This Shabbat, we will read the famous scene in which Yaakov wrestles all night with a mysterious man who turns out to be an angel. Since childhood we have been taught the midrashic interpretation of this story, quoted by Rashi: As Yaakov prepares for a reunion with his brother Eisav, he brings his family and possessions across a river in the dead of night. He allows everyone to cross until he remains alone. At that moment, Yaakov is attacked by a mysterious man who is actually saro shel esav – the angel charged with representing the nation of Edom in the celestial court. They wrestle through the night, and Yaakov wins. By physically conquering this angel, Yaakov justifies his claim on Yitzchak’s blessings and birthright, earning his place in the covenantal chain. The angel changes Yaakov’s name to Yisrael כִּי שָׂרִיתָ עִם אֱלֹקִים וְעִם אֲנָשִׁים וַתּוּכָל, For you struggled with G-d and man and you are able.
However, when you think about it, there are a number of potential issues with this interpretation.
- If this event serves to justify something that happened 20 years prior, why hasn’t it taken place until now? Why on the night before re-encountering Esav?
- Though the midrash makes a claim about the angel’s identity, the angel itself refuses to do so. If it was saro shel Esav, why not say so? In many ways, the text actually seems to encourage us to disregard the angel’s identity.
- Why does winning a fistfight justify Yaakov’s taking the birthright and blessing? Why should a contest of physical strength validate his receipt of a spiritual blessing?
For these reasons, the midrash remains exactly that: Midrash, a meaningful allegorical interpretation of the pesukim. But it is not the p’shat. For that we turn to Rashi’s grandson, Rashbam, who offers a totally different perspective on the story. This somewhat radical interpretation resolves these lingering questions, while at the same time giving us a whole new take on this classic story.
The most paradigm-shifting aspect of Rashbam’s opinion appears in his first comment, at the very beginning of the narrative. He says that Yaakov wanted to cross the river in the middle of the night because he was trying to run away. The prospect of reuniting with his estranged brother terrified him. Even with all his other preparations, Yaakov did not believe he could confront his brother and face his past, and so he tried to avoid the confrontation altogether.
However, at the last moment, right before he can cross the river and escape into the night, vaya’avek ish imo – someone attacks him, wrestles him, pins him down, and stops him from getting away. G-d sends an angel, a divine messenger to carry out G-d’s will and force Yaakov to confront his brother. This is why the angel is not named. The point is not the identity of the angel, but rather the task that it must accomplish: Keeping Yaakov there all night and preventing his escape. By the time the sun rises, it is too late for Yaakov to get away under cover of night, and the angel has completed its mission. Yaakov would need to face his fear, he would confront his brother Esav, and G-d’s plan would be fulfilled.
Though attributing such cowardly behavior to Yaakov may be shocking at first, Rashbam’s interpretation makes a lot of sense in context. Yaakov has spent his whole life running away. He runs away from home after stealing the birthright. He runs away from Lavan to evade conflict with his father-in-law. And now he is using that tactic again by running away from facing his brother. But this time, Hashem does not let him get away so easily.
We all have something we are running from. Maybe we keep avoiding a difficult conversation with a loved one, maybe we are refusing to acknowledge a painful reality, or maybe there is an unsettling memory whispering at the back of our mind that we repeatedly push away. Too often, that fear leads us to run away from what G-d has in store. But Hashem isn’t letting us get away with it that easily. We run from our demons straight into the arms of G-d’s angels. Those “angels” take many forms. Just like the angel in our parsha refuses to give its name, it may be difficult for us to identify these divine interventions. Perhaps a chance encounter brings us face-to-face with the person we are avoiding, or an offhand comment jogs a buried memory. These are the angels whose job it is to hold us still for long enough that we are forced to confront whatever we are running from. Just as with Yaakov, these messengers or messages feel challenging, uncomfortable, maybe even painful. They force us to face the things we would rather ignore, even when it hurts. But in the end, just like Yaakov met Eisav, we will end up facing whatever it is we are trying to run from.
This sounds ominous, but the good news is that Hashem also gave us the most powerful weapon possible to arm us in that confrontation: The knowledge that we are capable.
Why did Yaakov run? Because he did not believe he could emerge victorious. However, when Yaakov wins the all-night fistfight, he receives the greatest blessing a person can have: A new understanding of his own potential. His name is changed to Yisrael כִּי שָׂרִיתָ עִם אֱלֹקִים וְעִם אֲנָשִׁים וַתּוּכָל, Because you can struggle with G-d and man and you are able. You are capable of facing even the thing you fear most.
We are all running from something. It is most likely something difficult and scary. We need to stop running away and choose to confront those fears. Sometimes this happens by our own choice, and sometimes not. But the most important thing to know is that as members of Am Yisrael, we bear Yaakov’s new name and his potential. We don't have to keep running. We can do difficult things. We can confront, we can struggle, and with G-d’s help we are able to emerge victorious.
With this conviction and confidence, Yaakov moved towards the new day and faced his fear. With that very same conviction and confidence, we are called to move towards whatever G-d has in store for us. Maybe it is time for us to pause, acknowledge what we are running from, and remind ourselves of our potential. וַתּוּכָל – we too are capable of facing our fears. And we too can emerge victorious. | 
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