As Yaakov prepares to encounter his brother Eisav, he engages in an enigmatic battle that lasts all night long. Who was the mysterious assailant? Why did they fight? Why was Yaakov’s name changed? What is the significance of this event? Rav Yoel Bin-Nun understands this episode as the culmination of Yaakov’s journey to finally earn the bracha bestowed upon him by Yitzchak 20 years earlier.
When Yaakov disguised himself as Eisav in order to be blessed by his father, Yitzchak declared: הקול קול יעקב והידים ידי עשו, “The voice is Yaakov’s but the hands are Eisav’s.” Usually this is interpreted as Yitzchak’s suspicion that he was being tricked or that something was amiss. Rav Bin-Nun explains it differently: Yitzchak was relieved. He had been hoping for years that his son Eisav would refine his character and temper his rugged ways with some of the nobility and gentleness of Yaakov. When the disguised Yaakov used soft language in speaking with Yitzchak: קום נא שבה, “please come and sit,” and when he spoke in religious terms: הקרה כי לפני ה‘ אלוקיך, “because the Lord your God granted me good fortune,” Yitzchak thought that his son the hunter had finally adopted a gentler demeanor and had come to see the world through a religious lens. Yitzchak, though, was wrong. Eisav had not changed. He remained the violent hunter, the unbridled aggressor. Yitzchak’s bracha was reserved for the son who would exhibit the “voice of Yaakov” along with the “hands of Eisav.” Yaakov received the blessing from Yitzchak. He would now need to prove that he was indeed deserving of the blessing, that he would be the brother to exhibit the voice of Yaakov and the hands of Eisav. He would have to synthesize the two qualities: the noble integrity natural to Yaakov and the aggressive self-sufficiency natural to Eisav.
Over the next 20 years, Yaakov worked in Lavan’s fields and began to develop a more rugged persona. Although self-sufficient and successful, Yaakov did not yet exhibit any of the defensive or warrior-like qualities central to the “hands of Eisav.” In fact, even when approaching his confrontation with Eisav in our parsha, Yaakov may have exhibited cowardice. The Ramban explains that when the midrash says that Yaakov prepared for his confrontation by praying, giving gifts and planning for war, it means that Yaakov prepared a retreat plan. Yaakov was scared of Eisav and was prepared to run away in order to avoid conflict. In fact, that’s precisely what he tried to do in the middle of the night; he sought to run away with his family. However, God made sure that Yaakov would encounter a fight and be put to the test. The all-night fight with the mysterious assailant afforded Yaakov the opportunity to show that he had the voice of Yaakov and also the hands of Eisav. His new name, Yisrael, signifies the new persona. The bracha given to him by Yitzchak was finally earned and now well-deserved. Yisrael was a gentle soul, but self-sufficient and able to fight valiantly when necessary.
This dialectic presented by Rav Bin-Nun parallels in certain ways Rav Soloveitchik’s dual image of Adam I and Adam II. Adam I wants to make a difference in the world. He is assertive and successful. Adam II is inspired by the world. He is humble and obedient. Rav Soloveitchik’s depiction of Adam I and Adam II describes the
conflicting impulses that make us human. Rav Bin-Nun’s depiction of “Yaakov’s voice” and “Eisav’s hands” describes not our nature but our calling. Our core identity must be the “voice of Yaakov,” a commitment to Torah, morality, virtue and nobility, and that voice of Yaakov should be balanced by the “hands of Eisav,” which know how to fight when necessary. It is our responsibility to make sure that the voice of Yaakov, not the hand of Eisav, is the dominant component of our individual and communal personality.
Rav Bin-Nun beautifully explains that this synthesis of the voice of Yaakov and the hands of Eisav is the model on which religious Zionism is based. In 1948, the nation of Yaakov would become the State of Israel. As Rav Bin-Nun writes, “There are plenty of nations in the world who are like Eisav. God does not want Israel to be just another nation like them. God’s blessing to Israel and Yizchak’s blessing to Yaakov were given to the one who knows how to use the hands of Eisav when necessary, but to maintain the voice of Yaakov and his moral rectitude.”
When teaching our students the values of religious Zionism, it is critical to emphasize both aspects highlighted by Rav Bin-Nun. After so many centuries and cycles of persecution, the State of Israel provides a safe haven for Jews and is able to use its hands of Eisav to defend her citizens and Jews worldwide. The moral character, the voice of Yaakov is also critical as it provides guidance to Israel’s citizens and Jews worldwide who look eastward for inspiration and seek to be elevated by the ethical discourse that guides Israel.
כי מציון תצא תורה ודבר ה׳ מירושלים.
Rabbi Jonathan Kroll, a founding staff member at SAR High School, returned in 2019 as principal after six years as Head of School at Katz Yeshiva High School of South Florida. He received his B.A. from Yeshiva College, his semikha from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, and an M.A. in secondary education from the Azrieli Graduate School.
