Family D'var Torah Parshas Vayishlach: Fighting Our Battles — The Secret of Yaakov’s Victory

By the Brazil family

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In Parshas Vayishlach, Yaakov Avinu faces one of the most mysterious moments of his life. The Torah tells us: “וַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב לְבַדּוֹ” — “And Yaakov remained alone.” It is in this moment of being alone that the angel of Esav attacks him. Chazal teach us a powerful lesson:

A person’s biggest battles happen when they are alone.

Not when life is loud, Not when friends are around, But when the room is quiet, the phone is off, and it’s just you and your thoughts. That’s when we face: Our fears, doubts, Yetzer Hara, and inner insecurities. Just like Yaakov, these battles often come unexpectedly and feel overwhelming. But here is the chizuk: Yaakov limped… but he won. After the struggle, the Torah says Yaakov walked away limping, this teaches us that victory in life doesn’t mean walking away perfect, It doesn’t mean you never fall, never struggle, never get bruised, Victory means you don’t let go of Hashem. Yaakov grabs the angel and says: “I will not let you go until you bless me.” When you take your struggle and demand growth from it, when you decide, “I’m not letting go of Hashem no matter what” - the struggle itself becomes a blessing.

Hashem gives him a new name: Yisrael

The angel tells him: “Your name will no longer be Yaakov, but Yisrael,

because you fought with angels and with people, and you prevailed.” Yaakov means “heel” holding on from behind. Yisrael means one who rises, one who overcomes, one who goes straight to Hashem. Yaakov’s identity changes not because he stopped struggling, because he learned how strong he truly is. That becomes the identity of every Jew:

A Jew may limp, but he never gives up.

A Jew may fall, but he rises again.

A Jew struggles — and that’s exactly what makes him Yisrael.

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A Short Chassidic Story to Bring It Home:

A young man once came to the Baal Shem Tov and said: “Rebbe, I keep fighting the same battles again and again. Sometimes I win, sometimes I fall. Why can’t I just be strong once and for all?” The Baal Shem Tov smiled and said: “Do you know why Yaakov was named Yisrael only after he began to limp?” The boy shook his head, The Rebbe answered: “Because Hashem doesn’t call someone Yisrael because he never falls, he calls him Yisrael because he keeps walking even while limping, strength is not in perfection, but in perseverance" The young man left encouraged, understanding that his struggle wasn’t a sign of failure it was a sign of his greatness.

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Our Personal Lesson:

Every child , every adult, every Jew has moments where they feel “levado” alone with their challenges. But Yaakov Avinu teaches us: your private battles are the ones that shape you, If you hold onto Hashem, you win even if you limp, your struggles don’t define your weakness; they reveal your strength, and inside every struggle is a new name, a new identity, a new version of you waiting to emerge.

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The Brazil Family made Aliyah from New York in 2023. They currently live in the Mem Shalosh neighborhood of Ramat Beit Shemesh.

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