The upcoming Torah portions include the narrative describing Jacob returning home to Canaan after a lengthy absence.

He fled in fear of his brother, Esau, and a return to his home necessitates a confrontation with Esau. On the evening before this confrontation, Jacob sits alone, perhaps contemplating whether the next day will bring a joyous or a violent reunion. As he sits alone he becomes aware of an intruder and grabs this person. He wrestles with him all night. Just before dawn, the intruder demands to be freed, and Jacob demands a blessing in return.

The intruder asks Jacob what his name is and then renames him by blessing him with the name “Israel.” The Torah alludes to the fact the intruder is an angel, and the name “Israel” is later formally given to Jacob by God.

The reason the angel gives for the name “Israel” is that Jacob has wrestled with man and with God, and was able to withstand the struggle. The word “Israel” appears in the future tense, thus it is a reflection of their meeting as well as a prediction for the future. It is a destiny.

Although the actual name change is not complete until God enacts the change, the role of the angel here is one of educator. By fighting with Jacob and, in fact, injuring him, the angel has proven to Jacob that although the struggle can feel overwhelming at times, he is able to withstand it and grow from the experience.

The sages often speak to us of angels and our interactions with them. One of the richest texts involves a description of our soul as it journeys from the upper realms into the womb of its mother, through the birth process, the life journey and ultimately the final journey back to the heavenly realms. Every step of the way, according to the Tanhuma, the person objects to the change, and it’s the individual’s personal angel who coaxes, prods and forces the changes.

The soul doesn’t want to be put into the womb, but is forced in. At that same time, the angel and God discuss the destiny of the soul’s life journey, but they can’t discuss whether or not the soul will be God-fearing, since that is part of free will and cannot be violated.

The soul is taught by its angel to love the time in the womb. It does not want to be born, but when the birth process begins, the angel pushes the baby out into the world. With its first breath, the soul forgets its angel teacher and begins its life journey. When it’s time to die, the soul doesn’t want to leave this world, and it’s the same angel teacher who appears to the soul, which recognizes the angel instantly. The angel forces the soul to leave the body and escorts it back to the heavenly realms.

In each instance, the soul struggles with the angel. The soul doesn’t want the change. In each instance, the angel teaches the soul about the inevitable movement forward – about the struggles, the sense of defeat and ultimately the security of knowing that it will endure.

Jacob’s struggle with the angel seems to be one of those unique Torah moments, inaccessible to the experiences of the average person. But it’s interesting how the sages teach us that the same angelic struggle occurs within all of us at every threshold of our existence. This is the true journey of “Israel.”