Jacob Wrestles the Angel: A Study in Psychoanalytic Midrash

Authors

Michael Abramsky, University of Detroit Mercy

DOI

10.24972/ijts.2010.29.1.106

Abstract

This essay is a study in psychoanalytic Midrash: a literary and psychological meditation on the

Biblical story of Jacob. The Hebrew verbal root from which the term Midrash derives means to

investigate or explore. It is a genre of Biblical scholarship used to interpret the Bible in symbolic

and inspirational terms. This essay examines Jacob as he moves from a character dominated by

self-defeating neurosis through his transformation into a spiritual being and exemplar of principled

leadership. Insights from Freudian and Jungian psychologies, mythology, and literary traditions are

used to describe and explain Jacob’s character metamorphosis.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Abramsky, M. (2010). Abramsky, M. (2010). Jacob wrestles the angel: A study in psychoanalytic midrash. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 29(1), 106–117.. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 29 (1). https://doi.org/10.24972/ijts.2010.29.1.106