“… What is your name? Jacob, he said. Then He said to him, Your name will no longer be Jacob, but rather Israel, for you  have struggled with God and men, and you have overcome.” Gen. 32:25-29 (TLV)

We have all had times in our lives which at best can be defined as seasons of struggle. Times, when it seems, we have  fought the hardest battles and faced the greatest challenges – where it seems in the physical to be no possibility for a positive outcome, times of doubt, dread and unbelief, or even unrelenting hardship – yes, struggle!

It would be easy for us if life was perfect and every avenue of our lives was problem  free, but we all know that this is not a reality. Yet, there is that place in our  hearts where we still yearn for eutopia or Tikkun Olam, where all of our dreams will  one day come true! Yet the truth still remains, our human existence is full of  pain, where our path is full of bumpy roads and unsuspecting potholes. Yet through  it all we still reach for hatikvah (hope), but why? I believe Parashah Vayishlach and specifically Genesis 32 provides the answer!

Read the full article here: Issue 29