Pensée juive sur La Genèse 32:30

וַיִּשְׁאַ֣ל יַעֲקֹ֗ב וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַגִּֽידָה־נָּ֣א שְׁמֶ֔ךָ וַיֹּ֕אמֶר לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה תִּשְׁאַ֣ל לִשְׁמִ֑י וַיְבָ֥רֶךְ אֹת֖וֹ שָֽׁם׃

Jacob l’interrogea en disant: "Apprends-moi, je te prie, ton nom." Il répondit: "Pourquoi t’enquérir de mon nom?" Et il le bénit alors.

Derashot HaRan

But some explanation is still needed. For Jacob's having prevailed against the angel was beneficial in itself, that angel being the heavenly plenipotentiary of Esau, as we are told by our sages (Genesis Rabbah 67:2). His prevailing against him connotes the angel's not contesting Jacob's domination of Esau, but consenting to Isaac's blessing in full, as is implied by (Genesis 32:30): "And he blessed him there." And this is in accordance with our sages' dictum: "The Holy One Blessed be He does not exact payment from a people until He exacts it from its heavenly plenipotentiaries first." But Jacob's grasping Esau in the womb was merely a portent of what was to come and not anything beneficial in itself deserving of mention in the Blessed One's chastisements to Jacob.