Cohn, Jacob. The Royal Table - VWC: Faculty/Staff Web

BASES OF THE DIETARY LAWS 2
sary, who by a command of God renamed his "Israel
which means, "Thou has fought with men and angels an
overcome them." The angel touched Jacob's thigh at tl
sinew and caused it to slip, so that for a while the patriarc
limped. Thenceforth, as a memorial of this meaningfi
event in Jewish history, the children of Israel refrain froi
eating this sinew (Gen. XXXII, 25-33).
The interpretation of this incident as symbolic of tl
struggle which is Jewish life in every age is self-eviden
Israel may be attacked; it can never be conquered. Tl
Midrash interprets the sinew as a euphemism for the priv
member, meaning that the angel indicated that tit
event had a meaning for all future generations. 41 Tt
angel is the symbol of the spirit of Esau (ivy 5w *it?
the classic enemy of the Jewish people. "He touched a
the righteous who were to be born from Jacob," says tit
Midrash. "He hinted to him the generation of apostasy."'
What is meant here is that the angel intimated to Jaco
that there would be a generation in which the spir
of the Gentiles would overpower Israel, and come close t
destroying him, as in the days of Rabbi Jehudah ben Babs
when the Roman persecution was at its height. "RabI
Hiyya bar Abba said, if one should come to me and sa]
'Give your life for the sake of hallowing the name of ft
Holy one, blessed be He! 7
I would give it, providing
were put to death at once. But in the Generation of Apoi
tasy I could not bear the tortures. What used they to d
in that generation? They would bring balls of iron, he*
them white-hot, and place them under the armpits, dravi
41 Ibn Ezra opposes such an interpretation. See his comment i
Genesis XXXII: nienuDtf njnn non
1
? DM 3 PSD 11 ti JM*P nu
.D'tw mwo ian win
48 Midrash Genesis Rabba 78 rmitf DHiftjm Dtpnsm ta jr:
to nn nt u&