“ואלה שמות בני ישראל הבאים מצרימה, את יעקב איש וביתו באו” – “And these are the names of B’nei Yisroel that came to Mitzrayim, Yaakov, man and his household came.” The posuk tells us that the children of Yisroel went down to Mitzrayim, and Yaakov and his children went down to Mitzrayim. We know that Yisroel and Yaakov are the same person. Why is he referred to as both in the posuk, and why did he retain both names?
The name Yaakov represents הכנעה, subservience, as Yaakov saw himself as the עקב, the heel, the bottom part of a person – he had a broken heart. The name Yisroel represents being elevated, being lofty and exalted, as the name, “ישראל” is the words, “לי ראש” – I am the head. Yaakov had a ga’avah of kedusha, being elevated, for he was a true eved Hashem.
Each one of these, “יעקב” and “ישראל” on its own is not praiseworthy. If one only has הכנעה, it could lead him to lose hope that he can become anything. He may give in to others when he shouldn’t, for he will feel he is unworthy. If one has only the middah of Yisroel, of being distinguished, that could bring him to the terrible middah of ga’avah, arrogance, and/or כעס, anger. This would cause him to veer away from Hashem and go on his own path. Thus, even after Yaakov was given his new name of Yisroel, his old name of Yaakov remained. These names need to be utilized in tandem. (שם משמואל)
Klal Yisroel needed these two middos, and they needed to go through two different aspects in Mitzrayim to achieve these two middos. Paroah was a cruel king who subjugated Klal Yisroel, as did the land of Mitzrayim. The Jews displayed the middah of הכנעה and a broken heart was when the Mitzriyim afflicted them with hard labor. The middah of exaltedness was displayed when Paroah lorded himself over Klal Yisroel, and sought to push them into the ground.
It was through the purification process of Mitzrayim that Klal Yisroel honed these middos. This is also why the geulah was alluded to in a double lashon of ” – פקוד יפקוד אתכםפקידה”, for in order to be redeemed, Klal Yisroel needed to have both middos together, the two types of פקידה. The Torah says, “אלה שמות בני ישראל” – and then says, “את יעקב” – for Klal Yisroel went down to Mitzrayim to perfect these two middos, so that they would be worthy of receiving the Torah hakdoshah.
These two middos are also to be displayed on Shabbos. When Shabbos enters, one must have הכנעה, must be subservient to the kedusha of Shabbos, as the Gemara in Eiruvin 40b says regarding going into Shabbos Kodesh with הכנעה. But at the same time, one must go into Shabbos Kodesh with התנשאות and רוממות, to have an exalted and lofty heart-singing praises and thanks to Hakodosh Boruch Hu. This is what “שמור” and “זכור” are. “שמור” is for one to prepare Erev Shabbos Kodesh with having a broken heart, purifying one’s heart. Then “זכור” - one needs to bring forth the middah of exaltedness and loftiness, which purifies the mind to see Hakodosh Boruch Hu.
