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Then Yaakov asked, “Now tell me your name.” And he said, “Why then do you ask for my name?” And he blessed him there (Bereishis 32:30).
The Torah recounts details of a struggle between Yaakov and the guardian angel of Eisav, until the morning when the angel asked to be released so he could return to Heaven. Yaakov said he would not do so until the angel blessed him. But then Yaakov asked the angel his name.
R’ Wolbe asks: Why did Yaakov need to know the Satan’s name? What difference did it make what he was called?
Yaakov Avinu knew that he was fighting with the guardian angel of Eisav, but he also knew that the name of a person defines his inner essence. The angel answered that his essence could not be explained in words, because his mission was an abstract determination made in Heaven, a concept beyond the grasp of human ken.
In truth, Yaakov wanted to know the essence of the Satan, so that he could be better equipped to fight evil. He wanted to understand the Satan’s power that enabled him to ensnare people and bring them down. The Satan told him: Why do you ask my name? I don’t have a permanent name; my name changes constantly, adapting to the situation. I might appear as a great tzaddik or, alternatively, I could appear as an evil person. I could present as an old person, or as a young person.
Unlike the Torah which remains the same from the time of kabbalas haTorah on Har Sinai throughout all the generations, the yetzer hara is constantly evolving. The Sefer Chovos HaLevavos writes that it is the mission of the Evil Inclination to hide his true identity when he confronts the individual. The Evil Inclination inserts himself into the psyche and mind of the person trying to confuse him with false ideologies, and to create doubts about his beliefs. That demoralization and agitation precipitates assimilation, the abandonment of Torah by many at the time of the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment), the casualties of the hazards of the Internet, and victims of excess and affluence. A Jew has to realize that new challenges actually originate from the Satan.
Rav Pinchas of Koritz says that when a person has difficult challenges in life and he endures them with emunah, then he will eventually be successful in surmounting them.
Yaakov Avinu, the embodiment of Torah, expended much energy in fighting the Satan, the archetype of evil. It was a difficult battle, and he was ultimately injured for life. Yet, we do not find throughout the Torah, that Yaakov ever complained or questioned his fate.
The Bais HaLevi comments that this battle between Yaakov Avinu and the Satan symbolizes the individual and collective struggle of Klal Yisrael throughout the exile. Furthermore, says the Bais HaLevi, their struggle “until the morning” (32:38) alludes to the days of Mashiach. That is to say, it is a conflict which will endure until the morning, with the arrival of Mashiach.
HaGaon HaRav Moshe Leib M’Sassov was renowned for his extraordinary ahavas Yisrael. He especially dedicated his life to the mitzvah of pidyon shevuyim – redeeming captives.
Having heard of a Jewish farmer who was being held prisoner, Rav Moshe Leib M’Sassov raised money for his redemption. After much effort he obtained an audience with the prison warden. However, in the middle of the negotiations the warden became enraged with the Sassover and threw the Rebbe out of the building. Rav Moshe Leib could not make any further headway on behalf of the prisoner.
As Rav Moshe Leib traveled back to Sassov, he encountered a police wagon transporting an obviously Jewish prisoner. The man was lying at the feet of the guards and they were beating him. Rav Moshe Leib immediately stopped his carriage, and asked the guards what had been the prisoner’s crime. They told the Sassover that the man was a thief who did not deny the crime he had done and, in fact, claimed it was his livelihood.
“What a chillul Hashem!” thought Rav Moshe Leib M’Sassov to himself. Nevertheless, his merciful heart would not allow him to abandon the Jewish prisoner.
“How much did he steal?” he inquired.
He was amazed to find that the amount the man had stolen was exactly the amount of money Rav Moshe Leib Sassov had raised to free the farmer from prison. He paid off the guards, and promised them that he would try to rehabilitate the thief. The guards gladly accepted his payment, and the redeemed “prisoner” was entrusted to Rav Moshe Leib.
The tzaddik was overjoyed that he had been able to save a Jewish soul from a very harsh punishment. However, his happiness was short-lived. Apparently, the thief was not prepared to mend his ways. He told the tzaddik, “I don’t give up so easily. There is always an element of danger in what I do. This time I was caught red-handed. Next time I will be quicker and much more careful.”
When Rav Moshe Leib M’Sassov heard this, he was shocked at first. However, after a moment he recalled the words of the holy Baal Shem who said that sometimes a very important Heavenly message is sent to a Yid through a simple person in the street.
Indeed, the thief had imparted a very meaningful truth. When someone makes a mistake, it is not a reason to give up. If one failed to achieve a task that he undertook, it is not a sign that he should quit. If one is not successful in overcoming the yetzer hara, there is no need to despair. The individual should proceed with iron determination until he accomplishes his mission.
The Chofetz Chaim notes that the Torah teaches us that a Jew should never give up. The one who does not despair, but perseveres, trying again and again, he will ultimately succeed.