Jacob or Israel?

In this week’s Torah portion, Vayishlach, we read how Jacob fought with the angel of Esau. He was then told that his name would be changed to Israel. 

Why is it, then, that the Torah still calls him Jacob after it explicitly states “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel”?

Chassidus explains that the names Jacob and Israel denote two levels of Divine service that must be found within every Jew. There are times when an individual must serve in the manner of Jacob, while at other times the person should serve in the manner of Israel. 

The difference between Jacob and Israel in terms of spiritual service is as follows: the name Jacob reminds us that the blessings received by Jacob from his father came about as a result of deception and subterfuge - he was able to outfox his brother Esau. The name Israel, however, indicates that the blessings were received from Yitzchak in a straightforward manner.

Herein lies a lesson on how to serve in the manner of Jacob: a Jew’s approach to eating, drinking and other such physical matters is to be that of deception. The nature of a deceiver is not to reveal his true intent; he seems to be in complete agreement with his opponent, but when it comes right down to it, he acts in complete opposition to his opponent’s desires.

So too, a Jew must be involved in purely physical matters such as eating and drinking, business and the like. Yet his intent is spiritual - in order to refine and elevate the sparks of holiness found within these physical matters.

The spiritual service of Israel is quite different. At this level, a Jew need not hide his spiritual intent in involvement with physical things, for on this level, physicality does not hinder his spiritual service, nor does it conceal G-dliness.

An example would be the Shabbos meal. In this instance, the meal itself is a mitzvah, not like the six days of the week, when a person eats for the sake of spirituality. The sanctity of the Shabbos meal is such that the holiness of the event is clearly manifest.

May we merit the time where holiness prevails at all times with the coming of Moshiach now!

Light Shabbat candles on Friday at 4:11 PM (in NYC).

Shabbat Shalom!