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לאה בת אברהם לעילוי נשמת
בס''ד
As the name of the book we begin this Shabbos is given the title ‘ותמש’-‘Names’, it seems only right for this to be the topic of our discussion this week. Although a number of the Biblical giants were given different names during their lifetime, such as Avrom to Avrohom and Sorai to Soroh, Yaakov’s transformation to Yisroel is unique. In all other cases, once the name is altered it remains perpetually so, with the person only referred to by the new name. To be understood then is why with Yaakov, he is at times still called Yaakov even after being given the new appellation, Yisroel, a case in point being the first Posuk of our Parsha which states “And these are the names of the children of Yisroel who came to Egypt with Yaakov”.
The fact that Hashem chooses to change a person’s name is one more proof to the axiom that a person’s name is far more than just a label, but carries profound depth and meaning. If this were not so, what reason would there be to modify it. The Nesivos Sholom explains that the name Yaakov and Yisroel actually connote two paths to serving Hashem. Yaakov is the route in which one steers clear of negative parts of our life by focusing on the detrimental impact of transgressing Hashem’s instructions. The fear of the consequence of sinning keeps us where we should be. The level of Yisroel however is when one contemplates the greatness of Hashem and chooses to instill within oneself this recognition, creating inspiration to do what is right because we want to be a part of that greatness and to connect with something far beyond ourselves. But the fact that Yaakov retained his former name shows us that there is a place for both, all at the right time. And in Egypt, surrounded by all that was unholy and the connection to Hashem being at a minimum, they needed that fear of the repercussions of their failures to keep them from straying too far from their rightful place.
In our relationship with Hashem, the destination is surely paramount. How we arrive there is less so, as long as it falls within the parameters of the Torah’s teachings. The ends do not justify the means if they are not true Torah ideals, but within those ideals we must find the path that is right for us at any given time. If we are feeling connected then that will be the moment to serve Hashem in the most ideal way, focusing on the beauty and transcendence of that connection. But there will be times when the inspiration is not as readily available and we feel a disconnect and detachment in our relationship with Him. It may be at these moments that we may have to resort to a lesser form of motivation to maintain our level and remind ourselves how much we have to lose by faltering. It might not be where we want to be, but just for the moment, it is where we must be and where He wants us to be.
*May this Shabbos illuminate the path we should be taking*
לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם
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