaakov's pure thoughts and eventually lead him to sin. However, in Chochmat Hamatzpun, Rav Moshe Egbi gives us a completely different interpretation of the mission of the yetzer horo/יצר הרע. The mission of the evil inclination is to challenge us, to reverse the רע/evil/bad so that the challenge makes us ער/awake and transforms the challenge to a means of rising above and creating a total awareness of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Yes, this angel fought with Yaakov, but Yaakov overcame the challenge, emerging on a higher spiritual level than before; this angel had now accomplished the actual goal of his mission, and had now earned the privilege singing in Hashem's choir.
In light of this interpretation, it is interesting to note that we as human beings have an impact on the angels above, writes the Sifsei Chaim. As another example, the Sifsei Chaim recounts that when Moshe Rabbenu ascended Mt. Sinai to bring the Torah down, the angels argued with him, trying to keep the Torah in heaven. One of Moshe's arguments, according to the Sifsei Chaim, was that the angels benefited from the Avraham Avinu serving them. Although, as angels, they did not eat the food Avraham had prepared for them, they were the vehicles for Avraham's acts of chesed. As such, not only was Avraham elevated spiritually, but the angels themselves were credited with being the vehicles for this elevation. Although, according to our recitation of Kedushah, we learn how to praise Hashem and sanctify Him from the angels, they themselves cannot begin to sanctify Him until we initiate the process on earth. Every time we say a brachah, the angels answer Amen. The angel asked Yaakov's permission to leave, writes Rav Scheinerman, so that Yaakov himself would sing, thus, thus enabling the angel to sing as well.
We can now turn to the question of the angel's name. Rabbi Frand, citing Rabbi Chaim Keller, notes that the angel was not evading the questing, but was actually answering Yaakov. This angel, the symbol of the yetzer horo, changes its identity in every generation [and indeed with every individual]. Each generation faces its unique, identifying challenge. [While there is certainly overlap, just as there is in individual people, there is usually one factor that stands out.] During the time of the destruction of the First Beit Hamikdosh, it was idol worship; during the second Beit Hamikdosh, it was baseless hatred. Today we are faced with the challenges of extreme materialism and technology addiction. Every time we face our challenge and prevail, we create an angel. As the Machaneh Dan says, the yetzer horo is doing its job diligently, but it would be very happy to fail.
The compilation Otzrot Hatorah cites Rabbi Weisenfeld who also feels that the Satan is not inherently evil, but would be very happy to have his subjects resist him. [A mother may challenge her children with a difficult problem. She is happiest when they struggle through it and find a solution on their own rather than waiting for her to solve their problem for them. That is how they grow. CKS] Just so, Hashem knows what we are capable of and sends the Satan to challenge us and help us grow.
The lures of the yetzer horo originate in our imagination, writes the Sifsei Chaim. We imagine honor, physical pleasure, material wealth, and try to actualize the feeling. But when we reach that goal, we find the feeling is very fleeting, We are left empty and want more.
It is in this context that Rabbi Chaim Shmulevitz zt”l that the angel was actually answering Yaakov's question. The angel is saying that people do not stop to examine what lies before them; they remain ignorant of what my essence is and therefore fail the challenge. If we would actually stop and contemplate, we would have clarity, a clarity that would strengthen us, writes Rabbi Dov Yaffe zt”l in Laavodva Be'emes. This angel's power exists only in the darkness, but when dawn breaks, when one sees clearly, one knows the right path and has the strength to act accordingly. People spend so much time on all kinds of projects without examining the goal of that project or whether it is worthwhile. [It has often been noted that couples spend so much time planning a wedding and so little time planning a marriage. CKS]
The yetzer horo does not begin with powerful urges. It begins with small nudges, like the silken thread of a spider's web. But as we pay it more mind, we add layers to that thread until it becomes a rope strong enough to pull us in, writes Rabbi Weissblum. We may think the battle is engaged at the moment our desire clashes with our better nature, right before we may succumb. In truth, the battle begins with the first thoughts, followed by rationalizations, and finally failure.
That's why the Satan can appear in so many guises. While it may convince us that the sin is worth the pleasure, it is just as likely to appear in the guise of a talmid chacham, manipulating the law ever so slightly to convince you that what you are doing is actually a mitzvah, explains Dorash Dovid. When you begin to rationalize, the facts get twisted, a ploy the serpent and the original seductor used to convince Chavah to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil.
In Yalkut Shimoni, Rav Chelbo introduces an interesting variant to the identity of the angel who fought with Yaakov. Rav Chelbo says it was actually the archangel Michael, trying to encourage Yaakov not to fear Esau. After all, if Yaakov could prevail against an angel, certainly, he could prevail against Esau, adds Rabbi Mintzberg zt”l. Since Michael was an archangel, he sang before Hashem every morning at daybreak, together with all the other angels.
When Yaakov asked the angel his name, writes Rebbetzin Yemima Mizrachi, the angel answered truthfully, for fear has no name, It is not real, and exists only in the imagination.
Just as each of us has a unique mission, so does each day have its special mission. To help us accomplish that day's goal, Hashem creates new angels, When they sing shirah to Hashem, they inspire us with greater awe and love of Hashem, writes the Netivot Shalom.
When Adam failed in perfecting the world, we each inherited that task from the father of all mankind, writes Rabbi Wolbe zt”l. How can we recognize the area we need to focus on and try to perfect? See where the Satan is constantly challenging you; this is the middah, the character flaw Hashem wants you to work on and perfect. Every time we prevail against our anger, or our jealousy, or other character challenge, we create another angel.
This is not an easy task, writes Rabbi Kestenbaum. That's why some people at age fifty may never have mastered control over their anger or other negative characteristic. [Perhaps the most common is enjoying a piece of juicy gossip at another's expense. CKS] As Rabbi Wolbe teaches us, we have greatness within ourselves fighting against our natural inclinations. Our task is to vanquish the negative so that the greatness can emerge. That's why, as Rabbi Biederman notes, Yaakov's name was changed to Yisroel, He who fought/strove with the angel, rather than a name denoting victory, for glory lies in the struggle each of us faces.
Sometimes the Torah uses ambiguous means to convey important messages. For example, Rambam explains this entire episode of Yaakov struggling with the angel as a prophetic vision rather than as s physical fight. It is a struggle that each human being has, each איש. We are each in constant conflict with our alter egos. The angels are the cheering section, encouraging us in our daily struggles.
We each have a name, and that name reflects our essence. It is a name that can change according to the mission of the time of our life. The Angel changed Yaakov's name to Yisroel to reflect a new identity, one who struggles and can prevail. When Yaakov asks the angel what his name is, the angel responds, למה תשאל לשמי, usually translated as, "Why are you asking me my name?" But with different vocalization, writes R. Wurtzweil, the angel could be saying,"To what purpose do you want to know my name?" Since the name reflects one's inner essence, the angel is teaching Yaakov that we each must reflect on the purpose of our name. What am I meant to accomplish that this name represents?
This is the inner significance of the declaration of a baby's name at his bris, "And let his name be called In Yisroel..." We are declaring the name now, here on earth, but it is a reflection of the prophetic name Hashem gives him, of the vision Hashem has for the spiritual life he is meant to live, writes Rabbi Meisels. We pray that this child will to live up to that name. That Bnei Yisroel never changed their names while enslaved in Mitzrayim was that they never lost the vision of who they were. If I can maintain the vision of who I am meant to be, the chorus of angels will sing and encourage me.
We must be aware of the challenges before us, but we must also have faith that Hashem has sent angels to help us in the struggle. We have the power to overcome, and to better ourselves, to approach and actualize the vision of who we are meant to be. We begin the process, and then Hashem sends us the angels we need to succeed.