Two Minute Torah Podcast

Vayishlach 5771 by Cantor Bob Scherr

Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. - Genesis 32:25

What about those people who seem to do everything easily? They run fast, their hair is naturally orderly, they get high grades apparently without studying, they never spill food on their clothes, and they seem to be perpetually happy. Their lives seem effortless. This calls forth the question: Should life be so effortless?

Jacob answers this question for us in Vayishlach. Life is not about being easy; sometimes our greatest satisfactions come from our most important struggles. This is so especially in our spiritual lives. Jacob's first encounter with G-d was in a dream. What could be easier than that? But dreams are, well, just dreams. We Jews live our lives by our actions, mitzvot, that define our personhood and our peoplehood. We do what we do not because it's easy, but because it's moral and connective.

After Jacob's dream, he prayed to G-d to bring him wholly (v'shavti v'shalom) back to his father's house. To be a whole person with G-d requires some effort—it's work. Every important relationship in our lives—family, friends, lovers—require ongoing effort and attention. Relationships that matter are a lot of work.

And have you ever noticed, our word for prayer, avodah, also means work? Things that matter require a lot of effort. We are the children of Israel: isra-el, ones who wrestle with G-d. Like Jacob, we may often find ourselves struggling through the night. When we fully engage in work, when we fully engage in meaningful relationships, we may have to struggle and work hard at these things.

Prayer often is not easy; we don't just sing some songs head for the kiddush. We struggle with words, and memories, and feelings of love and fear to engage with G-d. Jacob recognized that he had engaged with the Divine, and this encounter, physical and face-to-face, gave new meaning to his life. Jacob struggled and prevailed; we learn from this to be aware of our struggles, and to revel in the growth that comes from these struggles, even though sometimes, like Jacob, we limp away afterward.

May we, b'ney Yisrael, the Children of Israel, be mindful of and rejoice in our struggles. May they be for us, as for our ancestor Jacob, enduring blessings.