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November 22, 2002/Kislev 17 5763, Vol. 55, No. 13
Seize the divine through sacred deeds
Torah study
RABBI MICHAEL WASSERMAN
Vayishlach/Genesis 32:4-36:43
In the Torah portion Vayishlach, Jacob finally becomes the man that he was always called upon to be. After wrestling all night with God, he is no longer Yaakov, "the heel," but now Yisrael, "the one who struggles with the Infinite."
What is it about Jacob's struggle with God that makes him the father of the Jewish people? What is it about his wrestling with the divine that is emblematic of what it means to be a Jew?
To believe in God is one thing. But Judaism is about more than just belief. It is about actively working to bring God into the world, struggling to bring heaven down to earth. It is about refusing, as Jacob did, to let go of the divine until we extract a blessing. Every mitzvah that we perform - every act of prayer or of caring - is really about that, about trying to seize the transcendent and make it imminent, about trying to draw God into the world. In modeling that struggle, Jacob becomes our true spiritual ancestor.
But it is not only the goal of Jewish life that we learn from the story of Jacob's wrestling with God. It is the method also.
Earlier, in last week's Torah portion Vayetze, Jacob had also tried to extract God's blessing. But he had done it in a very different way, a way that was characteristic of his old self. In Jacob's dream about the ladder going up to heaven, God had promised to provide for Jacob in his exile and bring him back safely to his land. After he woke up, Jacob's response was to offer God a deal. "Of all that You give me, I will set aside a tithe for You." (Genesis 28:22)
But drawing God into the world is not a matter of making deals and playing the angles. Jacob had always gotten what he wanted by being savvy. He had won his father's blessing by outwitting him. But you cannot get God's blessing in that way. The only way to bring God into the world is directly and sincerely, by daring to reach out to the divine and refusing to let go.
After 20 years of exile, it seems that Jacob has finally learned that lesson. In his wrestling match with God, he uses no tricks - only audacity and determination. He says exactly what he wants: "I will not let you go unless you bless me," and he dares to hang on until he succeeds. (Genesis 32:27)
A life of mitzvah, of seizing the divine through sacred deeds, is about exactly the same thing. It is a life of striving to be Yisrael, one who struggles with God and refuses to let go until God's blessing fills one more corner of this world.
Rabbi Michael Wasserman is co-rabbi of The New Shul and a faculty member at the Jess Schwartz Jewish Community High School. He can be contacted at 480-515-2272.
Jewish News has invited local rabbis to present commentaries on the weekly Torah portion. This is one of more to come throughout the year.
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