The night before he is to encounter his brother Esau after decades of separation, “Jacob remained alone, and a man wrestled with him until dawn” (Genesis 32:25). This wrestling match with the angel is one of the most famed biblical narratives. It is a pivotal moment in the history of the Jewish nation, as it is at this moment that Jacob becomes Yisrael.
Yet so many aspects of the story are cryptic and unclear. Who was this “man (who) wrestled with him until dawn,” what does this wrestling match represent, and why did it immediately precede Jacob’s confrontation with his brother?
The classical commentators provide multiple interpretations of this narrative. The most common explanation, as Rashi expounds, is that Jacob’s opponent was Esau’s guardian angel. Yet the Zohar and Midrash suggest that this unidentified spiritual adversary was not his brother’s angel, but rather, that it was Jacob himself with whom he had to wrestle.
Rabbi YY Jacobson suggests that this is implicit in the above-quoted verse, which states that “Jacob remained alone.” If he was alone, then it was only himself with whom he struggled.
What is the implication of Jacob’s wrestling match with himself?
Throughout his life until that moment, Jacob was defined by his relationship and ongoing rivalry with his brother. His very name, Yaakov, is derived from the word ekev/“heel,” because he came out of the womb grasping the heel of his twin. Years later, he would dress in his brother’s clothes and assume his identity to trick his father into granting him the blessings of the firstborn.
Esau was a wild and sinful man, and Jacob was instructed by his mother, Rebecca, to usurp the blessing because she knew that Esau wasn’t capable of stewarding such holiness. Regardless of the validity and righteousness of his claims against his brother, the fact remains that Jacob had always been trying to be Esau in a sense—to have what Esau had, to grab his heel, to appropriate his blessings. In such a dynamic of conflict and competition, Esau will always despise his brother.
When will this rivalry end? When Jacob confronts his own internal struggle and comes to terms with who he truly is.
This is precisely what happens the night before the brothers meet. Jacob wrestles with his innermost self and realizes that he is no longer Yaakov, the one who is grabbing at his brother’s heel; rather, he is Yisrael, a prince of God who can overcome even his own darkest inclinations.
Once he conquers his ego and claims his own infinite identity, Jacob is able to go on and transcend the battle with Esau completely. As soon as Esau sees that Jacob no longer desires what is his, “he ran toward him, hugged him, fell on his shoulders and kissed him, and they both wept” (Genesis 33:5). Esau finally respects and admires his brother because Jacob finally knows and respects himself.
The lesson for us is clear. The times may be alarming, and the news may be disturbing. We need to be vigilant, and we need to push back against the rising tide of antisemitism.
But most importantly, we need to be Yisrael—to know who we are and why we are here. We will not be accepted or respected by Esau when we try to assimilate and conform to the trends of material greed and carnal gluttony. On the contrary, it is when we express the Godliness within us that we thereby elicit the Godliness that is within all of God’s creations.
