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He replied, 'Jacob.' Said he, 'Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with be- ings divine and human and have prevailed.' Jacob asked, `Pray, tell me your name.' But he said, 'You must not ask my name!' And he blessed him there." (Genesis 32, 25-31). The big mystery: Who fought Jacob? The Midrash and the lead- ing commentator of the Mid- dle Ages, Rashi, say that Jacob was battling the spirit of Esau. Thus, Jacob experi- enced the entire struggle throughout Jewish history between the Jew and his enemies, with Jacob repre- senting the Jewish people and Esau representing the hostile nations who vowed to destroy us. Although they struggle the whole long night of the bitter exile, and Jacob is maimed, ultimately with the rise of daybreak, repre- senting redemption, he emerges victorious. Modern Jewish commen- taries, however, emphasizing Jacob was left alone, believe that the whole episode was an internal struggle. Jacob was fighting the spirit of Esau within himself. Esau, who gave up his birthright for a mess of pottage was a creature of impulse, who re- quired immediate gratifica- tion. His desires must be satisfied now. But Jacob un- derstood that one must sac- rifice the present to achieve the fulfillment of the future. Yet, Jacob, like all men, was the child of two worlds, of earth and heaven. He could be party to a cruel hoax played on his father and brother. He fought Laban's treachery with crafty schemes of his own and, at times, he became weary of sacrifice, dedication and de- layed gratification. But, on the other hand, Jacob was capable of great moral growth, of profound spiritual achievement, for he had visions of a God whose word he would preserve and Irwin Groner is rabbi at Cong. Shaarey Zedek. 56 Friday, December 19, 1986 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS whose truths he would transmit to his descendants. There resides within every Jacob a little bit of Esau. Jacob knows that he is going to meet his brother the fol- lowing day. He struggles all night with the possibility of joining forces with Esau, of giving up the struggle of es- tablishing a separate identity and forming an independent theology and life-style. By naming us Israel (one who struggles), the Torah teaches us that we will always have to struggle with our appetites and desires. Therefore, the moment of victory is not in Jacob's sub- duing of the mysterious ad- versary. It is achieved in the Shabbat Vayishlach: Genesis 32:4-36:43; Ovadiah 1:1-21 bestowing of the blessing which constitutes the victory over darkness and fear. And what is the blessing? A change of name which is nothing less than a change of essence, of personality. Jacob emerges transformed as a' man, and that transformation is the essential lesson of the story. This lesson bears renewed emphasis in our day. Modern man has conquered nature, but cannot evade the chal- lenge of "how do I deal with my selfhood?" The lives of many people can be described as running away from self- confrontation, the confronta- tion that Jacob underwent on that fateful night which enabled him to achieve a new awareness of his identity. A great psychiatrist once said: "Our problem is not primar- ily to fit a man to face his environment, but to fit a man to face himself." Each of us needs to dis- cover in experiences of self- encounter those truths that will enable us — as they enabled our forefather Jacob/ Israel — to move forward on the journey of life victorious, unafraid, and bearing Divine blessings. Waldheim Visit Hit Washington — B'nai B'rith International said it was stunned that the United Na- tions office in Vienna has in- vited Austrian President Kurt Waldheim to be guest of honor at a ceremony Jan. 30 commemorating Trygve Lie, the first secretary-general of the U.N. Seymour D. Reich, B'nai B'rith president, stated that "honoring Waldheim, at this or any other function, does enormous dishonor ."