"Jacob remained alone, and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn" (Genesis 32:25). A simple sentence, but pregnant with meaning. What does it mean to be alone? And who, or what, was this man?
The Midrash, the ancient Rabbinic commentary, dives deep into this moment. It’s not just a physical struggle; it's a spiritual one. Bereshit Rabbah connects this wrestling match to a powerful verse from Deuteronomy: "Yeshurun, there is none like God, Who rides the heavens in your assistance" (Deuteronomy 33:26). Yeshurun, a poetic name for the Jewish people, for Israel.
Rabbi Berekhya, quoting Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon, offers a stunning interpretation: “There is none like God,” but who is like God? It is Yeshurun, the best and most praiseworthy among you. It’s a bold statement, isn't it? That humanity, in its highest form, can reflect something of the Divine.
The Midrash goes on to illustrate this point with a series of parallels. Everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to perform in the future, He had them performed earlier, by means of the righteous in this world. Think about it: The Holy One revives the dead… and Elijah revives the dead (I Kings 17:22). God withholds rain… Elijah withholds rain (I Kings 17:1). God blesses the scarce… Elijah blesses the scarce (I Kings 17:14–16). The pattern continues with Elisha, too. Reviving the dead (II Kings 4:33–35), remembering the barren (II Kings 4:16), blessing the scarce (II Kings 4:2–7), even sweetening the bitter (II Kings 2:19–22). As we see in Shemot Rabba 23:3, the Holy One sweetens the bitter with bitter, and Elisha did the same.
It's a profound idea. That righteous individuals, through their actions, prefigure the ultimate redemption, mirroring God's own power and compassion.
Rabbi Berekhya, again quoting Rabbi Simon, drives the point home: "There is none like God,” but who is like God? It is Yeshurun, Israel the elder. Just as the Holy One, blessed be He, it is written in His regard: “The Lord alone will be exalted [on that day]" (Isaiah 2:17), Jacob, too: “Jacob remained alone.”
The connection is striking. Just as God will ultimately be exalted, Jacob, in his solitude, wrestled with the Divine and emerged… transformed. He was no longer just Jacob; he became Israel, the one who strives with God and prevails.
So what does it all mean? Perhaps it's about our potential. Our capacity to embody divine attributes. To strive, to wrestle, to be alone with our challenges, and to emerge stronger, more connected to something larger than ourselves. Maybe that wrestling match isn't just Jacob's story. Maybe it's our story, too.