According to Everett Fox’s commentary, Jacob encounters God
at crucial life junctures, and in this Torah portion, Jacob encounters God
three times. In most instances, God speaks to Jacob, reassuring him that God
will be with him, that Jacob will be the one to carry on the covenant, that he
will give birth to a nation. Sometimes God comes to tell Jacob it’s time to
move on to the next phase of the journey.
But in the beginning of this parasha, God comes to him in the
form or a man or an angel who wrestles with him, cannot overcome him, injures
him, blesses him, and changes his name. In this episode, Jacob encounters God “face
to face.” And the next morning, Jacob encounters his brother’s face for the
first time in over twenty years – for the first time since Jacob ran away from
Esau who wanted to kill him for stealing the first-born’s blessing. One of the
key words in this parasha is “face.” Depending on where and when it appears,
the word “face” suggests intimacy, close encounter, love, fear, and conflict.
The parasha is full of fear, conflict, love, loss, blessing
and violence. There are moments of grace, as when Esau runs to Jacob and kisses
him, shedding tears and reconciling with his brother. And there are moments of
failure – Jacob hears of the rape of his daughter and doesn’t seem to know what
to do.
Fitting then that this parasha would open with a wrestling
match and would feature the word “face”. Sometimes Jacob is on top, sometimes
on the bottom. His story is close up. He can’t escape the pain of burying his
beloved wife; he is caught in an unexpected, tight embrace with his estranged
brother. Sometimes he appears to be pinned down, unable to move or act. Other
times he prevails. This week, Jacob stares in the face the realities of a life on
the road with God.
I look forward to encountering this text, face to face with
you, tomorrow!
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