WHO ARE THESE WITH THEE? Esau inquired about the women and children, and Jacob modestly answered, The children whom G-d hath graciously given thy servant, as he did not want to say that they were his wives. Esau thereby understood that they were the mothers of the children.

WHAT MEANEST THOU BY ALL THIS CAMP WHICH I MET? Now Jacob’s servants did everything he had commanded them, but Esau refused to accept the explanation from them. Perhaps due to his haughtiness and his arrogance he did not speak to them and did not ask them, *Whose art thou ? and whither goest thou?*⁷⁹ and they were afraid to approach him. And so he now said, What meanest thou by all this camp? for he thought that they belonged to Jacob on the basis of the words of the first messengers [whom Jacob had originally sent to inform Esau of his coming]. It may be that these messengers had so related in Esau’s camp, and it was then conveyed to Esau. Perhaps because there was no other individual on that road that had these things, [he assumed that they belonged to Jacob]. The intent of What meanest thou by all this camp? is: “Who is this person to you that you send him all these?” That is to say, “Who is this superior of yours that you send him all these?” And he answered him, “To find favour in the sight of my lord, for in my eyes, you are the superior and lord.”

footnotes: ⁷⁹ Above, 32:18.

FORASMUCH AS I HAVE SEEN THY FACE. Jacob said to him: “Take my present from me because I have seen your face, which to me is as one seeth the sight of an angel, ‘vatirtzeini’ (and thou wast pleased with me), as you indicated by accepting the present,” just as G-d ‘rotzeh’ (taketh pleasure) in them that fear Him,⁸⁰ by accepting their offerings and sacrifices. This is similar to the verses: *‘Venirtzah’ (And it shall be favourably accepted) for him;*⁸¹ Their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be ‘leratzon’ (acceptable) upon Mine altar,⁸² this being associated with the expressions: Let him be ‘retzui’ (the favoured) of his brethren,⁸³ And the light of Thy countenance, for ‘ratzitham’ (Thou wast favourable to them),⁸⁴ For Thy servants ‘ratzu’ (take pleasure) in her stones.⁸⁵, 102:15. All these forms of ratzah connote desire and pleasure in a matter. But Rashi wrote, “Because you have agreed to pardon my offense. Vatirtzeini, you are reconciled with me.” But I have already said⁸⁶ that it was not advisable for Jacob to bring iniquity to remembrance.⁸⁷

footnotes: ⁸⁰ Psalms 147:11. ⁸¹ Leviticus 1:4. ⁸² Isaiah 56:7. ⁸³ Deuteronomy 33:24. ⁸⁴ Psalms 44:4. ⁸⁵ Ibid. ⁸⁶ Above, 32:21. ⁸⁷ See Ezekiel 21:28.

TAKE, I PRAY THEE, MY BLESSING. I.e., the gift. Likewise, Make your blessing with me⁸⁸ means “bring me a gift” or “make your peace with me.” So also, Take a blessing of thy servant⁸⁹, 5:15. means “take a present from thy servant.” They called a gift which a man sends of his own free will “a blessing” because he sends it from that with which G-d had blessed him, just as the verse states, Wherewith the Eternal thy G-d hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him,⁹⁰ and just as Scripture said above, And he took of that which he had with him.⁹¹ However, a specific gift of that which has been agreed upon as due the king is called mas (tribute).

footnotes: ⁸⁸ II Kings 18:31. ⁸⁹ Ibid. ⁹⁰ Deuteronomy 15:14. ⁹¹ Above, 32:14.

AND ALL THE FLOCKS WILL DIE. Jacob said this in a compassionate manner for he should have said, “And they will all die,” but he would not express himself this way about the children. Neither did he wish to say, “and they will die,” with reference to the herds and the flocks, because he had compassion on the children lest they be included by implication. He also did not want to be verbose and say, “and all the flocks and herds will die.” It may be that the explanation of the verse is that “the children are tender — even the youths shall faint and be weary⁹² — and they will not want to go, and that the flocks and herds giving suck are a care to me, and if they will be overdriven the flocks will die, as they are small cattle, but the herds [signifying larger cattle] will not die although they will be harmed.”

footnotes: ⁹² Isaiah 40:30.

UNTIL I COME UNTO MY LORD UNTO SE’IR. In returning to his land Jacob could have gone by way of the land of Se’ir. Now Esau told him, And I will go before thee,⁹³ meaning that he will not be separated from him until Jacob returns to his father in order to honor him when he comes into his land. But Jacob said, “I will proceed slowly and let my lord return to the city of his rule, and if I will return by way of his city, he will honor me and go with me as he desires.” This was not a vow on the part of Jacob that he will come to him, for Esau did not need him. Our Rabbis have further said⁹⁴ that Jacob had no intention of returning by way of Se’ir, and his desire was to remove himself from him as much as possible, but he mentioned until I come … unto Se’ir in order to extend the length of his journey [so that if Esau meant to do him harm he would wait until Jacob reached his abode at Se’ir]. This also was wise counsel. The Rabbis have yet another Midrash,⁹⁵ which states that Jacob will fulfill his word in the days of the Messiah, as it is said, And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau.⁹⁶ Scripture is saying that the saviors [i.e., the judges of Israel]⁹⁷ who are on Mount Zion shall come up to judge the mount of Esau.

footnotes: ⁹³ Verse 12 here. ⁹⁴ Abodah Zarah 25 b, and mentioned here by Rashi. ⁹⁵ Bereshith Rabbah 78:18. ⁹⁶ Obadiah 1:21. ⁹⁷ See Judges 2:16.

WHY THIS? LET ME FIND FAVOUR IN THE EYES OF MY LORD. Why this, that you should do me a favor which I do not need? Let me find favour in your eyes, and do not give me any recompense at present [for the gift which I have presented to you]. This is the language of Rashi. Now Jacob’s meaning was that he did not want them and their company at all, the more so since he intended to go another way. Our Rabbis have further seen an advisory aspect in this entire chapter. Thus they have said:⁹⁵ “Before embarking on a journey to the Roman ruler, Rabbi Yanai would peruse this section of the Torah, and he never took Romans with him as an escort on the return journey. One time he did not peruse this section and he took Romans with him, and he had not yet reached Acco when he was compelled to sell his travelling cloak for bribery money.” [The significance attached to this chapter] was because of the Rabbinical tradition that this was the section of the exile. Therefore when Rabbi Yanai entered Rome, in the court of the kings of Edom, [on a mission] concerning public matters, he would peruse this section of the Torah in order to follow the advice of the wise patriarch, for it is he that the generations are to see and emulate. Thus he would not accept the company of the Romans as an escort for they draw no man near to them except for their own interest⁹⁸ and take liberties with people’s belongings.

footnotes: ⁹⁵ Bereshith Rabbah 78:18. ⁹⁸ Aboth 2:3.

AND HE BUILT FOR HIMSELF A HOUSE. It is possible that the place was a location which had no city, and he therefore found it necessary to build for himself a house and make booths for his cattle. Or it may be that the expression, and he built for himself a house, means that he built for himself a large house with a strong tower to fortify himself against Esau.

AND JACOB CAME IN PEACE … FROM PADDAN-ARAM. [This is stated here in the same manner] as a person says to his friend, “That man there has come from between the teeth of the lions and has arrived unhurt.” Similarly here, And Jacob came in peace, i.e., from Laban and from Esau. This is the language of Rashi. But Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained that the sense of the verse is that Jacob arrived in peace from his lengthy journey and nothing happened to him, as Scripture now begins to narrate the event of Dinah. In my opinion Scripture speaks thus since for the length of his sojourn in Succoth⁹⁹ he was fearful of Esau. Succoth — if it be the one mentioned in the book of Joshua¹⁰⁰ — was east of the Jordan, in the kingdom of Sihon, and if it be another city by that name, it was nearer to Se’ir. Thus until he entered the land of Canaan Jacob did not feel safe, for only then did he know that Esau would not touch him for his father was nearby, or because the people of the land would help him as his father was a prince of G-d in their midst, or because the merit of having entered the land would save him. And therefore, Scripture now said that he came in peace into the land of his father’s sojourning¹⁰¹ since G-d delivered him in his travels out of the hand of all his enemies.¹⁰² And the Rabbis have said in Bereshith Rabbah¹⁰³ that during all these months that our father Jacob stayed in Succoth he honored Esau with that present enumerated above¹⁰⁴ by Scripture for he was afraid of him there, and monthly or annually he would send him a comparable present.

footnotes: ⁹⁹ Verse 17 here. ¹⁰⁰ Joshua 13:27. ¹⁰¹ Further, 37:1. ¹⁰² II Samuel 22:1. ¹⁰³ 78:20. ¹⁰⁴ 32:14-15.

AND HE ENCAMPED BEFORE THE CITY. He did not wish to be a transient lodger in the city, but rather he wished that his inaugural entrance into the land should be into his own property. Therefore he encamped in the field and bought a place for the purpose of taking possession of the land. This action constituted a hint that this place will be conquered by him first¹⁰⁵ before the dwellers of the land would be driven from before his seed, just as I have explained in the case of Abraham.¹⁰⁶ And our Rabbis have said:¹⁰⁷ “He arrived on Friday close to sundown [and was therefore compelled to encamp before the city as there was no time left to enter the city], and he set Sabbath limits [while it was yet day.” The verse thus teaches us that Jacob observed the Sabbath before it was declared on Sinai]. Now according to this opinion of the Rabbis the act of Jacob encamping there first was unintentional. However, in any case, the event hinted to the future as we have said. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra however said that Scripture mentions this in order to inform us that there is great excellence to the Land of Israel, and he who owns a part thereof has it considered as a portion in the World to Come.

footnotes: ¹⁰⁵ Further, 34:28. ¹⁰⁶ Above, 12:6. ¹⁰⁷ Bereshith Rabbah 79:7.

AND HE CALLED ‘LO’ (IT) E-IL-ELOKEI-ISRAEL. It does not mean that the altar was called “The G-d of Israel,” but because the Holy One, blessed be He, had been with him to deliver him, he named the altar in honor of the miracle so that the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He, would be recalled when people referred to the altar. Thus it would mean, “He Who is E-il is the G-d of me whose name is Israel.” Similarly we find in the case of Moses: And he called its [the altar’s] name Adonai-nissi.¹⁰⁸ It is not that the altar was called by the Divine Name Adonai but rather that he named the altar in honor of the miracle so that the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He, might be mentioned: “G-d — He is my banner.” Our Rabbis expounded that the Holy One, blessed be He, called Jacob eil (a great and mighty man). [According to this, the verse should be interpreted as follows: “And the G-d of Israel called Jacob eil].” The words of the Torah are thus as a hammer splitting the rock into many different pieces, admitting many different explanations. I, however, make it my aim to render the plain sense of Scripture. All of this is the language of Rashi. Now the words of the Rabbi [Rashi] are correct as regards the plain sense of Scripture. And the meaning of the word lo will then be [not “it,” which would refer to the altar, but “him,” which refers to Jacob], just as is the meaning of the same word in the verses: *And his father called ‘lo’ (him) Benjamin;*¹⁰⁹ ‘Vekarei lecha’ (and thou shalt be called) The repairer of the breach.¹¹⁰ Know that it was the custom in Israel that names be called which are indicative of the praises of G-d, such as Zuriel¹¹¹ (G-d is my rock), Zurishaddai¹¹², 7:36. (The Almighty is my rock), for the one who calls that name declares that G-d is his rock and the Almighty is his rock. Likewise, Immanuel¹¹³ (G-d is with us). And so also the name of the Messiah, who will be called, The Eternal is our righteousness,¹¹⁴ and the name of Jerusalem will be, The Eternal is there.¹¹⁵ And so did they do with the names of the angels: Gabriel¹¹⁶ (G-d is my strength), Michael¹¹⁷, 10:13. (Who is like unto G-d?), for because of their great power they proclaim with their very name that the strength belongs to G-d and who is like unto Him! Onkelos however said: “And he worshipped on it before G-d, the G-d of Israel.” In that case the meaning of the word lo will be as bo (“in it” or “on it”), in the same manner as: *That thou hast chosen ‘l’ben’ (the son) of Jesse;*¹¹⁸ *And he took hold ‘lo’ (of him);*¹¹⁹ ‘L’mei’ (In the waters) of Meribah.¹²⁰ It may be that Scripture is saying, “And he called Him G-d, the G-d of Israel,” and the meaning of the word lo is similar to the usage in these verses: *I will get me unto the great men;*¹²¹ Get thee out of thy country.¹²² And by way of the Truth, [that is, the mystic lore of the Cabala, the verse is to be understood] as being in accord with the Midrash which the Rabbis have expounded in Tractate Megillah:¹²³ “Whence do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, called Jacob eil? It is said, And He — the G-d of Israel — called him ‘eil.’ “ There is in this matter a great secret, which the Sages have additionally mentioned in Bereshith Rabbah¹²⁴ in another way: “Jacob said to G-d, ‘Thou art the G-d of those on high, and I am the master of those down below.’” The Sages thereby alluded to that which they constantly say: the likeness of Jacob is engraved in the Heavenly Throne.¹²⁵ The intent [of Jacob’s statement quoted in the Midrash — “I am the master of those down below”] — is that the Divine Glory rests in the Land of Israel. The student learned in the mystic lore of the Cabala will understand.

footnotes: ¹⁰⁸ Exodus 17:15. ¹⁰⁹ Genesis, 35:18. ¹¹⁰ Isaiah 58:12. ¹¹¹ Numbers 3:35. ¹¹² Ibid. ¹¹³ Isaiah 7:14. ¹¹⁴ Jeremiah 23:6. ¹¹⁵ Ezekiel 48:35. ¹¹⁶ Daniel 8:16. ¹¹⁷ Ibid. ¹¹⁸ I Samuel 20:30. ¹¹⁹ II Samuel 15:5. ¹²⁰ Numbers 20:24. ¹²¹ Jeremiah 5:5. ¹²² Above, 12:1. ¹²³ 18a. ¹²⁴ 79:10. ¹²⁵ Tanchuma Numbers 19.