Torah: Genesis 32:3-36:43
Prophets: Hosea 11:7-12:12, Obadiah 1:1-21
Gospel: John 1:19-2:12
Portion Outline:
Torah:
Genesis 32:3 | Jacob Sends Presents to Appease Esau
Genesis 32:22 | Jacob Wrestles at Peniel
Genesis 33:1 | Jacob and Esau Meet
Genesis 33:18 | Jacob Reaches Shechem
Genesis 34:1 | The Rape of Dinah
Genesis 34:25 | Dinah’s Brothers Avenge Their Sister
Genesis 35:1 | Jacob Returns to Bethel
Genesis 35:16 | The Birth of Benjamin and the Death of Rachel
Genesis 35:27 | The Death of Isaac
Genesis 36:1 | Esau’s Descendants
Genesis 36:15 | Clans and Kings of Edom
Prophets:
Hos 11:1 | God’s Compassion Despite Israel’s Ingratitude
Hos 12:2 | The Long History of Rebellion
Oba 1:5 | Pillage and Slaughter Will Repay Edom’s Cruelty
Oba 1:10 | Edom Mistreated His Brother
Oba 1:17 | Israel’s Final Triumph
Portion Summary:
The eighth reading from the book of Genesis is named Vayishlach (וישלח), which means “and he sent.” The title comes from the first verse of the reading, which says, “Then Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom” (Genesis 32:3 [verse 4 in Jewish-published Bibles]). Jacob prepares to meet Esau as he returns to the Promised Land, but first he has a mysterious encounter with an angel in the darkness, who changes his name to Israel. The portion follows Jacob’s adventures in the land of Canaan, including the loss of his beloved wife, Rachel. – (First Fruits of Zion)
Portion Commentary:
Jacob and Israel
God named all three of the patriarchs. He changed Abram’s name to Abraham. He chose Isaac’s name and announced it to Abraham before the child was even conceived. In this week’s Torah portion, He changes Jacob’s name to Israel.
Commentary:
As he prepared to face Esau, Jacob experienced a strange mystical encounter with God. He had sent his family, his servants and his possessions across a river ahead of him. He was about to follow when he was suddenly attacked by an assailant. Jacob wrestled the man through the night. The attacker turned out to be none other than the angel of the LORD.
Jacob wrestled with the angel through the night. He would not let the angel go. Jacob said to the angel, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:26)
The angel blessed Jacob by changing his name to Israel. Later in this week’s portion, in Genesis 35, the name change is repeated. When Jacob returns to Bethel, the LORD tells him, “‘Your name is Jacob; you shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.’ Thus He called him Israel” (Genesis 35:10).
Rashi explains this name change as if the angel said, “No longer shall you be called Yaakov, because they will no longer say that the blessings came to you by means of trickery (yakav, יעקב) and deceit. You shall be called Yisrael (ישראל), because you have been publicly authorized (sararah, שררה) to receive the blessing.”
The name Jacob represented Jacob’s life before encountering God, his old nature. The name Israel represented Jacob’s life after encountering God. It represented his new nature and new destiny.
A genuine encounter with God is life-changing. It is a sort of wrestling match. The apostles teach us that, through faith in Yeshua, we are born again as new creations. In Messiah we have a whole new identity. Paul speaks of our old identity as the “old self.” He declares that, for the believer, the “old self was crucified with [Messiah], in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6). “Therefore if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Read complete commentary at First Fruits of Zion.
