Bereshit 32:23-33
Wrestling Until Dawn
Yaakov is left alone and a man wrestles him until dawn. By morning he limps, with a new name.
וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא יַעֲקֹב יֵאָמֵר עוֹד שִׁמְךָ כִּי אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי־שָׂרִיתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁים וַתּוּכָל׃
Bereshit 32:29
He said, “Your name will no longer be Yaakov, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
- What it teaches
Courage. Facing fear and carrying on doing what is right.
Yaakov is left alone at night, and a man wrestles with him until dawn. Even with his hip wrenched, Yaakov will not let him go without a blessing. The Torah teaches that courage is not getting through a struggle unhurt, but holding on even after you are hurt, and for a struggle like this, held and won, Yaakov is named Israel.
- The lesson
- Whoever holds on even when hurt comes out of the struggle with a blessing.