ON THE DISABLED LIST

Ya’akov, Achilles, Oedipus

and the Significance of Injury

in their Stories

“SO . . . DO YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH WEAK

ANKLES?” – Meg to Hercules in Hercules

Be’reishit 32:23-25

• ת  כג ח א8 ק; י= ה הוא, ו; Bל Dי ל; ם ב; Bק Bי יו -ו; Bש Bי נ Lת Dשיו BתNח Dפ י ש= Lת Dת-ש א8 Dיו; , ו Bד Bל Dר, י Bש Bד ע ת-אח; א8 Dו

בNק ר י; ב; Wע ת מ; Lר, אNב Wע י; .ו;

• ר,   כד Lב Wע י; ל; ו; ח; Bנ ת-ה; ם, א8 Lר ב= Wע י; ם--ו; Lח Bק י= ו;ר-לו ש8 Wת-א .א8

• ד   כה מו, ע; יש ע= ק א= Lאב Lי דו; ו; ב; Dב, לNק Wע ר י; Lת Bו י= ו;ר ח; Bש לות ה; Wע.

23: That same night he [Jacob] arose, and taking his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven children, he crossed the ford of Jabbok.

24: After taking them across the stream, he sent across all his possessions.

25: Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.

Be’reishit 32:26-29

• ע   כו ק; Lת כו; ו; Lר Dף-י כ; Dע, ב ג; י= כNל לו, ו; Bי לא י א, כ= Dר י; ו;מו קו ע= Dאב Lה Dב, בNק Wע ך י; ר8 ף-י8 .כ;

• ר לא   כז יNאמ8 ר; ו; ח; Bש ה ה; Bל Bי ע י, כ= נ= Lח Dל ר ש; יNאמ8 ו;י נ= Bת Dכ ר; Lם-ב י א= ך, כ= Wח Lל ש; Wא.

• קNב  כח Wע ר, י; יNאמ8 ך; ו; מ8 Dה-ש יו, מ; Bל Lר א יNאמ8 ו; .

• י,   כט ך--כ= Dמ ר עוד ש= Lאמ Lב יNק Wע ר, לא י; יNאמ8 ו;ים, ש= Bנ Wם-א ע= Dים ו לה= oם-א יתB ע= ר= Bי-ש ל:  כ= Lא Bר Dם-יש א=

ל Bתוכ .ו;

26: When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he wrenched Jacob’s hip at its socket, so that the socket of his hip was strained as he wrestled with him.

27: Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.” But he answered, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.”

28: Said the other, “What is your name?” He replied, “Jacob.”

29: Said he, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed.”

The sites of Penuel and Mahanaim have been identified with two sites in north-central Jordan, Tulul Eddahab El-Gharbi and Tulul Eddahab El-Sharqi (the eastern and western hills of gold).

The Great Achilles

• Achilles slays Penthesilea by Exekias 530 BCE

Ajax Carrying the Dead Achilles

Oedipus’ Name: “Swollen Foot”

Oedipus and the Sphinx

Oedipus being abandoned

From “The Role of Pain in Myths and Fairy Tales” by Axel Hinrich Murken

“Pain is one of the basic conditions of human life. As such, how pain is felt and borne has been reflected in written and graphic traditions in all phases of the history of civilisation . . . . The range of literature portray[s] pain, often together with fear, as a potentially threatening but at the same time protective element of human existence . . . .”

• Gustave Dore, Jacob Wrestling with the Angel, 1855.

What Does Ya’akov Get From the Attacker, Aside From a Limp?

• A new name• In the Torah, what

does name-changing mean?

• Paul Gauguin, Vision After the Sermon, 1888.

Ya’akov Becomes Yisrael

• Be’reishit 27:34-36:34: When Esau heard his father’s

words, he burst into wild and bitter sobbing, and said to his father, “Bless me too, Father!”

35: But he answered, “Your brother came with guile and took away your blessing.”

36: [Esau] said, “Was he, then, named Jacob that he might supplant me these two times?” First he took away my birthright and now he has taken away my blessing!”

י   לד Lר Dב ת-ד= ו, א8 Bש Lע; עNמ Dש כ=ה BלNד Dה, ג Bק Bע Dק צ ע; Dצ י= יו, ו; אב=

ר יNאמ8 אNד; ו; Dד-מ ה ע; Bר Bומם י ג; נ= Lכ Dר Bיו, ב אב= Dי-ל י אב= אנ= .

יך   לה א אח= Bר, ב יNאמ8 ו;ך ת8 Bכ Dר ח, ב= ק; י= ה; ו; Bמ Dר מ= Dב.

מו   לו Dא ש Bר Bי ק כ= Wר ה יNאמ8 ו;ה י ז8 נ= Lב Dק Dע י; קNב, ו; Wע י;

ח, Bק Bי ל ת= BרNכ Dת-ב ים--א8 מ; Wע פ;י; ת= Bכ Dר ח ב= ק; Bה ל Bת ה ע; Lנ ה= Dו

י תB ל= Dל לא-אצ; Wר, ה יNאמ; ו;ה Bכ Bר Dב.

“Ya’akov” Has Two Meanings

Be’reishit 25:26:

Then his brother emerged, holding on to the heel of Esau; so they named him Jacob.

דו    Bי Dיו, ו א אח= Bצ Bן י Lי-כ Lר Wאח Dוא Bר Dק י= ו, ו; Bש Lב ע Lק Wע ת ב; ז8 אNח8

ק Bח Dיצ Dב; וNק Wע מו, י; Dשת ד8 ל8 Dה, ב Bנ Bים ש ש= ן-ש= ב8

ם BתNא.

• IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT, WHEN NO ONE IS AROUND AND IT IS ONLY YOU AND YOUR CONSCIENCE, YOU WILL HAVE TO CONFRONT WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON.

• WE ARE NOT LIKE THE GREEKS

• WE DO NOT BELIEVE OUR FATE IS SEALED BY OUR PARENTS OR ANYONE WHO CAME BEFORE US

WE ARE B’NAI YISRAEL

Ya’akov fought and won, though he was left with a limp. Fighting leaves its mark.

But he became someone new: Yisrael.

• Already in Biblical times, the name Yisrael had associations with “sovereignty” (va-yasar) or “rectitude” (y-sh-r).

• The stem y-sh-r would be a perfect antonym for ya’akov, which was connected with “craftiness and deceit.”

• The change of name shows a transformation of character from craftiness to moral rectitude and fineness.

• Ramban supports this idea by translating the name in Devarim as “He who is upright with God.”

YA’AKOV’S DESCENDENTS ARE STILL WALKING THE EARTH

what do you have the strength to be?