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Drash for Shabbat Vayishlach By Hal Hegwer - November 23, 2007 Not having had the good fortune to having been born Jewish, I am often asked why I choose to convert to this religion. Part of the answer lies in this parasha. Most of the parshiyot in Genesis are rich with material for discussion. This one is no exception. Vayishlach includes: • Jacob returning home after many years, bringing his large family.• Jacob offers prayer asking for God's protection.• Jacob meets and struggles with a "being."• He finally meets with his brother Esau and they part peaceably.• He then settles in Shechem in Canaan.• Next follows the story of the rape of Dinah and the following retaliation.• God then directs Jacob to move again, this time to Beth-el.• The story continues with the birth of Benjamin along with the death of Rachel.• It ends by noting of the death of Isaac followed by the genealogies of Jacob and Esau.I want to focus on the few lines at the end of Chapter 32 that describe when Jacob wrestles with something or someone while he is alone at night waiting to meet Esau in the morning. The text tells us that in the night a "man' comes to Jacob and they struggle. Neither prevails before morning, but Jacob's thigh is strained. Jacob demands a blessing before releasing his opponent and the opponent renames Jacob, Israel, generally translated as "one who struggles with God." While the text states Jacob is struggling with a "man" it also states "you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed." The commentators often interpret this portion as Jacob wrestling with his sitra achra or what we might now call our "dark side". Jacob has shown his dark side often in the book with his tricking Esau for his birthright and his deception of his father Isaac for his blessing. What I find more curious is the concept that Jacob is wrestling not with himself but rather with God. And the idea that it was such an important event that Jacob is renamed Israel to mark that event. As Bene Yisrael, the children of Israel, like Jacob, we too are challenged to "strive with God". And much of the time we do this well. Unlike other religions we are called on to question our religion, including questioning even the concept of God. This is one of the things that drew me to Judaism, the idea that one can struggle with God. We have the ability to argue, discuss, interpret, reevaluate. Our beliefs are not based only on faith, nor on one individual's interpretation or understanding of the Scriptures but rather on our own considered interpretation. Shabbat Shalom.
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