At the ford of Jabbok, Jacob demanded a blessing
from the man with whom he had wrestled all night. The man asks his name and
declares: “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel (Gen. 32:29a).”
And the Torah continues
calling him… “Jacob.”
Later we read: “God
said to him, ‘…You shall be called Jacob no more, but Israel shall be your
name.’ Thus God named him Israel (Genesis 35:10).”
And the Torah continues
calling him… “Jacob.”
But also “Israel.” The
commentator Benno Jacob counted 34 occurrences of “Israel” from Genesis 35:10 to
the end of the book, and 45 occurrences of “Jacob.” He contends that “Israel”
represents the spiritual side of his personality, and “Jacob” the
human-material one. To me is seems that the name “Israel” is used in more
forward-looking contexts, with an eye to the nation being built. Perhaps that
is why the Talmud (Berakhot 13a) says, “Israel is principal, Jacob is
secondary.”
I would like to focus
on the meaning of the name “Israel.” The stated meaning: “For you have striven
with beings divine and human, and have prevailed (Genesis 32:29b)” is
problematic. With whom exactly did Jacob struggle? Prior to that night, Jacob’s
inter-personal relations were characterized more by deception, trickery, and
flight than direct engagement.
And God? On his way to
Padan-Aram, Jacob struck a deal: “If God remains with me, if God protects me on
this journey that I am making… the Eternal
shall be my God. And
this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, shall be God’s abode… (Genesis 29:
20-22).” God fulfills Jacob’s requests but Jacob does not return to the pillar
until God reminds him. Not too impressive.
On a linguistic level
there are also difficulties. Here, I am relying on the scholarship of Simha
Kogut and Israel Knohl. First, the meaning of the root “ש-ר”
relates to ruling power, as in “Abimelech ruled (“וישר”)
over Israel three years” (Judges 9:22). The root is still used in that manner,
as in the word “שר” meaning “government
minister.” Second, the structure of “Israel” is same as “Ishmael” which means
“God will hear” or “Ezekiel” meaning “God will make strong” and many other names.
Therefore, “Israel” means “God will rule.” The substance of the name “Israel”
is a declaration of loyalty to God, and hope that God’s sovereignty will be
established in the future. On this level, “Israel” is a reminder that even if
the ladder is set on the ground, the Eternal
is at the top, and we must set our priorities accordingly.
On a homiletical level,
“Israel” can be understood as “the ministers of God,” the high-level officials
who do God’s bidding. The letter of appointment has many sections and
paragraphs. The prophet Micah summarized them in three: “Do justice, love
goodness, and walk modestly with your God,
Do justice
by conducting our personal and public lives according to principles of fairness
and justice that do not give preference to the wealthy and powerful, and that distribute
resources so that the basic needs of all are met.
Loving goodness
is more than a pleasant inner feeling. It calls for active love: aiding the
needy and weak in society with concrete assistance, feeding the hungry, providing
for the homeless and clothing the naked; and being a supportive presence for
people in vulnerable situations: the sick and injured, lonely and bereaved.
Walk modestly with your
God, not necessarily in terms of dress, but rather without calling attention to
ourselves and our acts because it’s not about us, or as Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
wrote: “The greatest beauty grows at the greatest distance from the ego.”
Every morning, in Birkhot
Hashahar we express gratitude for “being created Israel.”
This is an
opportunity to ask ourselves: am I faithfully meeting the terms in the letter
of appointment, to do justice, love goodness and walk modestly with my God? If
yes, take a moment to give thanks for having the strength to do this, and make
a commitment to keep going. And if we are still struggling to realize the
“Israel” within, this is the moment to turn the blessing into a mission.
Every day we have a new chance. If
not now when?
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