In Perek 32, Pasuk 29, it says:
"ויאמר לא יעקב יאמר עוד שמך כי אם ישראל"
And he said, your name shall not no longer be Yaakov, but will be Yisrael.
Rashi says it is changed to no longer be said the blessings came through trickery, but rather through nobility and openness and in the end, Hashem will revel Himself to Yaakov in Beit Eil and change his name and Hashem will bless him.
What might be a reason for why Yaakov’s name was changed to Yisrael? What makes him special enough to be one of the few who gets their names changed by Hashem?
Avraham had his name changed as well, but with Avraham, the change was absolute; the גמרא goes so far as to say, "Whoever calls Avraham 'Avram' violates a prohibition of the Torah, as it is written, 'No longer shall your name be called Avram.'" Yaakov, too, was told, "No longer shall your name be called Yaakov," yet the Torah continues to call him by both names, often alternating between Yaakov and Yisrael in a single narrative, or even a single verse. The Jewish people, who carry the name of their exclusive ancestor, are also called both "Yaakov" and "Yisrael."
ReplyDeleteAvraham's name change, which came about when he circumcised himself by command of G‑d, marked his elevation from Avram ("exalted father") to Avraham ("exalted father of the multitudes"). The name Avraham includes all the letters, and meaning, of Avram; the change was the introduction of an additional letter (the letter hei) and role. Thus, to call Avraham "Avram" is to reduce him to his prior self and significance.
On the other hand, Yaakov and Yisrael are two different names, with two different meanings. While it is true that Yisrael represents a loftier state of being than Yaakov (thus the Yisrael element in Yaakov is "no longer Yaakov"), there are certain virtues to the Yaakov state that the Yisrael state cannot possess. So Yaakov remains a name for both the third Patriarch and for the Jewish people as a whole. Yisrael might represent a higher stage in the Jew's development than Yaakov, but the greatness of the Jewish people lies in that there are both Yaakov Jews and Yisrael Jews, and Yaakov and Yisrael elements within each individual Jew.
1- Rabbi Ari Kahn furthers our question, he says Yaakov’s name is changed but instead of his name now being just his new name, Yisroel, it goes back and forth between Yaakov and Yisroel. Like when Avaram has his name changed from Avram to Avraham it stays as Avraham. So why does Yaakov’s name go back and forth between Yaakov and Yisroel, and why was he given the name Yisroel? Rabbi Kahn says Yaakov’s name is not changed, he just receives an additional name. But why was he given the (additional name) Yisroel. Rabbi Kahn quotes the Netziv who says Yisrael portrays a spiritual aspect of Yaakov where as Yaakov displays a natural aspect, and both the names are needed because a person cannot only live through spirituality they must also live through physicality. We see the Yaakov’s name was not changed but rather he was given another name because Yaakov was portraying signs and a life of spirituality, and so he got the name Yisroel. But he also had to live a life of and through physicality so the name of Yaakov remained with him.
ReplyDeleteThere are other instances where a name is changed in Tanach. Such as with Avraham. In the case of Avraham, the gemara tells us that "whoever calls Abraham "Abram" is violating the torah." However, here, the Torah goes back and forth between the names Jacob and Israel.
ReplyDeleteOne insight into the difference between the Jacob and Israel personalities is offered by Balaam, the pagan prophet who was summoned to curse the Jewish people and ended up mouthing one of the most beautiful odes to Jewish life and destiny contained in the Torah.
In the second of Balaam's curses-turned-blessings, there is a verse in which he proclaims: "[G‑d] sees no guilt in Jacob, nor toil in Israel."
This implies that Jacob does experience toil, though his struggles and difficulties do not result in his guilt in the eyes of G‑d. Israel, on the other hand, enjoys a tranquil existence, devoid not only of guilt but also of toil.
the torah has several instances where it shows of people who go through name changes, such as Avram becoming Avraham. The Gemara in Berachot 13a says that if one calls Avraham by his Avram, he has sinned. However, the Torah refers to Yaakov as both Yaakov and Yisroel. Why?
ReplyDeleteThe name Avram comes from two Hebrew words, av ram, father of the exalted. Originally, Avram's name hinted that he serve as the father of the exalted. However, when G‐d changed his name, he became av hamon goyim, father of many nations. Now his mission was to inspire all of society, not only the elite. For this reason we may no longer use the name Avram, because Hashem has charged us with the far larger mission through the name of Avraham.
In contrast, the names Yaakov and Yisrael both have meaning for us today.
Yisrael comes from the Hebrew word sar. It implies regal bearing and nobility. As Jews, we are challenged to be dignified and upright, outstanding in morals and virtue, and lead our society. We must not only work to improve ourselves but to better all of mankind. The name Yaakov was earned because he grabbed for his brother's ekev, his heel. his name implies one who is constantly striving, always grasping for something more.
By continuing to use both names, we learn the importance of both qualities. In addition to being Israel, models of nobility who enrich civilization by spreading the values we uphold, we must keep our first name Yaakov. This name reminds us that even though we bear nobility, we must strive forward with humility. We must constantly reach to make the world even better.
You can compare Yaakov's name changing to Avraham's name changing too. HaShem says to Avraham, 'No longer shall your name be called Abram.'- The Gamarah teaches us that if anyone calls Avraham "Avram" after HaShem declared this, it would violate the Torah. But, if it has the exact same Pasuk for Yaakov (just different name), why does the Torah refer to Yaakov as both "Yaakov" sometimes and "Yisrael" sometimes?
ReplyDeleteFor Avraham- his name was changed just so that he could be uplifted
But, Yaakov has 2 different names. There are certain things that "Yaakov" processes and that "Yisrael" doesnt and vise versa. The greatness of the Jewish people lies in that there are both Yaakov Jews and Yisrael Jews. Yaakov and Yisrael elements within each individual Jew. - based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
i think that this is why Yaakov was given 2 names. Because there isnt just 1 type of Jew in there world; there are Yaakov Jews and Yisrael Jews. And the changing of Yaakov's name teaches us this.
Yaakov's name was not actually changed because Hashem calls him both Yaakov and Yisrael, as opposed to Avraham's name change from Avram, when Hashem only calls him Avram if he does something bad. Rashi says that when he is referred to as Yaakov, it is at a moment of subservience, but when he is referred to as Yisrael, it is at a time when he is strong and victorious. The Netziv agrees that the two names are used for different things, but he says that Yisrael is used as a more supernatural name and Yaakov is for natural and mundane things. Both the name Yisrael and Yaakov are used because we need both aspects in our lives.
ReplyDeleteRav Kook says, Avrahams original name “Abram” means “father of Aram”. He was renamed “Abraham” to show that now he is “the father of many nations”. His new name shows that now he's widening his horizons and looking after the welfare of all people not just his nation.
ReplyDeletewe learn that yaakov is named after a problematic relationship that he had with his brother. however he is later described as an "ish tam, yoshev ohalim"and even later he is named yisroel. this seems very contradictory to how his parents named and described him. so rabbi ari Kahn raises the question-what is yaakovs true identity? yaakov grew up around bad influences. he had to be in survival mode in order to live with esav and loat. yaakov is a name of deception and trickery. however when he was named yisroel, it was as if he was overcoming a struggle. what was he overcoming? the name yisroel literally means " yashar el"-straight with God. all of yaakovs life he had to work so hard to stay yashar on the path of God. for yaakov it was a constant struggle to maintain his inner clarity and still he never strayed. even here when he is going through such tremendous obstacles, yaakov never loses focus on the bigger picture.
ReplyDeleteA few other people in tanach have had their names changed, like Avraham was initially named Avram. However, in his case, the name Avram was never used again. After Yaakov's name changed, even Hashem still uses the name Yaakov, as well as Yisroel. From here we learn that Yaakov's name was not changed, but rather he was given an ADDITIONAL name. The Netziv proposes that the name Yisroel was added as a form of supernatural-ness, to be used in special occasions, whereas Yaakov is more mundane and everyday.
ReplyDeleteBack then, people were not named for family members as many are today,but rather for something that has to do with their life. Like Yitzchak was named because Sarah laughed when she heard she would have a baby, and Yaakov was named because he held on to Esav's heel. Now that Yaakov's "job" has become to start the nation of the Jewish people, he merits a holier name.