The Name Yisrael 

The first time a word is introduced in the Torah, it becomes the headquarters, or fundamental context, to understand that word and all its ramifications. The name Israel, or Yisrael in Hebrew, given to Jacob when he defeated the man/angel, is based on the verb to contend, to struggle in the most positive sense. Yisrael represents supreme effort that leads to advancement, progress and growth whether on the material or spiritual planes of existence.

Yet when analyzing the name Yisrael from many different perspectives, and by applying various methodologies used by the Sages and later commentaries, we see many beautiful and meaningful facets of this name. What follows is but one insight based on the permutations of the letters of the name Yisrael. (For an in-depth discussion of many more permutations of the name Yisrael see Shema Yisrael: Two hundred Meditations on Judaism’s Cardinal Statement of Faith).

As discussed in the previous section, the highest of the ten sefirot is keter, crown, the realm of the supra-conscious or supra-rational. The three levels or “heads” in keter (emunah, taanug and ratzon), correspond to the three Patriarchs: Abraham relates to faith, Isaac to [spiritual] pleasure and Jacob to will.

Permuting the letters of Yisrael to – li rosh – “to me is a head” (ישראל = לי ראש ) reveals that Jacob merited to this new level or “head” through applying the full force of his will in defeating the angel of Esau. This idea is expressed in the important dictum: “nothing stands before will ” (Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh; Yeiyn Yitzachak Parshat Vayetzei 4).

It is interesting to note that Jacob was given his name due to his holding on to the heel of Esau when they were born. The root of the name Jacob, Yaakov, is ekev, heel. After defeating Esau’s angel in battle, as discussed above, Jacob is given the name Yisrael, which as we have seen permutes to “to me is a head.” Thus, we can see that the battle that Jacob – and by extension all his descendants – had to wage is symbolically expressed in his having to rise from being the “heel” to being the “head.” History has been an uphill battle for Israel to find its place among the nations of the world and also for the inner awareness and confidence needed to fulfill its mission in the world.

According to Chassidut, the name Yisrael relates to the root of the soul as it exists in the upper worlds. This is derived from the permutation of Yisrael being li rosh – “to me is a head.” The name Yaakov/Jacob relates to the soul in the physical body. This understanding is connected to Yaakov receiving his name due to his holding on to the heel of Esau which symbolizes the soul attaching itself to a physical body in this world.

The name Yaakov begins with the letter yud, the first letter of God’s name, thus symbolizing the Divine soul which is rooted above descending into a physical body. The name Yisrael also begins with the letter yud. Each soul, like Jacob, is challenged to rise from the level of Yaakov to assume its birthright and full potential as Yisrael.

This challenge is represented by the ladder in Jacob’s dream which was firmly entrenched in the earth but whose head reached the heavens. Although the source of the soul is rooted above, we are called upon to draw this manifestation of soul into our bodies in this world.