Parashat Vayishlach – To Be “Yisrael” Is To Be An Heir

By Rabbi Alex Freedman.

We all know that we are the people Israel, which is the name given to our Patriarch Jacob in this week’s Parsha, Vayishlach.

Jacob famously wrestles with a man/angel and survives, and G-d bestows a new name to mark the achievement. G-d says, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed” (Gn. 32:29). The word “Yisrael” is connected to the verb “to wrestle or struggle.” This is fitting because Jacob just physically wrestled a being that was part human, part divine. In every generation, the Jewish people have likewise had to struggle against other people seeking our end, as well as with trying to understand G-d in a challenging world.

I want to share another insight, which I learned from Rabbi Benjamin Blech and his book “Secrets of Hebrew Words.” Note that the spelling of “Israel” in Hebrew contains the first letters of all the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, no more and no less: