By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel
CHULA VISTA, California — Jacob’s wrestling with the angel is arguably one of the most famous images we encounter in the Torah. Commentaries since rabbinical times wondered: Did it really occur? Or did Jacob imagine it? Maimonides’ interpretation is novel; he offers a view that Freud and Jung have found fascinating. Although we tend to think of psychology as beginning with Freud, medieval scholars such as Maimonides and Aquinas possessed a remarkable understanding of human psychology. Here is one such example from Maimonides Guide for the Perplexed 2:42.
Whenever the Scriptures describe an angelic being’s appearance or speech, this narrative describes something that has occurred either in a visionary experience or a dream. This point is of considerable importance. It makes no difference whether the Scriptures expressly stated this or not. Sometimes we discover that a prophet beheld an angel, while in other stories, it turns out that the “human” actor in the story was actually an angel. In any event, rest assured that the entire narrative from the beginning to the end is part of an extended prophetic vision. When such a visionary experience occurs, sometimes a prophet will see and hear God speak to him, or he will see an angel speaking to him; or sometimes he will listen to someone talking to him without necessarily noticing the speaker. Or sometimes, he will see a person addressing him and only to discover afterward that he was an angel. In this last genre of prophecies, a prophet might relate that he saw a person doing or saying something—only to learn the person he saw was an angel.
These introductory remarks will help you better understand the biblical narrative about Abraham and the three angels who came to visit him. The pericope begins, וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו יְיָ בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא “The Lord appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre …” (Gen 18.1). And then, we read a detailed description of what occurred. The following rabbinic antecedent is attributed to one of the great Sages, R. Hiya the Great. When commenting upon this passage, he explained that God appeared to Abraham, and then the narrative immediately delineates what happened afterward. First, Abraham sees three men. Then he runs to speak with them. Abraham said to them, “Sir, if I may ask you this favor, please do not go on past your servant. Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet, and then rest yourselves under the tree” (Gen 18:3-4). R. Hiya taught everything that Abraham said to his guests also formed a part of his vision.
This pattern of narration, where a prophecy occurs, followed by a series of details, is unique to the revelation Abraham experienced. If you examine the story of Jacob after he returned home to visit his parents, Jacob’s angelic encounter then began: וַיִּפְגְּעוּ־בוֹ מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים “And the angels of God met him” (Gen. 32:2). Immediately afterward, the narrator described everything Jacob did, i.e., how Jacob sent messengers to his brother to make peace with him, and his initial preparations for his meeting with his brothers (Gen. 32:4). The circumstances are here exactly the same as those in the vision of Abraham (Gen. 18:1), which begins with the general statement, וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו יְיָ בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא “And the Lord appeared to him,” etc., is followed by a thorough description—all indicating the details of a prophetic vision.
When Jacob was preparing to meet his estranged brother Esau, after having prepared and done certain things, the biblical narrator tells us that וַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב לְבַדּוֹ “he was left alone,” (Gen. 32:25). It was then Jacob’s assault began, וַיֵּאָבֵק אִישׁ עִמּוֹ עַד עֲלוֹת הַשָּׁחַר “Then some man wrestled with him until daybreak” (Gen. 32:25). But who was this “man” that attacked Jacob? Did this surreal event really occur? The term אִישׁ “man” refers to one God’s angels, as mentioned in the phrase, וַיִּפְגְּעוּ־בוֹ מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים “And angels of God met him” (Gen. 32:2). The entire narrative involving Jacob’s wrestling and conversation with this mysterious “man” occurred within a prophetic vision.
A similar pattern occurs later in the Torah. On his way to curse the Israelites, his donkey stopped several times. Balaam became so upset, he began to beat his donkey mercilessly. God opened up the mouth of the animal and it said: וַיִּפְתַּח יְיָ אֶת־פִּי הָאָתוֹן וַתֹּאמֶר לְבִלְעָם מֶה־עָשִׂיתִי לְךָ כִּי הִכִּיתַנִי זֶה שָׁלֹשׁ רְגָלִים “Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she asked Balaam, “What have I done to you that you beat me these three times?” (Num. 22:28). This, too, formed a part of a prophetic vision. In the next sequence of verses, an angel of God revealed to Balaam’s eyes shortly afterward, וַיְגַל יְיָ אֶת־עֵינֵי בִלְעָם וַיַּרְא אֶת־מַלְאַךְ יְיָ נִצָּב בַּדֶּרֶךְ וְחַרְבּוֹ שְׁלֻפָה בְּיָדוֹ וַיִּקֹּד וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ לְאַפָּיו “Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, so that he could see the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, and he bowed his head and fell on his face” (Num. 22:31). I also think that what Joshua perceived, when וַיִּשָּׂא עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה־אִישׁ עֹמֵד לְנֶגְדּוֹ “he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him” (Josh. 5:13). This too was a prophetic vision, since it is stated afterward (ver. 14) that it was שַׂר־צְבָא־ יְיָ “the commander of the army of the Lord” (Josh. 5:14).[1]
Interestingly, Maimonides’ son, R. Avraham agreed with his father that angels cannot appear to mortal eyes and that whenever the Scriptures speak of such an encounter, such stories must be understood as visionary experiences seen in prophecy. Maimonides’ approach to this narrative, which he viewed as a prophetic vision may answer a famous question often asked in rabbinic literature: How could Abraham serve meat and milk to his guests? Since the narrative occurs only in a dream, the question becomes irrelevant. However, there is another reason why this question is immaterial. In his Mishnah Commentary, Maimonides points out that the reason why we observe the pre-Sinai precepts of ritual circumcision and refrain from eating the sciatic nerve of an animal is not that our ancestors practiced these two precepts. Rather, it is because of the Mosaic legislation that came after the revelation at Mt. Sinai. Simply put, the patriarchs did not observe Mosaic dietary prohibitions!
It is fascinating to compare Maimonides’ thoughts with C. G. Jung’s view of dreams. On a deeper level, Jacob’s adversary corresponds to Jung’s notion of the shadow self. Jung explains that every human being carries a shadow personality embedded deeply within the psyche. This shadow side of the man consists not just of little foibles and character flaws, but it possesses a brutal presence wielding frightening power. The more a person remains unconscious about his/her darker and amoral side, the less likely a person will undergo spiritual repair and change.
The shadow archetype figures prominently in all the great hero stories. In classical mythical terms, the penultimate test of the hero is the descent into the underworld and confrontation with death itself. The descent into the underworld is a metaphor for entering the realm of the unconscious. This is the psychological place where the hero faces his own inner demons and monsters all of which are the symbols of decay and inner corruption. In our hero’s case, the dream helped Jacob become aware that this terrifying being represented a dark aspect of himself that he has been battling against since the time he was an adolescent. God helped Jacob confront his shadow self. By recognizing his own inner darkness, Jacob came to a newer and deeper understanding of himself and his past behavior.
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[1] Maimonides, Guide 2:42.
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Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Chula Vista. He is the author of two series of books, examining Philo’s and Maimonides’ commentaries on the Torah. He may be contacted via michael.samuel@sdjewishworld.com