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Vayishlach
Genesis 32:4-36:43
There is a lot of attention placed on the name of our third patriarch, Jacob. In this week’s Torah portion, we actually have two accounts of the changing of Jacob’s name to Israel.
Toward the beginning of our parashah, amid the famous struggle between the angel and Jacob (or Yaakov in Hebrew), the angel tells him, “They will not say that your name is Yaakov any longer, but rather, Yisrael (Israel) for you have striven with the Divine and with men and have overcome.’” (Genesis 32:29)
The second account is a more direct conversation between God and Jacob. “Then God said to him, ‘Your name is Yaakov. Your name shall no longer be called Yaakov, but Yisrael shall be your name,’ and he called his name Yisrael.” (Genesis 35:10)
Rashi, the foremost medieval commentator, quotes a Midrash suggesting that in the first instance, the angel was merely informing Jacob that his name would be changed in the future. When the angel remarks that “they will not say,” it implies that they will not use the name Jacob as a pejorative. That is, people will not say that Jacob took the blessings away from his brother through crookedness. The name Jacob is derived from the Hebrew word for “heel,” which has even made its way into English slang (according to “Green’s Dictionary of Slang”) with several negative definitions, including the “racket of stealing by sneaking.”
The conversation between God and Jacob further emphasizes this point. God states directly that his name is Jacob before telling him that he would no longer be called Jacob. Why would God have to open with a direct statement regarding his name? The commentators suggest that we are being taught that the change of Jacob to Israel is not as permanent as it is with the other name changes that we have encountered earlier in the Torah. (Babylonian Talmud, Brachot 12b)
When Abraham’s name was changed from Abram to Abraham, for example, it was an eternal switch.
The Talmud shows us just how serious a matter the sages considered the changing of Abraham’s name: “Anyone who calls Avraham ‘Avram’ transgresses a positive commandment, as it is stated: ‘Your name will be Avraham.’” (Brachot 13b)
Jacob continues to live with his original name, alongside his new identity. If one follows the episodes of his life, it is clear that each time he is identified as Israel, he is acting on the great legacy with which he was blessed. But, in the upcoming story of the sale of Joseph, we see that the name Jacob is used when his sons confront him with the bloody coat and ask him to identify it for them. (Genesis 37:34)
Here, Jacob is reacting as a father would. His humanity shines forth as he grapples with the tragic loss of a son. The Torah continues to refer to him as Jacob throughout that episode until he finally awakens to his true calling upon hearing that his son is alive and ruling over Egypt: “And Israel said, ‘How great! My son Joseph is alive. I will go see him before I die.’” (Genesis 45:28)
The descent into Egypt was supposed to be the precursor to a momentous deliverance. With Israel following the prescribed destiny, he manifests his new identity.
The reason that Jacob maintains both names is that he plays both roles. He remains true to his original character, alongside his great legacy. Abraham, by contrast, grew from being a young man surrounded by an idolatrous culture into God’s direct agent for change. He never reverted to his old self.
This would explain why Jacob’s descendants are referred to as the Children of Israel. We are tasked at all times with continuing his mission in the world.