Every year, I note with sadness that this week we mark the end of Sefer Bereishis. While all the Books of the Torah are pregnant with meaning and inspiration – as is every word of the Torah – Sefer Bereishis brings us back to our youth and reminds us of the greatness of our earliest leaders and their inspired lives. While the first half of Shmos also describes the timeless story of our ancestors slavery and miraculous exodus, Ramban reminds us that Shmos is called Sefer Hag’eh’ulah  (the Book of Redemption) because of the construction and erection of the Mishkan as well, itself another type of spiritual salvation, which represents the second half of the Book.

While the lion’s share of the Torah instructs us about living noble lives and performing the mitzvos, there is something special about delving into the noble lives of matriarchs and patriarchs. I can see why other faith groups adopted that type of narrative, almost exclusively.

We will miss you Sefer Bereishis!

Among the matriarchs and patriarchs, much ado is made over their names. We are taught the rationale for many of their names, or name-changes. Avram’s name is changed to Avraham; Sarai to Sarah; Yitzchak’s name is explained and significant; the names of Yaakov, Eisav and the latter’s alter-ego Edom are given and explained. Moshe, our greatest prophet, is named by an Egyptian woman; his given Hebrew name(s) is (are) only revealed in the Midrash. Finally, Hoshea the son of Nun’s name is changed by Moshe to Yehoshua prior to his mission to the Land of Canaan with the other scouts.

Yaakov’s name change stands out the most since Hashem Himself uses both names after the name-change. The Talmud (Brachos 13a) actually declares it a prohibition to call Avraham by his former name Avram (Maimonides counts calling someone a name they do not like as an act which needs repentance). Yet the very same passage does not apply the same rule to calling Sarah her former name of Sarai, since Avraham was told to call her Sarah, not all of us. The Talmud concludes that Yaakov’s two names can be used alternatively, as God Himself employs both appellations.

The question is why. Why is Yaakov unique that both names can and are used? There is no chronology to the names. It seems that context determines if he is referred to as Yaakov or as Yisrael.

What exactly is that context? There are a variety of reasons our sages have offered.

Nachmanides (Bereshis 46:2) suggests that the name Yaakov represents exile and suffering, while the name Yisrael implies redemption.

Rabbeinu B’chaye, (Bereishis 35:10 and 47:28) a protégé of the aforementioned Ramban, also distinguished the uses of the two names. Yaakov is employed to express the physical and mundane; Yisrael connotes the patriarch, thinking about lofty national matters. His commentary details all the various uses to make his case. Yaakov is the name for this world; Yisrael, for the Next World.

The Malbim (Tehillim chapter 14) advances that the name Yaakov is used to describe the masses, while the name Yisrael can be found when describing the leadership and aristocracy of Israel.

Within Chassidic thought the name Yaakov reflects our role as servants of the Almighty (avadim) while Yisrael expresses our role as children of God (banim).

But there is another major school of thought which distinguishes the names Yaakov and Yisrael based on mood, more than destiny. Before sharing a few of the comments of our sages, we should understand that given the pain of Yaakov’s life, he struggled with bouts of sadness (I’m avoiding any clinical terms here as that would be unfair) and at other times, his undying faith carried the day, despite the trials he faced. Chazal were very clear that Yaakov’s (perceived) loss of Yosef caused him to lose the ability to prophesize. Had he been able to see clairvoyantly, he would likely know of his son’s whereabouts and the plot by Yosef’s brothers. He mourned Yosef until the day he learned he was still alive. That certainly impacted his mood.

In last week’s parshah, when Yosef eagerly introduced his father to Pharaoh his boss, the Torah records the following exchange.

"(ז) ויבא יוסף את יעקב אביו ויעמדהו לפני פרעה, ויברך יעקב את פרעה.

(ח) ויאמר פרעה אל יעקב, כמה ימי שני חייך?

(ט) ויאמר יעקב אל פרעה, ימי שני מגורי שלשים ומאת שנה, מעט ורעים היו ימי שני חיי ולא השיגו את ימי שני חיי אבתי ביני מגוריהם" (בראשית מ"ז:ז-ט)

“(7) And Yosef brought in Yaakov his father, and set him before Pharaoh; and Yaakov blessed Pharaoh.

(8) And Pharaoh said to Yaakov, How old are you?

(9) And Yaakov said to Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years; few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.” (Bereishis 47:7-9).

Contrast this to his famous blessing to his grandchildren found in this week’s sedrah:

"ויברך את יוסף ויאמר, האלקים אשר התהלכו אבתי לפניו אברהם ויצחק האלקים הרעה אתי מעודי עד היום הזה. המלאך הגאל אתי מכל רע יברך את הנערים ויקרא תהם שמי ושם אבתי אברהם ויצחק וידגו לרב בקרב הארץ" (בראשית מ"ח:ט"ו-ט"ז)

“And he (Yaakov) blessed Yosef, and said, God, before whom my forefathers Avraham and Yitzchak did walk, the God which fed me all my life long to this day; The Angel who redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Avraham and Yitzchak; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth” (Bereishis 48:15-16).

Both verses invoke Yaakov’s ancestors, but have very different attitudes.

As a matter of fact, the Ba’alei HaTosafos quote a Midrash that Yaakov was punished for this negative portrayal before the Egyptian monarch. They claim that the 33 words in the verse, which contained the pessimism, represented the 33 year deficit between Yaakov’s lifespan and that of his father Yitzchak. And he died 33 years earlier than his father because of these words. Pretty harsh!

But if you look closely, verse 9 above only contains 25 words, not 33, observed the great Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz, leader of Jerusalem’s Mirrer Yeshiva. Could Tosafos have counted wrong? Impossible, concludes Rabbi Shmuelevitz. Tosafos was including the eight words of verse 8. The lesson is very profound. Yaakov came to that meeting looking like he was sad and downtrodden. So much so that Pharaoh asked him how old he was! His question was not to attain data on the man in front of him. He was reacting to the way Yaakov carried himself. Apparently, part of Yaakov’s punishment of expressing resentment includes his facial comportment.

Rabbi Hirsch expresses this elsewhere (Bereishis 43:6):

“Yaakov designates the depressed state of mind in which one feels oneself dependent, sinking, and ‘limping behind’ circumstances, unable to be master of them, and having to submit to being dragged along by them. But the true Jew only feels depressed when he does not know what he should do. Only two things depress the righteous Jew, (a) guilt, having done wrong, and (b) being in doubt as to what he ought to do, but not about what could happen…”

Further, the Ohr Hachayim Hakadosh (Bereishis 47:28) expresses the usage of the two names of our third patriarch in similar terms. He suggests that the name Yaakov can be found along with worrying, sadness and general malaise.

“Yaakov” and “Yosef” are almost like musical motifs, describing a mood.

We also have a similar idea regarding God Himself: at times we use the Ineffable name, which describes his trait of mercy. Other times Elokim can be found which connotes justice.

The truth is, Yaakov is different from all the other patriarchs and matriarchs. Yaakov is really different from every other holy individual whose life is recounted in the Torah and Tanach, becausehis name is identified with our people: Israel. His destiny is like ours: at times on the rise and at other times, on the wane. Like the moon, our fate follows that of our third forefather. Yaakov struggled with a mortal enemy. He merged with a limp, but he would not be vanquished. He was alone.

The sentiment so perfectly represents the Jew today. Just using the United Nations as a parallel, we see it so clearly.

In the midst of the rebuke in the book of Vayikra (Vayikra 26:42), Yaakov’s name is spelled with an additional vav. Rashi comments that Yaakov’s name is spelled that way five times. Eliyahu Hanavi’s name is spelled without the final vav in five places. Yaakov took the vav of Eliyahu’s name five times and placed them in his name. He swore that he would not return the five vavs until Eliyahu heralded the future redemption. The Maharal in his Gur Aryeh commentary on Rashi explains that the five occasions were to represent a hand. As such, Yaakov our progenitor executed a handshake with the prophet of salvation.

Ramban told us that Yaakov’s name represented the exile while Yisrael paralleled redemption. Rashi here tells us that Yaakov too can bring the ultimate restoration.

Ultimately, our father Yaakov, whose departure from this world is recorded in the Parsha, is the patriarch of redemption. We are the people of redemption.

Our sages famously teach that the Torah does not record Yaakov’s death. Even though his body was embalmed and he ceased living in this world, the man Yaakov died; the concept will live ever.

Chazak Chazak v’nischazek!