Yalkut Shimoni on Torah Reader

Rabbi Chanina said: As a reward for the modesty that was in Rachel, that she handed over the signs to her sister, she merited that Saul came forth from her. And as a reward for the modesty that was in Saul, as it is written, "but about the matter of the kingship he did not tell him" (1 Samuel 10:16), he merited that Esther came forth from him, as it is written, "Esther did not reveal her kindred" (Esther 2:20).

"I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter" (Genesis 29:18). He said: Because the people of your place are deceivers, I will clarify my acquisition. "Rachel," and not Leah; "your daughter," so that you not bring another from the market and call her name Rachel; "the younger," so that you not switch their names one for the other. And even if you put the wicked man through magic tricks, you will not succeed. "And Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife" (Genesis 29:21). Rav Eibo said: Even a licentious man does not speak in this manner, and would a modest man like Jacob speak this way? Rather, thus he said: The Holy One, blessed be He, decreed that I am to establish twelve tribes, and now I am eighty-four years old; if I do not establish them now, when shall I establish them? Therefore Scripture had to say, "Give me my wife, that I may go in to her." "And Laban gathered all the people of the place and made a feast" (Genesis 29:22). He said to them: You know that we were pressed for water, and once this righteous man came, the waters were blessed. They said to him: And what benefit is it to you? He said to them: If you wish, I will deceive him, and I will give him this Leah, while he loves this Rachel greatly, and he will work with you another seven years. They said to him: Do what is good in your eyes. He said to them: Give me pledges that not one of you will reveal me. And they gave him pledges. He went and brought wine and oil and meats. Why was he called Laban the Aramean? Because he deceived [from the same root as 'cheat'] the people of his place. All that day they were praising him, and when evening came, he said to them, "What now?" They said to him, "You performed kindness in your merit; we too will perform kindness with you." They were singing before him and saying, "This is Leah, this is Leah." In the evening the young men came and the lamp was dripping. He said to them, "What is this?" They said to him, "Do you suppose we are despised like you?" All that night he kept calling her, "Rachel, Rachel," and she answered him. In the morning, "behold, it was Leah" (Genesis 29:25). He said to her, "You deceiver, daughter of a deceiver! Was I not calling 'Rachel' in the night, and you answered me?" She said to him, "Is there a teacher without pupils? Was it not so that your father called you 'Esau,' and you answered him?" "Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also" (Genesis 29:27). From here we learn that one does not mingle one rejoicing with another rejoicing. "Laban took his two handmaids and gave them to his two daughters" (Genesis 29:24, 29). And were they his handmaids? Were they not his daughters? Rather, by the custom of the land, a man's daughters from his concubines are called handmaids, as it is said, "And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter."

"And he went in also to Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he served with him yet another seven years" (Genesis 29:30). It is the way of the world that a laborer works for a householder faithfully for two or three years, and in the end he grows lazy. But here, just as the first years were complete, so were the latter years complete; just as the first were in faithfulness, so were the latter in faithfulness. Rabbi Yochanan said: It is written, "Jacob fled to the field of Aram, and Israel served for a wife" (Hosea 12:13). He said to them: Your pattern resembles Jacob's. Just as Jacob, before he married a wife, was enslaved [in labor], and after he married, was enslaved, so too you: before the redeemer was born you were enslaved, and after the redeemer was born you were enslaved.

"And the LORD saw that Leah was hated" (Genesis 29:31). Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman opened: "For the LORD listens to the needy, and His prisoners He does not despise" (Psalms 69:34). Rabbi Binyamin bar Yefet said: The end of this verse does not match its beginning, nor its beginning its end; it should have said, "For the LORD listens to the needy, and prisoners He does not despise." Rather, "the LORD listens to the needy" refers to Israel, for Rabbi Yochanan said: wherever it says poor, low, oppressed, afflicted, and needy, Scripture speaks of Israel. "And His prisoners He does not despise" refers to the barren women, who are imprisoned within their houses, and once the Holy One, blessed be He, remembers them with children, they are lifted up. Know this, for behold Leah was hated in the house, and once she was remembered [with children] she was lifted up. "And the LORD saw that Leah was hated." That she had done as the hated one does, for she had been destined to marry the hated one [Esau], for such were the conditions, that the elder marry the elder and the younger the younger. And everyone reviled her: seafarers reviled her, travelers reviled her. They would say, "This Leah, her hidden side is not like her revealed side; she seems righteous but is not, for if she were righteous she would not have deceived her sister." When our father Jacob saw the deeds, that Leah had deceived her sister, he resolved to divorce her. But once the Holy One, blessed be He, remembered her, he said, "Shall I divorce the mother of these?" And in the end he acknowledged the matter, as it is written, "And Israel bowed himself upon the head of the bed" (Genesis 47:31). Who was at the head of Jacob's bed? Was it not Leah? "And Rachel was barren" (Genesis 29:31). She was the mainstay of the house. The majority of those reclining were of Leah's, yet even so they make Rachel the mainstay; "and Rachel was barren," the mainstay of the house. Because matters depend on Rachel, therefore Israel are called by her name, "Rachel weeping for her children" (Jeremiah 31:14). And not by her own name but by the name of her son, as it is written, "Perhaps the LORD of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph." And not by the name of her son but by the name of her grandson, "Is Ephraim a precious son to Me?" (Jeremiah 31:19).

In seven months Leah bore her children, and within seven years eleven sons and one daughter were born to Jacob. And all of them were born, and their mates [destined spouses] were born with them, except for Joseph, whose mate was not born with him, for Asenath the daughter of Dinah was fitting to be his wife; and except for Dinah, whose mate was not born with her. He [Jacob] said, "This girl is judgment and justice [din u-mishpat]," and therefore he called her name Dinah.

Rabbi Yochanan said: There are three keys in the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, which He has not handed over to a messenger. These are they: the key of the woman in childbirth, as it is said, "And He opened her womb" (Genesis 29:31); the key of rain, from where? As it is said, "The LORD will open for you His good treasury" (Deuteronomy 28:12); the key of the resurrection of the dead, from where? As it is said, "And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves" (Ezekiel 37:13). In the West [the Land of Israel] they say: also the key of sustenance, as it is said, "You open Your hand" (Psalms 145:16). And why does Rabbi Yochanan not count this one? Rabbi Yochanan would say to you: rain is itself sustenance.

It was taught: Rabbi Eliezer says: Just as there are hinges [tzirim] for a house, so there are pangs [tzirim] for a woman, as it is said, "And she bowed and gave birth, for her pangs turned upon her" (1 Samuel 4:19). Rabbi Yehoshua says: Just as there are doors for a house, so there are doors for a woman, as it is said, "Because it did not shut up the doors of my womb" (Job 3:10). Rava said: They [these parts] do not impart impurity under a tent [the dead body's openings], as it is said, "This is the law: when a man dies in a tent" (Numbers 19:14), a matter common to every person, and in a man there are no pangs. But is it not written, "Pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman in labor" (Isaiah 21:3)? Those are pangs of the flesh, for if you do not say so, how do you arrive at the 248 limbs? They would be found neither in a man nor in a woman. Rabbi Akiva says: Just as there is a key for a house, so there is a key for a woman, as it is said, "And He opened her womb" (Genesis 29:31). And against Rabbi Akiva the students of Rabbi Yishmael raise a difficulty, for Rabbi Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: It happened with the students of Rabbi Yishmael that they boiled [in examination] a certain harlot who had been condemned to burning by the king, and they found in her 252 limbs. They came and asked Rabbi Yishmael: How many limbs are there in a person? He said, 248. They said to him: But behold, we examined and found 252. He said: Perhaps you examined a woman, in whom Scripture added two hinges and two doors. Perhaps, since they are small, they were worn away [in a man and so not counted].

(Genesis 29:32) "And Leah conceived and bore a son." Rabbi Yose bar Hanina said: There are four measures in names. There are those whose names are pleasant but whose deeds are ugly: Esau, who is from the root meaning to do, yet he does not do [good]; Ishmael, whose name means he hears, yet he does not hear [God]. There are those whose names are ugly but whose deeds are pleasant: these are the children of the exile (Ezra 2:51), "the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur," who were worthy and went up and built the Temple. There are those whose names are ugly and whose deeds are ugly: these are the spies, "Setur son of Michael" who is read as bar mistorin [a man of hidden, ruinous secrets], "Gadi" who is like bitter sinews. And there are those whose names are pleasant and whose deeds are pleasant: these are the tribes. Reuben, read as re'u ben [see, a son] among the sons; Simeon, who hears [shome'a] the voice of his Father in heaven. Rabbi Yose bar Hanina said: The names of the tribes are not a smudge upon them but a covering of honor for them. (Genesis 29:33) "And she said: Because the LORD has heard that I am hated." This one [Simeon] is destined to raise up a hater [Zimri], and who heals his wound? Phinehas, who stands from Levi. (Genesis 29:34) "This time my husband will be joined to me." This one [Levi] is destined to join sons to their Father in heaven, "therefore she called his name Levi." Wherever it is said "therefore she called his name," the tribe is great in numbers. (Genesis 29:35) "This time I will thank the LORD." A parable: a priest was standing at the threshing floor, and one man gave him a kor of tithe and the priest held him no gratitude; then another came and gave him a handful of ordinary grain and the priest held him gratitude. The first said: My lord priest, I gave you a whole kor and you held me no gratitude, while this man gave you only a handful and you held him gratitude. The priest answered: You gave me from my own portion [which was owed me], but this man gave me from what was his own. So too, since the matriarchs supposed that each would raise up three sons, when Leah bore a fourth son she said: This time I will thank the LORD.

Another interpretation: because she had the tribe of priesthood and the tribe of kingship [Levi and Judah], you find that whatever is written of the one is written of the other. In this one anointing, in that one anointing; in this one a staff, in that one a staff; in this one a covenant of salt, in that one a covenant of salt; in this one "this time," in that one "this time"; in this one a crown, in that one a crown; in this one drawing near [to offer], in that one drawing near; in this one a chain of lineage, in that one a chain of lineage; in this one a frontlet, in that one a frontlet. Rabbi Levi said: (Job 36:7) "He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous." Here is its example: Leah grasped the spindle of thanksgiving, and all her sons arose masters of thanksgiving. Judah, (Genesis 38:26) "And Judah recognized and said: She is more righteous than I"; David, "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good"; Daniel, (Daniel 2:23) "To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise." Rachel grasped the spindle of silence, and all her sons arose masters of secrets. Benjamin, (Exodus 28:20) "jasper [yashfeh]," read as yesh peh [there is a mouth], for he knew of the sale of Joseph and did not tell; Saul, (1 Samuel 10:16) "but the matter of the kingship he did not tell him"; Esther, "Esther did not tell her people." "Therefore she called": great in numbers. "And she ceased bearing." Who holds steady a woman's feet in the home? Her children.

Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai: From the day the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world, no one gave thanks before the Holy One, blessed be He, until Leah came and gave thanks to Him, as it is said, "This time I will thank the LORD." "Reuben." Rabbi Eleazar said: Leah said, See the difference between my son and my father-in-law [Esau]. As for my son, even though his birthright was taken from him against his will, as it is written (1 Chronicles 5:1), "and because he defiled his father's couch his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph," even so he bore no grudge over it, for what is written? "And Reuben heard and rescued him from their hands." But as for my father-in-law's son [Esau], even though he sold his birthright to Jacob of his own will, as it is written (Genesis 25:33), "and he sold his birthright to Jacob," even so (Genesis 27:41) "Esau bore a grudge."

(Genesis 30:1) "And Rachel saw that she had borne Jacob no children, and Rachel envied her sister." It is written, "Let not your heart envy sinners, but be in the fear of the LORD all day long" (Proverbs 23:17), and you say "and Rachel envied her sister"? Rather, she envied her good deeds. She said: Were she not righteous, she would not have borne children. "And she said to Jacob: Give me children." Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahman said: Four are reckoned as though dead: the blind, the leper, one who has no children, and one who has come down from his wealth. The blind, as it is said (Lamentations 3:6), "He has made me dwell in dark places like those long dead." The leper, (Numbers 12:12) "Let her not be like a dead thing." And one who has come down from his wealth, (Exodus 4:19) "for all the men who sought your life are dead" and were they dead? Were they not Dathan and Abiram? Rather, they had come down from their wealth. And one who has no children, as it is said, "Give me children, and if not, I am a dead woman."

(Genesis 30:2-3) "And Jacob's anger burned against Rachel." It is written, "Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge" this is Abraham, (Genesis 16:2) "and Abram listened to the voice of Sarai"; "and fill his belly with the east wind" this is Jacob, "and Jacob's anger burned against Rachel." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Is this how one answers the distressed? By your life, your sons are destined to stand before her son [Joseph]. "Who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb." She said: From me He has withheld; from you He has not withheld. She said to him: Did your father act this way toward your mother? Did he not gird his loins on her behalf [in prayer]? He said to her: That one had no children, but I have children. She said to him: And did your grandfather not have children, yet he girded his loins on Sarah's behalf? He said to her: Can you do what my grandmother did? She said: And what did she do? He said: She brought her rival into her house. She said: If this is the thing that holds it back, here is my maid Bilhah, go in to her. (Genesis 30:6) "And Rachel said: God has judged me." He judged me and found me liable, He judged me and found me worthy. He judged me and found me liable, "and Rachel was barren"; He judged me and found me worthy, "and He gave me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan. Great in numbers. (Genesis 30:8) "And Rachel said: I have wrestled." I tested, I coaxed, I prevailed [over] my sister. Rabbi Yohanan said: I was entitled to act lightly before my sister; had I sent and said to him, Take care, they are deceiving you, he would not have parted [from me]. But I said: If I am not worthy that the world be built from me, let it be built from my sister.

Another interpretation: "my twistings" [naftulei] her windings were not mine [of my own doing], for did Jacob go to Laban at all except for my sake?

Another interpretation: "sweetness" [nofet] it was not mine the words of Torah of which it is said (Psalms 19:11) "the drippings of the honeycomb" [nofet tzufim] were destined to be spoken in the portion of Naphtali. (Genesis 30:10) "And Zilpah bore." Of all the others it is written "and she conceived," but here "and she bore" rather, she was a young woman and her pregnancy was not noticeable.

(Genesis 30:11) "And Leah said: Fortune has come [ba gad]." The good fortune of the house has come, the good fortune of the world has come; there has come the one who is destined to cut down the foundation of the nations of the world. Who is that? Elijah. Elijah from which tribe? Rabbi Eliezer says he was of Benjamin, as it is said, "and Yaareshyah and Eliyah and Zichri, the sons of Yeroham... all these were of the sons of Benjamin." Rav Nehorai says he was of Gad, as it is written (1 Kings 17:1), "and Elijah the Tishbite, of the settlers of Gilead, said." How does Rabbi Nehorai uphold the verse cited by Rabbi Eliezer, "and Yaareshyah and Eliyah"? They are homiletic [readings of the names]: at the hour when God shakes His world, Elijah recalls the merit of the fathers and the Holy One, blessed be He, is filled with compassion. And how does Rabbi Eliezer uphold the verse cited by Rabbi Nehorai, "of the settlers of Gilead"? He was one of those who sat in the Chamber of Hewn Stone. Once our rabbis disputed about him, these saying he was of Benjamin and those saying he was of Gad. He came and stood before them and said: My masters, why do you dispute about me? I am of the children's children of Rachel. (Genesis 30:13) "And Leah said: In my happiness, for the daughters have called me happy." Rabbi Levi said: Asher never lodged in an inn in his life [his land was so abundant]. Asher inherited boulevards that Judah did not inherit lands; this is what is written (1 Chronicles 7:30-31), "and the sons of Asher: Yimnah and Yishvah and Yishvi and Beriah, and Serah their sister... he was the father of Birzayit." Rabbi Levi said: their daughters were beautiful and were married to priests who were anointed with olive oil. Rabbi Siman said: they were married to kings who were anointed with olive oil.

"And Reuben went in the days of the wheat harvest" (Genesis 30:14). "Train up a child according to his way; even when he grows old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6). "The full have hired themselves out for bread" (1 Samuel 2:5) - this is Leah, who was full of children and was rewarded; "and the hungry have ceased" - this is Rachel, who was hungry for children and ceased. "Until the barren has borne seven" - this is Leah, who was barren and bore seven. "And she that has many children languishes" - this is Rachel, who was fit to have most of the sons descend from her, yet languished. And who did this? "The LORD kills and makes alive" (1 Samuel 2:6). "And he found mandrakes." Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba said: jasmine. Rabbi Yitzchak said: barley. Rabbi Yehudah bar Simon said: violets. Whether according to these or those, all agree that he brought only from ownerless property. Know this, for he went at the time of harvest, the season when every kind of produce ripens, yet he brought only from the ownerless - to teach you how careful they were against robbery. "And he brought them to Leah his mother" - to teach you how great his mother's honor was upon him, that he did not taste them until he had brought them to his mother. Our Rabbis taught: "He who blasphemes the LORD" (Numbers 15:30) - this is Manasseh son of Hezekiah, who expounded faulty homilies. He said: Did Moses have nothing to write but "And the sister of Lotan was Timna" (Genesis 36:22) and "And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz son of Esau" (Genesis 36:12), and "And Reuben went in the days of the wheat harvest"? A heavenly voice came forth and said to him: "You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son. These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. I will reprove you and set the matter before your eyes" (Psalms 50:20-21). Concerning him it is explained in the tradition: "Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, and sin as with a cart rope" (Isaiah 5:18). What is "as with a cart rope"? Rabbi Assi said: at first sin is like a spider's thread, and in the end it becomes like a cart rope. Since we have come to it - what is the meaning of "And the sister of Lotan was Timna"? She was a woman of distinguished family, as it is written, "chief Timna" (Genesis 36:40), and every chief is royalty without a crown. Timna was an important woman, and she desired to attach herself to the seed of Abraham. She came to Jacob and said to him, "Convert me and I will be your concubine," and he did not accept her. She went and became concubine to Eliphaz son of Esau. She said: I would rather be a maidservant to the lowest of this nation than a noblewoman in another nation. From her came Amalek, who came to afflict Israel. Why? Because they should not have pushed her away. From here we learn that the righteous do not stretch out their hands in robbery.

"And she said to her, Is it a small matter that you have taken my husband?" (Genesis 30:15). You have brought before me what is mine. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai taught: because she belittled the righteous one, she does not enter the grave together with him. This is why she said to her, "Therefore he shall lie with you tonight" - with you he shall lie, but not with me. Rabbi Berekhiah said: this one lost and that one lost, this one gained and that one gained. Leah lost the mandrakes and gained tribes and the birthright, and so on. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said: Leah lost the mandrakes and gained tribes and burial, and so on.

"And Jacob came in from the field" (Genesis 30:16). We have learned: one who hires laborers and stipulated with them to begin early and finish late may not compel them to do so in a place where the custom is not to begin early and finish late. Rabbi Muna said: in a place where there is no fixed custom, it is a condition of the court that the going out is at the employer's expense and the coming in at the worker's expense. From where do we know the going out is at the employer's expense? As it is said, "The sun rises, they gather themselves and lie down in their dens" (Psalms 104:22), and from then on "man goes out to his work" (Psalms 104:23). From where do we know the coming in is at the worker's own expense? "And to his labor until evening" (Psalms 104:23). It does not say "until evening" but "unto the evening," to say until darkness. Rabbi Ammi in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: it burdened the employer, that if it were the eve of Shabbat the expense should be his, until when? Until each one goes to his house and fills himself a jug of water and roasts himself a fish and lights his lamp in honor of the Shabbat. "And Jacob came in from the field in the evening," this is what is written, "and to his labor unto the evening."

"And Leah went out to meet him" - this teaches that she did not even let him wash his feet. "And she said, You must come in to me." The Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw that her intention was only to raise up tribes; therefore Scripture had to say "You must come in to me." "And I will purge out from among you the rebels" (Ezekiel 20:38) - these are the children of nine kinds: children conceived in fear, in compulsion, and so on. But are children of a brazen woman truly excluded? Did not Rav Shmuel bar Nachman say in the name of Rav Yonatan: any man whose wife demands him will have children such that even in the generation of Moses our teacher there were none like them, as it is said, "Get for yourselves men wise and understanding" (Deuteronomy 1:13), and it is written, "And I took the heads of your tribes" (Deuteronomy 1:15), and it is written, "Issachar is a strong-boned donkey" (Genesis 49:14), and it is written, "And of the children of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times" (1 Chronicles 12:33)? That case is where she coaxes him gently. Rabbi Levi said: come and see the power of the mandrakes, for through the mandrakes two great tribes arose in Israel, Issachar and Zebulun. Issachar sits and occupies himself with Torah, and Zebulun goes out and sails the seas and puts food into the mouth of Issachar, and Torah increases in Israel. This is what is written, "The mandrakes have given forth fragrance" (Song of Songs 7:14). "And she said, You must come in to me." (This is written at remez 31.)

Rabbi Eliezer said: what is the meaning of what is written, "And he lay with her that night" (Genesis 30:16)? The word "he" teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, assisted in that act, as it is said, "Issachar is a strong-boned donkey" (Genesis 49:14) - a donkey caused it for Issachar.

"And Leah said, God has given me my reward" (Genesis 30:18). Issachar was ninth among the tribes, yet he brought his offering second before the king, as it is said, "On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar offered" (Numbers 7:18). Why? Because he was a man of Torah. This is what is written, "And of the children of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times" (1 Chronicles 12:33) - for the intercalations of the calendar. "Their heads were two hundred" - two hundred heads of Sanhedrins did the tribe of Issachar produce, "and all their brethren were at their command" - they would settle the law according to their word, and he would answer them with a law given to Moses at Sinai. And from where did all this praise come to him? From Zebulun, who occupied himself with commerce and fed Issachar, who was a man of Torah. This is what is written, "Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the seas" (Genesis 49:13). And when Moses came to bless Israel, he placed the blessing of Zebulun before Issachar, as it is written, "Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar, in your tents" (Deuteronomy 33:18) - meaning that there is reward in your tents. And some say: Issachar studies in the tents of Zebulun.

"And Leah said, God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me" (Genesis 30:20). This field, as long as you fertilize it and hoe it, it produces. "And afterward she bore a daughter" (Genesis 30:21). There we have learned: if a man's wife is pregnant and he says, "May it be Your will that my wife bear a male," this is a vain prayer. Rabbi Yannai said: this applies when she is sitting on the birthstool. This teaching - Rabbi Yehudah ben Pazi said: even when she is sitting on the birthstool the child can still change, as it is written, "Can I not do with you, house of Israel, as this potter? Behold, like clay in the hand of the potter" (Jeremiah 18:6). They objected: but is it not written, "And afterward she bore a daughter"? He said to him: the essence of Dinah's creation was originally male, and through the prayer of Rachel, who said, "May the LORD add to me another son" (Genesis 30:24), it became female. The matriarchs were prophetesses. It does not say "other sons" but "another son." Rachel said: one more son is destined to arise; would that he come from me. All the matriarchs gathered and said: enough males among us; let this one too be remembered favorably for Rachel. And does prayer not avail? But it is written, "And afterward she bore a daughter." What is "afterward"? After Leah judged the matter within herself. She said before Him: Master of the universe, twelve tribes are destined to come from Jacob; six have come from me and four from the handmaids. If this one is male, my sister will not be even like one of the handmaids. Immediately the male was turned into a female, as it is said, "And she called her name Dinah." One resolves this: miraculous deeds are not invoked as proof. And if you prefer, say: Leah's act was within the first forty days. As it is taught: in the first three days a man should pray that the seed not spoil; from three to forty days he should pray that it be male; from forty days to three months he should pray that it not be malformed; from three to six months that it not be a stillbirth; from six to nine months that it come forth in peace. And does prayer avail? Did not Rabbi Yitzchak say: what is written, "If a woman conceives and bears a male" (Leviticus 12:2) - if the woman emits seed first she bears a male, if the man emits first she bears a female? Here we deal with a case where both emitted together.

"And God remembered Rachel" (Genesis 30:22). She was remembered on Rosh Hashanah. (This is written above at remez 93.)

"He has remembered His kindness and His faithfulness toward the house of Israel" (Psalms 98:3). "Kindness" refers to Abraham, as it is said, "kindness to Abraham" (Micah 7:20). "And His faithfulness" refers to Jacob, as it is said, "You will give truth to Jacob." "Toward the house of Israel" (ibid.) means Israel the elder. Who was the true household of Jacob our father? Was it not Rachel? Concerning all the others it is written, "the sons of Leah: Jacob's firstborn Reuben," and "the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid," and "the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid," but concerning Rachel it is written, "the sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife." Therefore it is written, "He has remembered His kindness and His faithfulness toward the house of Israel," and then "God remembered Rachel." "He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle against me" (Psalms 55:19). "He has redeemed my soul in peace" refers to Jacob; "from the battle against me" means that the counsel of that wicked one [Laban] should not come near him, lest he say, "This wife who has borne him children, let him take her along, but this one who has not borne, let him not take her along." "For they were with me in great number" (ibid.) means that Rachel was remembered through many prayers. "Rachel" by her own merit; "Rachel" by the merit of her sister. "And He hearkened to her" by the merit of Jacob; "and He opened her womb" by the merit of the matriarchs. Rabbi Samuel bar Nahman said: Woe to the wicked! "And God remembered Rachel." What act of remembrance was recalled? That she had kept silent for her sister at the hour when they were giving Leah to Jacob; she knew and kept silent. And the law would have it so, for she had brought her rival into her own house. "Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin": by the merit of Dan, Rachel was remembered; by the merit of Dan, Joseph and Benjamin arose. "God has gathered up my disgrace" (Genesis 30:23). Rachel had been distressed that she might be given over to the portion of Esau. Here it says, "He has gathered up my disgrace," and "disgrace" means nothing other than the foreskin, as it is said, "for that is a disgrace to us" (Genesis 34:14). Jacob said: With permission I went out, and with the permission of the Holy One, blessed be He, I am returning. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Permission you seek? "Return to the land of your fathers." Did you come except for the sake of the tribes? Behold, the tribes are in your hand; behold, Rachel is in your hand; behold, the adversary of Esau has been born. Of the verse "and he had much livestock" it is not written here, but rather "many flocks" (Genesis 30:43), for it kept increasing greatly, and the nations of the world would come and give Jacob silver to buy flocks from him.

"God has gathered up my disgrace" (Genesis 30:23). Before a woman gives birth, the blame for any mishap is hung upon her: Who ate this dish? Who broke this jug? But once she gives birth, the blame is hung upon her child: Who ate this dish? Her son. Who broke this jug? Her son. "God has gathered up my disgrace": in the matter of the concubine at Gibeah, "Cursed be the one who gives a wife to Benjamin" (Judges 21:18). "God has gathered up my disgrace": in the days of Jeroboam, "and Jeroboam recovered no more strength." "And she called his name Joseph, saying, May the LORD add to me another son" (Genesis 30:24). "Another" points to exile: the ten tribes were exiled to beyond the river Sambatyon, while the tribes of Judah and Benjamin are scattered through all the lands. "Another son" points to division: through the prayer of Rachel, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin did not divide off with the ten tribes. "Another" means one who does the deeds of others. "And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph" (Genesis 30:25): once the adversary of Esau was born. For Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani said: A tradition of aggadah is in our hands that Esau will fall only by the hand of the sons of Rachel, as it is written, "surely the least of the flock shall drag them away" (Jeremiah 49:20). And why does he call them "the least of the flock"? Because they are the youngest of the tribes.

Why specifically when Joseph was born [did Jacob seek to leave]? Because Jacob our father saw that the seed of Esau would be delivered only into the hand of the seed of Joseph, as it is said, "And the house of Jacob shall be fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble" (Obadiah 1:18). One raised an objection against him: "And David smote them from the twilight" and so forth (I Samuel 30:17) [implying David, of Judah, struck Amalek, of Esau's line]. He said to him: He who taught you the Prophets did not teach you the Writings, for it is written, "as he went to Ziklag, there fell to him men of Manasseh" [Joseph's son] (I Chronicles 12:21). One objected: "of the sons of Simeon went to Mount Seir" and so forth (I Chronicles 4:42-43) [Simeon, not Joseph, struck Esau's Seir]. Their leader Yishi too came from Manasseh, as it is written, "and the sons of the half-tribe of Manasseh... and Epher and Yishi" [text uncertain].

(Genesis 30:27) Rav Huna said in the name of Rav: There are three pairings that must follow immediately one upon the other. Immediately after redemption, prayer. Immediately after laying hands on the offering, the slaughtering. Immediately after washing the hands, the blessing. Immediately after the final washing of the hands, the grace after meals. Abaye said: Also, immediately upon being near a Torah scholar comes blessing in the work of one's hands, as it is said, "I have observed by divination that the LORD has blessed me [for your sake]" and so forth. If you prefer, derive it from here: "and the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake" (Genesis 39:5).

"I have observed by divination" (Genesis 30:27): I have tested and examined, "and the LORD has blessed me for your sake." "And he said, Name your wages" (Genesis 30:28): set a fixed sum, state it plainly. "For the little that you had before me" (Genesis 30:30): the word "little" is said here, and "little" is said elsewhere, "and he sojourned there, few in number" (Deuteronomy 26:5). Just as there it means seventy souls, so here it means seventy. "When shall I provide for my own house also?" (Genesis 30:30): Reuben needs me, Simeon needs me [each child requires support]. "And my righteousness will testify for me on the morrow" (Genesis 30:33). Rabbi Judah bar Simon says: "Do not boast about the morrow." You said, "my righteousness will testify for me on the morrow"; on the morrow your daughter goes out and is degraded, as it is said, "And Dinah the daughter of Leah went out" (Genesis 34:1). "And Laban said, Behold, let it be according to your word" (Genesis 30:34): every agreement that Laban made with Jacob our father he would reverse ten times retroactively, as it is said, "Behold, let it be" [read as a doubled assent he kept undoing]. And our rabbis say, a hundred times, as it is said, "and he changed my wages ten counts" (Genesis 30:41), for "counts" is no fewer than ten [times ten]. "And Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flock" (Genesis 30:36): it is written "the remaining one"; some of them were diseased, some barren, some [text uncertain].

Before Jacob came to Haran, the Holy One, blessed be He, sent a plague upon Laban's flock, and only a few remained. We learn this from here, as it is said, "And Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flock," meaning what remained from the plague, so that the flock might be made fruitful and multiply on account of Jacob's arrival. From this you may say: there is a foot that lays a house waste, and there is a foot that brings blessing to a house, as it is said, "and the LORD has blessed you on account of my foot [my coming]" (Genesis 30:30).

"And Jacob took for himself rods of fresh poplar, and of almond and plane tree" (Genesis 30:37-39): a fresh white branch, of almond, and of plane. Thus Jacob our father would place the rods inside the water troughs. The animal would come to drink and would see the rods and recoil backward, and the male would mount her, and she would give birth to one like it. Rabbi Hoshaya said: the waters became seed within their wombs, and they lacked nothing but the form of the offspring. Rabbi Huna of Bet Horon said: the ministering angels would carry off from Laban's flock and place among Jacob's flock. This is what is written, "Lift up your eyes now and see all the rams" — it is not written "that climb," but rather "that are made to climb" of their own accord [the unusual form hinting they were brought up by another hand]. Rabbi Tanhuma said: by a rush of rains. Our rabbis say: by clouds of glory.

"And when the flock were feeble, he did not set them" (Genesis 30:42). Rabbi Yohanan said: these were the early-born of Laban; Resh Lakish said: the late-born of Laban. "And the man increased exceedingly, exceedingly" (Genesis 30:43): a breach of abundance was opened for him resembling a foretaste of the World to Come. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: our father Jacob had two million and seven thousand two hundred herds. Rabbi Levi said: six hundred thousand dogs. Our rabbis say: one million two hundred thousand. And they do not really disagree: the one who says six hundred thousand reckons one dog for each flock; the one who says one million two hundred thousand reckons two dogs for each flock. "And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying" (Genesis 31:1). Hezekiah said: until Jacob our father went down there, they were not blessed with male offspring. This is what is written, "and he heard the words of Laban's sons," [implying sons were now born to Laban]. "And from what was our father's he has gained all this wealth" (ibid.): "wealth" [kavod] means nothing other than silver and gold, as it is said, "Plunder the silver, plunder the gold, for there is no end to the store, the wealth of every precious vessel" (Nahum 2:10). "And Jacob saw the face of Laban" (Genesis 31:2): "a man's heart changes his face, whether for good or for evil." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jacob: your father-in-law does not show you a pleasant face, yet you sit beside him? "Return to the land of your fathers... and I will be with you." "And the LORD said to Jacob, Return to the land of your fathers" (Genesis 31:3). "I cried to You, O LORD; I said, You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." Now, is not "the land of the living" only Tyre and her neighbors, where there is plenty and where there is cheap food? Yet you say "in the land of the living"? Rather, it is the land whose dead will live first in the days of the Messiah. Resh Lakish in the name of Bar Kappara derives it from here: "who gives breath to the people upon it, and spirit to those who walk on it" (Isaiah 42:5). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: you said "my portion is in the land of the living" — "return to the land of your fathers and I will be with you." Your father awaits you, your mother awaits you, I Myself await you. Possessions outside the land are not included in blessing; only once you return to the land of your fathers will I be with you. Here you say "and I will be with you," and elsewhere it says, "and I have been with you wherever you went" (II Samuel 7:9). Rather, David, because he sustained all Israel, is told "wherever you went"; Jacob, because he sustained only his own household, is told "return to the land of your fathers and I will be with you."

(Genesis 31:4) "And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock." Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: For three things I love the people of Media (Persia): they do not bite and eat but cut and eat; they do not kiss except on the hand; and they take counsel only in the field, where there is open space. This is what is written: "And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock." (Genesis 31:8) "If he said thus: the speckled shall be your wages." The Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw what Laban was destined to do to our father Jacob, and He was forming the form accordingly. It is not written here "if he said thus" [in the past], but "if he shall say thus" [as a recurring threat]. It is not written "all that Laban did to you," but "is doing to you" [continually]. (Genesis 31:9-12) "And the angel of God said to me in a dream, Jacob." To him and to the generations: there is no generation that does not contain one like Abraham, none without one like Jacob, none without one like Moses. "Lift up now your eyes and see all the rams that go up [ha-olim]." It is not written "that went up" but "that go up" -- they were going up of their own accord. "And God took away the cattle" -- like one who rescues from what is lost. (Genesis 31:14) "And Rachel and Leah answered and said to him." Why did Rachel die first? Rabbi Yehuda said: because she spoke before her older sister. Rabbi Yose said to him: Have you ever in your life seen a man call out "Reuben" and Simeon answer him? Did he not call Rachel, and Rachel answered? According to Rabbi Yehuda it works; according to Rabbi Yose she died only from the curse of the old man, Jacob, who said (verse 32), "With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live" -- and it became (compare Ecclesiastes 10:5) "like an error that proceeds from before the ruler." (Genesis 31:15) "Are we not counted by him as foreigners?" They said: had he seen a better match, he would have taken it for himself; a better deal, he would have taken it. (Genesis 31:17) "And Jacob arose and lifted up his sons and his wives upon the camels." (Ecclesiastes 10:2) "A wise man's heart is at his right hand" -- this is Jacob; "and a fool's heart at his left" -- this is Esau, of whom it says "And Esau took his wives" and only afterward "his sons and his daughters." (Genesis 31:19) "And Laban went to shear his sheep." Wherever shearing is mentioned, it leaves a mark. "And Rachel stole the teraphim." Her intention was only for the sake of Heaven; she said, "How can I go off and leave this old man in his corruption?" Therefore "Rachel stole the teraphim." (Genesis 31:22-23) "And it was told to Laban on the third day." Rabbi Abahu said: what took our father Jacob three days to travel, Laban traveled in one day. Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba said: what took Jacob seven days, Laban traveled in one. Whichever way you wish: it is already written (Genesis 30:36) "he set three days' journey between himself and Jacob," and it is written "it was told to Laban on the third day" -- the third day of the flight, as it says "and he pursued after him seven days' journey." (Genesis 31:24) "And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night: Take heed that you speak not to Jacob from good to bad." Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai: even the good of the wicked is bad for the righteous. Why forbid the good as well? Because here it might cause him to mention the name of an idol; and elsewhere, because he injects defilement -- for Rabbi Yochanan said: when the serpent came upon Eve he cast defilement into her; Israel who stood at Mount Sinai, their defilement ceased; those who did not stand at Sinai, their defilement did not cease. (Genesis 31:27-29) "Why did you flee secretly?" He said: perhaps you mean to retract and not leave me to kiss my sons and daughters. "It is in the power of my hand to do you harm." (Genesis 31:30) "Why did you steal my gods?" When the tribes heard this they said: We are ashamed of you, Laban, our mother's father, that in your old age you say, "Why did you steal my gods?" (Genesis 31:33) "And he came into Rachel's tent" -- for she was the attentive servant of his needs. (Genesis 31:34-35) "And Rachel had taken the teraphim and put them in the camel's saddle-cushion." And she said to her father... Rabbi Yochanan said: he did not find the teraphim; he found jugs, and the jugs became teraphim, so as not to shame Rachel.

What are teraphim? They slaughter a firstborn man, wring off his head, salt it with salt and spices, and write upon a plate of gold the name of an unclean spirit and place it under his tongue. They set it in the wall and kindle lamps before it and bow down to it, and it speaks with them -- as it says (Zechariah 10:2), "For the teraphim have spoken vanity." Therefore Rachel stole them, so that they would not tell Laban that Jacob had fled; and not only that, but to root out idolatry from her father's house.

Rav Safra said: from where do the Persians call a menstruant woman "isolated"? From here: "the way of women is upon me" (Genesis 31:35). (Genesis 31:36-37) "And Jacob was angry and quarreled with Laban." The strictness of the fathers is better than the meekness of the sons. From where do we learn the strictness of the fathers? "And Jacob was angry and quarreled with Laban." Do you suppose there were blows and wounds there? There were only words of appeasement. Jacob appeases his father-in-law: "now that you have felt through all my goods" -- a son-in-law dwelling in his father-in-law's house, is it possible he never benefited from a single vessel, an object, a knife? But here, "you have felt through all my goods" -- even a single needle, even a single fork. And not the meekness of the sons, learned from David: (1 Samuel 20:1) "And David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done, what is my iniquity, what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?" -- he mentions bloodshed in his appeasement. (Genesis 31:38-41) "I did not bring you a torn animal" -- one that had been killed. "I bore the loss of it" -- I would be the sinner against the lion, for so the Holy One, blessed be He, decreed upon his flock, that the lion should eat five of them each day. And lest you say that another shepherd would have saved it, Scripture teaches (compare Isaiah 31:4) "as the lion and the young lion growl over their prey." "Stolen by day and stolen by night" -- they called me a thief of the day and a thief of the night. "These twenty years I have been in your house": the study of Torah is greater than honoring father and mother, for all those years that Jacob was in the house of Eber he was not punished for them.

"And the rams of your flock I have not eaten" (Genesis 31:38). Rava said: an ox a day old is called an ox, as it is written (Leviticus 22:27) "an ox or a sheep or a goat, when it is born." A ram a day old is called a ram, as it says, "and the rams of your flock I have not eaten." It was rams that he did not eat -- but lambs he did eat? Rather, learn from this that a ram a day old is called a ram.

"By day the drought consumed me" (Genesis 31:40). There was a shepherd who was tending animals on the bank of the Papa river; one of them slipped and fell into the river. He came before Rabba, who acquitted him, saying: what could he have done? He guarded as people guard. Here too he is exempt. He said to him: yes. They raised an objection: until when is a paid watchman obligated to guard? Such as "by day the drought consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes" (Genesis 31:40). [There it speaks] of municipal watchmen -- but was our father Jacob a municipal watchman? Rather, this is what he said to Laban: I guarded for you with extra guarding, like municipal watchmen. "By day the drought consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes." What would he say [in his sleeplessness]? Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: the fifteen Songs of Ascents in the Book of Psalms. What is the reason? As it says (Psalms 124:1), "Had it not been for the LORD who was for us, let Israel now say" -- Israel the elder [Jacob]. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said: the entire Book of Psalms. What is the reason? As it says (Psalms 22:4), "And You are holy, enthroned upon the praises of Israel" -- Israel the elder. (Genesis 31:42) "Had it not been for the God of my father, the God of Abraham." Wherever "had it not been" is said, it is by the merit of the fathers. But it is written (Genesis 43:10) "had we not delayed"? Their whole standing was only by the merit of the fathers; for without the merit of the fathers they would not have come up from there in peace. Some take it otherwise: wherever "had it not been" is said it comes by the merit of the fathers, except for this one. He said: this one too is by the merit of the fathers, by the merit of the sanctity of the Name, by the merit of Torah (Psalms 119:92) "had not Your Torah been my delight," by the merit of faith, as it says "had I not believed to see the goodness of the LORD" (Psalms 27:13). "And the labor of my hands God saw" (Genesis 31:42). Labor is more beloved than the merit of the fathers, for the merit of the fathers saved property and labor saved lives. The merit of the fathers saved property: "had it not been for the God of my father... surely now you would have sent me away empty." And labor saved lives: "my affliction and the labor of my hands." (Genesis 31:43) "And Laban answered and said to Jacob, The daughters are my daughters." Rabbi Reuben said: they were all his daughters -- "the daughters are my daughters," that is two; "and my daughters," that is four. (Genesis 31:45-46) "And Jacob took a stone." Rabbi Yochanan said: like the great rock of Tiberias. "And Jacob said to his brothers" -- he had one brother, and would that he were buried! Rather, these were his sons, and he called them brothers, since they were as righteous and mighty as himself. Rabbi Yudan said: when a man wears his father's garment, he is like him. (Genesis 31:47) "And Laban called it Yegar Sahaduta." Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said: let the Aramaic tongue not be light in your eyes, for in the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings the Holy One, blessed be He, allots it honor. In the Torah: "And Laban called it Yegar Sahaduta." In the Prophets (Jeremiah 10:11): "Thus shall you say to them: the gods that did not make the heavens and the earth." In the Writings (Daniel 2:4): "And the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, O king, live forever." (Genesis 31:49) "And Mizpah, of which he said, May the LORD watch [yitzef] between me and you." It is not written "when we are hidden," but "that we shall be hidden" -- until now we could see one another.

(Genesis 31:50) "If you afflict my daughters" -- that is two; "and if you take wives in addition to my daughters" -- that is two; they were all his daughters. From where do we learn that marital relations are called "affliction"? As it is written, "if you afflict my daughters," from marital relations. "And if you take wives" and so on -- from rival wives. But say both are about rival wives? Is it written "if you take" and "if you take"? It is written "if you take" [once]. But say both are about rival wives -- one his own rivals and one brought from outside? Is it written "if you take" and "if you afflict"? Say "affliction" means excessive relations, since relations themselves are an affliction, as it is written "and he lay with her and afflicted her" -- there it means he afflicted her through additional acts. (Genesis 31:51) "Behold this heap... which I have cast [yariti]." Like one who hurls a spear. (Genesis 31:52) "This heap is a witness and the pillar is a witness": for harm you shall not pass over to me, but you may pass for commerce. (Genesis 31:53) "The God of Abraham and the god of Nahor shall judge between us": "the God of Abraham" is holy; "and the god of Nahor" is profane; "and the God of their father" serves both holy and profane. (Genesis 32:1) "And he kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them." They were grieved and afflicted, and could bless only with the mouth. "And Laban went and returned to his place" -- he returned to his wretchedness; this teaches that robbers entered his house and made an uproar in it all night. (Genesis 32:2-3) "And Jacob went on his way." How many angels accompanied Jacob? Six hundred thousand. This is what is written: "And Jacob said when he saw them, This is God's camp," and the Divine Presence does not rest on fewer than six hundred thousand. The Rabbis say: one million two hundred thousand. "And he called the name of that place Mahanaim [two camps]." Rabbi Eibo said: he took from these and from those and sent an escort before him.

(Genesis 32:4-5) Rabbi Pinchas opened in the name of Rabbi Reuben: (Psalms 17:13) "Arise, O LORD, confront him" -- get ahead of the wicked one before he gets ahead of you. "Bring him down" -- tip him onto the scale of guilt; break him, as you say (Psalms 20:9) "they have bowed down and fallen." "Deliver my soul from the wicked, Your sword" -- from that wicked one who comes by the power of that sword, as it says (Genesis 27:40) "and by your sword you shall live." Another interpretation: from that wicked one who is destined to fall by Your sword, as you say "for My sword has drunk its fill in heaven." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: he was going on his own way, and you were sending word to him saying, "Thus says your servant Jacob." Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon opened: (Proverbs 25:26) "A fouled spring and a ruined fountain is a righteous man who totters before the wicked." Just as it is impossible for a spring to be fouled and a fountain ruined, so it is impossible for a righteous man to totter before a wicked one. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: he was going on his own way, and so on. Rabbi Huna opened: (Proverbs 26:17) "One who seizes a passing dog by the ears is one who meddles in a quarrel not his own." A parable: a band of robbers was sleeping at a crossroads, and a man passed and woke one of them, saying, "Get up, evil is common here." The robber rose and began to beat him. The man said, "May the evil one be cursed -- he was sleeping and you woke him." So the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: he was going on his own way, and so on. "Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked" -- Master of the world, do not grant wicked Esau the thoughts of his heart. "His scheme do not promote" -- make a muzzle for wicked Esau, that he have no complete peace of mind. And what muzzle did the Holy One, blessed be He, make for him? These are the sons of Barbaria and the sons of Germania, of whom the Edomites are afraid. Another interpretation: "And Jacob sent messengers." What is written just above the matter? "And Jacob said when he saw them, This is God's camp." How large is God's camp? Twenty million, as it says (Psalms 68:18) "the chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands." "And he called the name of that place Mahanaim," two camps -- why? This teaches that Jacob was given forty million ministering angels, and they all appeared as a king's troops: some clad in iron, some riding horses, some at the corners. He met those clad in iron and said, "Whose are you?" They said, "Jacob's." Likewise the horsemen, likewise those at the corners. This is what is written (Genesis 33:8), "What is all this camp that I met?" And Jacob too was mentioning to wicked Esau the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, in order to frighten and alarm him, as it is written, "for I have seen your face" and so on. A parable for Jacob and Esau: to what is the matter likened? To one who invited his fellow to a feast and recognized that he sought to kill him. He said to him, "This dish resembles the dish I tasted in the king's house." The other thought, "The king knows him," grew afraid, and did not kill him. So here, once he said to Esau "as one sees the face of God," wicked Esau said, "The Holy One, blessed be He, has brought him to this honor; I can no longer prevail against him." "Messengers" -- emissaries of flesh and blood. Rabbi Chama bar Chanina said: Hagar was Sarah's maidservant, and five angels were sent to her; this one, the beloved of the house, all the more so. Joseph, the youngest of the tribes, had three angels sent to him. "Before him" -- this one whose time had come to take the kingship before him.

"To Esau his brother" (Genesis 32:4) -- even though he is Esau, still he is his brother. "To the land of Seir, the field of Edom" -- why was it called Seir? Because it makes a person's hair stand on end [from fear]. "And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall you say to my lord, to Esau." Our Teacher [Rabbi Yehuda the Prince] said to Rabbi Afes: write one letter in my name to our master the king, Antoninus. He wrote it: "From Yehuda the Prince to our master the king, Antoninus." He took it, read it, and tore it. He said to him: write, "From Yehuda your servant to our master the king, Antoninus." He said to him: why do you demean your own honor? He said to him: am I better than my grandfather? Did not Jacob say, "Thus says your servant Jacob"? "With Laban I have sojourned [garti]" -- Laban the chief of swindlers I placed in my belt [outwitted him]; that man [Esau] all the more so. "And I have tarried until now" -- for the adversary of that man [Esau's destined downfall] has not yet been born. As Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said: it is a tradition in our hands that Esau will fall only by the hand of the descendants of the sons of Rachel.

Another interpretation: "And he commanded them, saying" (Genesis 32:5) means: Do not say that when he left his father's house he took nothing from the family estate, but rather, "By my own wages I acquired all these camps by my own strength," as it is said, "and now I have become two camps" (Genesis 32:11). In the hour when Jacob our father called Esau "my lord," the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You have lowered yourself before your brother and called him "lord" eight times; I will raise up from him eight kings before your sons, as it is written, "And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel" (Genesis 36:31). Esau said to him: If you come in peace, I am prepared to meet you; and if you come for war, I am against you. I have mighty men and warriors, and I speak a word before the Holy One, blessed be He, and He does it, as it is said, "He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him" (Psalms 145:19).