Vayishlach: identity

Israel gets, and struggles to keep its identity, in this parsha.

What is identity?  Mathematically,  identity means more than equal, indistinguishable. Spiritually,  identity means the acquisition of characteristics that make the individual unique, becoming identifiable.

Yaakov was named for holding on to the heel of his brother.  It was a name that was dependant on his brother. He hung on to the lowest point.  This name came to symbolize striving,  starting from the low and ascending.
Yisrael states  this idea explicitly.
Chana, my communist cousin told me: "Shloime, you will find everything in the struggle."

The Parsha reminds me of my parents' struggle.  Esau offers to accompany Yaakov on his journey in Canaan.  Yaakov deflects the offer, saying that he is forced to keep a slow pace because of the children and flocks. When Poland was partitioned,  my father needed to escape,  but he had a kidney stone.  His brother Y(ankle) brought a horse.  Yankle then made the  horse lame by hammering a nail into its foot, preventing the seizure of the horse by the military.  Perhaps Yaakov's limp helped convince Esau to leave him alone.

Once Yaakov is freed from Esau,  he, and his clan, struggle to keep their identity against the forces of assimilation. The locals offer to share the  land, to become a unified people with the Israelites. The approach to this problem evolves. The most aggressive strategy prevails.

The Parsha reminds me of what I saw in my father.   Fear is an element of courage.  Courage means acting in the face of fear.