Vayishlach

After father Jacob wrestles an angel/man he receives a blessing that came with a cost, a leg that was permanently damaged.


“Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.” Genesis 32:29


Aryeh Kaplan points out that the root of Israel indicates that we “must always struggle to be great before God.”  Life is a gift but that does not mean it does not require assembly.  We have an instruction guide; we call it Torah.  It tells us how to put our life together.   


Yet we are comprised of so many contradictory thoughts and wishes that it is often difficult to determine which path to travel.  Tradition tells us that we have two impulses (yetser), one which is altruistic and other is vindictive and selfish.  Throughout our lives we listen to both of those voices and hopefully choose the path that God wishes us to take, the one we know is right as it is indicated by our faith.


Striving to make better choices is the surest route to becoming finer humans, acting in concert with the Divine.  Striving is the gift that Jacob received and that HaKadosh Baruch Hu offers to each of us in our time.

 

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