Israel: Pride & Concern - Parashat Vayishlaḥ 5785
This past Sunday, we had a fantastic breakfast with the Jewish Federation, where a great speaker presented one of his books. Joel Chasnoff, an American Israeli writer, talked about a different Israel, the one that Israelis deal with, of complexity, duality, pride, and concern.
How is it possible to be proud of Israel and, at the same time, concerned about its future?
Chasnoff addressed this question by explaining that Israel’s brief story of 76 years is not only about the wars in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982, and 2006 and all the wars with Gaza in the last 15 years. Israel’s story is about challenges, a dessert in which flowers blossom, a start-up nation, a creative society, Hi-Tech, and a mix of particularism and universalism.
And also a land of huge problems. How is it possible that the only Jewish country in the world does not recognize other forms of Judaism but rather its Ultra-orthodox view? How does it come that someone like me, a Zionist, reservist of the IDF, taxpayer, and proud citizen who loves his country, is not recognized by the State of Israel as a Rabbi because he is a conservative Rabbi and not an Ultra-orthodox Rabbi?
We are proud of what Israel does, and we are allowed also to be concerned about Israel’s future. How the Israeli society will deal with a not-so-small minority of Arab citizens? How long will Israel be able to keep a large population of young Jews who get everything they need from the state but are not willing to be recruited by the army of the country they live in, letting others sacrifice their lives to protect the lives of those who don’t serve?
And what about the constant conflict between Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions in Israel? Have you ever thought that out of the fourteen different Prime Ministers of Israel, we were one of the first countries in the world to have a Woman in that position? Still, in 76 years, there have been only Ashkenazi Prime Ministers and not a single Sephardic.
This duality between what makes us incredibly proud and yet deeply anxious is what we sometimes feel for our kids. Our hearts come out for them, we love them, we will always be there for them, and we are proud of them. However, we might experience some anxiety, and we will naturally have some concerns about them.
This duality is nothing new. It is the essence of the name of that word itself: Israel.
The Torah likes to change people’s names—Avram to Avraham, Sarai to Sarah, Hoshea to Yehoshua. The new name is similar to the original one in all of these examples. The difference between Sarai and Sarah is not that big. It is like our English and Hebrew names (well, mine is David, so it is more or less the same). But let’s say that if your English name is Robert, your Hebrew name might be… Reuven. If you are called Michael, maybe your Hebrew name will be Michael, Meir, or something similar.
But Jacob’s story was totally different. While waiting to meet his brother Esav, after betraying and his blessing many years before, Ya’akov is scared about this encounter. In the meantime he has a mysterious fight with a sort of an angel. At the end of this short episode, that character changes Jacob’s name:
“Said the other, “What is your name?” He replied, “Jacob.” Said he, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human and have prevailed.”
(Bereshit / Genesis 32:28-29)
A more accurate translation of this passage would be: “Your name shall not be said or pronounced Ya’akov but Yisrael.” I’m not sure this is a change in the name rather than a new spelling of the same name. Anyway, Jacob’s name will be changed later on in this Parashah:
“God appeared again to Jacob on his arrival from Paddan-Aram. God blessed him, saying to him, “You whose name is Jacob, You shall be called Jacob no more, But Israel shall be your name.” Thus he was named Israel.”
(ibid. 35:9-10)
In Hebrew, this part fits more the naming of a person than the first name exchange. The mysterious angel calls the patriarch Yisrael, as opposed to Ya’akov, because he could strive with the divine and human and succeed.
The name Ya’akov comes from the word Ekev, which means ankle. It also means curved, not straight. Yisrael is similar to Yashar ישר, which means straight and forward.
However, unlike other name changes in the Torah, Ya’akov will be called with his two names indistinctly. The third of the patriarchs will carry this duality of cutting corners, betraying his brother, and being the straight, correct, and honest Yisrael.
The modern state of Israel holds both identities. The one we are proud of is the one who stood against six Arab countries in 1948, the one who created the most advanced technologies.
The other, is the Israel that we are concerned about. But the good news is that although certain things are curved, crooked, and twisted, we can still overcome them and make them straighter.
It is called Yisrael, with a YOD at the beginning, symbolizing the future and not the past, meaning the best is yet to come, with its challenges and difficulties.
Israel can be our child, the one we are proud of. And the one we should tell off when it’s not doing things correctly. Don’t be afraid to criticize, as long as you do it with love and care, out of empathy and pride, not out of political interests or as a personal whim.
Parashat Vayishlah, so ancient in its story and so actual in its message, invites us to be more involved with Israel today. to take part, be active, be proud, and speak up when needed, considering that, as Prime Minister Golda Meir said, "This is our secret; we have no other place to go."
Shabbat Shalom!