"Since ancient days, crossing a river has been symbolic of overcoming a hazard and going forward to new experience (note such expressions as 'crossing the Rubicon'). In this sense, Jacob passing over the Jabbok to meet Esau crosses the watershed of his life. Everything that has happened to him since he obtained both birthright and parental blessing by doubtful means has been tainted with his own guilt and his brother's enmity..."
- Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut, The Torah: A Modern Commentary Revised Edition, pg 233
(כה) וַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב לְבַדּוֹ וַיֵּאָבֵק אִישׁ עִמּוֹ עַד עֲלוֹת הַשָּׁחַר. (כו) וַיַּרְא כִּי לֹא יָכֹל לוֹ וַיִּגַּע בְּכַף יְרֵכוֹ וַתֵּקַע כַּף יֶרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב בְּהֵאָבְקוֹ עִמּוֹ. (כז) וַיֹּאמֶר שַׁלְּחֵנִי כִּי עָלָה הַשָּׁחַר וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא אֲשַׁלֵּחֲךָ כִּי אִם בֵּרַכְתָּנִי. (כח) וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו מַה שְּׁמֶךָ וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב. (כט) וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא יַעֲקֹב יֵאָמֵר עוֹד שִׁמְךָ כִּי אִם יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי שָׂרִיתָ עִם אֱלֹהִים וְעִם אֲנָשִׁים וַתּוּכָל. (ל) וַיִּשְׁאַל יַעֲקֹב וַיֹּאמֶר הַגִּידָה נָּא שְׁמֶךָ וַיֹּאמֶר לָמָּה זֶּה תִּשְׁאַל לִשְׁמִי וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתוֹ שָׁם. (לא) וַיִּקְרָא יַעֲקֹב שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם פְּנִיאֵל כִּי רָאִיתִי אֱלֹהִים פָּנִים אֶל פָּנִים וַתִּנָּצֵל נַפְשִׁי.
(25) And Jacob was left alone; there a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. (26) And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was strained as he wrestled with him. (27) And he said: ‘Let me go, for the dawn breaks.’ And he said: ‘I will not let you go, unless you bless me.’ (28) And he said to him: ‘What is your name?’ And he said: ‘Jacob.’ (29) And he said: ‘Your name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.’ (30) Then Jacob asked him, saying: ‘Tell me please, your name.’ And he said: ‘Why do you ask for my name?’ And he blessed him there. (31) And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: ‘for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.’
Rabbi David Kimchi רד״ק
.(איש, מלאך, וכן: והנה איש עומד לנגדו (יהושע ה יג), והאיש גבריאל (דניאל ט כא
A man: [means here] an angel. As it is "...here a man stood before him, [drawn sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and asked him, 'Are you one of us or of our enemies?' He replied 'No, I am captain of The Lord's host]." (Joshua 5:13), "The man Gabriel [whom I had previously seen in a vision]." (Daniel 9:21).
- What does it mean if we understand "a man" to be an angel of God, as R. David Kimchi interpreted it?
(ג) ר' חמא בר' חנינא אמר: שרו של עשו היה, הוא דהוה אמר ליה: כי ע"כ ראיתי פניך כראות פני אלהים ותרצני. משל לאתליטוס, שהוא עומד ומתגושש עם בנו של מלך, תלה עיניו וראה את המלך עומד על גביו והרפיש עצמו לפניו.
(3) R. Hama b. R. Hanina said: It was the guardian Prince [angel] of Easu. To this Jacob alluded when he said to hi [Esau]: 'Forasmuch as I have seen thou face as one seeth the face of Elohim, and thou wast pleased with me (Gen. 33:10). This may be compared to an athlete who was wrestling with a royal prince; lifting up his eyes and seeing the king standing near him, he threw himself down before him.
- What are the implications if "a man" is Esau's Guardian Angel is Midrash suggests?
- How does this interpretation resolve the tension between the brothers?
Maimonides Guide for the Perplexed 2:42
XLII
We have explained that the appearance or speech of an angel mentioned in Scripture took place in a vision or dream; it makes no difference whether this is expressly stated or not, as we have explained above. This is a point of considerable importance. In some cases the account begins by stating that the prophet saw an angel; in others, the account apparently introduces a human being, who ultimately is shown to be an angel; but it makes no difference, for if the fact that an angel has been heard is only mentioned at the end, you may rest satisfied that the whole account from the beginning describes a prophetic vision. In such visions, a prophet either sees God who speaks to him, as will be explained by us, or he sees an angel who speaks to him, or he hears some one speaking to him without seeing the speaker, or he sees a man who speaks to him, and learns afterwards that the speaker was an angel...
...The same, I hold, is the case when it is said in reference to Jacob," And a man wrestled with him" (Gen. xxxii. 25): this took place in a prophetic vision, since it is expressly stated in the end (ver. 31) that it was an angel. The circumstances are here exactly the same as those in the vision of Abraham, where the general statement," And the Lord appeared to him," etc., is followed by a detailed description. Similarly the account of the vision of Jacob begins," And the angels of God met him" (Gen. xxxii. 2): then follows a detailed description how it came to pass that they met him; namely, Jacob sent messengers, and after having prepared and done certain things," he was left alone," etc.," and a man wrestled with him" (ibid. ver. 24). By this term" man" [one of] the angels of God is meant, mentioned in the phrase," And angels of God met him" : the wrestling and speaking was entirely a prophetic vision.
- How does your understanding of the text change if we follow The Rambam's interpretation?
"... Jacob cannot fully face his own past unless he seeks reconciliation with Esau, and this he can only do if he becomes a different person. When Jacob becomes Israel he can achieve reconciliation with his brother."
- Plaut 233