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Orchard of Delights Vayishlach
The Hebrew word for interpreting dreams found throughout the discussion of Jacob’s wrestling match below, the spiritual level of
story of Joseph is “potar.” The same letters arranged differently spell number eight pervades the Torah portion.
tofer (the “p” [peh] sound can also be an “f” [feh] sound), which means After sending gifts to Esau to appease him, praying to God to
“to sew.” Joseph was able to take diverse symbols in a dream and 5 protect him, and dividing his camp in two to prepare for war, Jacob
rearrange them, sewing them together to create a unified garment or is left alone and fights with a “man” till dawn. When the “man”
interpretation. When Jacob blessed Joseph at the end of his life he realizes that he can not defeat Jacob, he strikes his thigh. Jacob
begins the blessing with “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough still refuses to let him go – even though he asks to be freed – until
by a well, whose branches run over the wall.” The Hebrew word for he receives a blessing. The “man” gives Jacob a new name, Israel:
fruitful is “porat,” containing the same letters as to interpret and to “No longer will your name be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have
sew. (This insight is discussed in The Mystical Meaning of Dreams, contended with God and man and have prevailed” (Genesis 32:29).
pp. 52.)
Jacob called the place Peniel – “For I have seen God face to face and
my soul has been spared” (Genesis 32:31).
A careful reading of the text and various rabbinic commentaries
reveals many opinions regarding whom Jacob was actually wrestling
££Flinging the Door Wide Open with. The text explicitly states that Jacob “was left alone” and
£Flinging the Door Wide Open Flinging the Door Wide Open
When Opportunity Knocks wrestled with a “man” (Genesis 32:25). Was he alone or was there
When Opportunity Knocks
When Opportunity Knocks
also a man there? Furthermore, even if we posit that Jacob wrestled
with what looked like a human being, was this individual really
human or was he Divine? The text refers to Jacob’s wrestling partner
After spending the night dreaming and receiving no satisfactory as a “man” but the name Israel means that Jacob had “contended
interpretations from his advisors, Pharaoh, on his cup bearer’s advice, with God,” and Jacob himself declares that he had seen “God face
brought Joseph from jail to interpret his dreams. Joseph listened to face.” Rashi adds another dimension by citing the tradition that
to Pharaoh’s account and then revealed the dreams’ prophetic Jacob fought with Esau’s angel.
meaning: the next seven years would be years of plenty, followed
by seven years of famine. Having performed Pharaoh’s bidding, This text, especially when employing the system of PaRDeS, is
one would have expected Joseph to respectfully wait and listen to open to multiple levels of interpretation. On one level, Jacob was
Pharaoh’s response, yet when Joseph finished his interpretation “alone.” He was clearly wrestling with himself, attempting to
he continues by giving unsolicited advice. He tells Pharaoh who overcome his own insecurities and self-doubts. In this sense, the
should rule the country for him in the years to come: “And now let wrestling match reflects an internal struggle. Even more profoundly,
Pharaoh seek a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of one might suggest that Jacob was wrestling with his destiny. His
Egypt” (Genesis 41:33). As if this were not presumptuous enough, he whole life had brought him to this moment when he would have to
provides Pharaoh with a detailed economic plan for how to survive once and for all vanquish his doubts about whether he was worthy
the upcoming famine. and capable of fulfilling his mission in this world. There could be no
turning back – he would either be defeated by Esau or assume his
In the ancient world a person who spoke out of turn before the king true identity with no regrets or fears. By the end of the struggle on
could be killed on the spot, all the more so, a prisoner like Joseph that awesome night, Jacob does triumph and significantly receives
who had just spent twelve years in jail. Granted Joseph’s articulate the name Israel.
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